Hands on preview: Metro 2033

This week xboxer360 was invited to a press event for METRO 2033, the latest upcoming game from 4A games, a studio based in the Ukraine, and published by THQ. The game is set in Moscow and as the name suggests, the world is set underground in the cities metro system.

The storyline is based on the novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsy and is already a bestseller in Russia, with an English release planned to coincide with the launch of the game.

In the year 2013 a series of events leads to a nuclear conflict that leaves the Earth scarred and the surface uninhabitable for mankind. The metro system of Moscow serves as an ‘ark’ for the Russian people and new age of lifestyle begins for the people of Moscow. The stations become their new cities and after 20 years, each has established its own political stance and agenda.

For those not fortunate enough to escape the events on the surface, mutation has set in and over the past 20 years a race of hostile mutants roams the surface world – now however a new more dangerous enemy has presented itself. Named the ‘Dark ones’ creatures that are gifted with psychic powers now threaten the safety of the Metro system.

You play as Artyom, a young man born in the last days before the end of the surface world. Brought up underground in the safety of the metro, a fateful event sets him on a mission that sees him venture outside of his home metro station to bring warning of the impending threat of the Dark Ones.

We got to experience a hands on session with the game and although not the final build it is near completion. The game itself is a FPS but not like your typical run and gun games that the Xbox is flooded with. It is more of a cinematic experience with a thick twisting and deep storyline.

I played through the first 3 missions of the game and here are my thoughts on my experience.

The first thing that will strike anyone when coming to this game is the attention to detail. The environments of the metro stations are incredible – the shear amount of ‘stuff’ that has been crammed into every nook and cranny of the stations really gives you a feeling of immersion and that the stations are actually lived in. They are full of hustle and bustle with crowds talking, singing and generally going about their lives.

This all works very well with the excellent engine that has been developed for this game which is particularly worth noting for its lighting and particle effects which were breath taking.

Through my time I did find the game a little linear but the events of the storyline are so immersive you almost forget that you are being led through the levels. I did find it frustrating though that because I felt so immersed I resented the times that control was taken away from me as my character performed certain actions – which would have suited a QTA event rather than sitting watching what was going on, there was even an event where a QTA was introduced so why this wasn’t continued into some of the other sequences was a little puzzling.

The other issue I had about the immersion created by the game was that because it felt so believable and realistic I was disappointed that when I looked down to see no body/feet. When I turned out a light out my hand did not appear in the screen when performing the action. I felt a little disappointed and removed from the world that I had been sucked into.

I didn’t really feel scared by any of the goings on in the game although I’m sure once further into it a new pair of pants would have been in order. Several times during the game I found myself running for dear life from a horde of creatures in close pursuit – but strangely enough once I got to a certain point they left me alone.

The other enemies you come across are humans and these were the most frustrating. They seem to do more damage than I could and although it is drummed into you from the start that there is a lack of ammunition – they never seemed to run out. Upon searching their corpses they had bugger all ammo. This annoyance was further fuelled by a hit detection system that didn’t seem to work and felt, at times, I may as well have been shooting into thin air.

All the weapons are constructed from spare parts and pieces of metal, once made they resemble many guns commonly found in your standard shooters. The weapons of METRO 2033 have a unique feel and style that you wont find in other games of this genre.

Upon venturing out to the surface a gas mask is an essential item without it an impending death form the toxic ozone will ensue. Filters for the gas masks need to be collected and replaced if you are to survive. Your watch can be used as a gauge to keep track of your filters resilience. The mask fogs up with condensation and sustains cracks from damage taken. This is a superb edition to the game and just another example of the level of detail in this game. However, I did find that the cracks did not react in real time to the excellent lighting engine that the game runs.

The crowning jewel on top of the superb graphics and immersive storyline is the HUD. Opting for a very clean display which heightens the experience – all the information needed in the game is found by the way of meters and readings via your wrist watch or on the guns themselves, your ammo count can be seen by looking at your gun. Ammo that was made before the apocalyptic war is the currency of the new world, but can also be used in your guns and will do more damage than ammunition created in the new world. This gives the player the tough choice of buying equipment or using the ammunition to inflict heavier damage on their adversaries. Your map will need to be read while still in the game world and with a lack of a light source your lighter is on hand to help you see – the flame reacting in real time.

The sounds of the game are the other stand out feature of this title and were right on the mark. I’m sure I will spend hours on the final build listening to Russian conversations and eaves dropping on enemy checkpoints.

There is a little bit of tightening on this game that I feel could be done to make this one of the best titles on offer this summer, I even found a couple of glitches in the code that I played. I’m really looking forward to playing this more – I don’t want to be too critical of this just yet as one thing that really struck a cord with me is the cinematic experience on offer and you wouldn’t judge a film after watching it for 15 mins!

So with less than a month to wait in high anticipation I best crack on and get the novel read – THQ were kind enough to give us all a copy of the book and Dmitry was on hand to sign it personally as well. Look out for our interview with Dmitry and Huw Beynon the Global Communications Manager for THQ.