S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2009) (PC) (GSC Gameworld)
3For me there have been a lot of impulse-driven "oh, that game might be cool to own" purchases during the recent Steam summer sale, but Stalker: Clear Sky FOR €2,50 was a fantastic deal for a game I really want to play (as the other Stalker games Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat are both on my list of favorite action adventures on the PC.
Clear Sky is an interesting release in that it deviates a bit from the basic gameplay formula that defines both SoC and CoP by introducing a real faction system, which both means that faction-specific skirmishes and base assaults etc. take place independently of the player and that the player's actions (or in-action, as it were) can have a genuine effect on the balance of power in the unusually dynamic game world. The UI has even been expanded to include a screen which gives a strategical overview of the relative strength and resources of each faction, as well as more detailed info on the group you're currently working for.
As with the other two Stalker games, there's also a neat so-called "Complete" mod which enhances the graphics and adds a few features.