Gaming Weekly W11: Metro 2033 & Just Cause 2
Tuesday, March 16, 2010Okay so it was a while since I last posted, I don’t really know why but I’m back again and in this post I’ll talk a bit about two major games that is coming. One of them is Metro 2033 (PC/X360) which feels like it has gone under the radar among a lot of gamers. Well as an artist and an game enthusiast I feel like it’s my duty to tell people that this game looks seems to be the next step in graphical prowess. For you PC-gamers out there you know that this game actually takes advantage of all the new DX11 cards out there, so let’s dive right into it.
Experience Metro 2033
Metro 2033 is a first-person action game with elements of survival horror and RPG. The game is actually based on the novel Metro 2033 by the russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The game is/was being developed by 4A Games in Ukraine and will be released March 19, so it’s soon people. The developers have tried to focus on a strong single-player narrative and therefore the lack of multiplayer-support. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Moscow and most likely in the metro system. However there will be instances where the player needs to go above ground to search for supplies and other valuable artifacts.
The developers wanted the players to feel immersive when playing the game, the players will spend a lot of their time at the metro-stations talking to NPCs and trading for gear. Players will see how NPCs react and live in their current state hidden away from the terrors above and in the depths of the tunnels. NPCs will gather together, they will scold and gamble, all things adding to the atmosphere of the game.
The player will face many different enemies during the game, and will range from humans to giant mutated monsters. Ammo in the game will be scarce and you’ll have to make all your shots count, you do not want your supply of ammo run out when you face the monsters in the dark depths of the metro. The game is essentially HUD-less, relying on blood spatters to show how damaged the player is. A gas-mask must be worn when exploring the surface which will probably add to the immersive experience of the game. Due to the game being HUD-less players must navigate with a handheld map whenever they need to check their heading, leaving you defenseless for a couple of seconds. Underground players will have the typical survival horror experience, and we all know that this narrative is especially powerful when played in first-person. Players will have to navigate the tunnels using a battery-powered flashlight, the thing is that the flashlight battery actually uses a hand-crank so if you run out of energy, you’ll have to find a safe place to sit down and crank away to get the battery-power up again. Oh those moments alone in the dark, listening to your own breath as you desperately try to get your flashlight to work again. It will work wonders as a horror-experience.
PC-gamers will have a more good-looking experience but hell, have you seen the X360-version? It looks awesome! Here is some gameplay from the Xbox 360 version:
Just Cause 2
Ah Just Cause 2, I played the first game on my PC actually, however the difference in graphics was like night and day, where the X360 stood victorious. Just Cause 2 is being developed by the Swedish game developer Avalanche Studios. The Just Cause-series are known for their massive worlds, awesome graphics and fun sandbox-experience.
The gameplay of the game is similar to the first game, in which the player can go wherever he wants whenever he wants. It’s an open-world game where the player chooses if he wants to play around, do sidequests or go for the mainquest missions. There are several new features to the game, some more technical than others. The game uses an upgraded version of the first games engine, it’s called the Avalanche Engine 2.0. This new engine allows for better graphics, more advanced AI and other game-changing mechanics. The AI has been rewritten to use a “planning system” which enables enemies to do all sorts of new things; taking cover behind objects, adapting dynamically to the objects around them and it’s needed since Just Cause 2 is not all horizontal, a lot of the gameplay will take place in the air. The players will also experience the new grappling hooks, yes hooks. For you guys that have not played the demo yet, this time around you get two grappling hooks which makes the horisontal and vertical gameplay experience more interesting.
Having two grappling hooks enables you to tether objects to each other, one example is to tether a fleeing vehicle into a signpost and they’ll be stuck. You can also tether people to objects, solids like walls, moving vehicles and even to other people. The game will let player explore a massive open-world whilst doing missions and do some insane stunts like base-jumping, parachuting, storm an enemy base whilst grapple hooked to a helicopter. This game is the embodiment of “playground”. The game will be out in a couple of weeks, March 25 to be exact, keep an eye on it, it will probably be one of those games that you’ll play when you’re not in the mood for something more serious.
I’m pretty excited over Just Cause 2. I played the demo and it looks great. I really loved the freedom and the playground feeling in the first one so this game just takes that further. It’s always good to have those games in your collection that gives the player a sense of freedom, they are always needed when there are so much more serious games out there.
Yeah there are many serious games out there and not enough non-serious ones. It’s nice to kick back and explore a game like Just Cause 2. I’ll probably buy it, I liked the first one and I think this one will offer many hours of entertainment. I just hope they have some good variety in the missions to keep the game from getting boring.