| System: PS3, PC, Xbox 360 |  |
| Dev: 4A Games |
| Pub: THQ |
| Release: March 2012 |
| Players: 1 |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p | ESRB RATING |
In the post-apocalyptic shooter Metro 2033, players took the role of Artyom as he wandered through an irradiated Russia. Though his interactions with the many citizens of the Russian wasteland and the horrible events that transpired in the game's storyline, we were taught that the worst monsters of all are, well, the horrible radiation mutants that are looking to eat your face. Humanity takes a close second place though.
This is the theme that is hammered home in Metro 2033's upcoming sequel, Metro: Last Light, which was recently showcased at E3. The queue to play the game looked like something out of an amusement park haunted house. People waited in line eagerly to be herded into a dark room that looked like a broken down subway car. Unlike an amusement park, we weren't met by cheap jump out scares or shoddy rubber costumes inside the room. Instead, we were met with biting social commentary.
After that whole apocalypse thing, the civilians of Russia are not quite getting along with each other. Civil war is breaking out among the citizens of the Russian underground, and it's looking like the last of the humans will eat each other alive if the radiation mutants don't get to them first. You, being the strange-named protagonist that you are, are the only one who can prevent the human race from wiping itself out. Plainly put, your job sucks.
The gameplay of Metro: Last Light has been updated to fit its grittier plotline, which is funny considering we are talking about a plotline grittier than surviving a post-apocalyptic Russia. The first part of the E3 demo showcased a stealth mission that took place in one of Russia's sewers. Here, Artyom was told that light could give away his position, and as such he was instructed to get rid of any errant light sources around him. As he went through the stage, Artyom unscrewed light bulbs and put out fires in order to remain hidden. An interesting drawback that the game was very keen on abusing was the darkness that surrounded Artyom after the light sources were removed. Artyom doesn't have perfect night vision or anything. Removing a light source means the enemy couldn't see him, but he couldn't see the enemy either. It was an interesting dynamic to see in action.
During the stealth section of the game, there was some pretty basic sneak up, assassinate, step over the body gameplay, and I can't really complain about that. The A.I. wasn't too mean about detecting Artyom when he clumsily entered one of their lines of sight, which was good considering the low-light was apt to make us slip up now and again.
After killing enemies, Artyom could pick up their weapons and use them to great effect, as shown by the giant hulking Minigun that was obtained by stealthily killing one brute. Now, Miniguns are cool and all, but what was really cool was the destructible terrain system that the Minigun was conveniently there to showcase. Using it, Artyom shredded an entire concrete wall to pieces, exposing the metal foundation within and the room beyond. We aren't entirely sure if this was simply a graphical demonstration or if it will be tied into gameplay somehow, but it sure looked cool.
Another gameplay segment had Artyom weaving his way through the middle of a crowd that was listening to an inspiring speech by some sort of political figure. Suddenly, the political figure was attacked, and in the panic that immediately overtook the crowd, Artyom had to follow the assailant. He made his way through an underground village, hopped into a mine cart, and jumped onto a speeding train, all after getting shot in the shoulder. Lara Croft and your impalpable spleen, eat your heart out.
The rest of the demo was meant to showcase the game's bullet engine, but honestly it's not that impressive so far. It looks like it hasn't evolved much from Metro 2033, and by that I mean it's the same old iron sights formula that just about every shooter has been using these days. The guns aren't particularly new or interesting, and the same "find cover, peak out of cover, shoot enemy in the head" formula applies now as it always did. However, I'm sure this will be shaken up a bit with the destructible terrain and flying mutants.
Simply put, I'm not going to be playing Metro: Last Light for the gameplay. I'm going to be playing it for the story and the atmosphere, and boy does it ever succeed in these areas. From the dirty people living in the slums to the horrible four-legged mutants bursting through walls, this game just bleeds personality.
So if you are up for another romp through the Russian wasteland, then be on the lookout for Metro: Last Light when it releases in March 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment