Metro 2033

Metro 2033
THQ (XBOX 360, PC)

Far from the Kremlin and Vladimir Lenin’s embalmed body, in an unassuming neighborhood, lies the entrance to a secret bunker that would have been used by the Soviets had the Cold War ever heated up. Here, 180 feet below the surface of the city, is where journalists are getting the first look at Metro 2033, a postapocalyptic title based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novel of the same name that was published on the Internet in 2002. Glukhovsky quickly became one of Russia’s most popular authors, and worked closely with new developers 4A Games on this haunting first-personshooter/survival horror title. Doom meets Fallout 3, if you will.

You play Artyom, a nuclear-war survivor entrusted with traveling to subway stations and stopping mysterious creatures, the Dark Ones, from preying on people. Within each Metro stop—none of which, unfortunately, is nearly as breathtaking as the real ones that Stalin commissioned—are mini societies, each with its own politics. The resi dents are none too pleased to see a stranger around their parts, so in addition to fighting off mutated dogs and other crea tures, you’ve got to watch out for your fellow humans. After all, they don’t have much to lose.

Artyom can explore the demolished surface city only at night, and with a gas mask. Blame the nonexistent ozone layer for that. But the tunnels and subway stations give you more than enough ground to cover. You’ll have to watch your limited ammo along the way and trade prewar bullets for homemade goods and weapons. There’s a true richness to this otherwise dismal underground world, which gave me a new appreciation for ours. After ten hours in the bunker, I was more than happy to come up to the fresh, crisp air.