In 1986, the world's worst nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl power station. Soviet authorities established a 30km 'Exclusion Zone' around this nuclear wasteland, but in 2006 a second explosion rocked the stricken reactor, obliterating all living things and causing the Zone's boundaries to ripple outwards. From this epicenter came waves of mutated creatures, deadly radiation, and a strange, anomalous energy. The Zone was cordoned off by the military, who would shoot on sight anyone foolish enough to brave the horrors within.
Doesn't matter how many games you play, S.T.A.L.K.E.R will always be one of those games you simply can't forget, even unistalling this game feels like a sin.
Mods just make the experience even better, It's not easy to put a bunch of mods together as it is with Fallout or other modern sandbox games but who needs 300 tiny mods added via a mod manager when you have The Zone and a single good mod taking care of it for you as you explore it deeper and deeper?