^Agree, seems like Farmville has best chances to survive as a PC game these days...
@Crni Vuk
Since it has a feel and setting, Ukrainian or Russian, the world it is unique in that way of course. Alchohol , drunk singing, guys spilling all kinds of rumors, Zone etc. Same as the book, well almost. But the story in SOC was complex enough, we did not need NPC characters as much as we need them in Fallout for example, it's much more linear. Hence why the world would need to suck you in, or you would get bored soon. We did not need the speech options at the Monolith because it would ruin the core of the game, which was survival, hit and run tactic, major looting, insane questing with anomalies for no apparent reason except some loot. You would go in anyway, I mean who would want to try, even if it was that goddamn Red Forest. Strelok was interesting enough to drive us thought the game, you would always ask why? or how? or what the hell happened here? Getting some clues as the game moved on, nothing wrong about that, you're still sucked in. In fact, Clear Sky, were it with less bugs would turn out to be a good game. At least it was in the end for me, even if I screamed from all the crashes. The worst case is in Call of Pripyat, the ending is not very fulfilling. Military came in and...that was about it. No unique characters. But when you pack all the games in a trilogy box, the story is in there and it stretches enough.
What kept me was the world and the story. Yeah, it was not "full" but there was no need for it since it wasn't full-fledged RPG game. If Zone wasn't what you wanted it to be or did not suck you in it long enough, then I imagine it must be a chore to play the game.
Unless you were not hooked on the Zone the first time, it's no use later.
I find it harder to play with waypoints these days, either I always miss it or it's on top of something or not there at all. God forbid I'm searching for item. In Stalker games that was simple "you're fucked unless you find cover", and in that "cover" i found either loot, quest or a bozo to talk with. Sure he looks like a random bot or something, but at least they made me feel safer around them in game and not bored too much. Then I was back again in the Anomalous area.