I know people here were playing Dragon Age Awakening, and before I was going to, but then I found out the 16th was the release of Metro 2033. I'm going to make more threads for discussion on other games (mostly PC) because I'm sure LOTRO isn't the only game you guys play!

Metro 2033 is a post-apocalyptic horror and FPS game based on the novel of the same name by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky and developed in a joint project between Glukovsky and 4A Games. In 2013, the war being fought at the time reached its climax, as the world is destroyed. In Moscow, people seek shelter in the metro stations to escape the global cataclysm.

The year is 2033, and the protagonist, Artyom, born in the final days before the end of the world and raised in the metro, he must finish a task given to him by his friend and a friend of his stepfather, Hunter, which sets him on a path which will decide the fate of mankind.

Now my take: I started playing this game yesterday and I am loving it. I had to choose between this and the DAO expansion, but I don't regret it. The atmosphere inside and out of the metro is amazing.

During gameplay, ammo is something that you need to reserve, so try to make as many headshots as possible! There are two types of ammo: dirty rounds, the ammo made inside the metro after the bombs fell, and military grade rounds, rare and valuable ammo made before the bombs fell. Military rounds are actually used as the currency in the game, so you have to make a choice between, "Should I use these in case I run into something dangerous" or "Should I buy that new gun I've been wanting".

Outside the metro, you have to wear gas masks, as the air is no longer breathable, and air filters don't last forever. The world outside is a realistic reflection of a nuclear holocaust. Unlike the Fallout universe, where the world is a barren and dry, desert-like wasteland, in Metro 2033, nuclear winter has taken effect. The skies are lined with gray clouds, ice freezes most surfaces and is devoid of life, except for the mutants that roam around. Some mutants fly above with large wings, resembling a cross between a dragon and demon, and others larger with fur, but not like hounds, these mutants have a different look.

Early in the game, you learn of two very different types of mutants. The majority of mutants are the creatures that roam around the surface and metro tunnels, but the other set are referred to as the "Dark Ones". Your stepfather believes these dark ones to not be simple mutants, but what he calls, Homo Novus, the next step in evolution after homo sapiens. I haven't finished the game yet, but I have seen one of these dark ones, but only while partly conscious, and only as a dark silhouette, and they resemble a classic alien, with the odd shaped head, bulbous finger tips etc.

If you feel like getting a new game, I would urge you to pick up a copy of Metro 2033. The game is awesome, and the graphics are awesome too, and settings range from Direct X 9 to 11. Although the game does not require a high-end PC to play (even though it's awesome on one) it was developed with the Nvidia 400 series cards. The cards that aren't even out yet! The developers were actually ahead of the game, and upon launching the game, it tells you to update your drivers, but those drivers aren't released yet! But don't let these things make you think the game is unstable. It rocks, visually, stable-wise and story-wise.

Metro 2033 is available on the Xbox 360, and on PC though Steamworks on Steam.

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