39% positive on Steam: Stalker Enhanced Editions dissapoint fans with cut content and blurry visuals

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Today saw the debut of upgraded versions of three timeless Stalker games on Steam. These titles encompass the initial game, Stalker: Shadow of Chornobyl, along with Stalker: Clear Sky and Stalker: Call of Prypiat. Regrettably, a deluge of player reviews have been pouring in throughout the day, and they’ve not been particularly favorable. At the moment of writing, Clear Sky and Call of Prypiat received “Mixed” ratings with scores of 42% and 40%. Interestingly, the original game, Shadow of Chornobyl, continues to hold a “Mostly Negative” rating, with just 39% of player reviews expressing satisfaction. Although the scores are not too dissimilar, 40% is the dividing line between Negative and Mixed on Steam. Fortunately, owners of the original version can upgrade at no cost. However, it might not be an improvement in quality.

39% positive on Steam, what went wrong with the Stalker Enhanced Editions?

In 2007, the development team GSC Game World, known for the Stalker series, first introduced the game titled Shadow of Chornobyl. This game is set in a fictionalized depiction of the real-life Chernobyl disaster exclusion zone, established post-1986 catastrophe. Life persists within this desolate landscape, with certain individuals surviving amidst the ruins and evading the mutated creatures that lurk in the shadows. Remarkably, despite some initial criticisms regarding bugs, the original game garnered both commercial and critical acclaim.

As a passionate gamer, I find myself pondering, “What gave rise to this predicament?” The Stalker series has been a global sensation for quite some time now. Last year saw the launch of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which boasts an impressive 81% positive reviews on Steam. Yet, I can’t help but wonder, “Why aren’t these ‘enhanced editions’ living up to expectations?” The first step towards finding answers is delving into the user reviews on Steam.

In simpler terms, numerous Steam users have pointed out that the game has several issues such as a blurry appearance, lack of DLSS support, troubles with mods, and what appears to be some level of censorship. One user expressed their frustration by saying, “It’s really annoying to wait for mods to fix the blur and censorship on what was supposed to be the definitive version of the game.” It seems that cut content has been a recurring issue in this game series. The Stalker Wiki page mentions a lengthy list of features, items, or creatures initially meant for the game but are now difficult to access without mods or alternative methods. Fan projects aim to create a complete version of the game, yet fans find it frustrating that even after so much time has passed, they still need to deal with the cut content all over again, despite this being the “enhanced edition” of the game.

Beyond that initial letdown, it seems like there are several other issues with the upgraded editions of the Stalker series. In terms of visual appeal, it appears chaotic at first glance. If a game is so blurry that players are making light-hearted jokes about it being the “Blurry Version” or questioning if it has a “Vaseline filter,” it’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Keep in mind, this is just the beginning. The development team might release updates to tackle some of these issues in the near future. However, as the review mentioned earlier suggests, you may need to hold off for mods if they don’t address these problems promptly.

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2025-05-21 03:32