Metro
For those of you unfamiar with the franchise, here's a link:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033_(video_game)
And another:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro:_Last_Light
Metro Redux is a re-release of a two different games, Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light. These are both based on novels. (see above links)
The game itself...
It's a FPS that will cause people to up their anti-depression meds come the first half hour. You're in Russia after the nukes fell. You play a character named Artyom, a young man who has recently shown interest in joining a peacekeeping faction called The Order. You've lived your whole life in a massive underground subway system, a "Metro" Derp!
Artyom has been tasked to deliver a message to a colonel in The Order after his home was attacked by mutant beasts that make you want to shit yourself.
The entire metro has several factions but there are three prominent ones. The Order, The Reich and the Communist Reds.
As you progress in 2033, you find out more to the story. Apparently there's some extremely dangerous mutants called The Dark Ones that threaten all of humanity. They have super secret mind meld powers. Blah blah. You'll see once you get into it.
Moving along... This FPS is in no way linear whatsoever. True the tunnels you advance through keep you on path but there are several different ways to complete objectives.
You can stealth past certain situations or go balls out and throw thousands of rounds out. The guns are exactly what you'd expect in the given situation. Pieced together with scrap metal and old parts. You buy them from merchants, (ammo as well) and you can pay for upgrades and mods. There aren't a lot of different types of weapons unfortunately. However, you see a big difference with the upgrades.
Moving on...
The storyline and environments are first class. You can eavesdrop on several different conversations to learn more about your community.
The environment is dark and gloomy yet beautiful in it's own way.
I've seen the graphics for the ps3 and the next gen blows it away.
When you go to the surface, 'Moscow in ruins' is massive and very detailed. Very depressing and dark but detailed.
A challenging addition to this game is the gas mask. You have to constantly monitor your filters and swap them out or you'll suffocate.
Your watch will alert you when you're running out of air, basically.
In Metro Last Light, (part two of this game) the story continues. It gets a little awkward when you escort a 'Dark One' on the surface. The game is basically trying to get you to deal with certain subjects like war and humanity, Etc. It does a good job with this until late in the sequel when it gets a little weird.
There's another thing about the sequel that is out of place. Gratuitous sex scenes. Well, lap dances I guess. You end up in a strip club and you can buy a lap dance from a pale, (yet hot) stripper.
Great boobs, btw.
You have a suddenly forced romantic relationship with a fellow soldier, Anna as well. The storyline in the sequel just kind of fell apart.
However, this is an interesting series and I do hope to see more. The environment is top notch. The enemy AI is fairly smart. They take cover and if they see a fallen 'comrade' they'll freak out and call backup.
The enemy mutants aren't all that smart but they are fast as hell. Especially the demons.
For a FPS this game held my interest because of all the different ways to navigate levels and it kept me interested in the story. The horror element was better than average as well. The boss battles were a little monotonous. They all do the same "run right at you" move and if you don't play it smart, you'll run out of ammo quickly.
I'm sure some of you are familiar with this game since it's been out a while. The re-release is worth checking out. You'll get about a solid 20+ hours of gameplay here.
I'm going to score it at about a 7.5. It gets a lot right but like I said, it can be a downer.