Metro 2033 (Xbox 360)

Metro 2033 is an interesting story. The atmosphere is great. Pretty spooky most of the time. The mutants are quite scary (and fast). The human A.I. does vary. Some are a bit dim but others are a fair challenge.
I didn't find the ammo a big issue. Most of the time I found enough as I went through the levels. You can also buy ammo at other metro stations. Some of the more expensive weapons are well worth saving your currency for.
Having to use a gas-mask in some levels is a great idea. You have to change filters every few minutes, which adds to the tension; especially if you are getting low on them. The gas-mask also takes damage, which reduces your vision greatly. Find a new one. Fast. If you don't wear a gas-mask, you suffocate and die in about thirty seconds.
I did get lost a couple of times, which was frustrating but that was maybe just my navigation skills.
Metro 2033 has sneaked up on us this year. I enjoyed it very much. I recommend it, and look forward to Metro 2034,(please).

Collins English dictionary describes a Masochist, as "someone who seeks to get into situations, which cause them suffering or great difficulty". They might as well say "a Masochist is anyone who wants to play Metro 2033" because playing this unforgiving, brutal, merciless game is like hitting oneself in the face repeatedly with a frying pan, but a beautiful grim, engrossingly atmospheric, purely nihilistic, pixelated rusty frying pan that was made in Russia.

Like a shed load of next generation games Metro 2033 is a first person shooter, that takes place in a post apocalyptic world, torn apart by man, war, and roaming mutants - nothing new there then. But like F.E.A.R 2, (another first person shooter) it has a strong survival horror backdrop, but unlike F.E.A.R 2 (or any other first person shooter) it really pushes the `survival' envelope hard.

This is not you're usual blaster. Bullets are scarce if you're not prepared to look everywhere for them, and the same goes for med kits and other previsions. Also, your weapons are by other FPS standards "useless". They have massive kickback, aim can be iffy, and the the scopes on the sniper/ish weapons are all greasy and muggy reducing visability - which in all honesty adds to the overall `realness' of this post apocalyptic game.

Playing Metro 2033 for the first time reminded me of the glory days of the Resident Evil franchise, back when the games were actually tricky, and relied on some real supply strategy rather than knuckle headed blasting. Like Resident Evil 1 for example, Metro really does rely on your counting every bullet you find, and every bullet you fire, as well as when and where it's best to just use your blade, or throwing knives.

Counting bullets is something you've got to get used to doing in Metro, as ammunition is also a currency, which makes sense really as everything inside, and outside of the Metro wants to shoot, or eat you, so bullets are pretty important.

What sets Metro so far away from its contemporaries, other than the fact that it's one of the few modern games I can think of that is genuinely hard on it's first play, and has AI that knows how to fight back properly, is the games futile, depressing, arresting atmosphere. Also, how seriously it takes itself.

Most games of this ilk do take themselves seriously, but usually it comes off hammy, and sort of deposable no matter how enjoyable the game might be, but in Metro there's something alive in the game that truly gets it's teeth deep into you, and shakes you hard. In some ways the game invites you to take in your surrounding, but doesn't allow you to stay all that long in one scene to the next, as the action is played out in very tight parameters.

In a sense the entire game's most important element is it's backdrop. Set in the dark, grim claustrophobic catacombs of the Russian Metro system, it's a game that I have come back to replay multiple times on varying degrees of difficulty, and despite what I've said about the games apparent `brutal hardness', in actual fact once you get a formula down for each tricky encounter, the game isn't all that hard, and at times plays a little bit like 'Half Life 2'.

Despite having an ending I thought to be a little understated and anti climatic, I'd happily put my neck out and say that Metro 2033 is one of the best 360 games of the past five years, and if you gear up right, get your head into to the space the game lays out for you to inhabit, Metro will keep calling you back, rewarding, and surprising you with every new play through.

I am really not the type to be into these games. But having read the book pre-hand I thought this was utterly amazing when playing the game. There is people saying they focus to much on story and atmosphere and how it is to much and not enough on the game play. I think you are completely wrong. The story compliments the gameplay if you bother to pay attention, which isn't amazing until you get a feel for it! Play this with some turtle beach headphones on or any headphones up the volume play in the dark . I've never been scared by a game until this!

Yup, you don't have much ammo or "money" and when you buy something new you are skint for a good time! That's because it's the human race trying to cling onto life! What do you expect, becoming a billionaire and all-powerful like in fallout ? NOPE! You are a standard guy, Artyom, and you are not born particularly "wealthy" and have been given a task from someone you barely known for 2 days to risk life and limb to get to Polis ( which turns out 1000000 times harder than you think ) ! Yes you are going to have to take on things up-close from time to time, it's not a spray and pray, you gotta think about what you are doing to try and save some ammo and survive! No, hardly ever will anything go to plan for you and when you get near the light you will get thrown right back into the dark, It isn't easy to balance game and story and make both amazing.

it combines some science, a bit of religion and explains how culture has changed. How underground engineers became practically the new owners of the world as they know the system like the back of their hand and can fix things. And how you god damn have to strive to get that true ending! It's great being in the stations, bustling and chatty it is, seeing people cling to the smallest of things to try and keep some humanity inside.

It's a game where nothing is simple and that you can't just run out and blow the crap outta' what you feel like, you gotta listen to those little conversations people have, search around for those frozen radiated body's to get an extra air-filter cause you will run out, if you like stealth , by all means, try to be stealthy but there are simple traps everywhere, glass on the floor, cans hanging from the ceiling, slightest noise alerts them ( duh it's a echo tunnel ) . You wanna aim, shoot and kill cleanly then do it! But this is not Halo, this is not CoD, i like them games too but you don't come to this game looking for a " I AM SUPERHUMAN " cause you are not. Simple as that. This game is about as close to reality as it will get should this happen and it is one hell of an experience!!!