Angel Dust on 24/3/2010 at 10:57
I've got a feeling that I'm going to be alone on the atmosphere thing. I do find it successful in patches, particularly above ground, but it's nots coming together as a whole for me which is mainly due to how linear and artificial the stations feel. They should be the heart of the game and what gives weight to all the devastation you see but I don't believe it at all.
The shooting and stealth are definitely mediocre at best though and I'm not really sure what your 'i only died once' comments were for. I'm not finding it hard just really boring at times.
Also anyway else noticed that some of the writing is downright weird in the way that some conversations flow and seque into other topics? Particularly the conversation that takes place when you're in the luggage compartment of that tram.
mothra on 24/3/2010 at 11:09
it was to say that it works. mostly if you try stealth it just breaks at some point in the game if it aint the main focus of it - as with most shooters - and to say that the shooting works as well. I don't know what ppl mean with "shooting is shitty". It's just that the guns handle worse than in your arcade-y military fps shooters ala COD or more lighter fare like Half-Life. You shoot once, see the recoil, spread and amount of muzzleflash and after that you should have no problems hitting or avoiding anything. Most ppl hear "eastern dev", "shitty shooting" and "survival" and think it's a unforgiving, hard and unbalanced game while with METRO it clearly is not so. It's acutally one of the easiest and simplest games I played from the so-called eastern pc renaissance.
Jashin on 25/3/2010 at 03:02
I discovered something while doing the tumor sections of the game. I was doing decent at 25 fps on high until hitting the stupid tumor section where the spluuuuuge was so taxing I had to try lower settings.
It turns out it looks fine on low, looks about the same to me. The textures on the characters and the environment are either sharp enough or dark enough to not matter, the rest is just fluff.
Anyway I've finished it. In terms of design it's clear GSC has got 2 full game worth of more experience on them. Linearity aside, the variety they put into each chapter all feel self-contained. Elements, either burrowed from stalker or other games, feel like 1-off cameos, throwaways after you've done it. The creatures are also a mishmash collection of the postapoc, the fantastic, the paranormal, and some in-betweeners.
In terms of storytelling it's typical of linear shooter, that is to say below average/above failure, and the ending is contrived. They spent some serious time animating the smaller stations (imo the crown jewels of this game) that when it came time for the big one, they glossed it over with a "prisoner walking" escort cutscene, gave you a glimpse of the sweet stuff and then that was it.
Angel Dust on 25/3/2010 at 09:16
Quote Posted by mothra
it was to say that it works. mostly if you try stealth it just breaks at some point in the game if it aint the main focus of it - as with most shooters - and to say that the shooting works as well. I don't know what ppl mean with "shooting is shitty". It's just that the guns handle worse than in your arcade-y military fps shooters ala COD or more lighter fare like Half-Life. You shoot once, see the recoil, spread and amount of muzzleflash and after that you should have no problems hitting or avoiding anything. Most ppl hear "eastern dev", "shitty shooting" and "survival" and think it's a unforgiving, hard and unbalanced game while with METRO it clearly is not so. It's acutally one of the easiest and simplest games I played from the so-called eastern pc renaissance.
First thing: why are you so vehemently defending a game that a couple of pages ago you said 'sucks'?
Regarding the combat: well I can't speak for everyone but for me the combat doesn't work because:
a) the enemies are dull. It's either the usual soldiers or variations on chest high hairy rat people who all attack the same fucking way i.e melee attacks to your kneecaps. And those blob things are the most embarrassing enemy I've since in a FPS in a long time.
b) the areas that you're fighting in are pretty bland as combat spaces. The HL2 games don't exactly have great FPS mechanics but areas like 'The White Forest Inn' are exciting and interesting places to fight in. Metro 2033 seems to just like putting you in a small, flat boxy areas and throwing several dozen knee scratchers at you.
c)while the gunplay is closer to STALKER than CoD (and quit the patronising bullshit about Eastern European games, I've played, and loved, them too you know) that doesn't change the fact that it's a pretty stupid fucking idea to marry that type of shooting to something very much in the CoD/HL2 vein.
I actually managed to finish it tonight and I can now also confirm the story is big fat nothing as well. It's pretty much on par with any of the STALKER game's limp narratives. Granted the storytelling is much better but it's still a far cry from the games it's trying to emulate. STALKER has so much else going for it that I can forgive it's shoddy storytelling but Metro 2033 on the hand has nothing apart from the occasional atmospheric scene or striking piece of design, which more often than not is glossed right over(Polis station). I'm also getting really sick and tired of FPP games taking control away from me when it really isn't necessary.
YMMV of course but my verdict: Metro 2033 is polished piece of meh. Stay away and get Call of Pripyat instead.
mothra on 25/3/2010 at 09:45
yes, parts of the game and its design suck. but that doesn't mean I can't say what's working for me. It has a few good things going but too much bad decisions. and, btw, you know that you don't have to shoot those ball thingies ? you can see that they ALWAYS take the same path and never steer away. It's just that the devs matched the path of your AI mate with the direction the balls are going in. So on easy/normal you can just ignore them completely because your mate is practically unkillable. On Hardcore you only have to take care that HE does not die and look around a few times that your position doesn't cross paths with the balls. When I played the game first time I didn't shoot them since I figured they can't be aggressive....stupid balls and then my mate died in the middle section.
Ostriig on 26/3/2010 at 17:58
Reviews still coming in. (
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03/26/wot-i-think-metro-2033/) "Wot" RPS thinks, a couple of choice quotes:
Quote Posted by Alec Meer
It's a much better game than Doom 3, but it it's definitely hanging around on the same street corner.
[...]
I like Metro 2033, but I wish I loved it.
[...]
I like Metro 2033, and I criticise it not because the game is bad, but because there's a jarring disconnect between the excellence of its appearance and the adequacy of its action. It's a good enough shooter, but it /looks/ like it should be a phenomenal one. In a perfect world, there'll be a mod that fiddles with the balance, maybe ups the human count and lowers the mutant count, and definitely leaves a few more gas masks lying around.
Renault on 1/4/2010 at 19:47
By some weird occurrence, an update through Steam has fixed my graphical/video errors so I can finally play this game. The weird part is that it fixed two other games that I was having the same errors with, but that aren't even Steam games. :weird: This had nothing to do with my video drivers, which were already updated as far as possible (Catalyst 10.3).
Anyway, game on, finally. I wish someday, someone would come up with a baseline gaming PC (sorta like a console, but still a PC in functionality) that all developers were required to conform to (a standard, like THX), and where you knew every game would work every single time. Ah, to dream.
Vernon on 19/4/2010 at 05:22
This game is the dog's knackers
Luweewu on 21/4/2010 at 19:58
Quote Posted by karmaKGB
I think this is one of the best games I've played in a long while. As much as I like open-world games (and I liked STALKER but wished it was more open), a well done corridor shooter can be enjoyable, as well.
karma
Agree.
2033 adds to stalker meme. And we have great fun enabling that.
I've never been into the 'look at the wow graphics' i build power PC's and pretty screens are 2nd to fast access and cooling.
Everything about metro strikes me as a labor of love. Like stalker.. brains and imagination.
the same team no? Got to love these guys. My life would be poorer without them.
Its chernobyl with the mods .. [shoot the lights]
Artyom rocks. better than 'marked one'
Compare him to Psycho in crysis an Artyom is the man without the hack accent.
The world of STALKER/. for it is a virtual environment. Is what i dreamed of at aged 8 back in the 60's.
to paraphrase Einstein " Only a life lived for gaming is of worth"
L G wu
Luweewu on 21/4/2010 at 20:15
Quote Posted by Angel Dust
OK, I'm about 4 hours into this game and I think I'm just about over it.
Because?
You get sick of reloading after death over and over. crap gamer is what i suggest.
[edit]The low level office jerk who after a day of eying and harassing the girls goes home to wank and play a game on a machine he bought from 7/11
Games like Cod4Mw2 have far less story.. in fact none at all.
Fun to play but no learning aspects to human psychology.
Metro has russian [f**k it] stamped on it. And who can blame them. I would think the same after stalin.
My east european roots rise to the challenge.. the russ blood says.. where is the stoli
hhehehe
Louis
