Metro: Last Light preview

Metro 2033, from developer 4A Games, was a surprise cult-hit from publisher THQ when it arrived in early 2010. The shooter based on Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel of the same name combined the unapologetic mechanics found in many Eastern European PC-centric shooters that made it difficult to crack the mainstream shooter market. Though the game suffered a handful of bugs, its success on PC and Xbox 360 paved the way for THQ to "green light" a continuation of the adapted story. Metro: Last Light continues the franchise with the same creative vision as its predecessor but also features a strong commitment to bring the game's core systems up to the same standards as its artistic aspirations. From what I have seen, the game still features the same Eastern European gameplay design popularized by games of the same ilk, stifling fears that Metro: Last Light would attempt to "Westernize" the series going forward. The game universe returns to the bleak, post-apocalyptic world where humanity survives underground. Slowly, though, the world is becoming more hospitable, and as humanity gets back on its feet, factions form and the struggle for power leads to new civil wars.

Civil wars spawn throughout the world in Metro: Last Light as the environment becomes more hospitable.

I saw a demo of a very early version of the game being played on PC. Like the original, Metro: Last Light hits that combination of art style and visual fidelity that stops anyone in their tracks. Details abound in every environment both below and above ground. The developer's attention to detail makes it easy to get sucked into the game world. And it's punctuated by the fictional elements such as a pneumatic sniper rifle that comes of as completely believable as something hand-made a gunsmith in this bleak, industrial world might fashion. Metro: Last Light's demo also highlighted the game's use of dramatic lighting. The contrast between the gloomy dark of the underground and the stark, glaring ruin of the surface goes a long way in setting the tone of the game. Much of what I saw was underground, where the only light is artificial. In a stealthy section of the demo, the sense of tension was quite strong watching the light beams of a patrol come through a tunnel. But it looked like it also helped make it easier to tell where you would and wouldn't be seen, allowing you to sneak behind unsuspecting enemies for a stealth kill. Anytime stealth comes up in a game I get a little wary. It requires sophisticated AI to create a believable set of enemy behaviors to try and overcome. Too rigid and it feels like a machine; too aware and difficulty can spike making it hard to play. On that count, AI is another of the developer's core elements expressly targeted for improvement. Even when not sneaking, Metro: Last Light promises to retain its feeling of a shooter that plays at a more measured pace. It does not seek to be an over-the-top run-and-gun experience. The world it takes place in is still very inhospitable and there's an underlying theme to the game of needing to be conscientious about every resource used. Again, light, ammo, and air are precious resources, and must be treated as such to ensure survival. This demo, though, set out to prove that Metro: Last Light deserves mention in any discussion of the most impressive shooters currently in development. It did so rather emphatically. Watching it will certainly elicit a lot of "wows" from the crowd. For example, the demo's concluding chase sequence--featuring a tense running escape through an underground military rally followed by a rail car pursuit--demanded the attention of all who witnessed it. It's up to Metro: Last Light to deliver on that promise with a glitch-free, smooth gaming experience when it arrives. One thing it shouldn't be, though, is a surprise.

Garnett Lee

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Shacknews

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May 31, 2011 1:30 PM

Garnett Lee posted a new article, Metro: Last Light preview.

Shacknews ventures underground into the dark, grim world of Metro: Last Light and emerges with a preview of the upcoming sequel to 2010's cult-hit game Metro 2033.
- Memphis-Ahn
  
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  May 31, 2011 1:53 PM
  
  GOTY.
- LoioshDwaggie
  
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  May 31, 2011 1:54 PM
  
  Sweet!
- deathofrats
  
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  May 31, 2011 1:57 PM
  
  bonus points for using Portishead
  - Jobos
    
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    May 31, 2011 4:02 PM
    
    Oh, is that who that was? Love Portishead.
    - danielbrauer
      
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      May 31, 2011 4:51 PM
      
      Yeah, they released Third in 2008, which I think a lot of people didn't notice because it had been ten years since their self-titled album.
  - apocreg
    
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    June 1, 2011 6:45 AM
    
    you are not wrong!
- ajvitaly
  
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  May 31, 2011 2:03 PM
  
  Day 1 purchase for me!
- shirif
  
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  May 31, 2011 2:05 PM
  
  Das bein ein excellent news!
- limpossible
  
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  May 31, 2011 2:15 PM
  
  The endings to the first were pretty cool. Im looking forward to this.
- MeestaNob
  
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  May 31, 2011 4:19 PM
  
  The first one is really good, tempted to try it again on Ranger but Easy was hard enough for me...
  - ajvitaly
    
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    May 31, 2011 4:34 PM
    
    Use the throwing knifes as much as possible on ranger mode. Ammo is extremely scarce!
    - Poor Yurik
      
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      May 31, 2011 10:11 PM
      
      Ammo is not scarce at all if you carry the expensive guns to the shops, sell them, and buy ammo. For instance the autoshotgun and volt driver will net you a ton of money, and you find more than one of each.
      
      I beat the game on Ranger Hardcore, and my biggest mistake was hoarding my money too much, and not buying more supplies. I ended up being like 25 gold under buying the armor near the end, I would have been much better off with a bag of bullets.
- locater16
  
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  May 31, 2011 4:29 PM
  
  I had to go fullscreen to tell whether this was concept art or an actual screenshot: http://cf.shacknews.com/images/20110531/metro_ll_ss_1_18194.jpg
  
  Yes please!
  - apocreg
    
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    June 1, 2011 6:47 AM
    
    ans that will be the framerate with those settings :-)
- grabbie
  
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  May 31, 2011 4:37 PM
  
  Great news. I hope they have better hit detection in the sequel. The stealth was hard to pull off in the original. Can see why you would be wary.
- scary_monster
  
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  May 31, 2011 11:43 PM
  
  OMG OMG OMG!! Cannot wait!! Metro 2033 is one of the best games ever made :D
  
  And if those screenshots are actually in-game then WOW! Also that was one of the most original trailers I've seen.
  - apocreg
    
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    June 1, 2011 6:45 AM
    
    i have it.., and think i love of but for some reason never play it.
    
    not sure why, framerate maybe!
- AgentPothead
  
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  June 1, 2011 2:23 AM
  
  Metro 2033 was easily one of my favorite fps of the current generation.
- Vogerl
  
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  June 1, 2011 3:47 AM
  
  For Artyom! For the Rangers!
- [deleted] 1856106348
  
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  June 1, 2011 3:51 AM
  
  [deleted]
- cell9song
  
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  June 1, 2011 7:08 PM
  
  One thing I love about Eastern Euro devs is that they dream big and don't become slavish to a financial budget. They think of a game they want to make and go for it. Compare any STALKER game to FarCry2. FC2 was repetitive and not anywhere near as engaging as STALKER. FC2 was made to engage a player with instances with no real impact on the world. STALKER was envisioned as an expansive, coherent game that would immerse the player in free form but connected scenarios.