Dear Esther vs S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Dear Esther
Dear Esther is one of the few rare games that managed to evoke strong powerful emotions simply with beautiful visuals, euphonious instrumentals, and an immersive and narrated story filled with love, loss, guilt and redemption. Previously a cult mod, the game sends you on a journey of exploration and self-reflection as you explore a remote and uninhabited island in the outskirts of Hebrides where apparently a mysterious Esther has summoned you here.The best part about all of this though is that the game is, unlike most heavily story-driven games, very replayable. Every play-through will give you a new experience as the audio, visuals and even the events that happen are all randomly generated. So, if you enjoy story rich games, Dear Esther is a game that will unequivocally captivate you.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is the first of a hugely popular post-apocalyptic-themed, first-person, survival-horror shooter which might have just amassed a cult following. Set in 2012, almost two decades after the worst nuclear disaster occured at the Chernobyl power station and around 6 years after a second explosion rocked the damaged reactor, causing various anomalies to ripple open and from them came waves of mutated creatures, deadly radiation and also rare artifacts that are somehow imbued with powerful anomalous energy... artifacts that many would kill to have.Since then, the existence of such artifacts have brought forth groups of "stalkers", scavengers who scour the cordoned areas around Chernobyl for these very objects... and in this game, you play as one of them.
The game has risen to acclamation partly due to the terrifying, nightmarish creatures that the game contains, in addition to the brilliantly immersive storyline and an incredibly realistic game environemnt that's modelled after its real-world counterpart deep inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The gameplay is excellent as well. The game has accurate ballstics and combat mechanics, as well as a challenging survival aspect that is further made difficult due to the impact day and night, and the weather system has on the environment. There is also a multiplayer mode that can support up to 32 players.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has just celebrated its 10-year anniversary earlier this year and as such, many aspects of the game aren't really up to scratch by today's standards at least. If you do plan on getting this game, you might want to download some mods to help improve the game somewhat.