Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

At first, I was having second thoughts about picking up Metro 2033. I had heard from friends and from magazines and websites, that the difficulty ramps up so much, it is really frustrating by the end. But I'm very glad I did decide to buy it, as it's such a delight to play.
Right, let's start off with the story. The year is 2033. You play as a young man named Artyom. He, and the rest of the citizens of Moscow have been forced into the Metro tunnels below the city due to an apocalypse-bringing nuke drop.
At the start of the game, you meet a guy named Hunter. He's a ranger, which basically means he goes on many adventures, exploring the Metro Tunnels and city surface alike. He's just come back from his latest trip to the Metro Station you live in. You have a talk with him for a little while, and then mutated rats named Nosalesis, attack you, Hunter and your Step-father. After surviving the battle, Hunter requests that you set out on a Journey of your own, and seek help from Polis, another Metro station, that includes it's own council.
The story is very interesting, taking some rather dramatic turns during the 10+ hours you'll spend playing through it.
Graphics-wise, the game is very nice indeed. Lighting effects, particle effects, all brilliant. There is a slight shortfall in the facial animations though. They're a bit stiff, and it brings down the realism a bit, but not by a huge extent. I had worries that not spending much time outside would hurt the overall presentation of the game, but the tunnels themselves look so great, and you do get to see the outside once now and again.
One of this games biggest achievements has to be it's atmospheric feeling. As you're walking through the tunnels and outside, you could cut the tension and excitement with a knife. This feature helps suck you into the story, maintaining your interest throughout the campaign.
Onto the problems. There are a few things that hamper the game a bit. First and foremost has to be the difficulty. This is NOT a shooter for new players. It doesn't explain it's controls or features well at the start of the game, therefore people who aren't use to hardcore First Person Shooter games will find it exceedingly tough. For anybody who has played games like Fallout 3 though, you will find the game tough, but not undoable. Another problem is with the Enemy AI. I didn't agree with Gamespot's Review at first, but now I've gotten further into the game, the AI do act a bit erratic at times. They'll run from cover to cover sometimes running right past you and not even looking at you. Also, when you're involved in Stealth missions (This game has a few), if you happen to miss an enemy with your throwing knives, every soldier in the immediate vicinity knows exactly where you are. This can become very frustrating, and brings down the realism.
Overall though, this game is great. The atmosphere is brilliant, and you will be able to look past the problems because it's so enjoyable. Definitely worth the £40 ($60).