�Never play a sequel until you�ve played the original.�
Wise words. Of course, made famous by Sir Richard Arkwright, the 18th century inventor
and pioneer of the factory system. It was at the end of the Industrial Revolution when
Arkwright answered his critics by saying, �Oh, forget about disease and pollution
and poverty. And never play a sequel until you�ve played the original.�
I should�ve listened to Richard Arkwright.
Good ol� Dick.
See, I recently played Metro: Last Light, and I was absolutely blown away. By its atmosphere,
and story...big fan of Metro: Last Light. But see, I played it having never played this...the
original Metro. Metro 2033. And maybe if I had, I would�ve liked this game a whole
lot more. Given the situation, I just wanted to play Last Light.
Metro 2033 was released back in 2010, but even then, the criticisms of Metro were virtually
the same as they are today. Awesome atmosphere, awesome presentation, slightly less awesome
gameplay. In retrospect, Last Light took some big strides to change that narrative. But
here in the original?
That�s definitely still the narrative.
Speaking of narrative...that was Metro�s strong point even in 2033. The nuclear apocalypse
has finally happened, and the only people left on the entire planet...are the ones living
beneath it. The ones who got underground before it was too late. Now, man faces extinction,
fighting to survive deep within the dark tunnels of the old Metro.
Unfortunately, we�re not the only species living there.
As with its sequel, Metro is all about its vibe and atmosphere. This game hits on all
the right emotions at all the right times. Down in the shelters, this game is palpably
solemn. In the firefights? Adrenaline city. And up on the surface?
At times, haunting. And freaking awesome.
The catch is...again, it�s all less effective than its sequel. And in no area is that more
evident than in its gameplay. Metro is a stealth-based first-person shooter, but where stealth is
actually a strength of Last Light...it�s a weakness in 2033. Making just one mistake
means the jig is up for the entire section. And what�s worse, every single freaking
enemy will know exactly where you are. Telepathically, I guess?
As for the shooting mechanics...I mean, they�re okay. The guns seem heavier than in the sequel,
if that makes sense...maybe a bit less effective? But another big difference is this game�s
gas mask. If you�re on the surface, you have to wear it, and you have to constantly
change the filters. Now, in theory, that�s cool. It sort of puts your life on a timer.
But in practice, that just becomes incredibly annoying.
Plus, it gets cracked, you can�t see anything...like freaking monsters.
If there�s one thing playing Last Light first has, uh...illuminated for me, it�s
that 2033 definitely feels like the rough draft, you know? It has a lot of the ideas
and things I love about Last Light. They�re just not developed as well, and the game in
general just isn�t as sharp. The characters aren�t as interesting; the game�s not
as polished; even the game�s strength, its atmosphere, isn�t quite as...atmospheric.
You know, this is still a really interesting game. And I might�ve called it a really
good game, but...it didn�t do it for me the way its sequel did. It�s kind of like
Metro�s slightly less hot older sister. 2033 is like the Julia Stiles to Last Light�s
Larisa Oleynik.
Only Heath Ledger is dead, so...I mean, who�s gonna sing to 2033?