Metro: Last Light

Metro: Last Light
Metro logo: Last Light
Studio	4A Games
Publisher	Deep Silver
Erstveröffent- lichung	May 17, 2013 2014 (Redux)
platform	Windows , Linux , macOS , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 Redux Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Google Stadia
Game engine	4A engine
genre	First person shooter , survival horror
Game mode	Single player
control	Mouse & keyboard , game controller
medium	DVD-ROM , Blu-ray Disc , download
language	English, German, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Dutch, Polish and Ukrainian
copy protection	Steamworks
Age rating	USK PEGI

Metro: Last Light , originally working title Metro 2034 , is a first-person shooter from the Ukrainian development studio 4A Games for Windows , Linux , macOS , Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 . Like its predecessor, Metro 2033 , it is based on the fictional, post-apocalyptic Metro 2033 universe by Russian author Dmitri Alexejewitsch Gluchowski .

action

In Metro: Last Light, the player once again takes on the role of Artyom, the hero of the novel and protagonist of the predecessor Metro 2033 . In contrast to Metro 2033 , the plot of the game was developed by 4A Games this time largely independently of the book itself. However, there are some parallels to the plot of the novel Metro 2034 . The focus is once again on the confrontation with the "blacks" or the telepathically gifted being known from the predecessor. Although the blacks are considered exterminated, Artyom receives a message at the beginning of the game of a sighting on the surface. He is therefore being sent out to check this information. He and one of the blacks are captured by the neo-fascists, from which Artyom has to free himself. In the further course of the game he is given the task of finding the black man who was taken away by the neo-fascists and to contact him. At the same time, a war has been announced for months between the various factions of the Metro over a huge gun bunker from the time before the nuclear catastrophe discovered in the previous game Metro 2033 , while a mysterious, deadly epidemic is raging at some stations of the Metro. As in the previous game, the player wanders through countless stations of the metro and repeatedly over the Moscow surface in order to uncover the secrets and connections of all these processes.

Gameplay

Metro: Last Light continues the gameplay of its predecessor. The game is presented consistently from the first person perspective , also in the scripted cutscenes. The user interface is greatly reduced compared to other titles. The focus of the game is on facing or bypassing action-oriented combat with limited resources. Similar to Dark Project: The Master Thief and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell , the game also offers a stealth mechanic. It has an invisible karma system, the fewer people the player kills or the more conversations he listens, the more karma points he receives, which leads to a variation in the end of the game.

development

The game's development was first confirmed at E3 2010 , at that time still under the title Metro 2034 . The then publisher THQ announced that the game, like its predecessor, would offer 3D image output. At the presentation of THQ's quarterly figures in May 2011, the company announced the name change to Metro: Last Light . For Dimitri Gluchowski, the story was very important in the development. “I've been writing this story for a long time, which has made it extremely complex. The difference in my stories is: I don't think the players are stupid, ”Gluchowski explains in an interview.

Publishing Rights

As with the predecessor Metro 2033 , the publishing rights were originally held by the US publisher THQ. In 2012, however, it ran into serious financial problems, finally filed for bankruptcy on December 20th and was broken up in January 2013 after an auction. At the auction of the company values, the German publisher Koch Media , operator of the publishing label Deep Silver, finally acquired the publishing rights for the game for 5.8 million US dollars.

synchronization

Lance Henriksen , Nolan North , Khary Payton and Patton Oswalt were hired for the English voiceover .

Wii U version

The game was at the trade show E3 in 2011 as part of the third-party product portfolio for the Wii U unveiled. However, the commitment to publish it on the Nintendo console was withdrawn in May 2012. 4A Games' CTO Oles Shishkovtsov complained in an interview in November 2012 that the Wii U had a "terrible, slow main processor". According to the developer Huw Beynon, the development effort ultimately turned out to be too great and the porting plans for the Wii U were therefore abandoned.

marketing

In May 2012, THQ advertised the game with an elaborate, so-called live action trailer entitled Enter the Metro , which in the form of a four-minute short film with the help of actors depicts the last minutes before the atomic bombs hit. The trailer was shot in the Ukrainian capital Kiev with the help of 150 actors . Mark Patten ( Prometheus - Dark Signs ) was hired as cameraman . From the end of November to the beginning of December 2012, THQ published three follow-up trailers based on this, which deal with the fate of three survivors after their escape into the metro. In December 2012, shortly before the announcement of THQ's bankruptcy, the company offered every participant a free version of its predecessor 2033 in return for subscribing to the game's official Facebook page .

Extensions

Six expansions to Metro: Last Light were released, two of which were already available at the time of publication.

Publication extensions

When the game was released, two expansions were already available: on the one hand, the ranger mode , which provides an additional level of difficulty, 100 additional pre-war cartridges (functions as currency in the game, but can also be used as ammunition) and the AKS-74U . The second extension is provided by the RPK . These two expansions can be used by players who own the first edition of the game; Limited Edition owners can play Ranger mode.

Faction pack

The Faction Pack has been available in North America since July 16, 2013 and worldwide since July 17, 2013. In the expansion, you initially play a Red Line sniper who has to penetrate a neo-fascist outpost. Then you play a heavily armed soldier of the realm who defends the borders of the realm. In the third part of the expansion, you finally play a junior ranger who searches a library for valuable items. With the expansion, the player will find his way back to known locations from Metro 2033 .

Tower pack

The Tower Pack (Engl. Tower-Pack ) is available since September 3, 2013 on the Xbox Live and Steam available on the PlayStation Network expansion since September 4, 2013 is available. With the tower pack , a combat simulation is inserted into the game, which is built up in the form of a tower, whereby the player has to fight his way upwards; the difficulty increases with each floor. To get to the top of the tower, the player must fight against both human and mutant opponents.

Developer pack

This expansion was released on September 17, 2013 in North America and on September 18, 2013 in the rest of the world. The Developer Pack (Engl. Developer Pack ) adds to the game added a shooting range, where the player can try out all the weapons of the game. A Metro Museum will be added where the player can see all mutant enemies and all human enemies up close. An AI arena will also be added, in which the player can fight against human or mutant opponents with selected squads.

Chronicles Pack

The Chronicles pack (Engl. Chronicles Pack ) was posted on October 15, 2013, Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network on October 16, 2013 Steam . The expansion adds three new single player missions: you play the Polis sniper Anna, Pavel and Khan.

reception

The Windows version has a metascore of 82%, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 each of 80.

“In terms of storytelling and atmosphere, Metro Last Light is at the forefront. [...] But as soon as it gets to the heart of the matter, the action, there are serious problems: Led by an underground AI, the battles against both human and monstrous opponents quickly become a tiresome routine. A title that actually has what it takes to put the action heavyweights under a lot of pressure is completely unnecessarily degraded. "

- 4players

Redux version

In May 2014, Deep Silver unveiled the work on so-called Redux versions for Metro 2033 and Last Light . In addition to the release for Windows, the publisher also announced issues for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game consoles previously released in the winter . The versions available individually or as a package have been technically adapted (graphics, AI, weapon handling) to the level of Last Light , apart from the respective main game, the download extensions are also included. The development for the PS4 / Xbox One version took place under adverse circumstances due to the Ukraine crisis in 2014 . In order to get the necessary developer kits for the new consoles, they first had to be smuggled through customs by employees in hand luggage, as otherwise high customs fees were expected due to the corruption in the country. The studio only received the necessary developer hardware for the PS4 at the end of 2013 and that of the Xbox One only in January 2014.

The versions for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One were released on August 29, 2014. Owners of the original PC versions received a 50% discount on new purchases. Nevertheless, there were customer complaints about the price. In contrast, the developer referred to the high development effort involved in revising the engine and adapting the games, which would have taken the entire team of 80 people over a year. The Redux versions have also been available for Linux since December 2014 . In April 2015, Deep Silver reported 1.5 million copies of the Redux packages sold at the same time as the Mac version was released.

Web links

• Official website
• Metro: Last Light at MobyGames (English)
• Metro: Last Light in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Petra Schmitz: Metro: Last Light. Young Artyom's new sorrows. In: GameStar . February 2, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
2. ^ Henry Gilbert: Metro 2034 coming, and it's goint to be 3D. In: gamesradar.com. June 30, 2010, accessed February 8, 2015 . 
3. ^ Martin Le: Metro: Last Light. Metro 2033 sequel is not called Metro 2034. In: GameStar . May 4, 2011, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
4. ^ Nicole Lange: Metro: Last Light. Fascination: underground. May 22, 2013, archived from the original on October 22, 2013 ; accessed on February 13, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Sebastian Jäger: SEGA takes over Relic, Koch Media Volition and Metro, Ubisoft South Park * Update *. (No longer available online.) In: Gamona . Webguidez Entertainment, January 23, 2013, archived from the original on January 25, 2013 ; Retrieved January 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ^ Metro Last Light. (No longer available online.) In: Comikkazee! August 22, 2012, archived from the original on June 4, 2016 ; accessed on August 25, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ^ E3 Third Party Games Announcement. Retrieved February 15, 2013 . 
8. ↑ Matthew Reynolds: 'Metro: Last Light' no longer confirmed for Wii U, says THQ. In: digitalspy.com. May 29, 2012, accessed February 15, 2013 . 
9. ↑ David Lynch: Wii U 'Has A Horrible, Slow CPU' Says Metro Last Light Dev. (No longer available online.) In: NowGamer. November 20, 2012, archived from the original on February 1, 2013 ; accessed on February 15, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ^ Metro: Last Light - Enter the Metro Short Film (Official US Version). In: YouTube . Retrieved September 30, 2013 . 
11. ↑ Russ Frushtick: Metro: Last Light live action trailer shows you as a baby. In: polygon.com. May 24, 2012, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Metro: Last Light: Making of: The "Escape to the Metro" was so complex. In: nintendrofront.de. Retrieved February 13, 2019 . 
13. ↑ Metro: Last Light - Making of the short film. In: YouTube . Retrieved February 13, 2019 . 
14. ↑ Liam Martin: 'Metro: Last Light' live-action trailer looks at The Commander - watch. In: digitalspy.com. December 7, 2012, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
15. ↑ Metro: Last Light - Survivors - The Preacher Trailer (Official US Version). In: YouTube . Retrieved September 30, 2013 . 
16. ↑ Metro: Last Light - Survivors - The Model Trailer (Official US Version). In: YouTube . Retrieved September 30, 2013 . 
17. ↑ Metro: Last Light - Survivors - The Commander Trailer (Official US Version). In: YouTube . Retrieved September 30, 2013 . 
18. ↑ Tony Strobach: Metro 2033 - like Metro, get Metro 2033 for free. In: GameStar . December 12, 2012, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
19. ↑ Max Falkenstern: Metro: Last Light - release date officially announced. In: pcgames.de. March 1, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
20. ↑ Max Falkenstern: Metro: Last Light - release date officially announced. In: pcgames.de. March 1, 2013, accessed February 1, 2019 . 
21. ↑ Andre Linken: Metro: Last Light - Release date for "Tower Pack" DLC has been set, new screenshots. In: GameStar . August 30, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
22. ↑ Tobias Ritter: Metro: Last Light - developer pack announced, enables u. a. Creation of AI skirmishes. September 23, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
23. ↑ Andre Linken: Metro: Last Light - Final DLC "Chronicle Pack" published, screenshots and trailer. In: GameStar . October 15, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
24. ^ Metro: Last Light. Pc. In: metacritic.com. Accessed February 13, 2019 . 
25. ^ Metro: Last Light. Xbox 360. In: metacritic.com. Accessed February 13, 2019 . 
26. ^ Metro: Last Light. PlayStation 3. In: metacritic.com. Accessed February 13, 2019 . 
27. ^ Mathias Oertel: Test: Metro: Last Light. In: 4Players . May 17, 2013, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
28. ↑ Matthias Dammes: Metro: Redux - Revised versions of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light for PC, Xbox One and PS4 announced. In: pcgames.de. May 22, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
29. ↑ Tobias Münster: Metro Redux - developers had to smuggle dev kits into the Ukraine. In: GameStar . May 31, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
30. ↑ Tobias Münster: Metro Redux - Specific release date & new screens. In: GameStar . June 24, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
31. ↑ Andre Linken: Metro Redux - fans outraged about the price, comments from the developers. In: GameStar . August 11, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
32. ↑ Mikro Lindner: Metro Redux series for Linux published. In: Pro-Linux . December 15, 2014, accessed February 13, 2019 . 
33. ↑ Andre Linken: Metro Redux - 1.5 million copies sold and Mac version. In: GameStar . April 16, 2015, accessed February 13, 2019 .