Year (s): 2010
Company: dev. 4A Games
pub. THQ
Engine: 4A Engine
Type: First-Person Shooter
Metacritic Score: 81
My Score: A poorly developed, crappy game.
Price (as of July 20, 2012)
Regular price on Steam: $19.99
Lowest Buy-It-Now on eBay (new, with shipping): $11.50
Game Time: Not Applicable
Obligatory Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB_ICAvOmrg
See Also
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Review: http://fpsandmtg.blogspot.com/2011/05/stalker-shadows-of-chernobyl-review.html
Plot
The player takes on the role of Artyom, who was born in Moscow right before nuclear holocaust. Twenty years later, he remembers nothing of the surface, as the survivors have found refuge in the Moscow Metro tunnels. Mutant attacks are on the rise, and Artyom must journey to Polis Station for help, braving monsters, bandits, dark tunnels, and the toxic surface along the way.
The plot of Metro 2033 is based on a 2005 novel of the same title by Dmitry Glukhovsky.
Who is 4A?
4A, based in Ukraine, was founded by two former members of GSC Game World a year before the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. These two were the main creators of GSC's X-Ray Engine, so the 4A Engine they created for Metro is nearly identical (there has been some contention as to them being seperate engines). Graphically, it's on the low end of what shooters looked like in 2010.
Combat/Gameplay
Ammo is scarce, and stealth is nearly a must. Other than that, aim and fire. The tunnels are more difficult because of darkness, and the surface (also dark) is more difficult because the player must wear a gas mask and have adequate filters while avoiding any radioactive water. You can carry a handful of weapons and medkits. Health will regenerate, but very slowly. Checkpoint saving only.
The game is just as bad as S.T.A.L.K.E.R., for a lot of the same reasons. While you might have your light off in a tunnel so dark you can't see your enemies, they'll headshot you from fifty feet away. This, along with an amazing assortment of ineffective arms, make for a gaming experience that is much too difficult to enjoy. If there was a quick save option, it might be bearable (that's the only way I got through S.T.A.L.K.E.R.), but there isn't one.
The game sought immersion with a lack of HUD, but failed to connect the player emotionally to the characters or their situations. After dying twenty times in a row at the same spot, I decided I had better things to do than bang my head against this game.
Expansions / DLC / Sequels
Metro: Last Light is scheduled for release in 2013. This is a direct sequel to Metro 2033. While author Glukhovsky had some input, the game has no relation to Metro 2034, the second novel.
Final Thoughts
It's a stinker; don't bother. If you want a fun game set in Russia, Singularity is still the best bet. If you want a fun post-apocalyptic game, Fallout 3 or RAGE are superior.
