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Metro: Last Light Review
Hey gang,
I know this is really late and many of you already have the game but I finally got some time to finish playing Metro: Last Light and decided to do a quick review on it. Just to let you know, Metro: Last Light takes place right after the first one, Metro 2033, so it is recommended that you play the first one before you play the second one. Please note that I played this on Normal difficulty which is the second hardest out of three (excluding Ranger Mode) and completed it in about 12 hours.
First off are the graphics. The visuals are absolutely amazing and the game does a great job at bringing life to a dead word. The textures are very detailed and add more to the games eerie factor most of all. Character models were done very well and makes every NPC look unique and different. The developers did a good job at designing the levels so that all the metro tunnels would be different as to not get boring and making dead barren wastelands look so beautiful that you actually want to enter them.
The gameplay is just what you would expect from a linear first person shooter and is almost identical to Metro 2033. One added action that is worth mentioning is the fact that you have to manually wipe off your gasmask when it gets dirty. This doesn't seem like much but when in combat and blood, water and dirt keeps flying at your face, it can get a little tricky and just adds to the frustration (in a good way) of trying to shoot jumping mutants while reloading and trying to figure out where to go. There are more weapons, gadgets and accessories to choose from which let you create the perfect load out for any situation. Every combat situation can be approached in a different way, weather you want to sneak past your enemies, run in the room guns blazing, or a little bit of both. I did feel that the game was geared more towards stealth though and playing this way made my experience much more enjoyable. The currency is still pre war ammunition that can be fired or used to purchase metro made ammunition, weapons, accessories and even a few "special" things. I did find that playing on Normal difficulty I was given way too much ammunition and money which really took away some of the challenges in the first game. If you are a returning Metro player, I recommend playing on the Hardened difficulty in order to add more of a challenge and bring you closer to the Metro world. Also one thing to note is that the game does have a lot of in-game movie modes, where situations are viewed through the players eyes but the player has no control over them. This was fine at first but it continued throughout the game and just became more annoying rather than adding any affect or feeling to the game.
The games AI is very basic and straightforward but good. Companions do a great job at staying out of the way and assisting when the time comes. Human enemies play "dumb" most of the time while sneaking around them but was still challenging. The best part about the human NPCs though would have to be the dialogue. The thick Russian accents and corny dialogues made it a blast to wait in the shadows and listen to enemies or sit at bar and just listen to soldiers rant. One aspect of the game that I found depressing is the fact that the main character, Artyom, still does not have an in-game voice. Between each level he would speak as if he was writing a journal entry but whenever spoken to in-game there is never a response or conversation, which really takes away from the connection with the players character. The mutant AI did get confusing at times because many of them had this "don't shoot unless fired upon" rule so I didn't know if I should engage an enemy or walk past them to earn a Moral Point.
The story picks up a little after Metro 2033 when Artyom destroys the "dark ones". I personally found it much easier to follow then the first game but I did have my doubts at times. I found myself, on occasion, wondering why I was doing certain tasks and not even wanting to do some because I knew it wouldn't make a difference. One feature of the game that carried over from the original was the use of Moral Points. Moral Points are positive points awarded to the player when doing good acts, listening to certain conversations or even when exploring. The outcome or ending of the game will depend on how many Moral Points the character has, so that is one thing to keep in mind. In all honesty the story was good and is what is wanted and expected form any sequel.
All in all I give the game an 8 / 10. It is a fun and beautiful linear first person shooter that does a great job at portraying a post-apocalyptic Russian wasteland. I do wish more control was given to the player during certain situations and that there was more depth put into areas, but this really didn't effect the overall experience. If you played and enjoyed Metro 2033, or are a fan of creepy and eerie first person shooters, then I highly recommend picking up this title and supporting the creators. If you are skeptical about jumping right in then it might be worth waiting for it to go on sale because there is no multiplayer and it will be around for a while.
I hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful, please let me know if you have any questions.
-JackALope