Metro 2033 is a single player first-person shooter (FPS) that incorporates role-playing game (RPG) elements. Based on the best selling novel of the same name by Dmitry A. Glukhovsky, it tells the story of humanity's struggle for survival in the forgotten tunnels of Moscow's underground subway system following a devastating nuclear war. Features include mission play combining a unique mix of firearm and melee combat, an economy revolving around ammo and items and an experience system which takes each of your actions into account, leading to a variety of possible alternate endings and extended replay value.

Story
The apocalypse came by our own making, with a single blinding flash, followed by a firestorm of sheer flame. It took just an hour and a half to wipe out 3.5 billion people and 10,000 years of civilization, plunging humanity into a hopeless Dark Age. In the aftermath, survivors in Moscow moved underground and slowly organized into small socially and politically independent tribes, clustered around the city's deep, subway stations. The young man, Artyom is among them. A member of the first generation of children raised in the subterranean world following the apocalypse, he has only the vaguest recollections of life above ground, and contact with other humans beyond those that inhabit his local station, "Exhibition," but he will have to face new experiences with both if humanity is to survive. Mutated beasts known as "Dark Ones" are spreading throughout the isolated stations of the Metro, and Artyom has been chosen as the messenger to spread the news of the new peril.

Gameplay
Metro 2033 is a single player, FPS that also incorporates RPG elements. Action played out in the role of young Artyom, is mission-based and because the game is based on the Glukhovsky novel, the storyline veers away from the anti-Russian stance that is often seen in post-apocalyptic stories and video games. Here the Russian characters are humanity, and fight every day against the terrors that nuclear war has wrought. These terrors come mostly in the form of mutants known as "Homo Novus," who have invaded the Underground, as well as frightening alien-like paranormal creatures that haunt the gameworld. The game hero, Artyom, has a certain immunity to the latter and a talent for dispatching the former, which together make him a very popular choice to be sent on missions. Combat throughout utilizes a mixture of improvised firearms and melee weapons. Balancing the use of these two is important because in this world of violence and scarcity, ammunition plays the duel role of protection and commodity. Throughout the game players will use ammo as much to purchase items and upgrades at different stations visited, as they will use it in combat. In addition, the choices made by players throughout the game register as "Enlightenment Points," or the lack of them. Accumulated totals of these register as a variety of constructs such as curiosity, kindness and prejudice resistance that can and will lead to alternative story endings. Together with its unique inventory management system, engrossing storyline and replay value based on morality, Metro 2033 is sure to be a game not to be missed by FPS and RPG players alike.

Key Game Features

Menacing Atmosphere – Incorporating shadows, ambient sounds, lighting effects and claustrophobic scenes to create feeling of tension and fear

DX10 and PhysX delivers the best graphical detailing of a post-nuclear setting to date.

Visceral engagement with the game world - fall down broken steps, tunnel race etc.

Diversity of Combat – Combat is brutal and intense, fought with improvised weapons or hand to hand in the half shadows.

Enlightenment Points – Proprietary engine takes into account your actions and analyzes them (curiosity, kindness, prejudice resistance) leading to alternative story endings.

Play through the game using either over-the-top shooter, or calculated stealth techniques, altering the game play style in the progression of the game.

Time of No Return – The length of being in hostile environment on the surface is limited, players should take that into account when venturing above ground.

Inventory Management – Use ammo to take down the opposition or save it to purchase upgrades. Cartridges replace cash, Gadgets are gold (gas masks).

RPG Light Story – Encounter NPC’s via engaging and trading activity across the various ‘Station States’, each with its own social system.

System Requirements

Minimum:

Dual core CPU (any Core 2 Duo or better will do)
DirectX 9, Shader Model 3 compliant graphics cards (GeForce 8800, GeForce GT220 and above)
1GB RAM

Recommended:

Any Quad Core or 3.0+ GHz Dual Core CPU
DirectX 10 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 260 and above)
2GB RAM

Optimum:

Core i7 CPU
NVIDIA DirectX 11 compliant graphics card (GeForce GTX 480 and 470)
As much RAM as possible (8GB+)
Fast HDD or SSD

Enabling 3D Vision

Metro 2033 utilizes NVIDIA 3D Vision with compatible cards and hardware. To play in 3D you will require:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 and above recommended
A 120Hz (or above) monitor
NVIDIA 3D Vision kit
Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7