Metro 2033 (36.4/50)

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Deadpool

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Metro 2033 (36.4/50)

XboxLiveFan.org Game Review On...
Metro 2033
Buy This Game From Amazon.co.uk

Game Title: Metro 2033
Game Genre: Action, Survival Horror FPS
Console(s): Xbox 360, PC
Publisher: 4A Games
Developer: THQ
Date Released: North America: March 16, 2010 to Europe: March 19, 2010
Retail Price: MSRP: $59.99
Age Rating:: ESRB: M, OFLC: MA15+, PEGI: 16, USK: 18
Players: 1
Co-Op: No
Achievements: 42 known achievements
Xbox Live Compatable: Yes
Online Multiplayer: No
Xbox System Link: No
HDTV Support: Yes
Previous Edition: None

Visuals & Graphics..
Metro 2033 isn’t one to disappoint with its visuals or lack on the graphic quality.
From desolate and abandoned surface areas of Russia to the dense packed stations of the underground Metro, the visuals in this game reflect perfectly of post-apocalyptic survival of the human race. The lighting is rendered nicely and there are no odd spots of misaligned light sources and shadows. The environment around you is mostly dull or grey or simply just bathed in darkness and shadows so it’s never quite interesting but it’s meant to represent abandonment and desolation which I think it pulls off quite nicely. I mean, you can’t just expect to round a corner to find a refurbished apartment block with working electricity and booming music.
The graphics are moderate. The faces are rendered well but still have some room for improvements. As with the enemies. However, when the enemies are right in your face, you can’t really tell the difference until after you unload the two barrels of a shotgun into their fuzzy muzzles.
Visuals & Graphics Rating: 7/10

Achievement Difficulty..
The achievements aren’t overly hard, but they aren’t a cakewalk to get either. The majority of the achievements are based on replay value and much thorough gameplay. This is a game which finds most joy in scattering ammo and money and other odd things in places in which will more often than not tempt you away from the safety of the pre-designated pathway to the dangerous “back-alleys” of the game to gain all sorts of lovely prizes. Oh and of course there are enemies on the prowl around these back-alleys. Forget about them?
Achievement Difficulty Rating: 7.4/10

Story Mode / Campaign Difficulty..
The Story Mode isn’t too difficult but there are certain parts of the game which are certainly annoyingly hard. And since it’s a single player game, you can’t just bring in a friend to help you fill creatures full of lead or protect your back from nasty monsters. Often the case is just choosing to run straight past an enemy and hope that it ends up losing interest in you before you end up on the menu. However, you do have one ally on your side. Or a few. Aside from the A.I.’s that is. And they are… The handy glitches!

Yes. Not all glitches are evil, malevolent sprites whose sole purpose in creation are to blow over your card pyramid whenever you manage to build up a few levels. No. These glitches are handier at times than destructive. For me, due to a certain glitch I found, I managed to walk halfway up a wall to evade a patrol car that was rattling up and down a pre-designated track. Which eventually led to me accomplishing an achievement. So, yes. Glitch-filled as it may be, some are more beneficial than not. But they are glitches which would impact on the whole survival horror genre as it does make it easier for certain levels to complete.
Story Mode / Campaign Difficulty Rating: 7.2/10

Game Depth & Navigation Details..
Now this is where the game makes up for the lack in visuals, graphics and glitch-y walls.
It’s quite difficult in this modern age of video games to find a decent game with a great and strong emphasis on the story telling than the multiplayer aspect of it. Metro 2033 definitely has good and strong story points in the plot (well, mainly because it was based off a novel).

So you see the events through the eyes of a station dweller named Artoym. Yes, it’s a Russian name. As you progress through the story, there are intricate little spots in which you may approach to gain a moral point. Many other actions in the game such as giving money to beggars or even playing a guitar can have an effect on a moral. Well, playing guitar at the right moments. Not that you can just pull one out to serenade the charging monster (if that was possible, I’m sure there would be an achievement for it). And this affects the ending outcome by giving you a good ending or a bad ending. Which is a pretty common aspect to have gameplay affect the ending of game but it does have good intentions.

Navigation is not too difficult. But it is in a first person perspective, it can be annoying to have progressed a fair way into the current level without hitting a save point then accidentally setting off a tripwire and getting a face full of sharp objects hurtling towards your face. No really. There are large traps which sends large log that is encrusted with a variety of sharped objects that do hurtle towards the screen. Which is more common than most would realise. The stealthy approach to the game does cause concern for navigation as most of the game involves the traps being in pitch black environments or well concealed in areas where you tend to run across openly.
The weapon selection screen is easier to navigate than I first expected but the lag does mean that sometimes I end up with the wrong gun out when I clearly had a different one in mind. And this often does mean I will get a nice bit of facial reconstruction before I manage to squeeze off the next clip.
Storyline Depth & Navigation Details Rating: 6.8/10

Value For Money..
The game does have nice replay value and as for a post-apocalyptic FPS, it stacks up quite well. And since there are numerous other paths that may lead to other hidden areas, sometimes another playthrough leads to a discovery of a new little hiding area or even new weapons.
Value For Money Rating: 8/10

Ratings Round-Up..
Visuals & Graphics: 7/10
Achievement Difficulty: 7.4/10
Story Mode / Campaign Difficulty: 7.2/10
Game Depth & Navigation Details: 6.8/10
Value For Money: 8/10

Overall Rating: 36.4/50

XLF Reviewer: Deadpool

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Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:48 pm

angie828

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