Metro 2033

[Madus_Maximus 0]

I was going to get this on ye olde Steam but it mysteriously vanished when I got around to looking. I'm assuming it has something to do with the metro bombings in Moscow, considering it's set in those very tunnels... or is it another one of those awesome licencing things where we don't get it in the UK much like stuff on iTunes? It's pretty hard to find PC games at retail these days too and getting there is a pain too as they're shut when I finish work. Damn thee powers that be at Steam! DAMN THEE!

[Bulldogs 10]

It's still available in the Australian Steam but it's gone back up to US$80.

[NeMeSiS 11]

note that you DONT need to BUY this book -it is possible to find english version on russian internet libraries.

Really? Do you have a link?

[Nielsneo 10]

My 2 cents.

It's a good game but unfortunatley it's mired with problems and annoyences because it's a console port.

1. Very clunky controls, lot of overshooting because it's expecting a slower controller.

2. Very annoying rapid key tapping moments that does not belong in a PC game.

3. Sickening motion blur and overdone post processing effects wich you can't turn off.

4. Can run this game maxed out but have to set it at a lower setting because of the motion blur and PP.( When set to high instead of very high the motion blur dissapates to a minimum and the PP is a little toned down).It's ridiculous that i can't play this game maxed out because of some idiotic console features that can't be turned off.

5. Save checkpoints. Again an idiotic console feature that has no place in a PC game.

6. A lot of times you're in control of Artyom one moment and not in control the next wich can be little annoying at times. I guess it's to give you a break from all that rapid tapping:j:

The immersion is good but can be broken by those annoying console limitations.Another "nice..." game that is ruined because of being a console port.:(

In that aspect Stalker is a much better game. Hmm...was'nt Stalker a PC only game?;)

[Bulldogs 10]

Those were actually my plus sides to the game (well, except for the button tapping.. seriously, why the "tap E to save yourself" junk?)

The difficult control coupled with the Checkpoint system made the game extremely intense to the point where I was jumping at every shadow.

I've never understood the huge debate against checkpoint systems. Every PC game I've played with a quick save system was boring. The intense periods in the games you'd just quick save every 5 seconds, and even if you didn't, the feature was still there as a safety blanket. It's times of, "Dammit, I don't know when it last saved and I don't know when it's going to save again", that I love in PC games.

[Guest]

I was going to get this on ye olde Steam but it mysteriously vanished when I got around to looking. I'm assuming it has something to do with the metro bombings in Moscow, considering it's set in those very tunnels... or is it another one of those awesome licencing things where we don't get it in the UK much like stuff on iTunes? It's pretty hard to find PC games at retail these days too and getting there is a pain too as they're shut when I finish work. Damn thee powers that be at Steam! DAMN THEE!

Nope, it disappeared on steam for UK users about 2 weeks ago, I have no idea why, I only got it via steam because I pre-ordered it 3 months before release.

[Pauldarrington 9]

I got my copy from GAME there offering the limited edition version with a free full game (red fraction guerrilla) plus 5 director art designs postcards.

Oh btw i completed it in 8 hours and i loved every minute of it

[PogMoThoin 10]

My 2 cents.

It's a good game but unfortunatley it's mired with problems and annoyences because it's a console port.

1. Very clunky controls, lot of overshooting because it's expecting a slower controller.

2. Very annoying rapid key tapping moments that does not belong in a PC game.

3. Sickening motion blur and overdone post processing effects wich you can't turn off.

4. Can run this game maxed out but have to set it at a lower setting because of the motion blur and PP.( When set to high instead of very high the motion blur dissapates to a minimum and the PP is a little toned down).It's ridiculous that i can't play this game maxed out because of some idiotic console features that can't be turned off.

5. Save checkpoints. Again an idiotic console feature that has no place in a PC game.

6. A lot of times you're in control of Artyom one moment and not in control the next wich can be little annoying at times. I guess it's to give you a break from all that rapid tapping:j:

The immersion is good but can be broken by those annoying console limitations.Another "nice..." game that is ruined because of being a console port.:(

In that aspect Stalker is a much better game. Hmm...was'nt Stalker a PC only game?;)

Its actually ported from the Pc to the Xbox360 so therefore isn't a console port.

Actually this is the best visual game We've seen since Crysis (I don't see any other developers pushing boundaries graphically) and You slam it as a console port, Shame on You :eek:. I had no problems with the controls (other than the usual gripe of not having Q and E lean), in fact the parts of the game where You faced human enemies played very well. As for the saving checkpoints, what do You want, quicksave, to me as a tactical gamer thats just cheating and shouldn't be in any game. (BTW, I'm actually playing Call of Pripyat here also, its not all that great, certainly not as good as the first SOC)

[Nielsneo 10]

Its actually ported from the Pc to the Xbox360 so therefore isn't a console port.

I don't know what THQ has been feeding you but it is a 100% console port.

These problems would'nt be there if it was a PC first game.

The "press enter to start" is a dead giveaway. The lack of changable graphics settings is another.

As for the save checkpoints, i don't like it when the game desides when to save and when not to. I understand that quicksaves is'nt an ideal way either but it at least gives you a measure of control and has nothing to do with tactical gaming.

Also i agree that it has stunning graphics and great atmosphere but i don't get to enjoy it to the fullest because of the sickening motion blur and over the top post processing. I would love to play this game maxed out but untill those features can be turned off i have to settle for a lower setting. Now that can't be a good thing now can it?:mad:

p.s. Oh yeah, the fact that u can't lean is also a sign it is a console port.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Nielsneo

[Richey79 10]

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,706182/Exclusive-tech-interview-on-Metro-2033/News/

Very interesting interview with Oles Shishkovstov (who also created XRay engine for SOC) talking about 4A game engine, even if it does sound like a sponsored advert for the game.

PCGH: By now multi-core CPUs have become very popular and the number of players with such machines is rapidly increasing. Did you integrate multi-core support into the engine from the beginning?

Oles Shishkovstov: Yes, the engine was architected to be multi-threaded from the start. That's the only sensible route to go. You just cannot add multi-threading later in the development cycle or it will be horribly sub-optimal.

If only BIS shared these sentiments... .

Edited April 3, 2010 by Richey79

[PogMoThoin 10]

I don't know what THQ has been feeding you but it is a 100% console port.

These problems would'nt be there if it was a PC first game.

The "press enter to start" is a dead giveaway. The lack of changable graphics settings is another.

As for the save checkpoints, i don't like it when the game desides when to save and when not to. I understand that quicksaves is'nt an ideal way either but it at least gives you a measure of control and has nothing to do with tactical gaming.

Also i agree that it has stunning graphics and great atmosphere but i don't get to enjoy it to the fullest because of the sickening motion blur and over the top post processing. I would love to play this game maxed out but untill those features can be turned off i have to settle for a lower setting. Now that can't be a good thing now can it?:mad:

p.s. Oh yeah, the fact that u can't lean is also a sign it is a console port.

Those are the signs of a multi platform game, not console port.

The game uses all of my 4 cores, show me a console port that can do that? I can also run the advanced PhysX on the cpu cores as its multithreaded (cos I've not got nvidia gpu), again show me a console port that does that. This engine was built with multi-core in mind, the game was made to suit all platforms.

[Madus_Maximus 0]

Those are the signs of a multi platform game, not console port.

The game uses all of my 4 cores, show me a console port that can do that? I can also run the advanced PhysX on the cpu cores as its multithreaded (cos I've not got nvidia gpu), again show me a console port that does that. This engine was built with multi-core in mind, the game was made to suit all platforms.

The 360 and PS3 are multi-core machines too, so they'll also make use of multi-threaded code on those platforms. If nothing else it's just a WELL ported game if that's truely the case. The original engine was written for PC then ported to console, so maybe that's why it still has all these features you don't normally see in console to PC ports (although I'm thinking more along the lines of they actually care. Most developers see the PC as a secondary market that doesn't matter to them all that much so they don't put in the effort they should).

[PogMoThoin 10]

The 360 and PS3 are multi-core machines too, so they'll also make use of multi-threaded code on those platforms. If nothing else it's just a WELL ported game if that's truely the case. The original engine was written for PC then ported to console, so maybe that's why it still has all these features you don't normally see in console to PC ports (although I'm thinking more along the lines of they actually care. Most developers see the PC as a secondary market that doesn't matter to them all that much so they don't put in the effort they should).

The console ports we've seen up to now haven't really been multi-threaded though have they, they thrashed the shit out of one single core, used loads of ram and barely put the gpu under any pressure at all. This game engine is different, it scales well on pc, brings my pc to its knees actually, uses all 4 cores and uses every bit of power my 4870x2 has. Nice to see a game making full use of my expensive hardware for a change, I feel like I'm getting value for all the money I've spent, long time since I could say that.

The game is good, but it isn't perfect. I had gripes with it and disliked the ending,

I was expecting a big boss, but no, the ending sucked.

[Madus_Maximus 0]

The console ports we've seen up to now haven't really been multi-threaded though have they, they thrashed the shit out of one single core, used loads of ram and barely put the gpu under any pressure at all. This game engine is different, it scales well on pc, brings my pc to its knees actually, uses all 4 cores and uses every bit of power my 4870x2 has. Nice to see a game making full use of my expensive hardware for a change, I feel like I'm getting value for all the money I've spent, long time since I could say that.

That's my point. Most other games they don't bother doing a proper job for the PC version, they just rush it so it "works", but quite often it doesn't work as well as it should and is buggy. Look at GTA4 and Mass Effect 1, massively buggy ports because they didn't seem to care!

It's nice to see a dev team put some effort into what they release. I'll have to pick this up from retail seeing as the digital version went walk-abouts for UK folk!

[Aeneas2020 10]

That's my point. Most other games they don't bother doing a proper job for the PC version, they just rush it so it "works", but quite often it doesn't work as well as it should and is buggy. Look at GTA4 and Mass Effect 1, massively buggy ports because they didn't seem to care!

It's nice to see a dev team put some effort into what they release. I'll have to pick this up from retail seeing as the digital version went walk-abouts for UK folk!

While i agree with your statement mass effect 1 came out like 6 months to a year after the console version on the PC. They fixed a great many of the bugs and errors, added new features and more. Bioware are usually pretty good at looking after PC gamers. Dragon Age on the PC and consoles was almost two completely different games.

[sudayev 27]

So I managed to get this game. First impressions are very warm and positive. I really enjoy the atmosphere and immersive claustrophobic climate of the Moscow's tunnels. Graphic is on really high level and just like the overall performance. I have to play this game on headpohones because of the loudness of the gpu, gives a lot of sweat to it ;)

I noticed an eased controls so far.

I'm going back to game for now, th eintroduction was very good and I cant wait what will happen soon.

[Madus_Maximus 0]

While i agree with your statement mass effect 1 came out like 6 months to a year after the console version on the PC. They fixed a great many of the bugs and errors, added new features and more. Bioware are usually pretty good at looking after PC gamers. Dragon Age on the PC and consoles was almost two completely different games.

Mass Effect 1 is still full of game killer bugs sadly. Not just ones that crash the game, but lock up your entire system, forcing you to physically power down your machine and reboot it. They promised to have a patch out to fix it over a year ago, still no dice. They just seem to have gone for the sequel instead. It may be the case of publishers more so than the developers, but they still released a broken game.

PC games sadly get a lower priority on multi-platform releases these days as it's a niche market with a lower ROI. Looking at some of the big publishers latest moves in the PC market with their DRM it seems like they're purposely trying to kill it off by using the "piracy" excuse. I hope BIS doesn't follow this route with their games.

I was going to get this tomorrow but like an idiot forgot it was Easter, so I'll have to wait for Tuesday now thanks to bank holiday Monday too lol. That is assuming my local GAME even sells PC stuff any more. Their selection shrinks by the week.

[Bulldogs 10]

From what I hear the PC crashing/locking up errors only happened to a small number of players and they couldn't isolate the problem or re-create it so it became near impossible to fix. At least that's the excuse used.

[Aeneas2020 10]

i only had one lockup playing ME1 and it happened in the 1st two mins i ever played the game and never happened again...odd anyway back on topic i still havent bought Metro it seems to have divided a bunch of people

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Yeah, no ME1 troubles for me. Runs wonderfully.

As for Metro, I'll be picking it up shortly.

[sudayev 27]

Right now I'm somewhere in the middle of the game I suppose, Armory Station the one before the frontline. So I have these two guys offering me some special gear: Black Suit with NV or Assault Armor (both for 100). I'm little mixed up at the moment because I dont know which one should I choose better. Is this choice practically determining rest of the game? It's like going into action or staying in shadows and pick em off from the distance.

There is also a thrid option - forget the armor and spend all cash on Scoped VSS rifle :D Mixed up anyways ...

[Bulldogs 10]

I spent all my cash on ammo and then went hellman... it was fun.

[Pauldarrington 9]

I did the same thing i believe i was at the Armoury station and spent all my hard earned bullets on a new shiny silenced p90 with scope with military bullets :) boy that was probably the best decision i made thoughout the game

[STALKERGB 6]

Been playing metro 2033 most of today :) reayly enjoying it!

It seems to have been said in alot of places but it would be really nice if you could roam around a bit. I know it would lose alot of the drive of the story but the atmosphere and sense of each station being a living, breathing place really make me want to revisit alot of them. (Especially Polis!)

[mrbinkels 10]

I just bought it off steam today. I like the gameplay. It reminds me of a tri-cross between Doom3, Fallout 3, and HL2. Good stuff.