Creating a videogame based on a novel is surely no easy task, but that's exactly what Metro 2033 tries to do, retelling Dmitry Glukhovsky's book through the first-person shooter medium. The game takes place in the claustrophobia-inducing Moscow metro system in a world that's been ravaged by nuclear war. It's an interesting setting that sets it apart from other games using the apocalyptic setting, and Metro 2033 does a wonderful job of establishing a dystopia for you to wander through. But don't mistake Metro for being anything close to a Fallout 3-esque open world; this is a tightly scripted FPS with some clear survival-horror inspiration that unfortunately suffers from a number of glaring technical issues.

You play as Artyom, who despite having never left the metro before, sets out to help save his home by traveling through the extensive, mutant-infested underground. Immersing you in this world was clearly a high priority for developer 4A Games: The HUD is minimal, displaying little beyond your ammo and the occasional quick-time event indicator or weapon selector. Even information like your health and the integrity of your gas mask are indicated by less direct means: The edges of the screen become red as you take damage and your gas mask slowly accumulates frost as the filter wears down. And your objectives list and compass, which always points in the direction you should be heading, are physical objects, not menu choices. That means you physically pull them out, and if you're in the dark, you'll need to flick on your lighter to see them.