Metro 2033 Redux PC Review

Veterans of the original version of Metro 2033 will notice a change in how the game starts. Before you pick your difficulty, you pick the way you want to play the game. Will you pick Survival, which will require players to conserve ammo, utilize stealth, and pick and choose when to fight or flee? Or will you pick Spartan, which is more akin to the action style of Metro: Last Light? The ability to pick between Survival and Spartan is included in both of the Metro: Redux titles, and each play out very differently. Not wanting to risk compromising the dark thrill of the first time I played Metro 2033, I opted for Survival and though I was also tempted to go with the hardest difficulty available I passed it up for the normal difficulty instead.

So here I was, once more taking that first climb into the outside world. Or rather, first from the gameplay perspective. You see, Metro 2033 actually begins at a climactic moment in the story and then in a flash the main character Artyom retells the story, and as such you relive it from his perspective. That first scene really helps set the stage and the gut wrenching feeling of the troubles that wait ahead. The story remains as superb today as it was in 2010 as it successfully combines the horrors of war with the supernatural and paranormal sprinkled in just enough to add another layer of tension. However with Metro: Last Light showing us what the canon ending is, returning players may feel inclined not to make same the choices for what - at the time - seemed like the "good" ending.

The first thing I noticed other than the graphical enhancements, were the controls. I'm not sure if it is all in my head or if the controls are honestly much more polished than they once were, but I went from a game where I died more often to accidental falls or overextended movements to something that controlled as crisp and precise as other shooters. Firing from the hip was actually a viable option this time around, whereas in the past you'd be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn without aiming down your sights.

Another thing substantially improved is the friendly AI. I cannot express how many times in the original I died because of failures of the AI. In games like Call of Duty, the AI is intentionally made useless so that the player can feel like a hero, but that same thought process doesn't transfer over well if it is one of several parts where you have to fight tooth and nail for survival. In the original game, you'd be lucky if your comrades could even kill a single enemy. Now, they still let you do most of the work but they are actually helpful in situations that would otherwise be frustrating to the point of pulling your hair out.

Hopping back and forth between the games to compare the graphics across all settings, the game looks better across the board. Of course this means that if your current PC struggled with the original version of Metro 2033 you're going to have to sit this one out. Character models and environment textures have been majorly improved, offering an intense, almost real display of a downtrodden society that dwells beneath the surface. In the above-ground segments, however, the appearances of humans takes a slight hit. The beautiful display of life in the tunnels of the Moscow metro was already amazing just a few years ago, but now that beauty has increased tenfold.

While the visuals have been majorly updated and the gameplay itself feels more polished, it seems as if all of the original dialogue audio was left the same. Not that this is a bad thing mind you, but I have a pet peeve when I encounter enemies in the game that are supposed to be of an entirely different nationality using Russian accents as though it's just business as usual. Other than that, the voice work was great then and it's mostly a good decision to have kept it as is.

Metro 2033 Redux has taken the original title and increased the quality to such heights that it was like playing a completely different game. Amazing graphics, refined and tweaked gameplay... it all makes for a much smoother experience. There are no sacrifices of the good of the original but it does successfully eliminate the bad - this is how remakes should be. Whether you have played the original or not, this is a game for anyone seeking atmosphere, story, and FPS gameplay blended into something amazing. Do not miss this experience.

Minimum Requirements of Metro Redux 2033:

OS: Windows Vista, 7 or 8 (64-bit only)

Processor: Dual Core CPU (2.2+ GHz Dual Core CPU or better)

Memory: 2 GB RAM

Graphics: DirectX 10, Shader Model 4 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB, GeForce GTS 250, etc)

DirectX: Version 10

Storage: 10 GB available space

Additional Notes: 64-bit only

Recommended Requirements of Metro Redux 2033:

OS: Windows 7 or 8 (64-bit only)

Processor: Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU

Memory: 4 GB RAM