Metro 2033 - First Impressions
I am safe for the moment behind the bulwark, as dust and smoke linger on the bullet-ridden dead, some human and some very much not, that have fallen on ragged concrete just beyond the sandbags. In the distance a curious fire flickers conjuring ragged shadows that reach like nightmare corpse fingers toward us. The great and rotting underground tunnels that tower to either side are filled with the directionless sound of movement and malice.
As I triple-check the charge of my flashlight, my companion explains through a thick Eastern European accent that I am to make my way into the dark and collapse the tunnel with explosives that I will find on what is presumed to be a dead soldier lost somewhere in the black. If am overwhelmed by the creatures that stalk the darkness, then I am to lead them back to this outpost and the arsenal of soldiers who will wait here armed for my unlikely return. As I listen to the instructions, I can not get past the idea that I will be sent out into the twisting shadows alone.
I ignite my flashlight and the anemic illumination slices a minor wound into the darkness, enough just to bring focus and clarity to the bloodied dead that initially block my way. My gaze lingers on a creature, and its dead-eye seems to consider me with equal gravity. I reload my already fully loaded shotgun, and despair at how little ammo I have.
Somewhere in the darkness I have faith I will find more shells. Somewhere in the darkness I am certain I will come face to face with the lurking malevolence that waits in shadow. Somewhere in the darkness, in the suffocating onyx of underground night, far down the puncture wound of this subway tunnel, I will lay my ordinance at the nest of these creatures, and I will run pursued by fire and teeth.
This is Metro 2033.
What I describe above is not simply the ideal of how Metro 2033 wishes to portray itself. It is very much an accurate representation of how I consistently felt playing the game. Moody, atmospheric and relentlessly tense, this game presents a not entirely unfamiliar world cleansed by nuclear fire where the survivors of Moscow have taken to the labyrinthine network of subway tunnels beneath the city.
Lest you think otherwise, however, Hellgate: Moscow, this is not.
At least for the first handful of hours that I have so far experienced, this is not a reckless and unrelenting shoot-em-up. It is a carefully considered, though very linear, ride through a futuristic nightmare, where as often as not the last thing you want to do is put your back up against the wall and start shooting. In Metro 2033, a gun fight is the option you are left with only when all the better options are gone.
In this world bullets are worth more at the trading post than they are in the bodies of your enemies. When your ammunition is both your protection and your currency, every shot fired has weight and resonates throughout the game. The idea that I might find myself down to just one or two air filters on my gas mask cursing that my poor aim may ultimately lead to suffocation in the toxic air of a burned out city is novel and somewhere not far from genius.
The fact is that this game is at its best when you aren’t asked to run around plugging enemies with rounds from AK-47s and air-rifles. For all the positives I can heap on Metro 2033 so far, the shooting is actually more functional than phenomenal. Were I to have tragically approached Metro 2033 as a strict run-and-gun, never allowing its unwavering moodiness to seep under my skin, then I might have a very different sense of satisfaction so far.
To be honest, though, it’s hard to imagine anyone mistaking this for the next Call of Duty. More System Shock than Serious Sam, the game makes its mission statement fairly clear from the start.
As I tried to convey in the intro, you are assaulted at every moment with a grand sense of place, presence and tension. The game does a wonderful job at making you feel the moment. For example, when you are required to wear your gas mask, the sound of your own choking breath overpowers any other audio cues you may rely on, and the sense of both isolation and vulnerability is almost impossible to dispel. But, Metro 2033 doesn’t stop there. Your breath becomes more labored, more desperate as your air filter wears out or the tension ratchets up. Eventually even your view will become compromised by condensation as you struggle to breathe, and if haven’t stocked up on filters then the environment will kill you as surely as any mutant.
I could lay a half dozen more paragraphs on you about how this game evokes a sense of place. I’ve said nothing about frantic handcart trips through mutant infested tunnels, animated shadows that lurk in every nook of the world waiting to embrace and envelop the living or the renegade bandits and warring factions that will dispassionately kill you for your supplies as look at you.
With hefty system requirements, the specs for the PC version of Metro 2033 can be intimidating, but on a system that falls perhaps just short of recommended, I get a silky experience on what I consider fairly beefy settings. The results are gorgeous. While some ATI users in particular seem to have experienced some troubles, problems don’t seem to be widespread. If you're thinking about picking this one up, a little research might be advisable.
The game is also available on the Xbox 360.
In general my first impression of Metro 2033 is extremely positive, and grows moreso the longer I play. It is not a game without blemishes, and I openly admit to having glossed over many of them. They just weren’t that important to me, and in some cases even gave the game a little bit of character. What my impression comes down to is very simple: given the great variety of choices at my disposal, Metro 2033 is the game I’m currently most looking forward to getting home and playing more of.
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If the game is as Lovecraftian as your intro I might have to have it.
Anyone played the 360 version yet? I think this might be one I want to play on the couch.
I'm only about an hour in (on my system it has an annoying habit of hesitating for about a quarter second ever few seconds, which can make combat a bit difficult) but the atmosphere in this game is amazing. It's like taking the atmosphere from STALKER (which I also picked up this past week) and ratcheting it up another notch or two. I've even got my game set for Russian speech with English subtitles.
Really looking forward to playing this one some more too.
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Well, looks like I've got a new game to download off Steam when I get home.
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"...and warring factions that will dispassionately kill you for your supplies as look at you."
That needs another word or two. You want an "as soon as look at you" in there, maybe. As it stands there's a comparison implied without anything being compared.
Aside from that, great article. I don't think I could play through the game, I'm far too much of a pansy when it comes to dark and monster-filled first person shooters, but it sounds like they crafted a really special experience and I hope it succeeds.
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Many of the team that made this game cut their teeth on the original STALKER. Can anyone do a compare / contrast to that Eastern European survival-horror standby?
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Well, the biggest difference is that Metro 2033 is incredibly linear, broken down into chapters with narration during the loading screens. Control is often stolen from the player for little in-head cutscenes, including some "must die" moments where something grabs you from behind and everything goes black. Secondly, in Metro you can soak up quite a bit more damage, and there's regenerating health (and nothing so rough as the bleeding in STALKER). However, I would say the controls feel roughly similar, as does the setting and aesthetic.
All in all, Metro feels much more traditional and is much more scripted than STALKER. The closest analogue I feel while playing, however, is probably Condemned 2, oddly enough. There's also a fair amount of Half-Life influence; walking through the towns/stations reminded me a lot of walking through Black Mesa pre-disaster, only much more alive and eye-catching.
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yep - Really enjoying it so far.
Aiming is a bit trying, at times, but I'm loving the deep, moody atmosphere.
Mystic Violet wrote:
I've been playing on PC, and due to time constraints have only made it up to the point Sean describes in the introduction to the (well written, by the way) article. The atmosphere of this game, and the sense of impending horror are unlike anything since System Shock 2. The little touches, such as the condensation buildup on your gasmask the longer you're wearing it, the absolute, well, dark of the dark places, and the fact that you can be killed by having your gasmask shattered are amazing. I think the fact that (so far, at least) you're almost always travelling with a friend actually adds quite a bit more tension than being the 'lone survivor' as is the norm. It makes it feel so much more real, and is a constant reminder that survival is about the best you can hope for in the game's world.
Having recently rebuilt my gaming rig, I am able to play on the highest settings at a very good framerate (with the new beta Nvidia drivers from 3/17/10). I don't point this out to brag about my system, but to brag about the engine powering this game. This has to be one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Some of the animations can be a bit wonky, but the textures of everything from walls to clothing to disgusting hair on the creatures are outstanding. The modeling from the characters to the home-built weapons are as well. All of the DX10 effects like volumetric fog and ambient lighting are top-notch. All in all, easily up there with Crysis.
Now I want to read the novel.
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If it's linear then count me out. But glad to hear the post-apocalyptic genre is alive and well!
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Well, the underlying story itself is quite linear, so I can't see how it can weight as a shortcoming on the game. For the most part, the main protagonist just travels from station to station through the subway tunnels. It's hard to imagine anything more linear than that.
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Linear or not, this has certainly caught my interest. I'm a sucker for atmospheric games.
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I started playing this last night and I was floored with how immersed I got into the game. I had my headphones on, the overhead light made the room bright as day and wife was on her sewing machine right next to me. And yet I got totally and utterly immersed in Metro 2033's corridors and subway tunnels to the point of when my wife touched my shoulder to get my attention I squealed and flailed my arms around like a little girl scared out of my head.
Amazing, amazing atmosphere.
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Intriguing write-up!
This'll be on my radar in maybe six months or so.
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This sort of game doesn't generally appeal to me, but I loved the write-up. As someone not too familiar with System Shock, I'm curious; what other games would you compare Metro 2033 to? Bioshock? Half-Life2?
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I'm up to Chapter 5 and it's one of the most atmospheric games I've ever played. The use of the gasmask in the sections that take you to the surface is incredibly well executed. After you run out of filters you can't wait to get back down to the Metro.
Hm. I had Call of Pripyat penciled in as my next PC purchase, but now I can't decide. Do I go with Idle Thumbs or GWJ? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?
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Call of Pripyat now for $20, Metro 2033 later when its $20 too. Totally the way to go for single player games like this in my mind.
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Yeah, I can see myself picking up Metro 2033 when the price drops. I should clarify my "too linear" comment and say that it's just a value proposition for me, personally speaking. There's nothing wrong with linear games in general and I'm sure Metro 2033 is awesome. I just don't rent games very often (maybe I should start), so if I'm going to buy a linear one that is over when the story is over or I can't stretch out to explore, then I'll wait.
"This is the series where you have a fistfight with the Pope because he's misusing the wizard staff he stole from the dead aliens. I think they're okay with stretching the truth for plot purposes." -CptGlanton
This article just piqued my interest. I may get this later on in the year for my 360. You made it sound downright grueling and tense... I love atmosphere like that in my games.
Dammit! I just talked myself out of buying this!
The worst part is that I want it for 360 since my gaming machine is showing its age and I'm sure it's a "short run" for the console. Finding it in a few months might be more expensive since it's sure to be less popular than the AAA games they print like newspaper. Though very linear games do end up getting traded in sooner. Hmmmm.
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I think a rental or waiting to get on sale is totally legitimate for this game. I'm just saying it's one you need to keep on your radar.
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Indeed. I'll be waiting on the first Steam sale for this.
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I can't wait for this game to get a price-drop!
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Great post. I love reading articles that convey the player's experience and feelings in a game. A similar article encouraged me to play Kane & Lynch in spite of the reviews and never regretted it. Metro 2033 was not on my list/radar until a week ago but it is now.
Awesome write up. Not my typical style of game but I will definitely pick it up when it drops in price.
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I have been enjoying this game, albeit very slowly. The newest trailer they put up (with the 28 Days Later soundtrack music) sold me on it. So far I haven't been disappointed. The shooting portions are definitely not going to win any awards, but they aren't terrible and like System Shock 2 that isn't really the main focus of the game, at least so far. It's much more about atmosphere and in that respect they have done a fantastic job.
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It's great that the things other reviews found as liabilities (lack of ammo, limited visual when wearing the mask, limited filters) you found as strengths. Since the developers obviously intended it to be this way, you embraced their vision and it seems like it works.
I didn't hear a peep about this game until it started showing up on Steam for pre-order. And that's too bad, I guess it's because the developer is largely unknown. I hope it does well. I look fwd to picking this up once the price drops, as I love linear, story-driven games (playing through MW2 campaign right now).
Thanks for sharing your impression.
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One thing he didn't mention was the fact that your mask can become cracked and eventually broken if you get repeatedly mauled by the monsters. The more damaged the mask gets the faster you lose oxygen. The most horrifying moment I've had in the game so far was franticly searching for a corpse with a replacement mask as my vision blurred and my breathing became more and more labored.
It's important to note that the game doesn't tell you that the mask can break. It assumes the player has the common sense to run like hell when the thing starts cracking and find a replacement before you get a hole in it.