• Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Mar 16, 2010
  • Also On: Xbox 360
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 821 Ratings

  • Summary: Set in the shattered subway of a post apocalyptic Moscow, Metro 2033 is a story of intensive underground survival where the fate of mankind rests in your hands. In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earth’s surface into a popoisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised Underground. Having never ventured beyond your Metro Station-City limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. Your journey takes you from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where your actions will determine the fate of mankind. [THQ] Collapse
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 40
  2. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Regardless of how the story ends the experience itself is worth the price of admission.
  2. 86
    But if you're looking for a narrative driven experience that is going to shock, scare, perplex and amaze you, then Metro 2033 might just be your next stop on the line.
  3. Metro 2033 is like the eastern European Half-Life – a must for fans of post-apocalyptic settings, narrative shooters, survival horror, or any combination thereof.
  4. Though it oozes atmosphere, frequent and irritating monster encounters tarnish an otherwise solid shooter. [May 2010, p.56]

See all 40 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 16 out of 222
  1. This game is a fantastic narrative fps. Is it perfect? No. But I rated it 10/10 because it does what games should do, provide an incredibly fun gaming experience that sucks you in and makes you lose track of time. Some reviewers (*cough* ign *cough*) cited the unforgiving stealth sections as a negative. I found this to be extremely fun and rewarding. Yes- one mistake and the guards are all alerted, there is no "Oh it must have been a rat/the wind/my imagination" system. Which I found great. It made everything much more tense. In short, if you don't have this game, pick it up. Expand
  2. A fantastic effort by this studio to deliver something a little different. Graphically stunning 2 years after release. Very linear but that's not a bad thing. It tells a story and your along for the ride. Weapons have poor mechanics in what seems a deliberate effort to add realism, as parts have been scavenged after a hard life underground. The voice acting is fine and the atmosphere is terrific. Definitely worthwhile at current pricing Expand
  3. Metro 2033 is a great game that comes with some unfortunate baggage for the PC version. It's poorly optimized, chugging on even good systems when the action gets intense, and the FOV and mouse options never feel quite right. That being said, the rest of the game is pretty damn good. The atmosphere is spot on, you really feel like you're part of an underground society sheltering not just from mutants, but a lethal, poisonous world as well. The weapons and gadgets fit the theme as well, particularly the gas mask sections which add a sense of urgency to your time topside. You'll probably like this game if you enjoy STALKER or other post-apocalyptic games, though this is more linear and story driven than most. I struggled on scoring this because I really enjoyed Metro 2033, but the technical issues are pretty bad. Expand
  4. The Good: The game is beautiful, the environments are detailed and realistic, the storyline is interesting, and the voice actors sell it well. The game does a great job of immersing you in the world and making you feel like a part of it. That is, until you get to the combat.

    The Bad: The game chews up GPUs on the higher settings, and has some graphical tearing on mid-level systems. The game is very hard, even on normal difficulty. This wouldn't normally be a complaint, as most modern FPS games are not very challenging. I actually like seeing a game that presents a challenge. The problem here is that it is too hard due to a lack of realism. First, your enemies can take a lot of punishment. Too much in fact. I shot a guy in the head point-blank with the shotgun three times, and then he turned around and killed me. I get that the developers wanted you to shoot somewhere else, because they put a helmet on him. But helmet or no helmet, if you take a 12-guage to the face you're not going to shrug it off like someone spit on you. Second, all of the enemies you fight are like navy seals on crack. They have extremely good accuracy at range, and can even hit you with the shotgun from 40 yards off (if you try to shoot someone with the shotgun from more than 2 feet away they won't take any damage). They also have a nasty habit of being able to shoot you through boxes and cover, while your guns cannot pierce cover. Third, they always know where you are, and they will surround you and wait for you to come out. If one see's you, they all have a homing beacon for where you are until you die. There are several situations in the game where you have no opportunity to flank your enemies, and the only way through is straight ahead. You better hope you have grenades if you find yourself in this situation, otherwise you're probably dead, because the navy seals don't miss. Another huge flaw unrelated to combat, is that the game chooses questionable times to save checkpoints for you. At one point I had to restart a level, when the game chose to save a checkpoint for me when I was at no health and bullets were heading toward me. Load, die instantly, repeat. The game is very appealing for many reasons. I tried really hard to like it. However, the aforementioned flaws make it unplayable. 4/10 for good graphics, good story, good acting, and poor gameplay.
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See all 222 User Reviews