Metro 2033: The Last Refuge

Very good game, 90% of what I expected. Having a lot of trouble finding something to compare it to. Its certainly nothing at all like STALKER, except for some textures and models. Lots of people seem to be comparing it to Bioshock, and I can see why, but no Bioshock was more open (believe it or not) and more action-oriented.

Lots of mild horror (I hate horror films but liked this game). Lots of mood scenes – for the love of God read up about “Metro 2” before playing this game. Lots of areas that you navigate with at least one companion, which makes for fantastic situations, as the advanced graphics allow for gunfire smoke buildup, sonic concussions, wet blood impacts etc, so when 4–5 people are all going full auto on their AKs the atmosphere after the battle is, well, quite something.

A minor drawback is the length – this game is real short. I haven't counted hours, but it took me only 3 days to complete, and being totally 100% linear there are no “extra” areas to explore to warrant a second going-through.

In all, I would be shouting from the rooftops for you to buy this game except for one thing: the English translation is bad. And I mean real bad, like “Are they talking about the same events?” bad, and really 70% of the atmosphere is lost with English voiceovers/subs (I'm Russian so can judge). Not since the days of Nightwatch have I seen a worse translation effort. So I guess the final, and I suppose somewhat useless recommendation, is run out and buy this right now as long as you can understand Russian >_<.

The graphics are first rate (under DX11 it looks fantastic), the audio is good (very atmospheric) and the story is actually quite good (if not terribly original, to be fair – Apocalyptic war followed by mutant outbreak. Really? I'm sure I've played a game like that somewhere. Something about a lone wanderer……..). As for the translation, well, I could follow it easily enough. I'm not sure how true to earlier lore it is so can't comment there. All I know is that I had a cracking good time playing it, and can't wait for the sequel (just announced). A+ on this one and recommended buy.

Some of the only criticisms I've heard for this game have been about the english translation. Personally, I played through the game the first time with english voiceovers, and found them to be great. Then I tried with the Russian voiceovers and english subtitles. I didn't have a problem with them either, but as I don't know a word of Russian, I can't say how accurate the translation was – just that the English seemed, for me, to fit the event well.

In any case, the game itself is incredible – the storyline is a lot more thought out than most shooters, having been originally a book. The graphics are amazing, and there's a good variety of weapons to keep anyone happy. From throwing knives and stealth suits, to pipe bombs and the VSV – a silenced, automatic combat rifle – there's something for every player.

If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic games, or shooters with a great story-line and plenty of enemies, this is the game for you.

I bought this game cheap in the MightyApe “end of winter” sale. I wasn't expecting much, as I had heard from others that the game wasn't what they had hoped for. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this game. I literally couldn't put it down, and managed to complete it in just one weekend. Ok, it's short (6hrs or so), but I hardly ever play games for such long continuous periods. So this one really had me hooked.

I'd never read the book, so I honestly didn't know what I was letting myself in for. I assumed it would just be some linear shooter with cheap scare tactics. Well, yes it is linear, but it doesn't use cheap scare tactics. In fact, I didn't find it scary much at all (and as my friends will tell you, I CANNOT play scary games – they freak me out). It is creepy though, which is cool.

I like how the outside world feels scarier and more unsafe than the dark tunnels. It's amazing how they pulled that off. The Metro really does feel like “home”.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the English translation wasn't that bad. Not the best, but it never really put me off. The atmosphere was superb, and the story engaging.

Be aware you'll need a fairly decent rig to run it, but I highly recommend this game to anyone. However, those who are expecting some sort of STALKER or Fallout 3 alternative, should be warned. This is none of those by a long shot.

5/5

While playing Metro 2033, the only other experience I can compare it to in terms of aesthetic, feel, and visual quality at the time of release is Half Life 2. While it doesn't depart too far from other shooters, it does include a unique currency which adds an interesting risk/reward system for combat. Choosing to use your hard-won military grade ammo to dispatch a tough enemy is a difficult decision but can prove life saving.

The stealth system is simple but adds depth which other stealth games miss out on, such as being able to lose your pursuers if you keep moving and find a better place to hide. For example, being discovered, but then circling round behind your enemies to find them still in cover, occasionally popping their heads out looking for you where you were moments before.

While it was a short game, I feel that it told as much of the story that needed to be told, and lengthening it would have felt artificial. Replay value can be had in using new weapons, and new tactics against your enemies as the game almost always lets you approach your encounters with human enemies in multiple different ways, whether you kill them all in a blazing gunfight, kill them silently with thrown knives and silenced weapons, or sneak right past them all, live and let live.