Metro 2033

Rating: M

Release date: March 16, 2010

Platforms: Xbox 360, PC

Multiplayer: No. 

Downloadable content: No.

Metro 2033 is not just a first-person shooter. Rather, it is a first person shooter with horror elements such as jump scares, dark environs, and humanoid monsters. The HUD is almost non-existent, replaced instead by physical items either on the character's body or carried by him, such as a wristwatch to calculate the amount of time left in a gas mask filter, a notebook to track objectives, or a dynamo to keep a flashlight charged.

The lack of HUD also extends to the guns in the game, almost of all of which are home-made. As such, the ammo count for each can be easily seen by glancing at the gun itself. Case in point is the Kalash 2012, which fires from a horizontal magazine, making the number of rounds left very easy to discern.

This is especially important during levels in the Metro itself, since much of it is dark and creatures spring from crevices or darkened tunnels. Trying to take them down is a tense, frenetic affair made all the harder by fact that ammunition is scarce outside of the Metro stations, requiring the player to either ration ammo or have incredibly good reflexes and head-shotting ability.

"Wait a second," you might say, "what happens when I get to a Metro station? How do I pay for my ammo and weapons?" The answer to this is quite simple: scattered around the landscape the player will find 5.45x39mm military-grade rounds (MGR). In addition to being used to pay for items, MGRs can also be used in a pinch when you find that you have run out of regular, Metro-produced ammo.

That's right players, you'll probably end up shooting money. 

If the player does not wish to waste their hard-found MGRs by planting them in an enemy's face at several thousand feet per second, they can always find an ammo exchange kiosk, where one MGR will net them anywhere from six to fifteen rounds of ammunition, depending on the type. It's not just rifle and revolver cartridges, either: there are weapons that fire ball-bearings and arrows, and the player is also able to pick up at least five throwing knives.

If you'd like to give the game a try, a copy can be picked up at my Amazon aStore.