Customer Reviews

Metro 2033

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Over all this game may rank with Dead-Space and the original Resident Evil as one of the scariest games I have ever enjoyed!

Gameplay: 4/5 the game perfects the idea of a "real-time" inventory system, unlike many FPS's when you are outside of a safe zone (metro stations in the game), you are in a constant state of danger there is no menu to pause the game and recheck your objective or to take and overview of your weapons. Everything is done in the open so even the simple idea of looking at your compass to see where you are going or reading your journal to remember what you have to do next means you are putting your weapon down and putting out an open invitation for attack. These elements add to the suspense and tension making the game very immersive and very scary! The AI in the game is superb giving a great amount of believability and difficulty, having your flashlight on draws the attention of enemies but leaving it off will allow an enemy to sneak up on you as many times as you sneak up on them.

The only detraction I can think of to the gameplay would be that Metro 2033 was advertised as a RPG and there are very few if any RPG elements in the game; however, this is quickly forgiven and forgotten once you play the first few chapters.

Story: 5/5 I have only been able to read Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro 2033 in German as an English translation has not been released anywhere in North America and last time I checked it had not been released in Europe either. I am in not way fluent in German so while i enjoyed the book I can not be completely sure I understood the entire story and all the character development. That being said the narrative of the game is amazing the story and mystery in the game are executed perfectly and kept me interested the entire play-through.

Graphics: 4/5 the visuals are stunning especially when traveling through the surface of Moscow (or whats left of it). The use of shadows and light add to the tension in a way that only the best horror movies, games, and other entries into the genre have achieved before.

The biggest detraction would be that in most cases you don't get a chance to enjoy the environment because somethings trying to kill you. Another big negative would be the metro stations or safe zones, with few exceptions every station begins to look the same and is easily navigated.

Sound: 4/5 just like the graphics almost every sound seems to add to the experience, you will get as many startles from a gun shot or sudden roar as you will get chills down your spine from a far off scream or howl. Paranoia from an empty can being kicked far off in the distance occurs pretty frequently as well!

The downside would be the racket in the metro stations, the background noise is repetitive here and almost drowns out the important conversation you might actually want to hear.

Overall: 4/5

Pros: amazingly immersive! enthralling story, and incredibly scary!

Cons: every other thing in the safe zones.

This is a very good game. What I like is atmosphere (plently of that), story (finally something different), and gunplay that doesn't seem unfair. It gives me the feeling of Dead Space and Condemned Criminal Origins (being constanlty on edge and isolated). It is a balance of shooting anything that moves and conserving your ammo. If you get surprised, your tendency is to keep firing until it quiets down. This leads to low ammo and the fear that you will run out before your next safe zone. All you're trying to do is survive the trip from station to station.

This an old-school-type FPS for gun mechanics; not so much precision. If you are used to the mature mechanics of Bioshock, Mondern Warfare, and Halo, this game will bother you. It took me time to get used to it, but I don't mind it at all now. The gun mechanics match the feel of the game.

What appeals to me the most is that it is different. Theme, situations, locale, and style; and the different ways your items are used, hand crank light and gun and gas mask.

The game is missing the next iteration of game mechanics polish on some aspects (ie., I've seen this done better in another game). This pulls me out of the game at times, but not enough to detract from the game experience. For example, wonky AI, the barter system isn't at deep as advertised (don't generally regret not upgrading guns-ammo is so precious), and inconsitent stealth. The one thing that is consistently bothersome is that some enemies are always trying to bit off your knees, so you're always looking down and shooting (shotgun works the best here). Also, an improved melee mechanic would do wonders for this game.

This is an on-a-rail-type FPS with great set pieces and a variety of situations and not a in-your-face, run-and-gun, unlimited ammo type FPS. I would recommend this game to anyone that the game style appeals to and if you're FPS-multiplayer-hardcore (wait for used).

Greetings and thank you for reading this,
I picked up Metro 2033 on midnight release and have logged only a short time in game but I thought this may help some on the fence about it. With little time in I will keep my comments short and related to my findings.
The first thing that stuck out to me was the graphics. Now again I'm only early on in the game but when you watch the initial cutscene you can see that the graphics are a bit stale and dated. Not to say that its another "Turning Point" or "Legendary" title because there is a game underneath the graphics that is worth the time and they are a step above the above mentioned titles.

The plot is engulfing and will likely pull you in if you were a fan of Fallout 3 like I was. The polish is not on par but there is definite meat on the bone of this title and the concept of a post apocalyptic russia battered by Nuclear warfare where the citizens have moved underground and formed their own independent communities separated by tracks and blockades is strong.
You take on the character of Artyom who has been surviving now for over 20 years in his own station. There are mutants all over the tracks and the overworld- created by the environment itself either by radiation mutation or by other more complicated reasons. A plot device that is a bit different than other similar games is that you must wear a mask when outside the confines of the underground tracks due to toxicity of the air. There is a meter that shows you the amount of air left in you tank via a watch that you must keep an eye on. This reminded me a bit of Lost Planet.

Still, I felt as if I was playing a game from about 2-3 years ago in terms of graphics. The engine is just fine though you will see definite problems with the movements of mutants and the staged events. you will also see some mapping issues and overlap. Early on there was a button contextual moment similar to Heavy Rain and I would imagine that they are adapting the GOW formula of timed button sequences. It is a first person shooter first and foremost and I would pretty much ignore the RPG undertone of reviews. It's there but minor at best. I liked the way the plot had some set pieces that you must navigate similar to Half Life 2 but again, not that quality.

Overall I will grade it as follows but I will adapt this upon further play.
Graphics- 7-8
gameplay- 7-8
story- 10 (for those who like the wastelands) maybe an 8 otherwise
sound - 9 (pretty good ambiance)
Replayability - unsure
Overall I give it an 8.5 early on.

I don't wish to write more now. Just some early impressions that may help you make a decision. Being a fan of the concept itself I'll play this one for the story itself and forgive it for its imperfections- just know that they are there and against a title Like GOW3 (which I also purchased) it is night and day as you might expect. I think it depends on the flavor you like. If you were jazzed up to get this one you will likely enjoy it. If you are on the fence about it I'd suggest a rental to see if it fits your needs. Thanks for your time.

Post apocalypse themed games have been all the rage the past few years, and now a new developer from the Ukraine (4A games) has joined the crowded genre with their linear, story driven game Metro 2033, which is based off a popular Russian book of the same name by author Dmitry Glukhovsky.

The game follows the story of an underground society taking refuge within Moscows immense subway system after the events of a terrible nuclear war decades earlier. With the air now extremely toxic and mutants roaming above, the remaining humans are forced to escape to the safety of the underground labyrinth. You are a young resistance fighter named Artyom, who was only a child when the tragedy befell humanity. Within the vast metro system, several factions of humans have managed to survive, and in addition to fighting each other, they must deal with onslaughts of horrible mutated creatures and anomalies. The most dangerous of these creatures are a species of telepathic, mutants called the "Dark Ones", whom are only briefly seen throughout the game.

The games story is never made entirely clear until near the end. "Who are the Dark Ones? What are their motives?" Sadly, none of the things that could have made Metro more compelling are elaborated on. Artyom is given instructions from fellow resistance fighters to travel to certain locations and accomplish objectives within the Metro system and meet up with others. Along the way, you're killing hordes of mutants, neo-nazi fascists, cold war communists, and various others. But despite the loose story telling, the game provides an amazing atmosphere that manages to suck you in like few other games. Witnessing the inhabitants of these stations or 'villages' go about their daily routines amidst all the chaos is intriguing. Merchants sell weapons and food; children scribble on walls and play with each other; men will sit and drink at taverns, and the sick and weary will lie in their makeshift beds waiting to die. All these things give Metro a flavor lacking in many other fps games.

A relatively small portion of the game is spent above ground, with Artyom looking for ammo, gear, and retrieving items within destroyed Moscow. While on the surface (and in toxic areas), you must wear a gas mask to breathe. The masks air filters only last for several minutes, forcing you to replace it. Filters, like ammo, can be found on dead bodies and throughout the game. You'll also have to be careful not to take too much physical damage during enemy encounters, or the masks glass will crack exposing you to the poison air.

Metro bears many similarities to other games in its genre such as Half Life, Bioshock, and fellow Ukranian developer; GSC Gameworlds S.T.A.L.K.E.R : Shadow of Chernobyl. In fact, several of the people who made this game worked on Stalker, only to leave the company a year before its release. Its influences on Metro are very evident. Though vastly different in structure (one being open world, the other linear), things such as the shooting mechanics, the post nuclear Russia theme, and even the general rough edges and glitches associated with the Stalker games have carried over. The controls are serviceable, but nothing as precise as something like Call of Duty or other modern shooters. Ammo in the world of Metro is limited, and you have to conserve your bullets. Bullets made before the great war do far more damage, and have become a valuable commodity to the citizens of Metro. You have the option of saving these to use as money to purchase other post war guns or ammo (which aren't as effective), or simply use them to survive. A lot was said about the rarity of ammo in the game, but I didn't find it to be too problematic if you searched enough. Granted, you're not going to be able to just spray every wall and enemy with a hellfire of bullets, but the game provides you with more than enough ammo to make it through on any difficulty setting.

While the guns offered are pretty neat, the weaponry isn't as diverse as you may be used to to in other shooters. The firearms consist of shotguns, revolvers, semi automatics, and a few pneumonic, crossbolt type weapons. There are also grenade like explosives, throwing knives and a machete for melee attacks. The machete is nearly useless; it's far too slow and takes too many swings to damage or kill an enemy. It's also difficult to tell when your guns are doing damage, because they seem to lack any punch when they hit their targets. The enemy a.i. can also do some extremely dumb things on occasion; like turning the wrong way and taking cover from the opposite direction during a gunfight, or not noticing their comrade standing right beside them was just killed. In general, the shooting just isn't satisfying , despite being intense and tightly focused.

There is some stealth gameplay in Metro, but like the shooting, it comes across as extremely sloppy. There are several light sources which can be shot, allowing Artyom to hide in the shadows. Your watch has a green, yellow and red light telling you if you're safe (green), in caution mode (yellow) or detected (red). But again, the wonky a.i. makes the stealth gameplay hit or miss. There doesn't seem to be any alert mode in the enemies patterns, despite the yellow light indicator on your watch. Too many times I would be shot when I thought I was safely hidden. What makes matter worse is that the checkpoints are very infrequent, and if you're killed before the beginning of these points while low on ammo, you might have to restart the entire level. A save anywhere feature would have really helped. Using the silenced weapons to avoid detection didn't seem to offer any different results. Even when one of the enemies was seperated from his group and taken down, I was spotted nearly all the time. It's sad the stealth couldn't have been better, because the games dark setting is very suited to it.

Visually, Metro is very mixed. There are certain sequences which rival those found in the best console shooters, such as the people interacting in the metro stations, the lighting effects, and the detail in the environments and clothing. Even things like the detail in your stop watch is impressive. But there are others that just as easily detract from the experience like poor , non expressive character faces and eyes, or a severe lack of detail in certain areas like the outdoor sequences. There's also several flickery shadows and textures and disappearing enemies during gunfights. Dead mutants clip through walls or vanish completely. The animations on both the humans and mutants also leaves something to be desired. Their movements are very ugly and stiff, and could have used some motion capture for more realism. The frame rate can also drop badly in heavy shootout sequences, making it barely playable. The sounds, however, are all pretty good. The guns sound solid, and the voice acting is better than most games. You even have the option of listening to the game in Russian, with English subtitles should you choose.

The game is about average in length by single player fps standards, at about 10 hours. There is no multiplayer, and sadly not a great deal of incentive for return playthroughs, unless you just want to experience the games ambiance once again. Metro 2033 is held together by its incredible atmosphere. It's a first person shooter that's weakest in one of its most fundamental elements -- the shooting. Eastern European developers still have a ways to go to nail down a complete, solid fps experience. Even with its problems, Metro deserves to be played through at least once by shooter fans for the great atmosphere, and it's a pretty good first effort by 4A games.

It is difficult to discuss Metro 2033 and not think about Fallout 3, however the games share very little in common outside of a post-apocalyptic setting. Th story goes that Moscow was obliterated by a nuclear apocalypse and the survivors must endure a harsh existence underground, while renegade gangs and bloodthirsty mutants roam the areas outside the occupied tunnels. That's the meat of the story and your character is one of the fighters who must venture out into both the dark subway tunnels and the nuclear wasteland that was once Moscow. As far as settings go, this is very atmospheric and you constantly feel a sense of dread and claustrophobia as you traverse the tunnels, fighting off waves of enemies while trying to stay alive and conserve ammunition.

Metro 2033 is not your typical FPS in that it's not a strictly "run and gun" affair that you would expect from a Call of Duty game. You have options on how you want to approach a given situation, and while you can go in guns blazing, it's often better to be stealthy and pick off your enemies one at a time. Your headlamp also plays a big part in the action, since it lights the way but also leaves you vulnerable to enemy gunfire, and you must also be mindful of your gas mask and health needles, since neither are in infinite supply. Taking damage also causes your gas mask visor to crack, obstructing your vision and making it even harder to get around. Anyone looking for challenging combat will be very happy with this game. As far as exploration goes, the atmosphere makes up for fact that the game is totally linear. Unlike Fallout, this is not an open-world affair and there is little opportunity for exploration. Any such time will be spent looting bodies for ammo rather than looking for adventure off the beaten path. This is common for shooters, so I wouldn't qualify it as a weakness.

Others have mentioned problems with the graphics and linear campaign, but the only real problem I have with this game is the shooting. The hit detection on the human enemies is terrible and you'll often find that it takes a lot of ammo to gun down one opponent, which is problematic because ammunition is sometimes scarce. It is also difficult aim at enemies with any accuracy, so taking down enemies with headshots and aiming precisely to take them out quickly is not easily done here. The scarcity of the ammo is also a problem since I've often found myself facing a barrage of enemies with only my knife, which makes for a frustrating and unbalanced experience. More attention to the shooting mechanic and hit detection would have vastly improved this game.

For all it's faults, Metro 2033 is not a bad game by any stretch and fans of shooters or atmospheric survival games should find something to like here. However, the unrefined combat and unfair challenges do add plenty of frustration, so it's hard to recommend this above other titles, even newer ones like Singularity and even the Wolfenstein remake, which are better in my opinion.

This has an awesome storyline... the story takes place in future Moscow after nuclear bombs destroyed the surface. The air is unbreathable, and it is very dangerous outside so the people live in underground metro stations. Each station is pretty much its own city, and some tunnels are infested with monsters, communists, or Nazis.
The story is about a young man named Artyom, and his home station is attacked by "the Dark ones." Throughout the game, you are in a long journey to where you can destroy the dark ones and save your home station.
I had a lot of fun with this game. It had nonstop action, it is creepy, and you are never safe. One unique thing about this game is that military grade ammo is your currency. But you have standard ammo that is made after the apocolypse that is not as powerful or as accurate as the military grade rounds.
The only bad thing about this game is that the gameplay seems kind of dated, and the A1's are kind of stupid...
I suggest this game and i would buy a future metro game.

I won't burn this game to the ground simply because I didn't enjoy it; but with that said, I think this is one of those games you will either have a blast with, or not like at all. After reading a special about this game in Game Informer Mag a couple of months before it's release, I was really pumped about it. It seemed like a cool concept, and the whole post apocalyptic Russian theme really hit home with me. After waiting a couple of weeks, I asked the guy at Play N' Trade what to get with some trade ins I made. He suggested Metro and I got home and played for about 5 or 6 hours.

I would never say this is a bad game, but I just felt like I had been here before. To me, the combat and gameplay seemed like COD copied and pasted into a dingy, dark environment. I fought the same clone of two or three different enemy models for about 4 straight hours, and nothing was every really "scary" about this game. I quickly noted that the shooting sequences were very weak, and having to change the filter on your air mask was annoying, (while noted that it likely is realistic.) I think this game did a great job of building the environment however. This game looks gorgeous. The character models and faces look great, and the color, or lack thereof really helps establish the "we have no hope" mentality.

This game wasn't for me, but I will say that there are definitely those who will enjoy this one. If you were a fan of the book, or have an obsession with this style of game, pick it up. Otherwise, buying used for a low price may be a low risk endeavor. You'll either fall in love with, or loathe Metro.

If you like Doom 3 and Call of Duty here is a perfect mixture with new elements of its own that still haven't gotten old in my mind. Outstanding action game with survival worked in.

If you like horror, mystery, FPS action, adventure and RPG, then look no more 'cause this game is all of these genres rolled into one badass game. You are a young 20-year old Russian born in the Metros of Moscow, Russia and the world isn't a very nice place to be hanging outside of the Metro since there has been a nuclear apocalypse without a clue who started it. You will embark on a quest into the deep suburbs of Moscow to try and stop the recent attacks at your home station of "THE DARK ONES" as the chaos in the Metro escalates. You will fight for survival as you battle Mutants/Hybrid Monsters, Wannabe Nazis and Commie Reds, Bandits, and in one case ALIENS!!!

Gameplay 5/5: You can aim down sights, sprint, use basass gadgets like night vison, gas mask (which is required every time you leave the the Metro and head into the surface), sticky grenades, throwing knives, and not to mention a wide veriety of weapons such as assault rifles, submachineguns, pump-action/automatic shotguns, mounted machine-guns and flamethowers, pistols, and other miscellaneous weapons.

Story 5/5: I don't want to spoil it for you guys so if you wanna know more, BUY IT!!! P.S (THERE'S TWO ENDINGS DEPENDING HOW YOU PLAY!!!)

Sound 5/5: Sounds are very good especially with the monsters/mutants coming up from behind and tearing you to pieces (which made me crap my pants and change underwear at least 3 times). Weapons sound excellent, but not perfect. And music is excellent too.

Graphics 5/5: OMG the shadows are so realistic I got scared by looking at my own shadow in scary situations lol. The lighting, texture, and physics are very realistic too.

YOU MUST TRY THIS AWESOME GAME AT LEAST ONCE!

Metro 2033 is one of those games that will only garner more respect as the years go on. Most first person shooter games would have you shooting and fragging your way through levels as if you were Rambo on speed, but what makes Metro 2033 so unique and playable is the fact that your character is vulnerable, and, thus, realistic. Sure, you're shooting flying demons and other-worldly mutations that continually spawn before your very eyes, but the game does a fantastic job of staging the levels where you feel like you're fighting for your life in a very real predicament.

The main thing going for Metro 2033 is the story line. Based on a book of the same name, the story pulls you in immediately, and you are instantly caught up in the trials and tribulations of your peers. The narration from the character you play is fantastic. The guy who does the voice has such an interesting and introspective tone that you can't help but get sucked in to his plight. The dialogue, for the most part, is well written and acted, and a good deal of humor manages to work itself into the story as well. You always feel like you're propelling the story forward no matter what missions and battles you need to accomplish.

One of the best aspects of 2033 is its variety. Each level presents you with a different challenge, and you never feel like you're repeating yourself. It's this diversity in the gameplay that makes one feel something is getting done, and the unpredictability makes it hard to put the controller down. Some levels involve fighting monsters and demons, but there was a surprising amount of battle that goes on with other humans as well. They all have different abilities and skills, and you have to adapt to your surroundings in order to push to the end. It's a very fresh way to approach a video game, and the developers do an excellent job in changing it up.

One definite attribute about Metro 2033 is the difficulty factor. This is not an easy game. I can't remember a time where a first person shooter was so challenging, and I very much respect it for this fact. Too often we are offered games that just involve shooting as many moving targets as humanly possible with no real end gain. Metro 2033 really makes you work for your success, and while some levels are easier than others, a few will have you really scrambling to achieve them. Since Metro 2033 isn't a terribly long game (10-12 hours), it makes up for it in laying down some significant obstacles for you to clear.

The most effective and creative part of this entire game was the ending. While most games are content to just throw a boss at you and make you wear down their health meter, 2033 comes up with an incredibly clever take on making your final move. The real challenge lies in the entire game leading up to the end, and once the finale takes place it further tests your cognitive skills in a way that is wholly original. I can't recommend playing this game enough, simply so gamers can experience the end scene.

There is very little this game does wrong, and the issues are minor at that. There have been complaints about graphics and textural colliding, but really, are you going to let that ruin your experience? There were, maybe, three times during the entire length of the game where slain enemies will sort of mesh into the walls around them, or their bodies will spasmodically twitch because they're jammed between a door and a railing, but that stuff is kind of amusing. It certainly doesn't detract from the gameplay in any way. The graphics are just fine. This game has a heavy duty atmosphere that is almost entirely set underground, so it is, by nature, a very dark and depressing looking game. Gamers need to get right with this idea. It's a very dark setting with a dark story, and the graphics do a fine job of reflecting that.

The only feature of the game that outright annoyed me were the scenes set in the underground cities where your character talked to people. You'll be trying to listen to someone about the details of your upcoming mission, and three other random city dwellers will start yakking in your ear. Simply walking by people in this game will trigger conversations, but when three or four of them are occurring simultaneously it just turns into a jumble of noise.

Despite these minor gripes, Metro 2033 very much surprised me in its originality and story line. There is nothing new this game brings to the table, but where it succeeds is its fresh take and execution in an otherwise tiring genre.