A Priest that plays video games? Well, it's no different than liking books and film. You find many great stories with many great lessons. It also allows you to reach these newer generations of young men. I love the concept.
Priests aren't born old, you become one. Also medieval christianity was all about supernatural. But the main thing is that the original book "Roadside picnic" is deeply philosophical story.
@@cupotkaable I know about all the points you made in your comment. My comment was mostly to show support to what he's doing rather than to illustrate my surprise.
Stalker is a great game... nothing like other games... the detail of stalker is the best... the atmosphere is simply the best.... of all games, this one is the closest as it's practically REAL other than some mutants and anomalies.
Forgive me, Father, for the swears and foul language I used during those early Bloodsucker encounters. (I will likely say far worse when I fight a Chimera for the first time.)
well, chimeras don't have invisibility mode)) just need to get high enough that it won't be able to jump on you. but suckers are easy to defeat when there is a car or some boxes.
Stalker's science fiction and lore of the Noosphere definitely encroaches on the spiritual in my view. The unanswerable questions we have about reality and our flawed perceptions only becoming more extreme in the Zone.
Some complain about the "lack" of travel options, even though you totally can use guides to "fast travel" to known hubs. Traversing the zone, is 33% of the experiance. The world is large enough to largely reward and support you taking tracks that go off the roads, and the Zone itself is a character.
As for dying for "no good reason" it surely is by design, in "Roadside Picnic" (if I'm not mistaken it was the original inspiration for the stalker series), it was clear the zone was ruthless and stalkers were ruthless too. The first character we meet aside from the protagonist dies after just scratching a cobweb in the zone. Stalkers use each other as cannon fodder or to bait/test anomalies, and even if they make it out alive they betray each other for the spoils (one character was nicknamed "Vulture" iirc lmao). There are no "worthy" deaths in the zone.
ikr. Just last night I legit rage quit while fighting Monolith, with their pinpoint accuracy and surviving multiple gunshots to the head; but I also acknowledge I could have prepared better. I THOUGHT I had what I needed; lots of ammo for an AR and a sniper, plus heavy Ward armor; but I only had regular FMJ rounds for both weapons when I should've taken the time to buy armor-piercing rounds. But also at the same time I was getting shot through cover, and I had a moment where a glitch triggered a "you shouldn't be here" instadeath, like going to a certain location too early... but I was right in the middle of a firefight I was supposed to be in??? (I saw the full health bar and it just melted for no reason, it wasn't a regular attack) The game is all over the place in terms of balance and the technical aspects, but I've also got 82 hours clocked so far and am on my second playthrough lmao. Definitely a flawed masterpiece, much like the OG trilogy.
@@BababooeyGooey Btw that's the gauss snipers probably. I'm guess you were around the Duga area. If i'm right I just experienced the same thing, those snipers can annihilate you.
Fallout 4 has the entire map of Massachusetts, yet it takes 5 minutes to get from Quincy to Boston. Chernobyl is just a small town and much smaller than Massachusetts, yet they made a map that is as big as fallout 4, and it feels much more realistic.
Because the Chornobyl zone covers not only Chornobyl and Prypyat' . The original exclusion zone extends around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in a radius of 30 kilometers. And the total evacuated area is almost 2 600 км²
Despite the look, Stalker is not a post-apo setting. Whoever played Shadow of Chernobyl, already knows that whathever is happening in the Zone, it's all man made atrocity. Because of this, it have more in common with warzone setting of full scale conflict. It's a meatgrinder for ordinary people, who decided to enter it, but also very profitible buisness for people of power outside of it. They press inside armament, food, medical supplies, tactical gear, cloathing and volunteers, while in return they're recieving all kinds of science discoveries and artifacts with unimaginable properities. But playing as one of those ordinary noones inside the meatgrinder, it's so very easy to forget about this wider perspective.
Thank you, Father! That was even better than what I expected! Especially the part of being hopeful, but not downplaying heroic actions. Our Faith is apparently paradoxical, but that's what make stories of completely fallen and godforsaken worlds so palatable to us. I'm SURE you've probably played it back in the day, but one day I'd like to see your input on Red Dead games. Or further back, even a Deus Ex game (the modern ones are fine, but my favorite will always be the first. I love immersive sims). Anyway, keep praying for me. Things are getting better but such a cool Father's intercession surely wouldn't hurt. You're always in my daily rosaries!
I do love immersive sims, and Mankind Divided has been sitting in my backlog for a while, so that's definitely a possibility for the coming year. Enjoyed RDR as well, but I'm not sure I can spare that much time (this game is already pushing it for me, as far as the time investment goes!).
@@Pixel_Padre I look forward to seeing your next video then! But being a Father and a youtuber must be hard, and being a priest comes first. So take your time! You're always in my daily prayers, Father!
Far Cry 2 was never topped. For all of how great Far Cry 3 was, it was still a step backwards from the greatness that was FC2. Those were the days, back when Ubislop made actually good games.
Its funny, when I first played FC2 back in the day, I didn't like it. But I stuck with it, and then it grew on me, and maybe something clicked, cos I got immersed and fell into a groove and it grew on me some more... Before I knew it, was one of my favourite games!
Long post, but it comes back to Christian Theology. If you look into the deep lore of the S.TA.L.K.E.R., the reason the second incident that made Chernobyl weird with the anomalies, mutants, and artifacts, is because of an experiment to change the Noosphere. A fringe Russian scientific theory loosely based on the Orthodox Christian Nous, very basically it's the spiritual aspect of the human heart. The scientific theory is just like the biosphere (land and animals), and atmosphere, there is a Noosphere around the earth, where all the thoughts and emotions of humans are. The sum total human activity and feelings affect the noosphere, and the negativity or positivity of the noosphere affects each individual human's psyche. In the game, a scientific project started under the Soviet Union (later transitioned to the post soviet government) to alter the noosphere to remove hate, anger, urge to kill, greed, and all negative emotions fro mthe noosphere, and therefore from humanity. This tampering went horribly wrong, created the first Emission (supernatural storm), and created all the world-bending anomalous stuff. So, presumably godless soviet scientists essentially tried to reverse the curse of Adam/introduction of sin, and it made things worse. So, it's my conclusion, that after all, whether the game developers consciously know it, the story of The Zone is a type of new, high tech eating of the fruit, and yet another Fall (The Fall affected the universe, not just man, by making it more negative and chaotic). But instead of the fall in the Garden Of Eden making the world harsher and more chaotic, this one only affected a certain area. The Zone, a reverse Garden Of Eden.
Interestingly enough, the game revolves around the idea of "noosphere", a sphere of intelligent mind, which was proposed by Verdansky and fr. Teilhard de Chardin. De Chardin pointed out that just as much as geosphere and biosphere emerged consecutively with the emergence of geological and biological phenomena, so did noosphere - once the prequisity of an intelligent mind had appeared on Earth. In the Stalker series however it takes a form of logos, like a matrix of the human world, a sort of collective consciousness that describes all cognitive and emotional phenomena present in humans. At some point in Stalker series scientists meddled with the noosphere, tried to alter it to their will thus creating the Zone. It's a recurring biblical motif I'd say, as the biblical story of Eden takes place in human life over and over again. Adam and Eve decided to proclaim that they know better than God what was right and what wasn't. They claimed the fruit of good and evil for themselves and inflicted the original sin on the whole of humanity. They ruined logos for themselves and all who were yet to come after them. So did the scientists in Stalker. They meddled with logos thinking that it's going to bring about a better future but sadly it had only created horrors, broken laws of physics and other atrocities. Funny enough just as we protect our sin, so are the people in Stalker deifying the Zone and protecting its mysteries and existence, heck - they even try to use it to their advantage.
I am so excited to watch this later i’m gonna scream. Stalker is my all time favorite franchise and I have a deep love for Roadside Picnic and the film You are the worlds coolest priest
Very well spoken Father. I am Orthodox but I hope it means something to you from me when I say you are very wise and very eloquent in your speech, I hope you continue to make more videos, I am at ease when you speak and share your theological advice. God bless you
Pretty wild to see a priest reviewing games. I grew up catholic and strayed far from it, only to begin the slow crawl back to it in manhood. This video found me in a dark time, but what better time to find a nice thing. Hope you have a good Christmas season.
Padre, i highly recommend you to read the original - The Roadside Picnic book. The main character is the true depiction of a devoted christian. While his partner, Herzog "Vulture" Barbridge was nearby The Wishgranter at least 3 times, he wished for those things - money, healthy kids and to get his legs back. Well, he got some mansion, cool robo-legs and a daughter who looked nothing like hin and despised him. While Redrick, the main character, wished for "Happiness for everyone, for free". Also, his friend with a nickname "Gutaline" is a depiction of a radical fundamentalist christian and he was in charge of a movement to destroy The Zone. He thought that it was devil's playground.
Not to forget the Vulture had a son😉 not going to spoil here, but before he got to the Wish granter, he essentially murdered someone. Also headed there with a different wish in mind (curing his daughter). I suppose that some kind of redemption arch
A great review! My own short and sweet take: Stalker is one of those series that is designed mainly for the players who want to feel like they "live in the zone," a quintessential survival game.
This is one of the most brief and cogent reviews I've seen of Stalker 2, with a bit of spiritual wisdom as the cherry on top. Will definitely be subscribing!
Been really enjoying your channel thank you for creating such nice content!! These spiritual reviews are really nice and relaxing to listen to and watch
It's curious how you describe the Zone as godless, but in the Stalker universe the Zone is a form of temple for many stalkers, set appart from the world, and specially for the Monolith faction. The Stalker movie plays a much greater focus on this, in Tarkovski's mind the world outside the Zone was the USSR with all it's bleak decadence, the Zone itself was the Holy of Holies and the stalker it's priest.
Stalker and metro are amongst my favorite video game series ever. Going through the metro trilogy is quite the adventure, and Stalker is closely walking beside it
Thank you for the video, Padre. As someone, who grew up with Stalker (as a good chunk of lads in post-soviet countries of my age), I can tell you that reading into Strugatsky brothers books can give quite a bit of an addition to how you perceive both the first three games and this one as well. God be with us all, with Ukraine and Russia especially, because we could really use some of his help for sure
Love this review, only thing i think differently is that Stalker 2 is a very hopeful game, radiation plagues the zone, building materials are hard to come by or irradiated and useless, yet safezones and outposts have been raised all throughout the zone. One of the main paths you can take brings you into contact with a character who finds beauty and peace in the zone. Haunted by past failures in the zone, he doesn't blame the zone itself and continues to take in the beauty of the landscape. Later on, I was able to help him overcome a little bit of his past by letting him safely guide me.
Никогда бы не подумал (наверно дело в моем детском христианском образовании), что первый обзор на STALKER 2 я посмотрю от священика... Спасибо за обзор. What a world we live in...
Thank you for your insight and food for thought 🙏 Haven't played a game this atmospheric in a while, really gives rise to the feeling of loneliness in the vast war-torn land, a lot like Far Cry 2 actually, I didn't make the connection until you mentioned it lol! Many quiet, reflective moments to be had in between the brutality 🙏
I didn't expect to find this today. Im not part of any religious affiliation, but I will say I accept the realities that come from their influence and the thoughts and perspectives they can provide with a healthy relationship to the world around it as a whole. I really enjoyed your thoughtful analysis on stalker and how it pertains to the human fascination with external struggle and it's inherent place in our existence. I liked it so much I subbed. Can't wait for you to talk about dark souls. You're gonna right?
the game series are based on the movie Stalker directed by Tarkovsky and screenplayed by the author of the book (Roadside Picnic) both of the movie and games are based on (Boris and Arkady Strugatsky) I highly recommend watching the movie as it is often interpreted as a statement about spirituality. And while you're on that, check out Tarkovsky's other movies, they're as equally atmospheric and deep as the Stalker movie and games
This is such a well written and very though out review, I never watched anything from you but youtube recommended me this video and I was interested to see your take from a religious point of view, while not being religious myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it, great content and thought provoking.
This is interesting because I see the zone as the peril of the road towards God, and the people who are good guides in the zone as priests. This is more from the Stalker movie by Andrei Tarkovsky - For me it's clear that the Stalker is the priest and the Writer and Professor are his spiritual children, not really understanding the mystery of the zone and really being a pain for the spiritual father to take care of. The zone is only dreary for your passions. You can't walk wherever you want, you can't tame the zone to suit your wants, you can't predict what it plans for you. The zone is not made for you, but you are made for the zone. Especially with the movie I think you can tell that the director is Orthodox and the journey of the Stalker seems to be approaching monasticism.
If you are getting annoyed with the hordes, I would like to add that you can use the AI of the enemies to give you easy kills on (most of) the horde monsters. For dogs and rats, about a 3 or 4 foot ledge is enough to make them disengage. Step down and back up multiple times to bait them out and take pot shots at them as they run away. Many of them also have invisible “territory lines” that they won’t chase you past, you can treat the outside of that boundary like a ledge and back step out of their territory to make them disengage. The invisible guys also hate high ledges and skinny railings so they won’t walk across them. I hope that this advice counts as an act of charity ;) much love to you and keep up the great work Father.
Father, thank you for engaging with my favorite hobby in a serious and thought provoking, thoroughly Catholic way. I was a gamer before my conversion to Catholicism. I’ve often felt ashamed and discouraged by the wholesale rejection of this medium by Catholics. To hear a Catholic priest engage seriously with gaming as an art form is both refreshing and encouraging.
Father... Did you apply mercy where possible? Don't forget that god is upon as and looks at us, and that the creatures in the zone, more or less are all victims of the human nature of experimentations driven on them. May God enlighten your way Father!
I’m astonished you mentioned you were playing Selaco! I’ve sunk almost 60 hours into that game since it launched. I recommend you check out Fallen Aces if you haven’t already!
Great video, but a fair bit off the mark. The Zone is "irradiated," but it's not a typical nuclear post-apocalyptic wasteland like metro. You should probably look into the inspiration and what the cause of the zone is... as well as the acronym for S.t.a.l.k.e.r and what their motivations are for those that travel to the zone.
I haven't watched an actual game review in years, But I actually enjoyed this one big time. Never thought I'd get to hear a Padres takes on my favourite franchise 👌 Stalkers atmosphere and shooting is my favourite ever
at 4:30 if you swap first two artifacts, you will optimize your rad protection A LOT. green glow of the first slot is a modification of your suit that newtralize artifact radioactivity. second art has maximum radiation pollution ant it will be netralized. and you will end with max rad protection of the first artifact
I think there's a lot of ways you could look to the zone and see many different things. The factions in themselves each wind up being perfect examples of it. Some are there to sate personal reasons. Some to outrun personal events. Some just want riches, some just want adventure, some just want violence, and some want to protect the world. The Wish Granter of the old stalker makes it pretty clearly a symbol of hope for a lot of people, and that even though many people act as though they hate it there, they still stick with it anyways. They wouldn't do so if they weren't there with hope in their minds. It's brutal, but that brutality gives rise to another thing people often have if they want to survive the zone: perseverance. So, for me, the takeaway has always generally been a lot more positive, that it is worth it to persevere, and that it is worth it to hope.
Hi Padre, Thank you for your review, despite finishing the game I myself had not fully formed articulate thoughts on hopeless/hopefulness of the zone and your words are a good way to consider the setting. I myself am Ukrainian American and enjoy the this game and the entire series on multiple levels, I enjoy the walking around the rural to industrial then urban landscapes, the atmosphere, hearing the language, and the ideologies expressed through he setting and factions. the Eastern European mindset heavily influences sooo much of the game, the pessimism from the dangers and individuals different outlooks and views on the future, Richter alone is such amazing example of guilt, hopefulness, and reverence for the zone. I don't know how you format your channel but if the gameplay clips you included are your own then you must be very far into the game, if not completed it. I was wondering if you had any extended thoughts on the viewpoints presented in the game. I'm not super familiar with the format of your channel, if it is an intentional choice to not dive deep into this ideology as it might produce a heavy video. The late game covers many interesting topics, not only is there extended debate for the existence of the zone, being the imperfect world as you mentioned, but there are many other significant themes such as man playing god, the afterlife + human soul (Scar's shining zone), and human free will. I have to admit that there are some complex in game science fiction ideas and just names that are hard to follow, I played through the originals and thought I comprehended them relatively well but was lost in some of the complex motivations and actions in the game. I really disagree with his means but I think Faust's perspective is very interesting. As a note, I finished the game and returned to save states to legitimately see alternative endings, if you are so interested in seeing the extra endings I think its more worthwhile to watch video compilations as opposed to doing it yourself. my extra thoughts, rants, and comments on the game, piggybacking off of yours, not necessary reading ----- For gameplay you mentioned how difficult and punishing the game can be, at times killing you for not understanding the specific elements of the setting. I think this is something the game executes well as an immersion tactic and difficulty curve. When you begin the game you are inexperienced, poor, and don't understand the world, Then you learn from your failures, you gain understanding of things like how to make money, the right way to sidestep mutants, how to survive anomalies and life becomes easier. I think this was also something done very well in the original Shadow of Chernobyl. As for the state of the game I thing that the game has lots of highs and lows. I was waiting for this game to come out since before 2022, its shocking to see the unstable state its in given all the extra time the developers had, yes I know they faced many hardships but given that the invasion happened a few months before the slated release date it seems like it would have been in an even rougher state back then. There are certain features and design choices that seem like steps backward when they had the model of the original game. why didn't they add night vision in such a visually dark gameFinal content complaint, they got rid of the loud squeaky light, the sound is in the game but it doesnt play when youre around it.😓. It is such a minor element but in the older games when you looted a person it showed you their name, their faction, and their experience level as a stalker, implying you looked at their PDA, in addition to a little portrait. It was such a grounding element reminding you of their life and in addition the presence of the different factions. I'll say it, the underground lab sections suck, especially when compared to Shadow of Chernobyl. In SoC they all had their specific set pieces, their gimmicks, I think they were executed so well. In Heart of Chornobyl they are simply go underground, experience plot progression, thats it. Final content complaint, they got rid of the loud squeaky light, the sound is in the game but it doesnt play when youre around it. for some positives / design thoughts.I luckily never encountered any bugs that deleted multiple hours worth of progress but I did have to deal with things like tight rooms with anomalies that will completely crash the game if you touch them.I trust that a fixed A-life is coming, but I think the game is okay as it is, It already has non scripted instances where I got attacked by roaming packs of dogs, patrolling soldiers, sometimes they fight each other. It was already a little cumbersome but setting appropriate to randomly get attacked by a bloodsucker and use all of your ammo trying to kill it. I read some complaints about the early inclusion of the bloodsucker, comparing it to the the tutorial deathclaw in fallout 4 which i agree here took out the sense of danger from all other encounters. For Stalker the bloodsucker and poltergeist is just the tip of the iceberg for horrifying mutant creature roaming the zone, you probably got through your first encounter with them thinking "that was difficult, these are scare creatures that I dont want to encounter in the future." some of the other mutants get proper story set pieces to show you how dangerous they are supposed to be and I think the game handles the pacing of them relatively well.
...Or, perhaps life is all about experience and nothing else, and for each its own... Strongly recommend reading updates. The Devs are beautifully chatty, especially on Discord, and most of your questions here have already been answered. Also, we've got 2 waighty patches, more are on the way. Also, adjusting Settings to fit your PC is highly recommended, because by default the game has everything on MAX, which is for high end PCs only.
Only just found your channel and I already love it, despite generally hating reviews. Do you plan to make videos on older games? A quick look at your channel shows that you've only touched upon recent releases so far, but I'd like to see you discuss some of your favourites, like Oblivion or Far Cry 2. Of course it is also a fairly new channel so I won't spam requests on you, but I'd interested to hear your opinion on the Metro series as well (particularly Last Light, which I feel has some interesting discussion on forgiveness), if not a full video but only a comment or something. A game I would love to see spiritually analysed by someone far more qualified than myself is Far Cry 5, which was actually the game that snapped me out of my hardcore atheism (or anti-theism, to be more precise (or anti-Christianity, if we are being honest)), contrary to what one might think from a glance. A very, very interesting game of late is Indika, which I have just omitted an entire paragraph I spent ages writing about because it's probably better if I don't share my impression on it for anyone who cares to check it out themselves, unspoiled. Hope this rambling was comprehensible, anyway love the channel and subbed
Hey Father! My buddy and I are Protestants and have been playing this game like crazy since it came out. We were both reflecting on it and he said, “This is how I imagine things would be during an apocalypse or after Christ returns. Reality just turning on its head”. I told him that I loved the game, but I do feel almost a sense of dread and blues when I adventure around the world. It’s a very oppressive atmosphere and the zone is a sad place.
For me. I never really played the older games (i guess technically I did a little bit but... you know.... life was happening and there wasnt enough room in my dorm for my PC) so with this one I felt like I needed a lore boost before diving into the zone. Recommend reading Roadside Picnic and the old soviet movie Stalker. The game is full or references from both (even the name) ive not just been frustrated with this world. But ive grown to love it..... even if I'm screaming and running away like a child at times lol
I've been loving Stalker 2. It really does feel like a sequel that was entirely developed and was going to come out about 5 years after the original trilogy but was put in a time capsule so it released 15 or so years later. Would love to hear your thoughts on Death Stranding at some point. Recently finished it for the first time and despite the obligatory kojima foibles I really enjoyed it, especially looking at the world through a Christian lens.
In 2012 original Stalker 2 was cancelled and GSC bankrupted. There ware few videos on RUclips with captured footage from very early builds of this iteration of Stalker 2.
Considering you're PIXEL padre, and have a bunch of spiritual reviews I'm surprised there's no Faith Trilogy review on your channel lol. Anyways. You are familiar with horrors already, and i like how you touch upon very different genres and still being expert in them. And your reviews are very chill and calm. I like to be on this channel ngl. And yes Stalker is a game made in my country so I'm curious how people outside it react to it. After all we have different cultures and mentality.
Hello, Father! Always looking forward to your takes! If you like giant robots, you might like Mechwarrior V: Clans. Plus, I'd like to get your takes on how rigid the Clans are, how they arrive at their conclusions on the world, and how their society has no tolerance for failure, and the nature of who's on "the right side of history" (among other themes inherent in the world of BattleTech from which it sprang from). It is lore heavy, but Tex Talks Battletech (if you have the time) delves into it. Let's pray for each other, Father!
Wonderful stuff! By the way, would you also be open to reviewing older games? I'd really like to know what you'd make of games like Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade or some of the classic RPGs, like Gothic 2.
Would be awesome to hear from you on the topic of the Monolith fraction arc from the game. There is a heavy religious theme going on - guys are literally trying to re-build their God and it's vert interesting topic to explore.
You should do a review someday of Skyrim, or the Elder Scrolls universe in general, where you discuss the implications of morality in a world with just as many evil gods as good gods, and no chief creator god to be the divine lawgiver. It becomes a cosmic anarchy, and people structure their morality around the preferences of their favorite god. The Elder Scrolls world is in constant war and chaos primarily because the bad gods are more active in the world than the good gods, and at the core of reality there's no governing, guiding influence. I've been musing about this for the past decade, but I think someone with your level of theological training and insight would be able to make some great observations and pull some good lessons out of exploring that world and contrasting it with the real world.
Hello Father! Just a quick word, you have been an underground gem for me to find, second can I recommend you give games like Bioshock, Knights of the Old Republic 1&2, and Bloodborne a chance? Thank you for the video and God Bless.
Thanks! Those are great suggestions, and I was planning on replaying the Bioshock games at some point, so there's a definitely a chance (would help if Bloodborne got a PC release).
@ Bloodborne is unfortunately within Sony’s claws, but the aesthetics and lore behind Bloodborne is so perfect for your show, that in opinion is worth buying a PS4 for that game alone.
Bu yorumu yapabilmek için sadece oyunu değil onun ilham aldığı '' Roadside Picnic'' kitabını okumalı ve '' Stalker '' filmlerini izlemeniz gerekir. Özellikle filmde Stalker'lar insanların altüst ettiği dünyada ilahi bir işaret gibi duran Zone'da insanlara kılavuzluk ederler. Filmi mutlaka izlemelisiniz.
I am an agnostic atheist. I am quite simply unconvinced that there is a god to begin with, just as much as you may be unconvinced if I were to tell you that the world of Stalker 2 is real and can be found in the staff area of Disney Land Orlando. Simply phrased as "No, I don't think that's true" And so, I don't feel abandoned by God, the same way you may not feel excluded from Santa's list of good boys. I just enjoy the storytelling and a world I can immerse myself in. Sometimes that world is a perfect utopian high fantasy setting. And sometimes it's a dreary world of deceit, corruption, violence, tragedy, and greed, with only a few good people looking out for one another. It is the same reason why the Greeks invented tragedy and fatal character flaws. It makes it all so much more interesting.
I think there is one thing that are missed here. Fanaticism. Orthodox church have a lot of this truth be told and this is a part of Stalker world. Not only Monolith's followers, but the fanaticism of people who enter The Zone - to find money, knowledge or meaning in life. The Zone doesn't tolerate any fanaticism and it was pictured greatly in the first game. Buuuuuut, as person that lived in orthodox monastery in the past and russia too, - Stalker just showed very bleak and isolated world where isolation and emptiness of 99% of the world contrast very wildly with comfy areas of camps with friendly peoples in it. Also originally novel that Stalker was based on(ideologically more) - shows I would rather say ironically opposite image to what you see in this game. Originally "Roadside Picnic" shows the world that was visited by aliens/god/bigger powers, but now it's gone and all that left is artifacts that are beyond our understanding. For me it's more human-centric setting - the world is cruel, god is gone and only humans can decide their own fate and use what was left.
Or they can leave the Zone. Outside the Cordon there's whole unaffected world to live in... every single person (maybe beside the active duty and retired soldiers), had made their own decision to enter the Zone.
I’m extremely curious as to what would be your take on the NieR series. It poses a lot of questions that, because of the game’s nature, doesn’t really tend to be heard by those more educated on it’s topics. It deals with a lot of existentialism, conceptual theism and life as an idea
Father, have you read the original Roadside Picnic book? That one is deeply philosophical about struggle and search in dystopian world. Wondering if you would find additional religious references and meanings in the book.
karmic religions don't necessarily dismiss the fact that the world is imperfect, they say "the world is as it should be", but that's not a statement of perfection or morality, it's a statement of factual consequence, i.e. "the world is as it could've become, one of many possibilities that has unfolded"
It makes sense for a Priest to review this videogame. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games LOTR movies are the closest I have to a religion and the existence of this latest game is due to the miracle of the Battle of Hostomel Airport in 2022. I wish good health to anyone reading this.
Maybe it’s because I’ve played stalker for so long but I feel like I belong there, no rules, no governments, just the zone and the challenges that you will face.
"My favorite Far Cry game, is Far Cry 2."
You had my curiosity, now you have my attention.
Far Cry 2's bushfire tech still blows me away to this day! (Not to mention the grittiness 👌)
Instantly subbed when he said that. 👌
Next level of missionary in Africa - remote job mode.
My same exact thoughts
A Priest that plays video games? Well, it's no different than liking books and film. You find many great stories with many great lessons. It also allows you to reach these newer generations of young men. I love the concept.
Priests aren't born old, you become one. Also medieval christianity was all about supernatural.
But the main thing is that the original book "Roadside picnic" is deeply philosophical story.
@@cupotkaable I know about all the points you made in your comment. My comment was mostly to show support to what he's doing rather than to illustrate my surprise.
Stalker is a great game... nothing like other games... the detail of stalker is the best... the atmosphere is simply the best.... of all games, this one is the closest as it's practically REAL other than some mutants and anomalies.
Forgive me, Father, for the swears and foul language I used during those early Bloodsucker encounters.
(I will likely say far worse when I fight a Chimera for the first time.)
Ouh yeah, the cocksuckers
I just straight up ran from the first Chimera Encounter; and got an achievement for it.
I do not recall the last time I had to hide inside a bus shooting at five bloodsuckers.
well, chimeras don't have invisibility mode)) just need to get high enough that it won't be able to jump on you. but suckers are easy to defeat when there is a car or some boxes.
@@vanoknt correct, higher ground... chimera's not so much....
These kinds of games should be reflected on, as bad as life on this world can be... We're not there.
well said
We're not there... yet.
Come ww3, then we will be there. That and/or revelations.@@seanallard9335
Occupied territories of Ukraine are even worse then this buddy, i d rather be a rookie in a zone then live there
@@ДанилоЯнчукRight? nothing but death and rubble, at least the zone still breeds life and a purpose other than death and destruction.
Stalker's science fiction and lore of the Noosphere definitely encroaches on the spiritual in my view. The unanswerable questions we have about reality and our flawed perceptions only becoming more extreme in the Zone.
Some complain about the "lack" of travel options, even though you totally can use guides to "fast travel" to known hubs. Traversing the zone, is 33% of the experiance. The world is large enough to largely reward and support you taking tracks that go off the roads, and the Zone itself is a character.
As for dying for "no good reason" it surely is by design, in "Roadside Picnic" (if I'm not mistaken it was the original inspiration for the stalker series), it was clear the zone was ruthless and stalkers were ruthless too. The first character we meet aside from the protagonist dies after just scratching a cobweb in the zone. Stalkers use each other as cannon fodder or to bait/test anomalies, and even if they make it out alive they betray each other for the spoils (one character was nicknamed "Vulture" iirc lmao). There are no "worthy" deaths in the zone.
"I hate this game so much," I say as I hit the 'Load last save' for the 100th time.
ikr. Just last night I legit rage quit while fighting Monolith, with their pinpoint accuracy and surviving multiple gunshots to the head; but I also acknowledge I could have prepared better. I THOUGHT I had what I needed; lots of ammo for an AR and a sniper, plus heavy Ward armor; but I only had regular FMJ rounds for both weapons when I should've taken the time to buy armor-piercing rounds. But also at the same time I was getting shot through cover, and I had a moment where a glitch triggered a "you shouldn't be here" instadeath, like going to a certain location too early... but I was right in the middle of a firefight I was supposed to be in??? (I saw the full health bar and it just melted for no reason, it wasn't a regular attack)
The game is all over the place in terms of balance and the technical aspects, but I've also got 82 hours clocked so far and am on my second playthrough lmao. Definitely a flawed masterpiece, much like the OG trilogy.
@@BababooeyGooey Btw that's the gauss snipers probably. I'm guess you were around the Duga area. If i'm right I just experienced the same thing, those snipers can annihilate you.
Fallout 4 has the entire map of Massachusetts, yet it takes 5 minutes to get from Quincy to Boston.
Chernobyl is just a small town and much smaller than Massachusetts, yet they made a map that is as big as fallout 4, and it feels much more realistic.
Because the Chornobyl zone covers not only Chornobyl and Prypyat' . The original exclusion zone extends around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in a radius of 30 kilometers. And the total evacuated area is almost 2 600 км²
The Chornobul Exclusion Zone covers 2576 km2.
Despite the look, Stalker is not a post-apo setting. Whoever played Shadow of Chernobyl, already knows that whathever is happening in the Zone, it's all man made atrocity. Because of this, it have more in common with warzone setting of full scale conflict. It's a meatgrinder for ordinary people, who decided to enter it, but also very profitible buisness for people of power outside of it. They press inside armament, food, medical supplies, tactical gear, cloathing and volunteers, while in return they're recieving all kinds of science discoveries and artifacts with unimaginable properities. But playing as one of those ordinary noones inside the meatgrinder, it's so very easy to forget about this wider perspective.
Dude, you are an OG, I had a stupid ass smile 2 minutes into the video.
Stalker? Christianity? At the same time?
Kino
Thank you, Father! That was even better than what I expected! Especially the part of being hopeful, but not downplaying heroic actions. Our Faith is apparently paradoxical, but that's what make stories of completely fallen and godforsaken worlds so palatable to us.
I'm SURE you've probably played it back in the day, but one day I'd like to see your input on Red Dead games. Or further back, even a Deus Ex game (the modern ones are fine, but my favorite will always be the first. I love immersive sims).
Anyway, keep praying for me. Things are getting better but such a cool Father's intercession surely wouldn't hurt. You're always in my daily rosaries!
I do love immersive sims, and Mankind Divided has been sitting in my backlog for a while, so that's definitely a possibility for the coming year. Enjoyed RDR as well, but I'm not sure I can spare that much time (this game is already pushing it for me, as far as the time investment goes!).
@@Pixel_Padre I look forward to seeing your next video then! But being a Father and a youtuber must be hard, and being a priest comes first. So take your time!
You're always in my daily prayers, Father!
So glad I found your channel as a Catholic gamer! God bless!
Far Cry 2 was never topped. For all of how great Far Cry 3 was, it was still a step backwards from the greatness that was FC2.
Those were the days, back when Ubislop made actually good games.
Its funny, when I first played FC2 back in the day, I didn't like it. But I stuck with it, and then it grew on me, and maybe something clicked, cos I got immersed and fell into a groove and it grew on me some more... Before I knew it, was one of my favourite games!
Stalker 2 is all about the perspective and how players see the Zone. And each of endings represent certain point of view.
Long post, but it comes back to Christian Theology.
If you look into the deep lore of the S.TA.L.K.E.R., the reason the second incident that made Chernobyl weird with the anomalies, mutants, and artifacts, is because of an experiment to change the Noosphere.
A fringe Russian scientific theory loosely based on the Orthodox Christian Nous, very basically it's the spiritual aspect of the human heart.
The scientific theory is just like the biosphere (land and animals), and atmosphere, there is a Noosphere around the earth, where all the thoughts and emotions of humans are. The sum total human activity and feelings affect the noosphere, and the negativity or positivity of the noosphere affects each individual human's psyche.
In the game, a scientific project started under the Soviet Union (later transitioned to the post soviet government) to alter the noosphere to remove hate, anger, urge to kill, greed, and all negative emotions fro mthe noosphere, and therefore from humanity.
This tampering went horribly wrong, created the first Emission (supernatural storm), and created all the world-bending anomalous stuff.
So, presumably godless soviet scientists essentially tried to reverse the curse of Adam/introduction of sin, and it made things worse.
So, it's my conclusion, that after all, whether the game developers consciously know it, the story of The Zone is a type of new, high tech eating of the fruit, and yet another Fall (The Fall affected the universe, not just man, by making it more negative and chaotic).
But instead of the fall in the Garden Of Eden making the world harsher and more chaotic, this one only affected a certain area. The Zone, a reverse Garden Of Eden.
I'm not religious at all but a priest(?) describing the zone as "godforsaken" is so perfect
Interestingly enough, the game revolves around the idea of "noosphere", a sphere of intelligent mind, which was proposed by Verdansky and fr. Teilhard de Chardin. De Chardin pointed out that just as much as geosphere and biosphere emerged consecutively with the emergence of geological and biological phenomena, so did noosphere - once the prequisity of an intelligent mind had appeared on Earth. In the Stalker series however it takes a form of logos, like a matrix of the human world, a sort of collective consciousness that describes all cognitive and emotional phenomena present in humans.
At some point in Stalker series scientists meddled with the noosphere, tried to alter it to their will thus creating the Zone. It's a recurring biblical motif I'd say, as the biblical story of Eden takes place in human life over and over again. Adam and Eve decided to proclaim that they know better than God what was right and what wasn't. They claimed the fruit of good and evil for themselves and inflicted the original sin on the whole of humanity. They ruined logos for themselves and all who were yet to come after them. So did the scientists in Stalker. They meddled with logos thinking that it's going to bring about a better future but sadly it had only created horrors, broken laws of physics and other atrocities. Funny enough just as we protect our sin, so are the people in Stalker deifying the Zone and protecting its mysteries and existence, heck - they even try to use it to their advantage.
I am so excited to watch this later i’m gonna scream. Stalker is my all time favorite franchise and I have a deep love for Roadside Picnic and the film
You are the worlds coolest priest
Very well spoken Father. I am Orthodox but I hope it means something to you from me when I say you are very wise and very eloquent in your speech, I hope you continue to make more videos, I am at ease when you speak and share your theological advice. God bless you
Pretty wild to see a priest reviewing games. I grew up catholic and strayed far from it, only to begin the slow crawl back to it in manhood. This video found me in a dark time, but what better time to find a nice thing. Hope you have a good Christmas season.
Padre, i highly recommend you to read the original - The Roadside Picnic book.
The main character is the true depiction of a devoted christian.
While his partner, Herzog "Vulture" Barbridge was nearby The Wishgranter at least 3 times, he wished for those things - money, healthy kids and to get his legs back. Well, he got some mansion, cool robo-legs and a daughter who looked nothing like hin and despised him.
While Redrick, the main character, wished for "Happiness for everyone, for free".
Also, his friend with a nickname "Gutaline" is a depiction of a radical fundamentalist christian and he was in charge of a movement to destroy The Zone. He thought that it was devil's playground.
Not to forget the Vulture had a son😉 not going to spoil here, but before he got to the Wish granter, he essentially murdered someone. Also headed there with a different wish in mind (curing his daughter). I suppose that some kind of redemption arch
that book is soo good, the metro books are pretty awesome too
A great review! My own short and sweet take: Stalker is one of those series that is designed mainly for the players who want to feel like they "live in the zone," a quintessential survival game.
This is one of the most brief and cogent reviews I've seen of Stalker 2, with a bit of spiritual wisdom as the cherry on top. Will definitely be subscribing!
Been really enjoying your channel thank you for creating such nice content!! These spiritual reviews are really nice and relaxing to listen to and watch
By far the best game related channel ıve ever seen
Gamer priest is not something I thought I’d stumble upon when I opened RUclips today. Good content not gonna lie.
It's curious how you describe the Zone as godless, but in the Stalker universe the Zone is a form of temple for many stalkers, set appart from the world, and specially for the Monolith faction.
The Stalker movie plays a much greater focus on this, in Tarkovski's mind the world outside the Zone was the USSR with all it's bleak decadence, the Zone itself was the Holy of Holies and the stalker it's priest.
Just wanted to say I appreciate your videos and your take. Thank you and hope to see more 🙏🏻
Priests playing games is not something I thought I needed but I did. Will be watching close! Are you open to recommendations by the way?
Your channel is gonna blow up in views one day soon. Great stuff. Glad i stumbled across across you. God bless.
The Monolith is light and knowledge, knowledge and light. It will return, it will return. Such is the will of the Monolith!
What the?!......
No.
Monolith.
The Monolith is a false idol. Be like Strelok and RESIST!
True but its not like Noontide had a choice. @judsongaiden9878
Stalker and metro are amongst my favorite video game series ever. Going through the metro trilogy is quite the adventure, and Stalker is closely walking beside it
I love that your favorite FarCry is part 2. You're a man with great taste dude.
Thank you for the video, Padre. As someone, who grew up with Stalker (as a good chunk of lads in post-soviet countries of my age), I can tell you that reading into Strugatsky brothers books can give quite a bit of an addition to how you perceive both the first three games and this one as well.
God be with us all, with Ukraine and Russia especially, because we could really use some of his help for sure
Love this review, only thing i think differently is that Stalker 2 is a very hopeful game, radiation plagues the zone, building materials are hard to come by or irradiated and useless, yet safezones and outposts have been raised all throughout the zone. One of the main paths you can take brings you into contact with a character who finds beauty and peace in the zone. Haunted by past failures in the zone, he doesn't blame the zone itself and continues to take in the beauty of the landscape. Later on, I was able to help him overcome a little bit of his past by letting him safely guide me.
Nice to see another Christian gamer youtuber in the community need more fr fr 🔥
Никогда бы не подумал (наверно дело в моем детском христианском образовании), что первый обзор на STALKER 2 я посмотрю от священика...
Спасибо за обзор.
What a world we live in...
Wow this is something new! They updated with their 1st big patch, but do wait a month or so and it gets way better!
I really enjoyed your closing statement. It is something I struggle deeply with, not necessarily the belief of a God, but the belief of free will.
Thank you for your insight and food for thought 🙏
Haven't played a game this atmospheric in a while, really gives rise to the feeling of loneliness in the vast war-torn land, a lot like Far Cry 2 actually, I didn't make the connection until you mentioned it lol!
Many quiet, reflective moments to be had in between the brutality 🙏
I didn't expect to find this today. Im not part of any religious affiliation, but I will say I accept the realities that come from their influence and the thoughts and perspectives they can provide with a healthy relationship to the world around it as a whole. I really enjoyed your thoughtful analysis on stalker and how it pertains to the human fascination with external struggle and it's inherent place in our existence. I liked it so much I subbed. Can't wait for you to talk about dark souls. You're gonna right?
This is the first time I've ever seen your channel.And I gotta say it was a good review and a good lesson.I'm definitely subscribing congratulations
This is awesome im so glad to have found your channel thanks be to god through Jesus Christ Amen ✝️❤️🔥🕊️
Thank you Father! Love your breakdown and analysis!
the game series are based on the movie Stalker directed by Tarkovsky and screenplayed by the author of the book (Roadside Picnic) both of the movie and games are based on (Boris and Arkady Strugatsky)
I highly recommend watching the movie as it is often interpreted as a statement about spirituality. And while you're on that, check out Tarkovsky's other movies, they're as equally atmospheric and deep as the Stalker movie and games
Would you do a New Vegas review?
I really like the idea of this channel, please keep the spiritual reviews coming, Father!
This is such a well written and very though out review, I never watched anything from you but youtube recommended me this video and I was interested to see your take from a religious point of view, while not being religious myself. I thoroughly enjoyed it, great content and thought provoking.
This is interesting because I see the zone as the peril of the road towards God, and the people who are good guides in the zone as priests.
This is more from the Stalker movie by Andrei Tarkovsky - For me it's clear that the Stalker is the priest and the Writer and Professor are his spiritual children, not really understanding the mystery of the zone and really being a pain for the spiritual father to take care of.
The zone is only dreary for your passions. You can't walk wherever you want, you can't tame the zone to suit your wants, you can't predict what it plans for you. The zone is not made for you, but you are made for the zone. Especially with the movie I think you can tell that the director is Orthodox and the journey of the Stalker seems to be approaching monasticism.
That's a really interesting insight. Will have to check out the movie at some point.
If you are getting annoyed with the hordes, I would like to add that you can use the AI of the enemies to give you easy kills on (most of) the horde monsters. For dogs and rats, about a 3 or 4 foot ledge is enough to make them disengage. Step down and back up multiple times to bait them out and take pot shots at them as they run away. Many of them also have invisible “territory lines” that they won’t chase you past, you can treat the outside of that boundary like a ledge and back step out of their territory to make them disengage. The invisible guys also hate high ledges and skinny railings so they won’t walk across them. I hope that this advice counts as an act of charity ;) much love to you and keep up the great work Father.
Good review. Once I heard what is your favourite Far Cry game I instantly subscribed. May God be with you
A light shining in darkness - and the darkness comprehended it not.
Father, thank you for engaging with my favorite hobby in a serious and thought provoking, thoroughly Catholic way. I was a gamer before my conversion to Catholicism. I’ve often felt ashamed and discouraged by the wholesale rejection of this medium by Catholics. To hear a Catholic priest engage seriously with gaming as an art form is both refreshing and encouraging.
Father... Did you apply mercy where possible? Don't forget that god is upon as and looks at us, and that the creatures in the zone, more or less are all victims of the human nature of experimentations driven on them.
May God enlighten your way Father!
I’m astonished you mentioned you were playing Selaco! I’ve sunk almost 60 hours into that game since it launched. I recommend you check out Fallen Aces if you haven’t already!
I do want to check out Fallen Aces, but might wait for it to hit 1.0
Great video, but a fair bit off the mark. The Zone is "irradiated," but it's not a typical nuclear post-apocalyptic wasteland like metro. You should probably look into the inspiration and what the cause of the zone is... as well as the acronym for S.t.a.l.k.e.r and what their motivations are for those that travel to the zone.
I haven't watched an actual game review in years, But I actually enjoyed this one big time. Never thought I'd get to hear a Padres takes on my favourite franchise 👌 Stalkers atmosphere and shooting is my favourite ever
Just found your channel and i love how you tie the review into Christianity somehow you earned a sub from me ty father!
I believe some portion of the bugs is already fixed in the fresh patch.
Thank you for your reviews, Padre! God bless you!
I can imagine a bloodsucker coming outta nowhere and you start yelling "THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELLS YOU!"
this made me think, gracias padre pixel
at 4:30 if you swap first two artifacts, you will optimize your rad protection A LOT. green glow of the first slot is a modification of your suit that newtralize artifact radioactivity. second art has maximum radiation pollution ant it will be netralized. and you will end with max rad protection of the first artifact
What a brilliant idea for a channel
I think there's a lot of ways you could look to the zone and see many different things. The factions in themselves each wind up being perfect examples of it. Some are there to sate personal reasons. Some to outrun personal events. Some just want riches, some just want adventure, some just want violence, and some want to protect the world. The Wish Granter of the old stalker makes it pretty clearly a symbol of hope for a lot of people, and that even though many people act as though they hate it there, they still stick with it anyways. They wouldn't do so if they weren't there with hope in their minds. It's brutal, but that brutality gives rise to another thing people often have if they want to survive the zone: perseverance. So, for me, the takeaway has always generally been a lot more positive, that it is worth it to persevere, and that it is worth it to hope.
I'm not religious but I enjoyed this video. Good review and perspective!
Hi Padre, Thank you for your review, despite finishing the game I myself had not fully formed articulate thoughts on hopeless/hopefulness of the zone and your words are a good way to consider the setting.
I myself am Ukrainian American and enjoy the this game and the entire series on multiple levels, I enjoy the walking around the rural to industrial then urban landscapes, the atmosphere, hearing the language, and the ideologies expressed through he setting and factions. the Eastern European mindset heavily influences sooo much of the game, the pessimism from the dangers and individuals different outlooks and views on the future, Richter alone is such amazing example of guilt, hopefulness, and reverence for the zone. I don't know how you format your channel but if the gameplay clips you included are your own then you must be very far into the game, if not completed it. I was wondering if you had any extended thoughts on the viewpoints presented in the game. I'm not super familiar with the format of your channel, if it is an intentional choice to not dive deep into this ideology as it might produce a heavy video. The late game covers many interesting topics, not only is there extended debate for the existence of the zone, being the imperfect world as you mentioned, but there are many other significant themes such as man playing god, the afterlife + human soul (Scar's shining zone), and human free will. I have to admit that there are some complex in game science fiction ideas and just names that are hard to follow, I played through the originals and thought I comprehended them relatively well but was lost in some of the complex motivations and actions in the game. I really disagree with his means but I think Faust's perspective is very interesting. As a note, I finished the game and returned to save states to legitimately see alternative endings, if you are so interested in seeing the extra endings I think its more worthwhile to watch video compilations as opposed to doing it yourself.
my extra thoughts, rants, and comments on the game, piggybacking off of yours, not necessary reading -----
For gameplay you mentioned how difficult and punishing the game can be, at times killing you for not understanding the specific elements of the setting. I think this is something the game executes well as an immersion tactic and difficulty curve. When you begin the game you are inexperienced, poor, and don't understand the world, Then you learn from your failures, you gain understanding of things like how to make money, the right way to sidestep mutants, how to survive anomalies and life becomes easier. I think this was also something done very well in the original Shadow of Chernobyl.
As for the state of the game I thing that the game has lots of highs and lows. I was waiting for this game to come out since before 2022, its shocking to see the unstable state its in given all the extra time the developers had, yes I know they faced many hardships but given that the invasion happened a few months before the slated release date it seems like it would have been in an even rougher state back then.
There are certain features and design choices that seem like steps backward when they had the model of the original game. why didn't they add night vision in such a visually dark gameFinal content complaint, they got rid of the loud squeaky light, the sound is in the game but it doesnt play when youre around it.😓. It is such a minor element but in the older games when you looted a person it showed you their name, their faction, and their experience level as a stalker, implying you looked at their PDA, in addition to a little portrait. It was such a grounding element reminding you of their life and in addition the presence of the different factions. I'll say it, the underground lab sections suck, especially when compared to Shadow of Chernobyl. In SoC they all had their specific set pieces, their gimmicks, I think they were executed so well. In Heart of Chornobyl they are simply go underground, experience plot progression, thats it. Final content complaint, they got rid of the loud squeaky light, the sound is in the game but it doesnt play when youre around it.
for some positives / design thoughts.I luckily never encountered any bugs that deleted multiple hours worth of progress but I did have to deal with things like tight rooms with anomalies that will completely crash the game if you touch them.I trust that a fixed A-life is coming, but I think the game is okay as it is, It already has non scripted instances where I got attacked by roaming packs of dogs, patrolling soldiers, sometimes they fight each other. It was already a little cumbersome but setting appropriate to randomly get attacked by a bloodsucker and use all of your ammo trying to kill it. I read some complaints about the early inclusion of the bloodsucker, comparing it to the the tutorial deathclaw in fallout 4 which i agree here took out the sense of danger from all other encounters. For Stalker the bloodsucker and poltergeist is just the tip of the iceberg for horrifying mutant creature roaming the zone, you probably got through your first encounter with them thinking "that was difficult, these are scare creatures that I dont want to encounter in the future." some of the other mutants get proper story set pieces to show you how dangerous they are supposed to be and I think the game handles the pacing of them relatively well.
...Or, perhaps life is all about experience and nothing else, and for each its own...
Strongly recommend reading updates. The Devs are beautifully chatty, especially on Discord, and most of your questions here have already been answered. Also, we've got 2 waighty patches, more are on the way. Also, adjusting Settings to fit your PC is highly recommended, because by default the game has everything on MAX, which is for high end PCs only.
Only just found your channel and I already love it, despite generally hating reviews. Do you plan to make videos on older games? A quick look at your channel shows that you've only touched upon recent releases so far, but I'd like to see you discuss some of your favourites, like Oblivion or Far Cry 2. Of course it is also a fairly new channel so I won't spam requests on you, but I'd interested to hear your opinion on the Metro series as well (particularly Last Light, which I feel has some interesting discussion on forgiveness), if not a full video but only a comment or something.
A game I would love to see spiritually analysed by someone far more qualified than myself is Far Cry 5, which was actually the game that snapped me out of my hardcore atheism (or anti-theism, to be more precise (or anti-Christianity, if we are being honest)), contrary to what one might think from a glance. A very, very interesting game of late is Indika, which I have just omitted an entire paragraph I spent ages writing about because it's probably better if I don't share my impression on it for anyone who cares to check it out themselves, unspoiled.
Hope this rambling was comprehensible, anyway love the channel and subbed
The economy has gotten a bit more friendly since the patch 😂
Whoa this video was phenomenal
Hey Father! My buddy and I are Protestants and have been playing this game like crazy since it came out. We were both reflecting on it and he said, “This is how I imagine things would be during an apocalypse or after Christ returns. Reality just turning on its head”. I told him that I loved the game, but I do feel almost a sense of dread and blues when I adventure around the world. It’s a very oppressive atmosphere and the zone is a sad place.
For me. I never really played the older games (i guess technically I did a little bit but... you know.... life was happening and there wasnt enough room in my dorm for my PC) so with this one I felt like I needed a lore boost before diving into the zone. Recommend reading Roadside Picnic and the old soviet movie Stalker. The game is full or references from both (even the name) ive not just been frustrated with this world. But ive grown to love it..... even if I'm screaming and running away like a child at times lol
"Credo quia absurdum" - what a brilliantly ironic review. Cheers.
I've been loving Stalker 2. It really does feel like a sequel that was entirely developed and was going to come out about 5 years after the original trilogy but was put in a time capsule so it released 15 or so years later.
Would love to hear your thoughts on Death Stranding at some point. Recently finished it for the first time and despite the obligatory kojima foibles I really enjoyed it, especially looking at the world through a Christian lens.
In 2012 original Stalker 2 was cancelled and GSC bankrupted. There ware few videos on RUclips with captured footage from very early builds of this iteration of Stalker 2.
I didn’t expect to find a man of the lord discussing a game so set on life flourishing in a world so hostile and destructive world
Considering you're PIXEL padre, and have a bunch of spiritual reviews I'm surprised there's no Faith Trilogy review on your channel lol. Anyways. You are familiar with horrors already, and i like how you touch upon very different genres and still being expert in them. And your reviews are very chill and calm. I like to be on this channel ngl. And yes Stalker is a game made in my country so I'm curious how people outside it react to it. After all we have different cultures and mentality.
Hello, Father! Always looking forward to your takes! If you like giant robots, you might like Mechwarrior V: Clans. Plus, I'd like to get your takes on how rigid the Clans are, how they arrive at their conclusions on the world, and how their society has no tolerance for failure, and the nature of who's on "the right side of history" (among other themes inherent in the world of BattleTech from which it sprang from). It is lore heavy, but Tex Talks Battletech (if you have the time) delves into it.
Let's pray for each other, Father!
Wonderful stuff!
By the way, would you also be open to reviewing older games?
I'd really like to know what you'd make of games like Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade or some of the classic RPGs, like Gothic 2.
I would love to see you reviewing some of the most popular games like Fallout New Vegas.
Also, any intention on reviewing some popular films and shows?
Would be awesome to hear from you on the topic of the Monolith fraction arc from the game. There is a heavy religious theme going on - guys are literally trying to re-build their God and it's vert interesting topic to explore.
You should do a review someday of Skyrim, or the Elder Scrolls universe in general, where you discuss the implications of morality in a world with just as many evil gods as good gods, and no chief creator god to be the divine lawgiver. It becomes a cosmic anarchy, and people structure their morality around the preferences of their favorite god. The Elder Scrolls world is in constant war and chaos primarily because the bad gods are more active in the world than the good gods, and at the core of reality there's no governing, guiding influence.
I've been musing about this for the past decade, but I think someone with your level of theological training and insight would be able to make some great observations and pull some good lessons out of exploring that world and contrasting it with the real world.
Amem
Hello Father! Just a quick word, you have been an underground gem for me to find, second can I recommend you give games like Bioshock, Knights of the Old Republic 1&2, and Bloodborne a chance?
Thank you for the video and God Bless.
Thanks! Those are great suggestions, and I was planning on replaying the Bioshock games at some point, so there's a definitely a chance (would help if Bloodborne got a PC release).
@ Bloodborne is unfortunately within Sony’s claws, but the aesthetics and lore behind Bloodborne is so perfect for your show, that in opinion is worth buying a PS4 for that game alone.
There is a side quest about saving an Icon of Mother of God
Beautiful games👍👍👍👍👍👍
Excellent work keep it up!!🙌👏👏👏
"My favorite Far Cry game ist Far Cry 2." An early sign of a great video.
Amen 🙏
Bu yorumu yapabilmek için sadece oyunu değil onun ilham aldığı '' Roadside Picnic'' kitabını okumalı ve '' Stalker '' filmlerini izlemeniz gerekir. Özellikle filmde Stalker'lar insanların altüst ettiği dünyada ilahi bir işaret gibi duran Zone'da insanlara kılavuzluk ederler. Filmi mutlaka izlemelisiniz.
I am an agnostic atheist. I am quite simply unconvinced that there is a god to begin with, just as much as you may be unconvinced if I were to tell you that the world of Stalker 2 is real and can be found in the staff area of Disney Land Orlando. Simply phrased as "No, I don't think that's true"
And so, I don't feel abandoned by God, the same way you may not feel excluded from Santa's list of good boys. I just enjoy the storytelling and a world I can immerse myself in. Sometimes that world is a perfect utopian high fantasy setting. And sometimes it's a dreary world of deceit, corruption, violence, tragedy, and greed, with only a few good people looking out for one another. It is the same reason why the Greeks invented tragedy and fatal character flaws. It makes it all so much more interesting.
I'll tell you this, the patches help IMMENSELY for the new player...
I think there is one thing that are missed here.
Fanaticism. Orthodox church have a lot of this truth be told and this is a part of Stalker world. Not only Monolith's followers, but the fanaticism of people who enter The Zone - to find money, knowledge or meaning in life. The Zone doesn't tolerate any fanaticism and it was pictured greatly in the first game.
Buuuuuut, as person that lived in orthodox monastery in the past and russia too, - Stalker just showed very bleak and isolated world where isolation and emptiness of 99% of the world contrast very wildly with comfy areas of camps with friendly peoples in it. Also originally novel that Stalker was based on(ideologically more) - shows I would rather say ironically opposite image to what you see in this game. Originally "Roadside Picnic" shows the world that was visited by aliens/god/bigger powers, but now it's gone and all that left is artifacts that are beyond our understanding. For me it's more human-centric setting - the world is cruel, god is gone and only humans can decide their own fate and use what was left.
Or they can leave the Zone. Outside the Cordon there's whole unaffected world to live in... every single person (maybe beside the active duty and retired soldiers), had made their own decision to enter the Zone.
@@adamcichon6957 it's probably hard to live a normal life when you actually know that world is more complicated than it is.
I’m extremely curious as to what would be your take on the NieR series. It poses a lot of questions that, because of the game’s nature, doesn’t really tend to be heard by those more educated on it’s topics. It deals with a lot of existentialism, conceptual theism and life as an idea
Father, have you read the original Roadside Picnic book? That one is deeply philosophical about struggle and search in dystopian world. Wondering if you would find additional religious references and meanings in the book.
karmic religions don't necessarily dismiss the fact that the world is imperfect, they say "the world is as it should be", but that's not a statement of perfection or morality, it's a statement of factual consequence, i.e. "the world is as it could've become, one of many possibilities that has unfolded"
It makes sense for a Priest to review this videogame.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games LOTR movies are the closest I have to a religion and the existence of this latest game is due to the miracle of the Battle of Hostomel Airport in 2022.
I wish good health to anyone reading this.
Maybe it’s because I’ve played stalker for so long but I feel like I belong there, no rules, no governments, just the zone and the challenges that you will face.
Not religious but you bet I was praying to something when I was jumped by 3 bloodsuckers at once. 😂
Great analysis and vid btw