CD-ROM Fossil

Initial Release Date: March 16, 2010

Developer: 4A Games

Publisher: THQ

Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Mac (2014), Linux (2015)

Overview:
FEAR THE FUTURE, in 2033 a new Dark Age has dawned. Enter the shattered world of a post-apocalyptic Moscow and embark upon a terrifying journey to the heart of the underground.

Brave the darkness of the tunnels, where mutants hunt their prey and ghostly spirits lurk.

System Requirements:
OS: Windows 7/ Vista/ XP
CPU: Dual Core 2GHZ
Memory: 1 GB of RAM,  6GB of free Hard Drive space
Video Card: DirectxX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (Geforce 7900 or Geforce 8600)

Plot:
Play as Artyom, a young man who lived in the tunnels of Moscow for most of his life. The settlements in the Metro are broken down into stations; each station is it’s own community and each with different atmospheres and specialties. Your station is on the brink after mysterious mutants known as Dark Ones begin to ravage people’s minds, leaving them broken. During a regular, normally safe, supply run to a neighboring station, Artyom is sent by his adoptive father to request help from the capital of the Metro, Polis. This is a journey that will shape the Metro forever. You and your friends are put to sleep by something that appears to invade your mind. 

Upon waking up, you’re attacked by mutants and struggle to survive with each moment lasting an eternity. After finally reaching the station your companion is able to turn the tide with a hail of gunfire and flames. Artyom continues his journey to Polis meeting friends and foes along the way. Through many struggles and even more close scrapes with death, Artyom arrives at Polis to request help for his home; however, the council in charge of such requests denies Artyom’s home of the desperately needed help. 

Frustrated, Artyom is lost, but Miller, the commander of the Spartans, an independent group of highly skilled fighters trying to maintain some form of peace and balance in the Metro, offers Artyom a different plan and a spot on the team. Miller tells Artyom of a secret military complex deep in the Metro called D6 where he believes they can find the technology and firepower needed to destroy the Home of the Dark Ones, thereby saving Artyom’s home. Diving deeper and deeper into the darkness, they find and secure D6, which is full of silos of unused and forgotten military equipment and munitions, including laser guided rockets they can use to destroy the Dark Ones. In the end, the player’s actions throughout the game determines whether or not Artyom destroys the Dark Ones. Canonically, Artyom chooses to launch the rocket in the Dark Ones’ home.

Gameplay:
Metro 2033 is a linear first-person shooter (FPS) with moments of horror and some light survival, particularly when exploring surface areas. You can choose to play either stealthily or like a more traditional action FPS, though higher difficulty very much encourages stealth as resources and ammo become more scarce and enemies become more deadly.

Critic Reviews:
Game Informer: 9/10

Gamespot: 8/10

IGN: 6.9/10

Metacritic: 81/100