Metro: Last Light is one of those games that hardcore gamers have been waiting to see released for a while now, with some snags encountered with THQ’s going out of business and subsequent fire sale. Even with all of those little snags that popped up along the way, Metro: Last Light still came to market and has been receiving good reviews and overall a positive reaction from gamers. That is good, because the last thing that anyone would want to see is a game get dragged down by industry troubles.
What’s interesting to note about the game is that much like we saw with the recent BioShock: Infinite, the general consensus seems to be that Metro: Last Light is an immersive experience that features a compelling story, interesting characters and a cool setting, but that most of the problems tend to arise from the gameplay. Metro: Last Light is a first person shooter, which means that no matter what you’ll know what to do when you pick it up as well as what to expect from it. That means that the gameplay will probably never feel fresh or all-that interesting if you know your way around a first person shooter, then you add in the fact that there are a good deal of slowdowns, glitches and that the enemy AI is flat-out poor in most places.
The team behind the game obviously put a lot of time and thought into it, as the story is one of the focal points and they do their best to give you a reason to want to keep playing. In that regard, they are absolutely successful, but Metro: Last Light is simply further proof that even with everyone’s best efforts to bring gaming forward with narrative and characters, the gameplay is still incredibly important. That gameplay is getting to be a bit tired, no matter what kinds of bells and whistles are attached to it. When a first person shooter is done right, it is a marvelous thing, but if there are little snags along the way it can seriously detract from a game.
While I’m not saying that Metro: Last Light is a bad game, exactly, it is showing that even with Hollywood-level storytelling involved there will have to be some steps made in the near future to really help nudge the gaming world along to catch up to its grand visions and ideas. I might not be the person to make that suggestion right now, because honestly, I’m not sure where games can go outside of first person shooters without a complete overhaul happening.
The reality of this is that good games like Metro: Last Light and BioShock: Infinite are going to have these footnotes attached to them, where they are heralded as great examples of games with strong narratives and original ideas that were weighed down by their limited gameplay. That gameplay which feels stale due to the sheer number of first person shooters that are released all of the time.
Hopefully companies like 4A Games continue to push the boundaries of what a traditional shooter is, but let’s hope that the tired shooter mechanics see an overhaul in the near future.
I would have to absolutely disagree to the extent of evolution you are implying. I understand you have probably played every first person ever released in the last 5 years and you are probably getting tired of playing through a game in such a mode but you have to realize such things are not possible.
I think you are focusing too much on the game play and wanting someone to impress you drastically instead of experiencing a fusion of story and gameplay in one. Every time i point the barrel at someone im not thinking about, Halo or Half LIfe or farcry or Bioshock. I am a Russian, I am a soldier in a post apocalyptic era. I am playing on hardcore the 1st run and i am in a world of scarcity. I do not kill with out a headshot ever. I always know how many seconds i have left on my gas mask filters. Letting that guide the gameplay completely changes the experience. Story telling goes much further for many people than you think.
I am very into this game for the story telling especially to know that it is a game based on a novel by a russian author. Its a huge insight into russian culture. I can only compare your review to be like watching game of thrones and constantly comparing it to things similar that have happened. Instead of immersing yourself in the world like that is all there is. Understanding the characters for who they are. I guarantee you the creators approach it from that angle so there is a lot to observe when you play it in that respect.
Well, I think that they did a LOT right in Metro: Last Light. Like a shocking amount of right, it’s just some little gameplay snags that really kind of jolt you out of the experience and make you realize that you doing more of the same.
I think that game storytelling is really starting to become a lot better, but we haven’t seen gameplay really evolve along with it. We’re just making Wolfenstein 3D look better.
I totally agree with you but I must ask, you say that making the changes you ask for would require a complete overhaul, I agree we’re stuck in a trend, but overhauls have been tried and most have failed, I think people want to stick with the current trend because if it ain’t broke don’t fix it is safe and if you’re a good developer is guaranteed to make you at least a couple bucks. So my question for you (and I might write an article on hubpages about what I think could change if I can find the time) is what would you see changed in order to overhaul what gaming is without alienating the consumers by making it TOO different to where they have to re-learn how to game.
Man, you know, this is kind of tough and I almost hesitate to say it, but some of the stuff that we’ve seen Quantic Dream do really allows for a game to work outside of the norm. The reason I’m hesitant is because I know that it isn’t for everyone.
These stories about survival under extreme circumstances and saving the world would just have more of a visceral reaction if they weren’t like playing as Rambo taking on an army all by himself.
Imagine a game like Metro which involves a lot of sneaking around and being precise but done with more tension and less “this is a first person shooter” to it. Almost like Mirror’s Edge with QTE events?