Wesley Thomas

Metro 2033?

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I guess maybe it's an issue with my computer (or ears), but I wasn't able to pick up much of the chatter, as so much of it was playing at the same time.

I haven't played this, but from what I understand that's kind of the point. It's supposed to evoke the hubbub of a crowd rather than weird isolated conversations that most games do in crowd situations.

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I don't think so. If you want to make a hubbub sound in a game, you don't just play lots of voices at the same time. It doesn't sound like real hubbub, only like badly mixed sound. With the level of polish apparent in the rest of the game, I doubt they'd do this. Also, there's plenty of good ambient background conversation chatter sound as well. It's just that the "special" ones -- the ones that you're supposed to be able to hear (like the lady in the kitchen talking to the guy outside) aren't audible enough for me. I guess that's a local issue though.

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I don't think so. If you want to make a hubbub sound in a game, you don't just play lots of voices at the same time. It doesn't sound like real hubbub, only like badly mixed sound. With the level of polish apparent in the rest of the game, I doubt they'd do this. Also, there's plenty of good ambient background conversation chatter sound as well. It's just that the "special" ones -- the ones that you're supposed to be able to hear (like the lady in the kitchen talking to the guy outside) aren't audible enough for me. I guess that's a local issue though.

I don't know, some of them seemed too loud for me. One conversation coming through a door didn't sound muffled at all and I looked around trying to find where it was coming from before realizing it came through a closed door (probably). I also noticed those sounds aren't well mixed always.

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Played some more. Holy crap, this game doesn't stop with the graphics! I'm not really comfortable with the combat, because the whole thing is so directed I don't know when shooting the enemies will kill them, or if they're about to enter some crazy scripted action sequence. Not that comfort is the feeling they're going for.

Also a prostitute stole all my bullets.

I'm worried that the hardcore elements of this game, like the flashlight recharging and wristwatch checking, will wear me down before I get into the game proper, but I'm hopeful that these guys kno what they're doing with regards to difficulty, in addition to graphics.

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Holy Maloney. I just played through Dead City, which is up in the ruins of Moscow. I've never had such an intense experience in a game, ever. The combination of the fantastic graphics and sound (it's so rich you just stop looking for signs of it being a game, and your brain just accepts you're in the ruins of future Moscow), the frantic juggling of your almost-broken equipment (I jumped down an elevator shaft and found one of the pneumatic guns Chris mentioned in the podcast), the hoarse breathing of your almost dead guy (you never notice it until he's literally gasping for air)... they really make the small things stand out. Like how you subconsiously match your breathing to the sound in the game, and how fantastic it feels to switch to a new, fresh, filter (although you notice you're starting to run low -- and also the mask has some worrying fracture lines around the edges), how finding a couple of clips in an old guitar case feels like getting the BFG or god mode in any other game, and how even the faintest source of light -- a lantern or a candle -- instantly draws you near because everything else is so cold and empty.

If you have a decent computer -- and I think you need to be able to play this on relatively high settings to get the full experience -- get this game. It's one of those rare games that are completely linear, but still hard core to the ultimate max.

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Just stealth massacred a bandit camp and stole all their bullets. Guys, everyone, get this game. People should be raving about it, it's incredible!

And holy loading times, batman. It takes about twenty seconds -- maybe less -- from starting the game to playing it.

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If you have a decent computer -- and I think you need to be able to play this on relatively high settings to get the full experience

Do you think the 360 version would be scaled back too much to get the full experience?

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Do you think the 360 version would be scaled back too much to get the full experience?

I guess it's scaled back pretty much, what with the 360 hardware being almost ancient at this point. However, I'm sure a lot of people would say I'm wrong about having to play this with maximum super graphics, and that the game is fantastic even at medium settings.

The graphics -- the lighting, the textures -- were the things that grabbed me instantly with this game, and keep impressing me at every turn. However, it's become clear that this is just one of the game's strong suits, others being the sound, the design and the incredible atmosphere, neither of which are that limited by hardware, at least not the 360's.

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From what I hear it's really punishing on the 360 because the aiming hasn't been modified to accommodate a gamepad.

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From what I hear it's really punishing on the 360 because the aiming hasn't been modified to accommodate a gamepad.

I suppose I could play on "easy"?

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Metro 2033 plays you on easy.

But only in Soviet Russia.

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I hate that when I finally get to an ammo exchange station, there's no way of checking what ammo your various weapons use.

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God damn it, I'm stuck! Has anyone gotten throught he Trolley Combat part? After I've spotted the tank, I get to a section where there are two machine guns nests on the left side, and some guys coming out of a train, and for some reason, whatever I do my screen explodes after a couple of seconds. It's almost like I've hit a bug.

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You have to use the old man.

EDIT:

I mean the kid. Reference!

EDIT: :getmecoat

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Yes, it was definitely a bug. I restarted the level a couple of times, and got past it without a hitch. Still loving this game, although the shock of awesomeness has worn off somewhat. It's almost like a Half-Life 2 Lite.

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I'm starting to believe I will actually finish this game. It's not as hardcore as I first thought. The intro makes it out to be very hectic and chaotic, with lots of stuff to manage and think about, but in reality all the systems work really well, and so far it's been a pretty focused shooter. The pacing is great, and the locations you get to explore, while not that diverse in theme (post-apocalyptic metro system), are really well-made and interesting to explore. Since leaving the first station I've really not had any more audio issues, and there really is a lot of really good ambient sound in this game. You can really hear stuff going behind barred doors, further down closed-off subway tunnels and burrowing in the ground beneath you. Also, there's a neat section that messes with your controls a bit, which was fun.

I feel like I have to keep talking about how good this game is because I have the impression it's mostly ignored, but I don't really have any data, just observations from discussions around the web. Anyone know if it's doing well, or where to look for this kind of info?

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WELL HOLY MOTHER FUCKING GAME OF THE YEAR, COMRADE!

If another game comes out in 2010 that has been made with an attention to detail, balance, atmosphere, humor, graphics, sound, fun or pacing even close to Metro 2033, 2010 will be a magical year indeed.

(Some of) You know me, I hate most games. Either they're not fun, or they're too hard, or annoying some manner. Metro 2033 are none of these. From the beginning to the end, the game keeps on showering you in a gushing, messy stream of awesomeness. Since I started playing it, it has been climbing my ladder of greatness, passing games like Fallout 3 and Batman on its way. I kept expecting it to misstep -- some horribly hard section or a lame ending, or repetitiveness -- but it wouldn't. It kept shit fresh like Valve does. You know, when you can look back on the game and remember the various sections of your trip... it's so great. As the game approached the ending, my only hope I had of this game proving to be a miserable piece of Russian crap was that the ending would disappoint. They would run out of rubles and just have some low-res FMV congratulating me on a job well done. Well, guess what -- the last sections of the game are the awesomest ones. It's incredible! The graphics in this game are so good, every time you look at an item you have an orgasm. After having played through most of the game you think you've seen it all, and then the fucking thing blows you god damn mind out of your head with the most spectacular locations I've ever seen in the game. The end-game of Metro 2033 makes the end-game of Half-Life 2, or Uncharted, or whatever, look like smears of feces. And I love the endings of those games! I'd talk more about the graphics, but by now you should have understood that this game has some mother fucking next-gen awesome visuals. There has to be so many gbs of texture files I don't know why my graphics card hasn't melted yet. Everything is carefully modelled and textured, and the effects, the smoke -- the smoke, people! Jesus, it's beautiful!

Oh, and I played it on easy, as according to my new rules, and it really was. I failed a couple of times at the very hardest parts, but there were never any frustrating moments. However, there were a lot of moments that were the most xtreme and intense moments of my entire life, like when I'm being dragged through the wastelands with blurred vision and a destroyed gas mask leaking out all my oxygen. The first-person sections in this game are so great, they're what that all-first-person-view Xbox game that started out sweet and then became lame wishes it was.

To summarize: if you can only buy one game this year, buy Metro 2033. If you can buy two, I'd say Metro 2033 and probably Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse.

Bonus comment: Thanks, Idle Thumbs podcast for getting me interested in this game by relating a sweet anecdote, the likes of which are experienced many times during the course of the game.

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From what I hear it's really punishing on the 360 because the aiming hasn't been modified to accommodate a gamepad.

Confirmed

I picked this up on my way home today. I'm maybe 45 mins in and already find the aiming to be frustrating as hell. I've changed the difficulty to easy and cranked the auto aim and sensitivity sliders to max, and I'm still a horrible shot. I guess I've just been ruined by Red Dead Redemption's aiming mechanic. Having said that, the game looks great and I shall press onward.

Also...I just noticed the giant thumbs up statue in the forum banner.

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I really really liked this game, and I'm someone who normally doesn't like linear scripted FPSs. I never finished Half Life 1 or 2 because they just became dull very quickly to me (although the episodes were ok).

Metro seems to get the balance perfectly in terms of the extent of the scripting and the linearity or percieved linearity of the level design. I LOVED the bits where you can stealth through Deus Ex style.

That and all the beautiful attention to detail of the visuals, and the PERFECT length, meant that I actually finished the thing and felt really good about it.

Edited by Raff

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Bought it since it was half off on Steam today. I'll be starting on it after finishing Cryostasis, I believe. Psyched!

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On a cabin and must be brief. Buy Metro 2033 everyone!

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I got this game during the Steam Summer Sale. This is truly a great game, I'm loving it so far. It's atmospheric, but it's also really fun to play. It also seems to support varied playstyles too. I love going around, shooting all the lights out, triggering a tripwire attached to a can so it makes noise and draws attention, then going around behind the enemies and tossing a grenade.

That said, the monsters are kind of annoying. My weapons are getting better so they're becoming less of an issue, but so far they're just generic video game monsters that run right up to you. Nevertheless they still inspire fear and anxiety every time, but since they're broken up by short non-combative segments and human-enemy segments, they never grate.

My main gripe is the save system. Why would a PC game ever not allow you to make your own saves?

Definitely recommend you pick up this game, or start playing it if you picked it up but left it on your pile.

Edited by Squid Division

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Wait, Toblix loved it?!

Damn, I wasn't paying attention during the sale... next time, Steam... next time...

In the meantime, I should probably load up STALKER at some point. The number of games that have never been installed in my Steam list is OBSCENE.

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