Metro Exodus

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JaySevenZero
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Metro Exodus

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Metro Exodus for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: 462 - Metro Exodus

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Metro Exodus is one of my favourite games of all time, full stop. It hovers somewhere on the boundary of my Top 10.

What's so great about this game? Well I think for me, it's personal. I'm Macedonian-Canadian, so I have a certain nostalgia for Slavic language and culture. While I don't speak Russian - or Macedonian for that matter - something about Slavic languages feels really comfy for me. So imagine, then, a game series that not only has full Russian audio, but also has an unflinching love for the lands of what was once the USSR.

I think a lot of the critics got it wrong when talking about Exodus. While it's certainly a sequel to 2033 and Last Light, it's not trying to be the same game. It's a road trip story - a tale of downtrodden citizens of a filthy subway system escaping the confines of their tunnels and seeing the world outside the walls they know. It's a story not only about Artyom and his companions, but a story about the ecological diversity of Russia and Kazakhstan. And viewed through this lens... My god is this game ever something special.

Much like Final Fantasy VII, the key juxtaposition here is the machinations of man vs. nature. Humanity has destroyed itself - will nature persist and persevere? Are humans part of nature? Where do we fit when our constructs are dilapidated? And the game as a whole explores a wide range of possibilities. In the Caspian Sea level, the indigenous Central Asian peoples reclaim their roots and stage a rebellion against their colonizers. In the Taiga, children left to the elements during a nuclear war have become savvy to the woods in adulthood. And in an abandoned military base, humanity no longer endures.

The locales in this game are used to elaborate upon the themes of human nature explored in the previous two games, but escaping the narrow setting - pun intended - allows for a greater diversity of stories and situations. And in every step, there's a clear passion from the artists for the lands of a continent-sized nation. The environments here are beautiful - cities reclaimed by permafrost, space bases reclaimed by sand, retro cabins living in harmony with the trees... This whole game is just wondrous. It's truly a love letter to *the land itself*, with the inhabitants growing from it like flora and fauna.

Viewing it solely as an action game misses the point, I think. While I certainly found the gameplay mechanics enjoyable, especially when going the stealth route, it's really the atmosphere that sells this game. If that's what you want out of a game, play this one... And please use the Russian audio.

Three Word Review: Post-Apocalyptic Russian Roadtrip
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luke10123
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Re: 486 - Metro Exodus

Post by luke10123 »

Metro: Exodus is a great game. Not a perfect one, or one that transcends or reinvents the genre but a great game nonetheless. I wasn’t particularly excited by it prior to launch, I’d really enjoyed the two previous titles in the series but I felt leaving behind the unique setting of the Moscow metro system wasn’t the best idea but I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Having played it, I still believe that the series was at its best when it stuck to its roots, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well Metro translated into a more open setting even if it was at the cost of, in my opinion, feeling more generic. Another example is the removal of more powerful pre-apocalypse bullets being used as currency. This was a fun and unique system that forced the player to consider how badly they really needed items and if they were willing to weaken themselves by trading away their ability to deal high damage. Something that could come back to haunt them a few hours later, when they are on the surface, wounded, surrounded by mutants and running out of air.

By far my favourite part of Exodus were the characters and the sections on the train in particular where we get to spend some quality time and get to know them. They all felt like real people rather than stock characters or archetypes and by the end I felt really invested in their lives and stories. That being said, if like me you want to hear all the conversations and dialogue sometimes these sections can start to drag on a bit and I feel the game would be better served spreading them out somewhat. While the overall plot isn’t anything special, this is a story of the journey rather than the destination. There’s no real central antagonist to speak of and it’s all fairly predictable throughout. But I was still motivated to continue because of how much I’d come to care for the supporting cast.

The gunplay is… fine. Decent. The weapons are fun and feel like they have a bit of kick to them but I felt it was lacking in variety somewhat by the time I reached the end credits. Perhaps if I’d played on a higher difficulty I might have thought more of it but I really struggle to remember that many great action sections whereas I can remember plenty from 2033 and Last Light.

Visually, the game is great. The graphics and lighting are superb and it ran really well on my PC. The different biomes you visit feel unique and I really enjoyed exploring each one, even if they did occasionally feel a little empty, which isn’t necessarily to the game’s detriment. The seasons changing as our journey progresses gives a great sense of the passage of time and made the exodus feel like an odyssey.

All that being said, my biggest criticism is one levelled at the previous games in the series and that’s the protagonist. I still find the decision to have Artyom remain silent for so much of the game is a mistake, especially as we know he is not a mute. The fact he can talk sometimes but not others is frustrating as it sometimes feels like he doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the cast. I’m glad he’s not a completely silent protagonist but I feel having him more involved would have only improved the game.


3 Word Review: Choo-Choo, comrades!
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Alex79
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Re: 486 - Metro Exodus

Post by Alex79 »

Heads up, the second Metro game, Last Light, is currently only a couple of quid on Switch.
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Tolkientaters
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Re: 486 - Metro Exodus

Post by Tolkientaters »

This was my first Metro game and I really enjoyed it. The best feature of Metro Exodus and likely the entire Metro series is an unparalleled sense of atmosphere, the mask filters, general scarcity, and dozens of other little touches just make this world feel that much more real. It does sacrifice that atmosphere pretty often with a lot of bombastic set pieces that while fun don't fit in with the realistic tone the rest of the game is going for.

I generally like the story and characters, the writing's not fantastic, but it's solid and I like spending time with these characters, and the Russian voice acting seems pretty good. Unfortunately a lot of the plot does feel fairly predictable, but those predictable turns are generally well executed. However I did find the ending to be overly sentimental mostly just in the execution of the final scenes.

The Combat is fine and does feel good with the adaptive triggers.

My biggest issue with the game is the bugs. I initially played this game on a decent PC up to the area with the pirates, where in I encountered a gamebreaking bug that required me to load a save from back in Moscow to progress, so I didn't bother. Later I saw it for 10 dollars on the Playstation store and hoping I wouldn't run into the same bug, I played it on my PS5. It looked fantastic with all the upgrades and I was able to finish the game, but I continued to run into a lot of bugs like the mutant bear fight repeatedly bugging out in different ways and being unable to shoot my crossbow. It didn't stop my game this time, but it was frustrating.

All in all I did really enjoy this game, not the greatest, but it definitely feels unique and I would recommend it to others if they don't mind a few bugs.
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BadgerCatcher
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Re: 486 - Metro Exodus

Post by BadgerCatcher »

I have mixed feelings about this game overall. It was one that I'd been looking forward to playing for a while, but held off - hoping for a next gen upgrade. When that was actually announced - I was psyched! A proper PS5 upgrade with ray-tracing and dual-sense features included! I bought the game on sale for around $16 (Aus), which is an absolute steal, and waited patiently for the update.

The previous games always had a great overall mood. A bit of mystery, a splash of horror, and a cool post apocalyptic story. This one starts off a bit weak, but then picks up massively once you get to the first area/sandbox. I loved walking around the desolate setting, scavenging parts and taking in some great environmental storytelling. Rowing your boat through through a beautifully lit lake, seeing the giant catfish, and then docking inside a small camp of anti-tech religious zealots - wonderful! It reminded me of playing Fallout 3 for the first time! The dualsense features were also a nice addition. Feeling the increase of pressure in the trigger when pumping the pneumatic air rifle being the standout.

Unfortunately it just couldn't hold my attention. I tried so hard to like it, but each new area I visited just felt less and less interesting. This includes the story, which really suffers from the dusty old "silent protagonist" archetype. It's so jarring to have people sparking up conversations with you when you just can't reply. It was like a "worst husband" simulator. Your wife lying on your lap, pouring her heart out. Worried about what's going to happen to everyone. You push a button to touch her head like a child and then get up and walk away. Just like "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm gonna go shoot some things, woman". The true highlight of this being the wedding. Everyone celebrating. Wife almost dying. Then they all start giving speeches. Doing toasts. Someone plays a song. Your wife looks at you affectionately and says something like "your turn Artyom". At which point I just sat there. looking around at all their staring, expectant faces. Didn't see any prompt for speech or toast. Stood up and walked away. Just like "yeah, yeah. Whatever. This wedding blows. I wanna go shoot some things and talk to my diary".
To be honest - it was hilarious, but still so damn weird! Why put the spotlight on me if I can't speak? Maybe I missed a prompt, but I'll forever be the most disinterested jerk that just came for the liquor and left. Who cares that my wife coughed up blood? She asks too many questions anyway! Why isn't she a gun? Or a diary? Maybe then I'd have something to say to her.

Anyway - I made it up to the Summer / Taiga chapter and fought a bear. After that I met another character who threw a lot of words at my "sack of hammers" face, to which I did my signature "silent walk away" and decided to do the same to the game itself. There was so much attention placed into the world to immerse you, yet all the dialogue would rip me straight out of it. I just couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

Still - I'm glad I played it. Just wish Artyom had been given half as much personality as the rest of the cast.

3 word review: Best. Wedding. EVER
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