I don't normally give up on games midway through. I also don't normally write blog posts on this site, because not many people will read them. So for me to write on GameSpot about giving up on a game is a pretty rare thing. Here goes.

I tried so hard to like Metro 2033. It has such an incredible atmosphere to it. I go in expecting to be unsurprised by the post-apocalyptic setting, and yet it grabs hold of you on a number of occasions, pulling you into Artyom's story. The environments are detailed and haunting, they reward the thorough player who notices things and wants to explore, and punishes the fool who rushes blindly ahead. It even gets you to start thinking in a Russian accent if you play long enough.

But a number of gameplay sequences had me wanting to obliterate my controller against the nearest wall, and tonight, I just couldn't take it anymore. First off, I'm playing on easy difficulty here. I had already made two attempts at playing on normal difficulty, both ending in me switching to another game after only a few chapters. This time I decided to just put it on easy so that I could play through it for the story, which was the one thing keeping me around. It was working for a while.

I loved sneaking around and using throwing knives on guys, watching my careful planning come to fruition (that is, unless I made one mistake and stepped on some broken glass or something), I love some of the weapons, they're very unique and fun to use (the pneumatic rifles immediately come to mind). But the issues this game has eat away at a player. The annoying and awkward movements of the nosaleses that don't look predatory in the slightest, just strange and out of place, that make them annoyingly difficult to hit. The strange Xbox control scheme where you have to hit the left and right arrows to switch one-by-one through more than half a dozen weapons. The terribly unexplained gas mask system where you have to search around the environment for half-used air canister so you can stop making this sucking noise whenever you're outside.

Those are the minor things. Several game sequences seemed like they were designed purely to annoy the player. A particular area in which you have an annoying as hell child on your back comes to mind. Your aim becomes significantly less sensitive, but it also doesn't stop when you want it to, simulating a sort of "sliding on ice" feel to aiming. That area is also filled with maddening creatures that pop up out of the group, swipe you once or twice, and then run away as soon as you look at them. They couldn't really kill me, and they weren't frightening at all, so there was no tension whatsoever in the sequence, only annoyance and frustration.

The one that got me to quit, however, was (spoilers, by the way) as the player descends into D6 with Miller. You've just encountered the amoebas, these floating orbs of goo that glide up to you and explode. They spawn seemingly endlessly while your AI partner (that you must keep alive) mindlessly walks into them and gets himself killed. This is all while I'm gaspng for air through my gasmask because the three filters I think I'm switching between all have basically no air left in them.

It's a shame, really, because I tried very hard to enjoy this game, and I really did like the atmosphere. I had hoped to have a positive experience with it, considering the upcoming release of Metro: Last Light, but now that game is moving off my horizon entirely.

I have to carea lot about a game to be able to push through gameplay that is annoying, pointless, or bland. The game from which my avatar comes from is the first example that comes to mind. With Metro, I just didn't care enough to force myself to put up with all of its various annoyances.

Yeah, it's been awhile since Dead Space came out, but I could only get myself to buy it once it became available on Xbox Live Games on Demand. It was only twenty bucks, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm normally not much of a horror fan, but I decided I'd go all out on this one. I only played at night, with the blinds down, lights off, and surround sound rocking.

I was instantly hooked. As much as I regretted it, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, being drawn into the absolutely freaky environment of the USG Ishimura. The first time a necromorph played dead on me I nearly popped up out of my seat, and was slightly mortified the first time one of those flying thingies mutated a corpse into a necromorph right in front of my eyes.

Dead Space's gameplay is spot on, for the most part. The shooting mechanics are solid, as long as the enemy isn't too close. That's when the problems start. Isaac's melee abilites are more or less horrible, and once you run out of Line Gun ammo, you'd best hightail it out of there. The aiming isn't quite fast enough to be able to compensate for the speed the necromorphs move at close range. Ammo is a constant worry, which helps add to the tension during the fights, as you struggle between carefully aiming shots at limbs and firing just to keep the enemy away. Towards the middle of the game the missions become slightly repetitive, and I found myself wondering why my two friends on board were making me do ALL of the work, while they sat in their holes and whined. The problem is remedied, however, when the plot picks up towards the end. I'd say Dead Space's gameplay is easily the equal of any shooter or survival horror game around.

The atmosphere is what makes Dead Space great, though. Creepy environments, excellent audio, and a haunting soundtrack keep the tension up at all times. To anyone buying Dead Space, I highly recommend playing in the dark, with surround sound, if you have it. It is a truly unique and terrifying experience. You'll find yourself jumping when you hear the necromorphs scuttling around in the vents, and when the little baby necromorphs scream and attack you.

A warning though: this game is very mature. The gore is a huge part of it, as I found myself crushing the limbs of corpses around me, in order to prevent them from becoming necromorphs at some time. This actually paid off for me on a few occasions, as I found myself being ambushed by a legless necromorph, whom I had crushed earlier. There are a number of horrible ways for Isaac to die, most involving loss of limbs. The few humans you encounter on the Ishimura are likely to perform some ungodly act before your eyes before they disappear. So, all in all, Dead Space is not for the faint of heart.

In conclusion, my first playthrough of Dead Space was a surprising success for me. I will probably be looking into more survival horror games in the future. I highly recommend Dead Space to anyone looking for a thrill.

Now Playing: Final Fantasy XIII