I didn't like Stalker 2 very much. The progression, map size, story, all of it felt like it was a Far Cry game pretending to be a Modern STALKER experience. Somehow, some way, GSC made me genuinely enjoy my time with Cost of Hope, and I could tell how high the quality was in comparison, since I started again from the very beginning to get the full experience.
Dear Lord.
I actually care about the factions, and both choices have genuine reasons why you'd pick either Duty or Freedom, and the writing! I was convinced for a moment that this was going to be a continuation of the poor writing from the main game with [spoiler]The most obvious false flag operation in Human History[/spoiler] happened, but then they actually EXPLAINED why it worked, which genuinely impressed me. Not only that, but the art direction in [spoiler]Anomalous Limansk...[/spoiler] I will say that while I PERSONALLY think its a little too wild for STALKER, I still absolutely adored the art direction and general vibes of the place.
BUT!!!
Its still tied to the main game, and that's where all of my complaints come from. The map is still way too big (in the old zones, I actually really like how small [spoiler]the Iron Forest and the CNPP[/spoiler] are.) Additionally, this game should NOT be nearly 200gb. Weapon progression shouldn't be tiered.
If you can get around it all? Genuinely a phenomenal DLC that made me genuinely love to play Stalker 2 in comparison to the main game.
