My take on Metro 2033: has the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. been surpassed?

Developer: 4A Games CIS publisher: Акелла Worldwide publisher: THQ Genre: FPS System requirements: Pentium DC E5200/Athlon II X2 215, GeForce GTX260/ATI Radeon HD4890, 2GB RAM, 9GB HDD Recommended system requirements: Core 2 Duo E8400/Phenom II X2 550, GeForce GTX 470/ATI Radeon HD5850, 4GB RAM, 9GB HDD Official website:http://www.4a-games.com/

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About the project

Gamers across the CIS region eagerly anticipated Metro 2033. But what did we get in the end? An unoptimized, raw, and uninteresting project? I'd say not entirely, at least regarding optimization. This game even somewhat resembles the formidable Crysis, though certainly not in its plot. Metro 2033 is a game saturated with technology. And no, that's not a bad thing; in fact, it's good! But only if it's used in moderation. However, we're not here today to discuss graphics (we'll get to that shortly); first and foremost, we'll dive into the plot, specifically its premise (no spoilers!).

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Plot: the beginning

It's cold... so cold that even my gas mask's glass is fogged... snow is blowing all around... I can barely see anything... I stand among my brothers, friends who survived... among the few... all for me... so I can save my station and our city... We're almost there! The TV tower is practically within reach! But a shout from one of my comrades suddenly snaps me back to reality. It's started... I tried to shoot the monster viciously trying to rip apart my friend... but it was too late. I was abruptly thrown against an overturned car. My legs went numb, my body simply wouldn't obey, such terror... Gathering all my will, I finally managed to stand.

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What do we have?

So, we're in a post-apocalyptic Moscow. The game starts with you and a partner in the Moscow metro, where you learn the basic mechanics (right-click, left-click, put on your gas mask). Immediately, the somewhat clunky character animations catch your eye. Unfortunately, this becomes quite irritating around the game's midpoint. The world itself is well-designed; we see how people survive in an (to say the least) extreme situation. I'll be blunt: after just a few minutes alone in the underground tunnels, I was literally trembling! I haven't felt that way since the excellent F.E.A.R.! The oppressive post-apocalyptic atmosphere is genuinely crushing!

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A world where everything has perished. A world where people must hide underground... and monstrous creatures prevent the last remnants of civilization from peacefully living out their final, miserable days... What can I say? Only this: this is what I've wanted to play since Fallout! But the game also has a downside. Frankly, I'm disheartened by how linear it is. To put it simply: I was put on a train, it started moving, I just began enjoying the pleasant service, delicious food, and comfortable beds, and then suddenly it abruptly arrived at the final station, and I was kicked onto the platform! That's how I can briefly describe this project's linearity. But that doesn't mean it's bad! I just really wanted to roam through all the "subways" without a single mission in my pocket! It's a shame, but the developers decided otherwise... Perhaps we'll see some expansion, though that's unlikely.

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Performance

This point, frankly, deserves its own article. The performance of any graphics card in this game is, to put it mildly, lacking. Friends reported that even an AMD Radeon HD5850 couldn't comfortably run the game with DirectX 11. My colleague MTP also struggled to play smoothly on high settings at 1280x1024 with 4x anti-aliasing and DirectX 10 on a GeForce GTX280.

Personally, I ran the game on an AMD Radeon HD4670 graphics card, and all I can say is: medium settings with no anti-aliasing at 1024x768 resolution. So, the engine isn't particularly optimized, but the game is interesting and engaging. What fate awaits it?

My take

Everyone needs to play this game! And here's one crucial detail you'll have to accept: graphics aren't important in this project. Even though the developers place them high on their priority list, they don't truly hold significant weight.

Playing Metro 2033 reminded me of a time when I simply wanted to play games, without worrying about graphic settings, various anti-aliasing options, or anything else – I just wanted to play.

Yes, those days are long gone for many, but I hope this game, created by our compatriots, brings all that back to us! It has atmosphere; it's not just 3D graphics on a monitor. It's Artyom's life, which you're offered to experience, even if only for a short time!

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Regarding the recent popular comparison to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: yes, the game is somewhat similar to GSC Game World's project in some ways. However, you simply can't say it's "better" or worse than S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It shares a similar atmosphere and feels just as "native" as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Nothing more. Both games evoke unforgettable emotions, and both are worth playing.