Review – Metro 2033

Publisher: THQ
Developer: 4A Games
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Survival-Horror, First-Person Shooter
Rating: Mature
ESRB Content Descriptors: Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence

The Scoop: Metro 2033 flew under your radar. Don’t lie. Everyone who I’ve talked to about the game had no idea of it’s existence, so I think it’s safe to assume you didn’t know either (my assumptions are usually correct!). Having originally been conceived as a novel by author Dmitri Glukhovsky, 4A Games, a young developer founded by some of the people who coded S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, decided it was great source material to make a videogame with. Boy, were they right! Sleeper hit of the year? Definitely.

The Setup: As the title suggests, Metro 2033 is set in the year 2033 in post-apocalyptic Moscow. When the nukes dropped, people rushed down into the famous Moscow Metro for protection. Now, the above-ground world is ravaged by a toxic atmosphere and an eternal nuclear winter, forcing the survivors to create  a new home underground. You play as Artyom, a young man who was raised most of his life in the metro system. After the attacks by mutated monsters on your home station known as ‘Exhibition’ increase, you are tasked with traveling to a neighboring station called ‘Polis’ to get assistance from it’s soldiers. But this will not be an easy task, and it is only made harder by the numerous fascist and communist camps that litter the tunnels, not to mention ’The Dark Ones’, abnormal beings that keep harassing you in the form of increasingly eerie visions. Of course, events become on a much larger scale later in the game’s story, but I’ll leave that up to you to find out.

What’s Hot:

• Metro 2033 boasts a fantastic atmosphere that you’ll lose yourself to with every playthrough. Each station in the game has been lovingly crafted to give the player a sense of desperation that compliments the story beautifully.
• Metro 2033 is one of the best looking games on the 360. Despite some minor clipping, the amount of detail in the environments is astonishing and the lighting realistic. 4A Games have created a wonderful engine and I can’t wait to see what they do with it in their future projects.
• An expert blend of survival-horror and first-person shooting. The scares are genuine and the action is intense.
• It’s easy to understand why Glukhovsky’s novel is such a hit in Russia. A deep and emotional narrative guides the player through each chapter and never loses steam. The alternative ending is also a nice touch, giving the player an incentive to replay the game all over again

What’s Not:

• Metro 2033 is hard. Very hard. Even on the easiest difficulty level, the game can be tear-out-your-hair-throw-the-controller-at-the-television-kick-your-cat frustrating, especially on the last couple of levels. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
• The shooting in Metro 2033 feels too loose and unrefined, which some players will find jarring, especially if they’re Call of Duty vets.
• There are times in Metro 2033 where I’d unload a whole clip into a guy and the engine just wouldn’t process the impact. This can lead to some very frustrating firefights.

Final Verdict: I loved Metro 2033. Despite it’s insane difficulty and  finicky controls, I kept on playing because of it’s engrossing narrative and atmosphere. The fun gameplay is just a bonus, really. When that novel launches in North America, you can expect I’ll be there buying it day-one. As for you guys? I implore you to give this game a try.