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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a series of first-person shooter video games with horror elements, developed by Ukrainian video game developer GSC Game World for Microsoft Windows. The games are set in the area surrounding the Chernobyl accident site, called ‘The Zone’, in an alternative reality where a second explosion occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant occurred in the near future and caused strange changes in the area around it.

Story
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games all take place in "The Zone", and each follow the story of a different protagonist in the area. Each of these characters are S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s - "Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, Robbers". and as a result are used to the horrors of "The Zone".

Each of the games share a common trait in terms of plot; the story changes depending on the choices that the player makes. For the purpose of efficiently summarizing the plot, this article will assume that the 'optimal' choices were picked during gameplay.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
In the first game of the series, the player takes on the role of an amnesiac S.T.A.L.K.E.R. who is referred to as "Marked One". During the course of the game, the protagonist uncovers clues to his true identity and past while fighting the horrific mutated animals and humans that inhabit The Zone, and eventually confronting the C-Consciousness as well.

Shadow of Chernobyl features multiple endings, all of which are dependent on multiple controllable factors, such as money earned during the game, or how much of the protagonist's memory was pieced together.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
Clear Sky - the second game released of the series - is a prequel to Shadow of Chernobyl. The player assumes the role of Scar, a veteran S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. Upon being injured by an energy emission while guiding a group of scientists through The Zone, he - the lone survivor of the incident - is rescued by an organization going by the name "Clear Sky"; a faction is dedicated to researching and understand the nature of The Zone for the sake of humanity.

When Scar encounters and survives a second energy emission, Clear Sky theorizes that the emissions are The Zone's way of reacting to human activity, and that with time they will become highly unstable, and spiral out of control.

Throughout the game, the player can choose to have Scar side with or against certain factions in the area to help achieve Clear Sky's goal. Ultimately, their plan to stabilize the energy emissions fails, and an enormous energy emission from the Chernobyl plant itself sets the scene for the events of Shadow of Chernobyl to unfold.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
The third game in the series - Call of Pripyat - takes place shortly after Shadow of Chernobyl. Having discovered the open path to the center of The Zone, the government decides to take control of it via "Operation Fairway", in which they plan to thoroughly investigate the territory before dispatching the main military force.

Despite these preparations, the military operation fails, with all five helicopters of soldiers crashing. In order to determine the cause of the crashes, the Ukraine Security Service sends an ex-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. agent into The Zone; Major Degtyarev. This is the character that the player assumes to role of in Call of Pripyat.

After discovering that the crashes were caused by strong electrical currents, Degtyarev makes his way to an evacuation point located in Pripyat. Along the way, depending on the choices the player makes, he may meet a number of different characters that can become his allies. Eventually, after arriving in Pripyat, Degtyarev's party finds themselves surrounded by military survivors, who take them to their base. Once there, they meet Strelok, the protagonist of Shadow of Chernobyl, who explains the reason Operation Fairway failed despite the careful preparations made.

He explains that the helicopters were taken down by anomaly areas. The government had investigated and determined these areas previously, however they were not aware that the locations of the anomalies chance with every energy emission in The Zone, so by the time the military forces were sent in, the routes determined to be safe were no longer so.

Degtyarev and Strelok then work to send a new anomaly map to a rescue unit after the next energy emission. There are multiple different endings available depending on the player's success; whether or not they succeed in sending the anomaly map to a rescue unit, as well as whether or not any characters die in the process. In the ideal scenario, Degtyarev becomes head of the Security Service in The Zone, and Strelok gives all the materials he found in The Zone to the government, prompting the creation of the "Scientific Institute for the Research of the Chernobyl Anomalous Area, with Strelok taking up the position of chief scientific consultant.

Mods
The Stalker community is well-known for its many mods that tweak and optimize the games. Some of the most popular mods include 'Stalker Complete' and 'Oblivion Mod', which completely overhaul the game's graphics and mechanics.

Receptions
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has received generally very positive reviews with popular gaming sites.

IGN gave Shadow of Chernobyl a rating of 8.2 out of 10, commending it for its audio and lasting appeal, but criticizing its story. Gamespot gave it a rating of 8.5 out of 10, praising the survival gameplay but once again criticizing the story. Metacritic gave a rating of 82 out of 100, commending the game’s visuals but criticizing it for technical glitches. Gamesradar gave it 4.5 stars, once again praising the setting and gameplay but criticizing the amount of time it took to be produced relative to the quality of the game. Eurogamer awarded it 8 out of 10, commending the incorporation of horror into the setting, but adding that it may not appeal to all players.