Metro 2033

Having played through the game thrice and finished all the achievements I feel I can now give the game the credit it deserves.

What Metro 2033 does best is its ability to take you on a journey rather than force you to feel that you're playing just another action shooter. At its heart the game is an excellent fps that combines a mix of stealth and close quarter combat, though not achieving perfection in either.

The blend of linear designed levels and the hugely immersive cut-scenes work well together, bringing the heavily Russian-themed storyline to life, creating an atmosphere that is very hard to find in many other FPS story-driven game I have played. I would almost say its unparalleled except perhaps ancient PC games such as System Shock or some of the top RPGs of yester-year/decade.

Graphics are tops and really bring to life the abjectness of the world of the Moscow subway in post-apocalypse 2033. Vocals are top notch and are delivered to the sort of standard Id expect in a AAA game or film. While the superb soundtrack just amplifies the whole feeling you have throughout.

Everything, including the Steam Achievements just compel you to keep on playing throughout the couple dozen levels. Its genuinely one of those games you could keep on replaying, even if you know whats around the corner, the combinations of weapon types makes you want to try out different play strategies. So even though I finished this game once last year, I left it on my PC so I could come back to it and replay the game once more on the most difficult of levels.

Perhaps the only real disappointment comes in the way the actual combat and stealth features dont really work perfectly in combination. It can be quite difficult remaining hidden after you kill someone silently, unless you hit the head with a throwing knife everytime. So you end up having to go rambo anyways. And even shooting could have been implemented a little better as the AI enemies tend to just follow pre-coded routines that leave them sometimes out in the open for an easy kill. Other than that, the bullet (aka money) trading system works perfectly well and Ive played on Hardcore, Ranger Hardcore and Easy modes. So you can tailor the experience you want to have.

Definitely one of the superior FPS titles of the last few years. There is nothing earth-shattering about this title - but what it does it does magnificently well.

Id mark it 4.75/5 stars to be precise. If only the shooting and stealth mechanics were tweaked to be a little more user friendly.

I purchased a used version of Metro 2033 and can't install it let alone play it cos the keycode has already been used on steam. Caution if considering buying used. DON'T.

...but my game came without activation key neither manual, so I really don't know what to do to install it trough STEAM =(
Anyone know how can I solve my problem?
Please help =(

Big hype on this game on release so when PLAY was selling it for a Fiver !!!!! yes a fiver down from 35-40 what a deal so had to buy it :) , the graphics are very good as is the weapon selection but as others have stated i found the stealth side of things didnt work too well :( ............. What was it about ? i dunno either lol , found the story a bit.........well rubbish actually , the dark ones popped up occationally and sort of disapeared towards the end then a big cut scene with lots of whispering (had to take my headphones off it was so annoying!!) and i didnt have a clue what the hell was going on ! just glad i didnt pay top dollar for it .Fallout fans will enjoy but its not as good , enjoy :)

At only 5 pounds I thought I would give this game a go. Got this delivered on Friday and I wasn't expecting much but WOW!! This game is excellent and even for 30 pounds this would be good value but a FIVER!!!!!!!!! The Steam download is a bit of a pain but once its loaded it runs perfectly. I can see many hours of my life being lost to this in the near future. Buy it and you won't regret it.

I couldn't believe how good this game was until i started playing it, despite it being with steam and me having to wait for it to download updates. Metro also came with Red Faction Guerrilla free which i also enjoyed. Great Game and i would recommend it to anyone.

Like a more linear, story-driven stalker, with better, more detailed graphics, incredible and clever weapons (like having to manually pump pneumatic home made weapons that fire static electric bolts), very tough gameplay, and great atmosphere.
It really is the atmosphere and clever weapons and gameplay that set this game apart. Stealth (I find) is a little broken, as if you are even close to spotted by one enemy, even if they dont fire a shot or get off any kind of verbal warning before you drop them (SILENTLY), all other enemy in the area know not only what happened, but where it happened, how it happened, and exactly where you are at any given second.
Dont get me wrong, when the stealth DOES work, which just takes incredible patience, and no even tiny mistakes, then it is incredibly satisfying to sneak through an enemy camp, either taking them out with throwing knives, or even leaving them alive none the wiser for your visit. One section in particular is very tough, but if you do manage to sneak through it rather than go through guns blazing (always a bad idea in this game, as ammo is scarce, and health goes down FAST), you feel such a sense of accomplishment, I cant even think of a game that comes close to that. Even splinter cell at its best doesnt have that sense of tension and fear of being discovered than this does at every turn when you are trying to stealth a section.
The voice acting is great, thought I recommend putting on the english subtitles and letting the russian language take over for the total immersion experience, the story ok (good for games, which usually suck more than anything), audio fabulous, and basically everything more or less spot on.
Its even a fairly long game by modern standards, taking about 12-15 hours to complete, especially if you really go through the game taking in all the bits of extra story you can get from listening to people talking in the various metro stations you come to.
All I can say really is.. WOW!
What a game. Came from nowhere, with little fanfare, from an unknown dev studio (with some of the stalker team there, which really stands out at times), and almost no advertising. How this game wasnt huge I will never know. The only thing I can think is that its because it wasnt huge on the consoles, because it would be too difficult on consoles because of the controls and lack of immersion, it didnt get the hype of some of the other games out there that arent even a tenth as good, and so wasnt noticed by many people. But I love it, no matter what.
At the price, this is my most recommended game for sale on play at the moment. Nothing else I have seen comes even close to this for value for money. Incredible, just incredible.
If you love games, and have six quid spare, you would be crazy to not buy this amazing game RIGHT NOW!!
P.S., the reason it has four stars instead of five, after the great things I said, is because of the broken stealth I mentioned, and occasional difficulty spikes (very occasional, but once or twice noticable and annoying). Other than that this would be four and half or five stars all day long.

For me, this game has possibly the best atmosphere and presentation of any game. It feels more like an immersive film than a game. I've never been so impressed at how a game presents itself. Every section is so well crafted, the sound, the visuals, the atmosphere, it all really starts to get in your head after a while of playing.

As you probably know, its another post apocolyptic thing, so expect the same kind of feeling - mutants etc. However, this ones different to the rest, mainly down to the atmosphere, its incredibly original - and a commendable effort from these developers.

Being Russian helps a lot - no cheesy "USA all the way" voice acting - helps the whole thing feel a lot more gritty and real.

The graphics are mindblowing, some of the lighting effects are really cool, and seeing most of the game is set in small spaces, you get the impression tonnes of effort has gone into each space.

Metro 2033 is really what it is because of the feeling it creates. Its about as immersive as your going to get with todays games - even checking your objectives (usually press esc to a seperate menu or something similar), is lighting up a lighter and holding it against the clipboard your carrying!

Admittedly the guns arent all that fun - theres a few really cool weapons, but the sounds for the regular weapons (AK47 etc) could be a little stronger. The AI is also a little weak in places - the enemy shooting at you before your even round the corner (again, dont let this put you off, its a minor problem!) Another sound related issue - voices often drown each other out, if your somewhere busy, you often have to strain to hear plot sensetive stuff, but its a minor problem.

Metro 2033 feels entirely claustraphobic, even going up onto the surface, you need to keep an eye on your gas mask - filters only last a certain time up there, and without a mask, your lungs are fried within a minute or so.

Beware: You may already be expecting this, but theres some damn scary moments from the begginning onwards, so brace yourself for it!

Overall, fantastic game, beautifully put together, stunning presentation with exciting cutscenes, and HUGELY original. Would definitely recommend.

Graphics: 10/10
Storyline: 9/10
Guns: 7/10
Combat: 7/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Voice Acting: 10/10

Overall: 8/10 MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!!

A note on video and graphics performance:

Metro is demanding, and you'll need a top, top end PC to max out. Here's how i managed:

Dx10 - 4xAF - 4xAA - High Settings - 1920x1080 - Av: 40fps
Dx10 - 4xAF - 4xAA - Highest Settings - 1920x1080 - Av: 30fps
Dx11 - 4xAF - 4xAA - Highest Settings - 1920x1080 - Av: 25fps

AMD Phenom II x4 @3.2Ghz
DDR3 4GB RAM
460GTX 1GB

Hope that helps.

Thanks for reading!

great game and outstanding in 3d 5 stars for me!! the detail is incredible and certainly has the wow factor.

This is a must buy for any fps fan. Totaly emmersive,Dont let this one slip through the net! And at this price its gonna put a big smile on yer face....A right Littel Gem of a game. well worth 5 stars just on the attention to detail. Quality.