Mind the gap

[Rating:3.5]
I’ve picked up Metro – Last Light today on the PS3
I think I started a PC version a year ago??? I’ll have to look it up, remember not been too impressed. Although that could have been due to the lack of joypad 🙂
(Here it is Metr0 2033)

It has decent ratings on Metacritic (82%), but then again so does every newly released title… off to play!

1st hour
There seems to be references about a missile hit on the enemies known as the Dark Ones, not sure if this is from the conclusion of a previous game, Metro 2033 perhaps? or just a plot device.

It plays like any other FPS, with a couple of nice touches.
I like the gas masks, that it seems like I’m going to have to change the filters every 10 minutes, and that you have to wipe the glass when it gets dirty. This is also similar to your torch, the light dims when it is ready for a recharge.

The scenery looks impressive, but the human animation average, the mouth movement voice sync poor.
I am not sure how I feel about all the characters being Russian, but speaking English… would I have liked the voice acting to be in Russian with sub titles, I’m not sure?

The sprites seem to glitch in and out at a distance, while in the open World, but I’m finding it very atmospheric, heightened by the audio effects.

I can’t help drawing similarities to Fallout 3, but this time in Russia, rather than the US mainland.

I’m enjoying the humour from the characters, the Nazis reminding me of Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards. I like having Nazi enemies, I never mind shooting them, like zombies, they’re the guilt free option.

The knife executions are quite gory, and the learning curve is paced and balanced. The stealth option works well, your watch telling you when you’re hidden, a nod to Splinter Cell. So the option is there to go in quiet, or with guns blazing.

This choice is facilitated by the weapon attachments; each gun you find on a deceased enemy is set up a little different. Want to snipe out Reich members, go for a low light sights with a silencer, prefer to shoot it out a red dot might be more your style. This is if you choose a gun, guns for show, knives for a pro, silent and certainly deadly.