I just recently put out a review of the first PS+ game of the month, Metro Last Light. After completing it I looked at what other people had said about the game, and was REALLY surprised to see how positive it was. What's more, a lot of the reasons cited were direct contradictions to what I encountered in the game. Am I just missing something, or what? This is the first review I've done the directly flies in the face of EVERY piece of critique I've read about it.
Gameplay wise, it's very basic. Shoot to kill, cover based shooting, stay in the dark (hell it tells you if you can be seen or not). But even if the gameplay is basic, it's simple and well executed. There's really no need for anything else. I've played a few hours of Metro Last Light so far, and I gotta say I am enjoying it. It's different from other FPSs..in a sense that it's more story oriented, incredibly atmospheric (I found myself clutching my controller at times), and the characters while aren't really complex, are fleshed out and human. I also have a thing for post-apocalyptic settings, and Metro did manage to make it different in its own way. There's some flashbacks about how the war started that are kinda...terrifying. Artyom's cool too. If you don't like it, that's fine. It's clearly not for everyone. You shouldn't overthink something just because you have a different opinion.
Never played the original? For a start, the original was based off the book of the same name. This sequel is a departure from the next book, Metro 2034, and instead an original story based off the original game. All your critiques are the stuff I enjoyed. The exploration, the emphasis on stealth because ammo is easily used up, the gas mask especially added the need to find filters to survive longer. The rough gunplay was also something, since it fit this broken world, the gunplay shouldn't feel smooth or easy. Also, i don't get the complaint about guards that once alerted to your presence never stop searching for you. That's more realistic than traditional guards who search for a few minutes before going back to their programmed routine, acting like nothing has happened. I liked it because I could be more like a predator than someone who was simply playing a game. I always would kill a few off, then bait other guards with dead bodies, bringing them from bright areas before taking them out in the dark. I also wanted to stealth everything and do better. The graphics are purely a console thing. I had it on 360, and it wasn't ugly with some nice effects about, but it wasn't exceptional. PC wise, best looking game developed so far. Ok, you've just said the best thing about the Nazis was Hitler... now i'm having trouble to accept your opinion. Why is it Cod like? Because it's a first person shooter with a similar control format? The game plays with light mechanics, mutants, immersive environments, survival horror elements, chances to go off the beaten track with claustrophobic settings and odds always stacked against you. CoD makes you the hero, with unlimited bullets, rockets, waves of enemies funnelled down every corridor. It's not a challeng, and definitely not rewarding. comparatively. Metro makes you work for your kills. Great game with flaws. It doesn't beat the original for some strange and weird but amazing moments, but it makes it more playable. Did you go in with some expectations?
I... feel like you didn't actually watch the review. One of the first things I mention is that it's based on a book. The second is me explaining why it's like Call of Duty. They force you down Final Fantasy 13 style linear corridors that are severely automated. You spend a lot of time with a guy who pretty much plays the game for you. And it's not like the game ever becomes nonlinear or anything. even when they drop you in an 'open' it's heavily boxed off. You say I have to work for my kills? Did you SEE how easy it was? Beyond that, the AI is so brain dead it's easy to just find a hiding spot and peek out for a second until all the guards are gone. And that's the thing, the issue with the guards searching for you isn't the problem. It's how they do it. They start running around in completely random directions, randomly crouching or doing combat rolls. That's why I described it was 'flailing' besides that, how is it realistic that they keep chasing me, but when they actually see me they don't actually follow me the moment I turned a corridor? (Oh, and on a little note, I didn't know you could move bodies. I tried every button, but nothing happened) It also feels like you didn't actually watch the review because you act like I complained about the gunplay but it was one of the few positive things I had to say about it. Has a nice feel to it. And I went in more or less blind. I'd heard some general positive things before starting, so I didn't expect it to be TERRIBLE like it was, but I never ehard anybody really RAVE about it, so I didn't expect THAT much. With regards to Hitler though... you're right Hitler was second best to their stylin' clothes
No, I meant, the original game Metro 2033 was based off the book of the same name. Metro: Last Light was not based on the Metro 2033 book's sequel, Metro 2034, but was instead an original story. You said "based off the novel of the same name" which it's not. Linear gameplay segments in a FPS doesn't make it CoD, nor that it's inherently bad for it. Part of the greatness of the linear segments is finding a side room that has enemy and goodies, deciding if it's worth exploring or trying to leave before your mask inhaler runs out. And the companions weren't all that helpful for me, they basically took cover or weren't with me. I'm not saying the AI is perfect, but I didn't actually see you kill more than two people I think. A few times the stealth was 'broken' but most of the time I was spotted, so I had to be slow and stealthy, saving my bullets, etc. I don't know how you experienced it all the time. Maybe your download had bugs. Not that i'm trying to blame it all on your copy, I just think that might make sense considering how different your experience sounds. Or you found all the flaws possible. I was mentioning the guns purely to justify the flaws in combat. Felt purposeful to be rough but responsive. I watched it. I don't comment on things I don't watch/read/whatever without admitting it first.
It's not quite the fact that it's linear, but more than it's a linear showcase that doesn't really let ME play the game. Like the partner at the start does so much prescripted stuff for you, adn getting near him automatically triggers events. I think this game would have benefited from being more interactive. And the linearity is especially good when you're in the tunnels, because that makes perfect sense, but when you go to little town type areas, or go outdoors it just feels awkward. All the scripted events really drag out this problem. I actually hardly killed anybody because, like I said, I went around using melee attacks on everybody, but at one point I got sick of it and just ran through a room with a machine gun and was able to kill everyone. The stealth though, was just silly. The examples I showed in the video were a pretty regular occurrence. I had a longer section just showing off a bunch of the moments but it ruined the pacing of the video, so I just showed two of the sillier ones. I might have just had bad luck though, yeah But yeah, what really made it feel lke CoD to me was waiting around for my partner to do something. Or being trapped in a linear corridor with the guy walking slowly in front of you. That was very CoD-esque. Also, interesting that there's not actually a novel of the same name, I would have thought they'd actually explained that, instead of jsut saying it's based on the novel by such and such. (At the time of the review I didn't even know there were two Metro games, I try to go in to these raw so I don't taint my opinion too much)
The towns were suppose to be restricted though. Imagine hundreds of people trying to build a community in a metro station. It's not going to mean loads of space, especially with mutants constantly attacking you and other factions vying for power. Venice or whatever that boat town in the flooded station is called, is a perfect example. Constantly attacked by those water serpent mutants, with limited land in an environment that only inspires drinking and strippers to aim for in life. Overcrowded, cramped and constantly attacked. The immersion was superb in my mind. Read X360Achievements review of it. They were one of the few I saw who compared it to CoD, though they do compared to the original alot. The original was even rougher, but somehow more special. Play it, it's like $5-10. I defend this game because this is a FPS actually trying to do something different in a CoD copy market. Yes, I admit, it did pump it up compared to the original, but i'd rather see this more refined than other games.
Have you played Fallout 3 or New Vegas? I feel like those accomplish was this set out to do much better
Loved both. Still not as immersive or impressive as Metro has been in certain ways. There's no fear in Fallout after so long, no sense of urgency, it's also pretty dated, whilst Metro games have some still impressive effects, like you mention the mask cracks and stuff. Still would pick Fallout over it, but yeah.
Before I start, you have a really good microphone. I was taken back by the quality of your voice work. Really nice job there. Anyway -Your point about the enemies being able to take out with ease...holds very little water to me unless you state that you played on a Difficulty above "Normal." -You heard it already, but Hitler being a missed opportunity? It's purely opinion, of course, but...let's look at the fact that this game is a sequel to Metro: 2033. -Your graphics complaints only exist on the console versions (except legs because...eh.) PC version looks gorgeous. Well, as gorgeous as a post-apocalyptic underground Moscow can look. You have to realize how constrained the visuals will become when the game's compressed for PS3. -Will admit that it's easy to get lost in the open sections though.
Yeah, like I said earlier I try to go in somewhat blind with these to not corrupt my opinion, I've since watched review of the PC version and it does look significantly better. I also theorize that the AI might be better on PC, but the purpose of my review series is to cover Playstation Plus games, and thus the PS3 version And yeah, I played on normal, but the only level higher is hard, and I doubt it would have made much of a difference because I'm sure melee attacks are still an instant KO. Yeah there's Ranger Mode, but that's paid DLC, I hardly buy DLC for games I LIKE xD Thanks for the feedback, means a lot ^_^
