STALKER Clear Sky

Updates S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky to v1.01. The patch optimizes the performance of Clear Sky approximately 5%. In addition to that the patch improves the overall stability of the game and fixes potential load/save issues. Further the balancing of the multiplayer mode has been changed.

Download the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky v1.01 Retail Patch (57 MB)
Download the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky v1.01 Direct Download Patch (58 MB)
*Steam users should not need to download the patch

European publisher Deep Silver's first game in the US market, the GSC Game World FPS S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky was highly anticipated but a shipment error has caused the game's release date to be pushed back in this country. According to a report on Shacknews, a "manufacturing issue" has caused copies of the North American version to be recalled. Blue's News adds that (via an unnamed retail source) the specific issue was that the game boxes did not contain the CD keys.

There's no word on a new release date for the game although online retailers now have a September 15 date. This new development will likely push back any digital download release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky in the US. The European release date remains unchanged; it will ship on September 5.

While the game industry is beginning to understand that they can sell high profile games any time of the year the truth is that the time period between the first of September and the first week of December remains the biggest time of the year for new games to be released. 2008 seems to be no exception to this rule as PC gamers have a ton of new and promising titles to choose from this year.

So which games are we most looking forward to playing this fall? Well it so happens that we have created a feature gallery that has our picks for the PC game titles we most want to play in the next few months. That list include a long awaited MMO, a new expansion pack to the biggest MMO, an alternate history RTS game, a number of great looking first person shooters, a post-apocalyse RPG and a title that some are already declaring "the greatest game ever made." (in fact you can get a clue as to one of the games on our list from this custom case mode we saw at QuakeCon).

Our list of games is ordered by their scheduled release dates. Keep in mind while checking our picks that release dates can and do change at the last minute. Our picks represent the best info on these dates at the time of the posting of this article but if any changes are announced afterward we will report on them on the news site.

Click on the image above to continue reading "Most Anticipated Fall 2008 PC Games"

We are just a few days away from the retail release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, the upcoming prequel to GSC Gameworld's PC exclusive post-apocalyptic shooter. For Games Convention the title's publisher Deep Silver released some last minute new screenshots to the game showing off more of its graphical goodness.

While the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R game took years to complete it was a relatively short development span for Clear Sky. It was first announced just over a year ago and now the game is due for release worldwide on September 5 with support for both DirectX9 and DirectX10 graphics modes. Will the final version live up to our pretty high expectations? We won't be waiting for much longer.

It's one of the few PC-only titles that we are looking forward to playing and it just went gold. Developer GSC Game World's first person shooter prequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky has been cleared for duplication and will be published by Deep Silver in their first major game to be released in the US.

Along with the "gone gold" announcement comes word on a slight delay in the game's release. Originally announced as shipping to stores on August 29, the game's new release date has been pushed back one week. It is now due to ship to stores on September 5. It's one of the few games that will ship with both DirectX9 and DirectX10 graphics so we expect that it will be used as a benchmark for some PC rigs.

If you need to know the system requirements for a PC game chances are you might need a new PC to run it. So it goes with S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky, the latest game in GSC GameWorld's post apocalyptic first person shooter series. Publisher Deep Silver just published the PC hardware requirements (minimal and recommended) for the game so you can see for yourself if your rig is up to snuff:

MINIMAL

• Microsoft Windows 2000(SP4)/XP/Vista (SP1)
• Intel Pentium 4 2.0 Ghz / AMD XP 2200+
• 512 MB RAM
• 10 GB free hard disc space
• 128 MB DirectX 8.0 compatible card / nVIDIA GeForce 5700 / ATI Radeon 9600
• Keyboard, Mouse
• LAN / Internet for Multiplayer

RECOMMENDED

• Microsoft Windows XP/Vista (SP1)
• Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 / AMD 64 X2 4200+
• 1.5 GB RAM
• 10 GB free hard disc space
• 256 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible card / nVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT / ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT
• Keyboard, Mouse
• LAN / Internet for Multiplayer

Publisher Deep Silver is making its big move to the US with the upcoming release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky, the next game in GSC Game World's first person shooter series. The publisher just launched their official web site for the game and among other things revealed plans for a Collector's Edition of the title.

Unfortunately, the Collector's Edition is for Europe only; you folks on the other side of the pond will be able to get an extra DVD with behind-the-scenes content and a map of the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.as a poster. The Collector's Edition will also come enclosed in a SteelBook (which sounds cool even though we don't really know what it means). The game is due out in late August in both Europe and the US.

There have been tons of great cliffhanger endings in history. Will Han Solo get out of that carbonite casing? Will Captain Picard get free of the Borg? Who shot J.R. Ewing? Who is the final undiscovered Cylon? We can now add one more cliffhanger to this list. "What games will Big Download pick as the five most anticipated PC games for E3 2008?". Yes we know you have been waiting with baited breath to find out the answer to this hugely important question. Well, your prayers have now been answered. We have now arrived at our choices for the top five PC games we are most looking forward to seeing at the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit. Will the game that you are most interested in be on this list? Read on for the conclusion to our report. Again you can look back for our picks for 25-21, 20-16, 15-11 and 10-6.

As we mentioned in our previous articles, these are just our predictions on what games will be shown at the event; many of these titles have not been officially confirmed to be at E3 as of this writing. Also, there's no Activision Blizzard titles on this list due to the new massive publisher bypassing E3 but a press conference by Activision Blizzard on Tuesday during E3 is highly expected to show some upcoming titles from that newly merged publisher. With that out of the way let's look at our picks for the next five games on our list.

This is the first time any one franchise has dominated our Big Downloads list. It's been almost exactly one week since Blizzard announced Diablo 3, and since then everything with the Diablo name attached to it has blown out through the door.

So four out of five of this week's top downloads are Diablo-related. We've thrown in the also-popular S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky trailer for some variety. To the Americans: have a great holiday weekend. To everyone else: have a great normal weekend!

	Diablo 3 Cinematic Teaser Trailer Blizzard has always been known for making lavish cinematics. Check out this gorgeous and forboding introduction to Diablo 3's story.
	Diablo 3 Gameplay Trailer Not much for flair and flash? Want to just get to the point? Download this for gameplay footage from Diablo 3.
	Diablo 2 Demo (Windows) After Diablo 3 was announced, everyone started playing Diablo 2 again. If you can't find your old discs, and aren't sure you want to spend any money yet, grab this demo.
	Diablo 2 Demo (Mac) Ditto for Mac users! Blizzard's a friend to Apple.
	S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Atmosphere Trailer S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was praised for its deep atmosphere, inspired by a film of the same name by Russian art-house director Andrei Tarkovsky. Clear Sky aims to follow suit, as this video demonstrates.

When a trailer for an upcoming game shows no real gameplay features but still blows us away with just the game engine features, it has to be something special. Such is the case with the new "atmospheric" trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, the upcoming prequel to GSC Game World's 2007 first person shooter.

The over 5 minute trailer can be downloaded over at Big Download and shows off a number of the game's new visual effects compared to the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game including more bump detail on the level textures, volumetric light sources, better rain and wet ground effects and even better character details. The game, to be published by Deep Silver, is scheduled to be released in late August.

Download the new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky trailer at Big Download now

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming over the weekend

	Big Download Feature: Games for Windows press conference Seated around the renovated third floor of Dogpatch Studios were a group of journalists, each hailing from different sites or publications, but with one common interest: the continuation of PC gaming. Two floors below, over a dozen computers bleeped and blooped as they waited for our writing-cramped fingers to sample their wares - Space Siege, Call of Duty: World at War, Bionic Commando, Civilization IV: Colonization, and more.
	BigCast 001 -- The Beta Episode Enter, the BigCast - the official podcast of BigDownload.com. In our inaugural "beta edition" episode we attack everything from phallic Spore creatures to achievement farming. You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll wonder if we will ever fix our audio issues. The answer is yes. Hey, it's in beta! Welcome to the BigCast, because we all know if the world needs anything ... it's another gaming podcast!
	Download all three Diablo III trailers at Big Download We got what you really want: all three trailers from the just announced Diablo III. Check out the new CGI trailer done in the Blizzard style. Gaze at the art concepts in the art trailer. And of course there's the whopping 20 minute gameplay trailer. Makes you think it's coming out tomorrow, doesn't it? Ah, we are betting we won't see Diablo III until 2010 at the earliest.
	Freeware Friday: Freeciv There's one series which every strategy fan knows and loves, and that's Sid Meier's turn-based Civilization games. The latest, Civilization IV, was an incredible game with several incredible expansions (Warlords and Beyond the Sword). The series is even reviving an older Sid Meier game, the excellent Colonization. There have been many imitators of the Civilization style over the years, but none have come close to the charm and depth that makes Civilization one of the best strategy games of all time. None except Freeciv, that is. But while most imitators try to be Civilization, Freeciv really breaks out onto its own as a stand-alone game.

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming in the last 24 hours.

	Big Download Interview: Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford Dallas based Gearbox Software got its start by making expansions of Half-Life for Valve but the developer has expanded its reach in recent years doing games for a wide variety of publishers, from a James Bond shooter to the PC port of the first Halo game. It really hit its stride with the creation of Brothers in Arms, a WWII shooter series for publisher Ubisoft that was more historically accurate than other games in the genre and had an emphasis on tactics and strategy rather than run-and-gun shooting.
	Sound-Off: TF2 getting burned by achievements Team Fortress 2 stands out as one of the best competitive shooting games around. From its cartoon-inspired graphics to the weapon variety and class balances, TF2 is the go-to game for a high-action and a lively time. However, all the fun comes to a screeching halt when Valve releases a new class update, complete with some extremely difficult achievements that go toward unlocking special weapons.
	Guide to TF2 Pyro Achievements, Part 4 You have read the first, second, and third parts, so here is the fourth. Soon you'll be back on the road, setting fire to all the wildlife as you pass by.
	Deep Silver reveals S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky details In Clear Sky, players will assume the role of Scar, a mercenary stuck between warring factions. According to publisher Deep Silver, "Scar fights for survival within the Zone and its hostile sectors. The new Zone territories are explored by s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s scattered in groups-and these individual factions soon engage in relentless battle. As a mercenary, Scar quickly finds himself in the middle of a war of factions over territory, artifacts, and power. It is up to the player to find out on whose side Scar has the greatest chance of prevailing."
	Penny Arcade Expo 2008 reveals list of exhibitors We've been reporting on news stories for the upcoming 2008 edition of the E For All Expo but today we got news from the veterans of the consumer games show business, the Penny Arcade Expo. PAX 2008 will be held Aug 29-31 in Seattle and today the organizers announced their full list of exhibitors.

One game that is sticking with a PC exclusive (at least for now) is S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky, the upcoming prequel to 2007's post apocalypse shooter from developer GSC Game World. While the first game was published by THQ, Clear Sky will be the first US game from European publisher Deep Silver.

The game debuted at E3 last year and this year Deep Silver plans to showcase the game to the press at their E3 meeting room in mid-July. In the meantime, GSC Game World has released some new screenshots from the game showing off more of its graphical features (which apparently includes some guitar playing).

Developer GSC World has released a few details regarding S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the prequel to 2007's critically acclaimed S.T.A.L.K.E.R..

In Clear Sky, players will assume the role of Scar, a mercenary stuck between warring factions. According to publisher Deep Silver, "Scar fights for survival within the Zone and its hostile sectors. The new Zone territories are explored by s.t.a.l.k.e.r.s scattered in groups-and these individual factions soon engage in relentless battle. As a mercenary, Scar quickly finds himself in the middle of a war of factions over territory, artifacts, and power. It is up to the player to find out on whose side Scar has the greatest chance of prevailing."

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming in the last 24 hours.

	Can a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. be misunderstood? According to Oleg Yavorsky, GSC GameWorld's PR director, that's exactly the case. Yavorsky said in a recent interview with Eurogamer that while they try to appeal to a broad audience, their games (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) appeal to Europeans more than players in North America and Asia. Yavorksy noted that aside from basic cultural mindset differences, little things like the colors used to create the game world makes a difference. It would seem Americans tend to like flashy, bright games whereas European developers make dark ones.
	TF2 Pyro update this week, free play this weekend As previously reported, Team Fortress 2's Pyro class will receive its fiery updates this Thursday, 6/19. Upgrades include achievements and the Axtinguisher, a weapon that inflicts extra damage to opponents doused in flames, but only inflicts half its normal damage otherwise.
	Shipping this week: Supreme Political Creators This week in new releases we grab a handful of PC-exclusives. The long-awaited release of the Spore Creator Creator comes to an end on June 18, strategy fans get their fix with Supreme Ruler 2020 set to his on June 17 (June 20 in Europe) and this week also marks the scheduled release of the free-to-play MMO, Requiem: Bloodymare on June 19.
	Nvidia launches new Geforce GTX 200 GPU family The newest launch of the top end performance graphics chips is the introduction today of the new Geforce GTX 200 series from Nvidia. The high end is represented by the Geforce GTX 280 which is set to launch tomorrow with graphics cards by a number of different companies. Cards with this version of the chip are expected to set you back $649.
	Rumor: Play console games on the PC? If you want to play console games on a PC you could turn a console into a PC (such as in the above picture from Regal Hardware) Now, a once secret online marketing survey from a company called Intellisponse has been uncovered by the forum folks over at NeoGAF. Among the products supposedly revealed in this survey is something called "Trioxide". What is it? Well according to the leak it's a product that will allow PCs to play PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii game disks.