Back in the USSR: Metro 2033 Preview

FPS. It stands for First Person Shooter, meaning the ability to witness and engage in combat through the eyes of a game’s protagonist, literally putting you in his or her combat boots. A genre that has exploded into one of (if not THE) most profitable types of gameplay experiences on the planet, FPS’s are the driving force behind a significant portion of the gaming market. Looking at juggernauts like Halo, Battlefield, or Modern Warfare and breakthrough achievements such as Half Life, Borderlands,or Bioshock it’s hard to reach for any new title without your hands at least brushing past the latest attempt at cashing in on visceral combat simulation.

Yet for all the billions that the FPS has earned over the years, many of these titles consistently fail to deliver on the cornerstone of their existence; first person perspective. One of my biggest pet peeves with these games are their tendency to somehow ignore an aspect of the perspective that ruins the immersion, marring the experience and pointing out the fact that yes, this is just a video game  tricking you into thinking you’re doing all these crazy awesome heroics. Redundant walking animations, devices and keyboards that magically enter codes without any physical interaction, lack of a discernable lower body and floating camera syndrome; its these flaws that get the nitpicker in me fired up and engage in some seriously elitist gaming judgement on games that nevertheless manage to keep me enthralled with their shooting bits.

Enter Metro 2033, a new FPS/RPG/ Survival Horror hybrid just released by 4A Games and published under the THQ banner. Based around the plot-line of a novel bearing the same name, Metro 2033 will drop players in a post-apocalyptic Russian wasteland and see how they fair against shadowy mutations, crazed bandits, killer elements, and creeping horrors. Okay, I’ll admit this sounds like your typical post-apocalyptic tom foolery at first, but its the developer’s attention to detail and commitment to compelling narrative that I believe will set this title apart in the days to come. Also, don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of this darkly moody title seeing as how it has had little media presence to speak of and managed to pop on and off my radar over so many times I completely forgot it released yesterday. That being said, the minute I realized the game had gone gold, I was ecstatic at the prospect of diving into what has been building up to be an incredibly unique combat experience in a market littered with cheap cash-ins and mundane sequels.

Metro 2033 takes place in the near future, beneath the streets of a Moscow buried in the fallout of nuclear winter. Human survivors have managed to cling to life by holing up in the abandoned subway stations of the city’s elaborate metro network. Many of these communities are self sustaining and there is little contact between one another save for groups of hunters who traverse the railways hunting strange and deadly mutations which make travel near suicide. While most of your time will be spent exploring each of these unique and varied stations, you will also be forced to venture out onto the surface. Russian winters coupled with radioactive fallout have made habitation impossible, and your only way to breathe is by way of a gas mask whose filtration systems require constant replacement and maintenance.

Few concrete details have emerged concerning the way in which plot unfolds, not surprising considering the game is especially focused on a single player campaign due to lack of a multiplayer component. To be honest, i find this particularly refreshing considering how some franchises seem to suffer when money is milked developing a trendy multiplayer add-on at the expense of a compelling single-player campaign. What I do know is that the developers seem very keen on crafting a dynamically epic story with some awesome scifi, supernatural, wartime, and darkly comedic adventure elements. Expect to experience something a little bit new from this Ukranian based team, some of whom worked on the favorable S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise.

There is no HUD to be found in Metro2033, and everything you need to know will come from the ambient environment around you. When you are lost you’ll unfold a map that you keep in a pocket, while taking down enemies requires a steady hand coupled with a clear line of site. One of the coolest things about this HUD-less interface is your gas mask, the filters of which will degrade over time. In order to keep track of your air, you’ll have to set your watch before you go outside, then look down at it to figure out how much time you have left. You’ll also know that the air is going bad as the glass begins to fog and your breath runs ragged, while taking too much gunfire will splatter more and more blood across your face and even shatter your breathing apparatus, and event which will leave you scrambling around for a replacement amidst the rotting corpses topside.

Little things like the watch mechanic, the way your gas mask obstructs your field of vision, grasping at allies, doors and ladders and seeing your legs as you hurdle over an obstacle do wonders to really sell the experience. From what I’ve seen and read, the developers find many innovative ways to convey story without leaving the first person perspective, adding authenticity and leading to some truly visceral set pieces. Fighting enemies in pitch black tunnels by muzzle light, swinging from a rusting ladder, fighting off the eviscerating claws of a mutant going for your throat are all the more engaging thanks to the way the team committed to their first-person vision.

Trailers and screenshots reveal a pretty gorgeous looking game, filled to the brim with atmosphere and ambiance. From the ramshackle metro communes to the bombed out shopping malls, the landscape shows its character through its horrific scars. A sense of world events will be conveyed through the environments, surrounding chatter and NPC interaction, breathing life into a world beneath the city streets that is said to rival those found in more well known titles. Combat scenarios and firefights look to challenge you in different ways, encouraging equal parts stealth, strategy, diplomacy and defense.

Thrills and fear abound in this title, thanks in part to the way you handle your ammo. Bullets are scarce in a nuclear war zone, even more so when they are used for currency as they are in Metro 2033. Trade your ammunition for supplies, upgrades and newer weapons or hoard it all for the tougher firefights. You’ll have to make some hard decisions when it comes to taking out foes, as every shot will have to count in order to ensure you’re not throwing away your life and livelihood. This adds a sense of urgency and focus to the combat, rewarding precision and forethought as opposed to run-n-gun or dumb luck.

Metro 2033 released March 16th on Xbox 360 and PC, so you can check out the title for yourself right now.  Stop by and check out  the game’s newly released launch trailer at the official site right here.