Metro 2033

It's..... fine. From a gameplay perspective it feels extremely outdated in 2021, which I understand isn't the focus, but combined with some extremely poor pacing (some levels are literally less than five minutes long before kicking you back to the loading/map screen) it makes the whole thing a bit of a slog by the end.

But I am a fan of rating things on the merits of what they are trying to do, and most of the good will this game has with me was earned by its ability to create a dense, rich atmosphere. Having said that, every time I tried to really give up the reins and immerse myself in this blasted, broken world, the next extremely weird glitch or gameplay moment was only a few minutes away. Many of the mechanics are so clunkily implemented that the fact that they only appear for short stints is confusing and distracting rather than immersive. It's hard to roleplay as a survivor clinging to life when the nosalises are spinning rapidly or teleporting short distances, or swinging at nothing at all.

But there's another problem with immersion: the story. It barely makes sense. I understand letting gameplay be only serviceable and fall by the wayside in favor of atmosphere and story, which is what I heard about this game. But the story makes so little sense. I'm pretty sure there is no point in the game where it is made clear that the Dark Ones (scary mutant antagonists) had a giant nest in the gardens (at the end of the game we launch a missile strike and blow it up). In fact, the only reason I know it was the gardens is because I started the next game and they actually explained what happened in this game better in about 5 minutes than this game did over its whole runtime. At the end, I'm left thinking: what is that? where is that? how do we know all of the dark ones are in there? when was it established that we figured out they were in there? there's some pretty screwed up stuff happening in this game, could that not be some other nest of some other random mutant? in fact, as far as I'm concerned, it's never established that there are more than like... 5 Dark Ones, total.

I'll stop ranting about it now. Needless to say the end of the game frustrates me particularly because for some grand threat they represent, the antagonist is basically not present in this game.

It's a 2.5 rather than a 2 because there's a scene where the protag is looking for a file in a big room of file cabinets and what he's looking for isn't in the literal first cabinet he checks. good job boys, you made the anti-DOOM.

Read the book.

really cool setting, oppressive atmosphere, threatening enemies, tight gameplay and shooting mechanics, really well polished game. it's short, but the hours it lasts feel like an unforgettable journey.

7.5/10

Some games feel like they're both well made and completely lost opportunities at the same time. Metro 2033 is very much one of those games. There are some moments of genuine brilliance, be it in world building or set piece design, and there are other moments that are marred with bugs or tedium. It's frustrating, because Metro 2033 is by all means a game that should stand out among the giants. It's the spiritual successor to the beloved S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, utilizing a dark and unwelcome world of tension. Yet every time you think it's going to take your breath away, it does something that also makes you question if this project was really created with as much shine as it could be.

Immediately, the comparisons to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will no doubt be made. It's post-apocalyptic, set in Russia, everyone wears gas masks, etc, etc. The setting and the first person perspective are where the similarities end, however. Metro 2033 is far more linear. Barring the occasional side tunnel containing an ammo cache or log book, there's virtually no exploration whatsoever in Metro. It's a very simple formula of walking through some light exposition sequences, fighting off some enemies, and repeating. The shooting works alright enough, provided it's human enemies you're fighting. Mutant enemies tend to have a bit of a bullet sponge problem, along with occasionally not giving a good enough indicator that they're actually being hit. The greatest first-person shooters provide a satisfying feeling of impact when you're tearing your way through enemies, and unfortunately, some of the animations in this game are indistinguishable from either dying or rearing up for an attack. Human enemies don't have this problem nearly as badly. A bipedal form slumping over is a little easier to figure out.

One of the problem that does come with the human enemies though is the games desire to shoehorn stealth sections into the mix without fully realizing the mechanics of it. Nearly every time stealth was the encouraged method, I found it considerably more effective to just go in guns blazing and take out everyone. The fear of using up too much ammo is negated by the chance to pick ammo off of everyone you drop, unlike with mutants, which drop nothing. This results in encounters with humans being far too easy, and lengthy mutant sections where stealth is less viable much more difficult due to ammo shortages. The balance is simply off. One of the more interesting ideas, though, is that you can use military-grade ammunition as either SMG rounds that do great damage, or save it as currency. It provides a risk/reward system in a natural feeling way. Of course, outside of buying more basic ammo, there's rarely a need for currency, as loot is plentiful on the regular difficulty and you can pick up many modded weapons.

The actual game world is also a mixed bag. The initial impressions of the metro itself are very good. Seeing civilization clinging to tunnel hallways with makeshift ghettos is impactful and a joy to experience. When you're not in these shantytowns, however, you just get the same shaped tunnels with not a lot else to look at. Granted, it's difficult to make much out of a metro system in terms of variety. The surface is a little more varied, but it's so covered in snow that you still get a bad problem with monochrome. You either get white and black, or brown and black, depending on which side of they ground you're on. It seems like the majority of the artistic care went into the mutant design, which is sufficiently intimidating. It's also worth noting that there are some 'trippier' sections of the game that are very well crafted. It's easy to see why there wasn't more of this, as the game would then suffer from being a little too heavy handed with the more abstract themes.

Metro 2033 is an adaptation of a book, and as such I was expecting a little more from the storytelling. Unfortunately, the plot feels a little disjointed. It's difficult to talk about without giving everything away, but there are almost two plots going on simultaneously, and the far more interesting one doesn't go much of anywhere. Instead you get a revolving door of characters that are enjoyable enough to get the job done, but the game separates you from them before you can really get to know them. This isn't helped by the games short length. You can easily beat the whole thing in a day and have time to spare.

Deep Silver have a bad tendency of publishing games that aren't really bad, but they're not always really good either. Between Dead Island, Homefront, Saints Row, and here, Metro, good ideas are often overshadowed by a generally less-than-optimal feeling. It's the very definition of a AA studio. Lacking the blockbuster quality of an industry giant, but being far higher budget than an indie game. Metro 2033 embodies this. It's truly not bad. It's functional, if not a little buggy, and there are some good ideas all over that keep it from being a waste of time. It's just not quite there though.

Almost a year after playing Last Light, I checked this game out at the library as part of the Metro Collection on PS4, and to be honest, this was a bit of a step back. Yeah it has the elements there, but it is at best an average stealth shooter. It does have some cool and memorable moments like sneaking in the library with those big guys who attack you when you look away from them, but most of the game consists of sneaking around in dark underground passages and facilities. Now don't get me wrong, its a short game and does a solid enough job, but I think the sequel improved a lot, and this isn't really too memorable of a game. Plus the story just feels like your generic run off the mill post apocalyptic story.

Way better than it has any right to be, Metro 2033 might feel occasionally slapdash, but through its fantastic setting, its lethal gunplay, its varied setpiece design yet consistent atmosphere and mechanical ethos, and the rollercoaster ride of the story tying everything together, there is no shortage of brilliant moments on display. Even things like the absolute dead-end moral system feel like they have a purpose, and the ammo system always makes you feel vulnerable at just the right times. Almost classically minded in design yet ultimately all its own, it is one of the best FPSes I have ever played.