Game was playable since the first patch… got worse in some patches, and much better after 1.1.3 and 1.2.1 but it is mostly playable without issues. Get some mods, like UEtools and most of the issues can be fixed from the command prompt.
Previous games were a mess as well, I learned Lua to fix the stuff on the fly, and had a ton of fun. Stalker 2 is a lot of fun! I am on my 5th play through… all endings plus variations to cover all areas and quests.
The game is fun, especially if you are a Stalker lore fan, just revisiting all characters and places, blended in a new story. There are bugs, true, but the 1.0.3 is very playable with minor stuff that needs either a quick save/restore or restart the game in the rare occasion. The mechanics are simpler than Anomaly and Misery or other modpacks like EFP or Gamma, which might be a positive for a broader audience, but the spirit of the game is there, progression through equipment, the atmosphere of the labs, and the choices that change how the story progresses very early on. That said, the original A-Life is still 10 times better than the new one, or so It feels. Hopefully this will be addressed in future patches. Even if the game didn’t work at all at launch, I still feel good about it being the ONLY game I paid full price and pre-order.
So… why the meth is coming aaaaaall the from Mexico? Wouldn’t be easy to get some of that inordinate amount of meth that is coming from the nasty country north of the border? Much closer… ;)