When Stalker came out with it's DX 9 graphics (DX10 features were added later), the (Gamespot) reviewers called it outdated. When Skyrim came out 4 years later with the SAME DirectX 9-ass, DX9 Graphics reviewers said it looks amazing, despite being a console port.
They are really similar in graphics, open world shenanigans, atmosphere, the open fire places, the pixely shadows and grimey textures, lots of nature and rural life... even the rag doll mechanics are exactly the same.
Other than on the fly texture streaming (a.k.a. annoying texture pop-in), nothing changed. Texture streaming never really has properly worked in DX9, though it allowed for bigger areas.
Trust me, They are not the same in any kind of way. One runs on the gamebryo engine, the other does not. That in itself is a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference.
GSC is the eastern european Bethesda. It took both companies to make the game that they were always trying to make 3 times (Morrowind, Obilvion, Skyrim, and Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, Call of Pripyat). What can be said about Bethesda games can be said about GSC's games. Almost all of their games are buggy as shit and are considered to be tons better because of the huge modding communities that both franchises have. Their games are also rated the same way as in Obilivion and Clear Sky are considered the worst while Morrowind, Skyrim, SoC, and CoP are argued over which one is better. IMO the stalker games are way better since their A-life system is miles better than Radiant AI and stalkers game systems as a whole feel alot more cohesive.
TL;DR = Bethesda and GSC are one in the same.
The inventory in both are shit as well. Dragging and dropping 20 sausages one by one is not a quality gameplay experience.
I wish Obsidian would make a game in the GSC engine/universe (they could really create some interesting factions).
Never, you two are crazy. If you've played both you should know how un-similar they are, The STALKER games were never broken for me and I just started Skyrim and I've already seen perhaps 20 different bugs, including people sinking into the ground or hovering above it etc etc. Stalker did not have any of that.
What? The STALKER games are notoriously buggy (especially Shadow of Chernobyl). The GSC Game World/Bethesda comparison is pretty apt.
I mean, I've been playing Skyrim on the PS3 and having a surprisingly stable gameplay experience, but I'm not going to start dismissing the fact that it's still broken as hell for most people.
I'm not saying there needs to be some stuffy oscar-esque show for video games but they need to cut all the bullshit that does nothing but give people who look down on video games and gamers, more reason to because it typecasts all of us as stupid bumbling idiots who do nothing but drink beer and gawk over women bobbing for cupcakes.
I honestly think there are enough people playing video games (or are at least close to people who play video games) at this point that still being caught up in how the outside world perceives this hobby comes off as silly navel-gazing.
David Foster Wallace wrote an essay once where he kinda took people to task for shitting all over terrible television when it's pretty obvious that a lot of us take pleasure in watching and then picking apart all of the stuff we claim to hate. Ever since I read that I've been really self-conscious of coming off like a smug asshole whenever I start dumping on stupid garbage, so I learned to just shrug and move on when confronted with a new low in entertainment (or admit that deep down I at least enjoy the spectacle of some of it).
I guess my point is that people flipping out about the air of defensiveness and/or apathy surrounding the VGAs are coming off as a little naive about what most television actually is and the kind of people it's aimed at. You're right that it's garbage, but expecting anything else from "mass market" TV is just going to lead to perpetual disappointment.
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