Geek4ever

A dark survival horror game, Metro 2033 is a fantastic example of great story telling in a game. The story/game takes place in the future - 2033 I guess :-) and a nuclear war has forced everyone underground into the metro/subway system. Ammuntion is now rare and is used as currency. People rely on home made weapons and ammunition, which isn't always accurate. There are various factions throughout the metro and to top it all off, great big monsters that appear to be out to eat everyone. :-)

Developed by a Russian developer, based on a Russian book, the game is set in Russia ;-) and though the game was in english, everyone had a Russian accent, which I think was a great idea and really helped immerse me in the story. The game is told via the main character relating these events many years later. You play as the main character in the first person perspective as you try to figure out all the weird goings on and to save your people.

Metro 2033 is a great survival/horror game. Sure there are lots of enemies out to get you, though you have to also survive the environment and your ammo limitations. Do you use real ammunition and save yourself or do you use the homemade and hope it is effective in time?

When you go to the surface you need to put on a gas mask, this restricts your view and the sound of breathing through the mask is a great touch. The thing is, you can run out of air filters for your mask and it can also be broken. There is this constant pressure/fear driving you on before you run out of air or break your mask. So it is not just a matter of running around, you have to be conscious of just how many air filters you have and make sure your mask doesn't get broken. You feel so exposed on the surface that you can't wait to get back underground again, just as you would expect to feel in that situation.

There are great touches throughout the game that help to really immerse you into the story. Audio is top notch and instead of pressing a button to see a map or how much air you have left. You look at your watch, or actually pull out a clipboard to look at your map.

The game has moral choices throughout that are subtle and will affect the ending to the point that you can't get a certain ending if you don't make certain types of choices.

Overall:
Amazing game. The atmosphere and world they created is some of the best work ever in a game. Tons of action and suspense all nicely balance. I was totally immersed and on edge (in a good way) the entire time. There are countless little touches throught that really make this game shine through.