Rage 2 vs S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Rage 2
Rage 2 is the highly-anticipated sequel to what seems to be an underrated, post-apocalyptic-themed action-shooter game. The original Rage was hailed as the ultimate combination of the dystopian world of Fallout, epic vehicular combat, a gameplay that mimics the intensity of Just Cause, and the sort of insanity which can only be characterized as Borderlands-like, and this sequel promises to deliver on all of that and more!Playing as the hero, Walker, you set off across the sun-scorched wastelands in pursuit of the nefarious Authority, but the place is massive and you'll need all the help you can get to navigate the world. This time around, you'll not only be able to drive monstrous battle vehicles; you can even take to the air in gyrocopters. Basically, if you see a vehicle, chances are you'll be able to drive or pilot it - it's that's simple.
The range of enemies (of various factions) that you'll encounter is pretty varied as well, with each featuring its own lineup of crazies, mutants and even monters. The same goes for the arsenal of futuristic weapons that you'll be able to collect and use to dish out a circus of carnage.
Rage is is currently available for pre-oreders on Bethesda's website. If you do order now, you can get an exclusive Cult of the Death God mission, which has a nice bit about the hero of the first Rage game and a chance to receive Raine’s legendary armor, the fan-favorite Settler Pistol and the new Mutant Monster Truck... if you managed to get through the hordes of mutants that is.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the second installment in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and yet is the prequel to the original game. In this game, a group of stalkers have unwittingly triggered an explosion of anomalies when they ventured into the heart of the exclusion zone - the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant itself, turning the entire zone into an unstable mess that continues to quake with anomaly outbursts. Stalker factions have also erupted, further adding to the overall chaos of the region.S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is essentially similar to the previous game, though it does have some significant improvements. For instance, the game is a lot more stable, which is ironic considering that all the storyline in this game talks about is how unstable the zone is. The weapons and armor in the game work better than in the original since they can, finally, be repaired. Artifacts are harder to find here but is a lot more rewarding and well, generally the overall setting feel a lot more realistic.
This is definitely a nicer game to play than its first game, but it's not really comparable to the third game of course. However, if you love the S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you might still want to consider buying all three games via its Steam bundle.