Metro Last Light uses the solid foundation of its predecessor and improves on it...
Metro 2033 was (and still is) a game I absolutely adored. Not because it was kind of on the short side as far as longevity, but because of the atmosphere, because of the narrative and because of the respect I earned towards the Ukraine-based 4A Games developers. Those folks (quite similarly to other developers from that part of the world, CD Project Red for instance) have put in a tremendous shift into making a gorgeous and engaging shooter, that tells a story of desolation and despair.
Story
Metro Last Light continues the story of Artyom – a Metro citizen, who undertook the task of stopping the great thread of a new mutant breed, called the "Dark Ones". This is where the story of Metro 2033 ended and where the Last Light begins. The Metro stations have grown since that day and as with human nature anywhere, the strive for power, greed and governance is starting to take a toll on the population. The Metro has been divided into factions – all of which are vying for power. It is safe to say that Metro Last Light focuses on the moral degradation of the human inhabitants, as opposed to what the previous game focused on – the mutated creatures or the Dark Ones. The storyline is quite engaging with some nice plot climaxes, but I found it to be a little less memorable than the one in the first game. One final note worth mentioning – Last Light's campaign is longer than Metro 2033's. 8/10
Graphics
On PC, Metro 2033 and now Last Light have been used as graphical benchmarks. Something similar to what the Crysis series has been, of course. On Xbox 360, Last Light looks impressive. Again, the attention to detail is top-notch, the environments are memorable and the special effects are outstanding. The Metro series is known for its atmosphere and the graphical presentation is certainly a huge factor in that. 9/10
Sound/Voice Acting
The quality of Metro Last Light's sound effects is unquestionable. Sound plays a huge role in the gameplay as well, depending on the approach your character is undertaking – stealthy versus gung-ho. I can only think of the Dead Space series that can somewhat rival Metro's outstanding sound design. Voice acting is quite similar to the first game – the usage of Eastern-European actors speaking English (when English is selected as a spoken language, the player is given a choice actually) adds tremendously towards the authenticity of the setting. 9/10
Gameplay
One of the main concerns when Metro 2033 came out was the inferior quality of the gunplay. Well, Last Light improves on that, even though I had no problem with the gunplay in the first game (the premise of the game is usage of man-made, junky and clunky weaponry). Last Light allows you to upgrade and modify weapons. You can purchase all kinds of weapon mods – from laser sights to silencers, and attach/detach them at any given moment. Other than that, the player is also given the charger (for recharging your electronic equipment), gas mask and filters and other equipment like throwing knives, grenades etc… As far as gameplay flexibility, the title has been improved dramatically, even though some of the AI could be quite clunky at times. The player can approach a situation stealthily or go guns blazing and both gameplay modes are very satisfying and polished. 8.5/10
Overall
Metro Last Light is worthy successor of Metro 2033. It improves on every bit of "negativism" the first game received, which shows us that 4A Games listened to its fans/critiques. In this day and age however, I find it very hard for a sequel to beat its predecessor and this is the case with Last Light too. Maybe, it is the fact that I knew what to expect from the series. Metro 2033 laid a solid, solid foundation (post-apocalyptic world, atmospheric, dark and gritty gameplay), something that I already expected of Last Light. Other than that, the series is tremendous and an asset to anybody that loves the story-driven shooter genre. 8.5/10
EvilSelf