Metro 2033 First Impressions (PC)

[mirgro]

Just some more thoughts. This game was worth every penny on the PC. The engine is pretty amazing, I will restate that. Furthermore, the game is very enveloping, it truly is like a child of HL2 and Stalker with a few random genes from BioShock.

There are many mechanics in the game that in any other game would have been just gimmicks, but in this game all those shine very brightly. As an example, there are many areas where the character requires a gas mask otherwise he suffocates. The mask operates using filters and they do have timers on them. In most other games such things would be used to pressure a player because then the player would die. Such is not the case here, it takes many minutes for air to run out, you can buy filters from stations, and you find them through exploration.

Furthermore, your gas mask can break, as you take damage cracks appear on it, and they make you breathe heavier and havier until it fully breaks from damage. It's a very throughly thought out idea.

Another example is something as basic as the health system. I despise regenerating health, like in this game, but they add a new twist. Instead of hiding for 4 seconds and immediately your health is regened to full, it takes a while for your health to regenerate. A person can't just run for a bit and fight at full health again, it takes much longer running to regain health. There are also med packs that will bring you to full health, but they take what feel like years to apply.

The game is full of amazing ideas that would be called gimmicks in any other game, but the difference is they really work here. Another example, the best ammunition that does the best damage is also the currency in the game. This simple monetary system has made me do far more difficult choices already than any other game I can think of. I don't mean difficult as "I wonder what's right, but it doesn't matter since it really doesn't matter," I am talking more along the lines of "this will really screw me over later if I do this" type of decisions.


There are some problems however. Unlike HL2, once you pass the loading screen of a sequence, you can't go back, I missed a few very promising nooks and crannies to explore and wasn't allowed to go back to explore them. Controls are obviously shoehorned to fit a 360, but I miss a lot les sin this game than many other ports, all in all this game really doesn't feel liek a port except in very special circumstances.

P.S. The enemy AI can be either brilliant or utterly stupid. After playing around with it it seems that the stealth system breaks the AI. Also

P.P.S. There is a pretty well functioning stealth system in the game too. Shadows, noise, shooting light sources, etc.