	Metro 2033
	Developer: 4A Games Publisher: THQ Release Date: Out Now Players: One	Words By:
From the outside Metro 2033 could be seen as yet another post-apocalyptic first person shooter with very little to differentiate it from the wealth of similar titles currently available. For instance I’m sure a lot of people will do what I did and think of Fallout 3 when first playing the game, but Fallout was developed purely as a game where as Metro 2033 takes its inspiration and story from an incredibly popular Russian novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky. The developers at Ukranian 4A games have always been very vocal to the press about their passion towards the source material, which depicts a devastated Moscow after a nuclear attack. In it the surviving humans have taken refuge deep in the bowels of Moscow’s underground subway system. Metro 2033, the game recreates these environments and characters with players taking on the role of Artyom, the potential saviour of the story. Initially the first thing that hit me when playing the opening sections was that the developers had nailed one important aspect which is so often overlooked in games—atmosphere. There is a lot of non-player dialogue dotted throughout Artyom’s world with characters often chatting over one another in the busier neighbourhoods making it hard to distinguish between them. This can be annoying but only as I was eager to listen to every snippet of speech. In the end I had to settle on one or two conversations. The visuals of 4A’s game only enhance the overall ambience with some decent lighting and shadow effects showing off the more interesting bits. As the game is primarily set in dark, dank subway tunnels there was always the risk things could get samey and lack variety, but each of the Metro’s many stations have their own distinct personality and inhabitants. These include Nazis and Communists at war with each other. There are also occasions where you’ll need to put on a gas mask and go up to the toxic surface of Moscow, these missions are a decent contrast to the tight narrow path the game pushes you along underground. Outside the tunnels you feel extremely vulnerable. Your gas mask has a limited supply of filters for the noxious air and a quick tap of the left bumper brings up your watch to let you know how long you can last before needing to head back underground. The various mutants you encounter here are deadly and can quite easily crack your mask, giving you seconds to quickly grab another one before you pass out. These sections are definite highlights and the relief you feel when getting back underground is surprising. The game itself is split into chapters punctuated by quotes from the book. It’s a decent if slightly old-school feeling shooter. Combat can be very tricky at times, especially early on as I fired round after round into the enemy only for them to keep on coming at me. I’m not quite sure what it is but until I got my hands on the more accurate weapons I struggled to get anywhere and at times questioned my skills as a gamer as damage did not seem to register. It felt to me like there was some kind of delay between hits. This was annoying but I kept working at it and gradually I got a feel for the game, which I can honestly say, doesn’t feel like any other FPS on the 360. For instance the controls aren’t as intuitive as I think they should be. There are a lot of things to remember and I often ended up putting on my night vision goggles or gas mask when I was trying to do the opposite or being unable to switch weapons quickly when ammunition had been depleted. It may just be my lack of co-ordination but when things got hectic I struggled to remember what buttons to press to do what. Not a problem I’d guess when you’re playing the game on the PC. But the game frequently puts you into ‘panic mode’, and it should definitely be considered as more of a “plot-driven first person survival horror” game than a straight-laced FPS. Occasionally there is the option to silently take out your enemies with throwing knives and silenced guns rather then face them head on which can help stack the odds in your favour, especially when you are vastly out-numbered. This isn’t as easy at it sounds however as the enemies often set up basic alarms or traps to trip you up. Tin cans tied to ropes or broken glass on the ground may sound primitive, but walking into these will cause the entire enemy population to turn round all guns blazing at you. The more deadly traps will kill you so it’s a necessity you get used to watching wherever you step. Normally I can’t stand stealth bits unless the entire game is built around them but here they are generally done well and when the combat is so challenging it helps to alleviate some of the frustration. Weapons at your disposal are fairly interesting and include pneumatic weapons (which have to be pumped manually), sticky bombs and machine guns. There are different variations on these weapons with unique attachments available in shops and hidden throughout the game. If you do want to purchase anything the currency is always the extremely rare military grade ammunition (made before the nuclear blast) which again can be found on bodies or dotted throughout the environment. There is an interesting risk/reward mechanic as you can decide to use this ammunition on enemies instead of the less powerful handmade bullets for a more devastating effect or save it up to buy a newer, shiner gun. As the military grade ammo is so rare it definitely adds a bit more strategy to your battles. Metro 2033 is an interesting one. Yes, the combat feels a little bit clunky when compared to the slicker FPSs and it does seem a little rough around the edges, but I can sort of forgive it because of the different approach the developers have taken. The story of nuclear apocalypse has been done many times before but the atmosphere and characters all felt fresh and the interesting ideas implemented into the gameplay have helped give the game its unique appeal.