Metro 2033

Platform:  Windows, XBox 360

Release Date:  March 16, 2010

I always enjoy a good romp through a survival FPS, doubly so when it has horror elements.  Nothing quite like exploring whatever dark hole a game is going to take you to and destroying whatever creature you might find…if the game is done well.  So when Metro 2033 came on the market I jumped at the chance to head into the dangerous S.T.A.L.K.E.R. zone to explore the weird and battle creatures of mutant horror until I had poked into every new hidden corner there was to explore.  Sigh…or that would be where we were going if all hell hadn’t broken loose while taking the metro.  My mistake for taking public transport, I think I’ll walk next time.

Before I start, let me give a small disclaimer; I have not read the Metro 2033 books that this series is based around.  The reasons why I mention this will become clear later on, but with that out of the way on to the game itself.

Once again we delve into a post apocalyptic world, with a characteristic Russian gloom that sets it well apart from its counterparts, a war caused by…well an unexplained nuclear war.  Why just the metro survive and not any vau…er bunkers survive is also unexplained.  Get used to lots of the unexplained, as the game gives you virtually no back-story at all.  The game puts you in the shoes of Artyom, who also narrates the game as he writes his memoirs at his desk, which also serves as the game menu.  Rather then starting in an easy area or a training mission of some sort you are thrown right into the thick of it, after a few quick control explanations you engage in a frightening battle that does not end well. The game then promptly dumps you eight days before those events.  Knowing what will come is a clever way for the game to nag the player without having to be a constant reminder.

Your armory covers a smattering of guns and explosives. The weapons are both from pre-war Russia and home made weaponry made in the metro tunnels.  However there isn’t much customization or room for a large arsenal, as the game offers a surprisingly limited number of weapons with arbitrary customization accounting for much of the selection, which is quite disappointing.   I found the knives, pipe bombs, and shotguns pretty useless.  Thankfully the pistol, rifles and pneumatics work great to get you though the game.  I particularly like the pneumatic crossbow, as you can reclaim bolts after firing them off.

This brings us to one of the key points to the game: ammunition.  There are two types of ammo – regular ammo, and “pre-war” ammo, which is also used as currency, although it can be fired off as well.  In an amusing point of realism, searching fallen foes pockets can net you extra ammo and supplies. This means you will be searching for bodies to re-supply.  Sometimes enemy body position can make it hard to get it, and sometimes what is seen is not what is actually gained, but there’s plenty of ammo to find, and you can even find better guns rather than buying them.  Determining if the gun you find is better then the one your holding is sketchy, but unlike its main influence the weapons don’t degrade.

In regards to the game play itself, you’re given a very linear path, but this works since you’re stuck in walled metro tunnels instead of open space.  The pace can seem rushed and often you’re not given a choice on the progression speed.  You health will recharge if you get hurt, but you can get med kits to instantly heal, however it should be noted Artyom can’t take that much damage, so staying out of harms way is paramount.  The difficulty of the game swings wildly, depending on environment and enemy threats.  Fighting soldiers in the dark immediately becomes more difficult when trying not to suffocate.  Mutants are the most numerous, and will probably irritate you more.  Smaller mutants will tend to attack in large swarms, while larger mutants will absorb a lot of ammo before going down.  Humans are easier to kill, but they are more entertaining to look at, as they range from bandits to red-communists and Nazis.  Yes, somehow the Nazi motif has invaded Russian territory, complete with World War II style war machines.  They’re still easier to kill than the mutants, though.

Other oddities crop up as the game goes on, such as a soldier stoned out of his mind in the depths of a crate maze (and yes, the hookah works), and a flower growing from a boot in a poop pile.  Blatant product placement for the Metro 2033 books is also quite frequent, but oddly this didn’t encourage reading them.  Things like this are a little out of place, but are a somewhat welcome distraction in this post-apocalyptic setting.

The biggest annoyance in the game is the constant hindrance to vision, or more precisely, the Gas mask.  The game would have been more enjoyable without its inclusion.  As best I can tell its purpose is simply to annoy, limiting your vision, adding unneeded noise and enforcing an artificial time limit.  As well as the fact that there is never an explanation given as to why it’s needed when walking around on the surface.  And the constantly dark environments, blood in your eyes, and smoke filled tunnels, meaning you rarely can see anything clearly.

Now it is time to kick the elephant in the room:  This game looks a lost like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and with good reason, having part of the team that worked on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. included in the design team.  While this part of it seems to fade quickly by the lack of complexity found in the previous game, Metro 2033 may not be as disconnected from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. as it seems.  There is heavy suggestion that Metro is in the same timeline, or in an alternate timeline as several Anomalies encountered are the same as in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Bourbon, an NPC you travel with for a time says that Stalkers are in the game, and most of the over world bodies you find are of dead stalkers.  Unfortunately this game doesn’t come close to the depth of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or other post-apocalyptic games, which is a shame, as it seems polished, and these offhand quirks don’t lead to anything afterward.