I have seen both these games and they have been tickiling my post apocolyptic survival itch.

But which do you recommend more than the other.

Also why are the STALKER games not discounted on Steam?

Metro series.

Metro. More linear than Stalker, but a true masterpiece imo!

Both are pretty nice games, but without even thinking about it, I would have to recommend STALKER first and foremost. The atmosphere in the game is quite well done, and it is just a fun all around adventure mixed with feelings loneliness and terror. Additionally, plenty of mods are available for the game giving it additional longevity, although I would recommend playing it vanilla to start with (I'm sure some will disagree with that last bit though).

Also, both games play a bit differently. Stalker is slightly more open world and free roaming, while Metro is more of a linear experience as far as I can remember. Not saying one is better than the other, but if you prefer certain types of games, that may be helpful to know.

STALKER is way better in every way.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gets my vote. Played them both, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. offers far more options than Metro, which can feel "on rails" at times (actually, at several points it literally is). Depends on the kind of game you prefer, ultimately, as neither is bad. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s main bad points for me are the somewhat aggressive respawning of enemies and the annoying use of periods in the game's name. :D

As a side note, the books that each are inspired from (Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky and Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky) are good reads in their own right. Some might argue that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. hails more from Andrei Tarkovsky's film Stalker, which is an adaptation of Roadside Picnic, and they could very well be right.

You can't compare them. The only thing they have in common is the "russian" post-apocalyptic scenario, with different influences from Roadside Picnic. Otherwise, they're very different.

Therefore, I will just say you should get both of them.

I always thought Metro was non-linear in that it you can explore the subways of russia?

Definitely STALKER. And get some mods, like Complete 2009. Metro bored me after couple of hours. Maybe I'll try again in the future.

Not really (I haven't finished it, just a word of warning), it's more like Half-Life 2. It's really hard to compare the two. Do you want an open world game? Go STALKER. Do you want a story and set-pieces? Go Metro. Either way, you're not going wrong.

Apples and oranges really. Metro is linear pop-a-mole, STALKER is open world survival.

i own all stalker and metro games. i prefer metro. specifically metro last light. one of my fav fps

Waiting for these to come on sale too!

Never played S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but I'd definitely recommend Metro. Just make SURE you buy the stealth suit when it's available, as the stealth mechanics are weak without it;

Both STALKER and Metro are utterly brilliant - just pick whether you want a less polished, more open game, or much more linear, polished one.