• 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 895 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] Expand
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: 17 out of 232
  1. 10
    Other than being a tad to the short side, Metro 2033 is a very fun game. It's a lot like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, but has a better feel to the controls, and gameplay is a lot more solid. The graphics (depending on your configuration) can range from average current graphics to beautiful Crysis-like graphics. I got this on sale from Steam for $5, but it's easily worth $20. Expand
  2. 8
    Metro 2033 more than makes up for its linear gameplay by making the world extremely rich and detailed. The sounds and sights of the tunnels and the post apocalyptic surface world are amazingly interesting and beautiful. Stepping out of the metro and into the open world for the first time is stunning. Also, the survival horror feeling is strong, light mechanics and the gas mask fogging up on you adds a very realistic edge.
    Despite its excellent delivery, I had a few minor issues with the game. The greatest one being mouse issues. When I make a perfect circle on my mousepad with my mouse, my aim in game is more of a very wide oval. This irritated me very badly, and I was forced to change settings in my Razer software to compensate. Second, the combat was rather simplistic, especially against the human AI. Could have been better is all.
    Overall, game loses 2 points from a perfect score for irritating mouse issues I could not change in game, and a combat system that could have been spiced up.
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  3. Do you love scary games ? Then this is a damn good one, this game is what i call a jewel of the games, it has excellent graphics and animations, it even have the NVDIA PhysX, also all the location will have a great atmosphere which will make you feel like being there yourself, sounds is very good, i just got in mind the part of the city, with the winds and rest of effect, let's hope the sequel of this game will be as great as this, or even more, if it will ever come out. 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 232 User Reviews