Played the game. Time for a review.

[Mesond]

There's a few simple reasons I consider Last Light to be the better game overall. Even though Exodus did a few things better (slightly more open world like. Crafting in the field. Looking after your gas mask. etc) Last Light remains consistent and makes you feel immersed throughout, baring a few moments. The challenges remain consistent and get harder throughout. Exodus ends up falling short at the end. That's not even a metaphor. You get back on track and then it's over.

Spoilers ahead.

Throughout Exodus it builds up until the halfway point. Gets you thinking you might be facing well armed, well trained enemy soldiers in the late game. But instead we get what is basically raiders and giant snow apes that are blind, and thus easy to avoid if you're aware of how AI works (the apes that is). Basically crouch move even if they're facing you. Which is even easier then past enemies. Being slow and lacking range (combined with slow attack animations) also means you can basically sprint right past them. It feels like the game was released before introducing said late game human enemies. There's no way in hell it ends with "I'm a leader now" with metro itself to deal with. Let alone the world at large. And if I have to wait ten years for that then I'm flipping a table. i did that already.

There's also a lot of talking. Which is fine. Even Metal Gear shows off in cutscenes. But what ruins this is the flat voice acting. You get good voice acting here and there but it tends to come across as a bit flat more often then not. Smoking and drinking in the middle of a conversation and the like was a nice touch though. But a lot of what is said feels more like filler. It feels like there's more filler then action at times.

I also liked how Last Light handled the wildlife. Enemy "wolves" (I know they're mutants but roll with it) would leave you be if you didn't do anything stupid. They would wonder about doing their own thing if you left them be and you could actually watch them. Or you'd back up as they came near you. It felt immersive. In Exodus it's back to being a generic enemy. The bear in Last Light was a scripted event but it felt like "That could actually happen". Wildlife being wildlife as wolves attack it with you helping if you want too at which point it would be peaceful. In Exodus it's a generic boss fight. Not that boss fights are bad, it just feels like Last Light did the whole animal thing better. Exodus basically went "here's the bear. Now he's a boss". Just for the sake of it.

And finally we don't get to face off against other factions as they try to oppose us. At least not late game. Not bandits (although the ones at the desert were well done. Missed opportunity with making them a less "scummy" faction though) but other soviets that want to keep secrets, or Americans that fear the worst. The Germans from Last Light were very black (and silly) but at least they were a clear obstetrical and fun to fight. Exodus give you a bit of that at the start but then you end up... fighting school kids late game? What? Complaints about how absurd that is aside, if this was early to middle game sure, but not as the last human type enemies. And then we see that we could have had that fight on the last level but don't even get it. Maybe instead of school kids
have trained assassins with silent weapons. Or add in some more depressing moments to balance things out. Either way give me trained and well equipped bad guys late game. Not make the game easier by giving me enemies that fire slower. I can understand it was a good idea for "funsies" but it feels out of place here. At this stage in the game. The whole chapter felt like one giant easter egg due to the bear (the kids being a reference from past films).

And each "chapter" in the game it does something different. That's a good thing by itself but it also feels like each chapter lacks what other chapters have. I could buy cannibals and slavers. I could even buy the teenagers at first. But then it went a bit "Disney" with it and I stopped taking it seriously. Then giant snow apes showed up. Which ironically I could take seriously because they have voices in your head. But as something to "fight" they are very easy to get around. Unlike more humanoid enemies from last Light who make you feel like you're fighting an uphill battle throughout the whole game. Both in terms of immersion and challenge. Granted the last level felt very "end game" in terms of environment, but there's just too much unfinished business and I didn't get my "army vs army" fight from past Metro games. Even if you end up settling down somewhere we know it can't end there because Miller himself stated it's about saving everyone. So what does that mean? That we have to wait for the next game instead of those events being covered in this one? Will we have to wait ten more years for it when it was replaced by school kids? You can see why the teenagers and bandits infuriate me when we could have had fights settling exactly that instead.

All things considered though I am glad the game doesn't end with blowing yourself up unless you unlock a secret ending. The way characters can survive and not... Well... it's basically "be the good guy and no one dies". But the world isn't that black and white. "actions and consequences" was the idea it was going for, but when everything you do is "good" to keep people alive it kind of defeats the purpose of it. The whole executing civilians things was well done but no one brings up "How many people have you butchered yourself" to the squad or Miller (I'm guessing quite a few. How does his daughter not bring that up?) Which is why I felt like that Russian from Last Light was such a great enemy. He asks those questions. I think he's an idiot for holding onto his ideals too hard which makes him enemies which results in us beating him because of that, where we can then let him go or kill him but you can "relate" to him in the sense that any real person could end up like that. Miller is basically along the same lines but then goes "I'm a good person and that's the end of it". It removes the ability for players to interpret the character. Miller aside his "strong dad like" personality isn't the issue. It's the fact that there's nothing to add contrast to it outside of the people on the train. There's no "faction" or "nation". You get on a train and it's like none of that exists anymore and every bad guy you meet is a "new adventure". Adventures are fine but not at the expense of leaving behind the quest you're already on. At what point do we go back to factions and fighting each other and dealing with infighting beyond the tutorial levels? Exodus does some new things and that's great. But at the same time it's steering away from what it's always been about. Falling into the trap of turning into another open world game with a protagonist only story. Or if not that a story about teenagers having a crush on each other. What game am I playing again?

For these reasons I have to limit the score to no higher then a 7 out of 10. Playable. enjoyable. But feeling like it's lost its heart and soul late on. Until you get to the end point at which point it feels like it ended before it had a chance to really start. Had the game focused on that instead of graphics we might have had it. Although I do have to give points for "looking pretty" but that too brings in a number of complications. Such as the number of bugs and forced "high graphics" options not made mandatory by other games. If the devs are pushing graphical boundaries then that's fine, but if you're going to do that make sure you don't get a black screen after the intro.

Basically picture this as an angry Joe show with a missed seal of approval but a recommendation of playing it once or twice.

[Gigantoad]

Some of the issues you had might be due to the book Metro 2035 this is inspired by? I haven't read it but it sounds like this may be partially responsible for the themes presented in Exodus.

[Mesond]

Originally posted by Gigantoad:

Some of the issues you had might be due to the book Metro 2035 this is inspired by? I haven't read it but it sounds like this may be partially responsible for the themes presented in Exodus.

Never read the book. I only really played Last Light. Saw some of the first game but since that was the first game it was bound to lack some content.

My issues are in no way shape or form because of what's in the book. I actually doubt I'd like the book (would likely make too many religious references for my taste). My issues are "Why is this stupid stuff happening and breaking immersion. And where's the past fun stuff."

[lorddran]

First sorry for my bad english
i guess it depend on how you play, i been taking a non rush aproach on each map, and wild life interact bettwen each other, i have see patch of Watcher going agains a Demon, or Demon hunting the small Demon like birds on the desert, Humanimals going agains settlements at night and fighitng other NPC.

I really like the whole point on the story or lets said the political side of the story and how much is related to communism or the old one, like PPl getting control on the Metro by the Silent Watcher, or the Baron that was a old manager getting control over a region since he have power and going crazy and getting replace by a double, or the Crazy coult leader that it was a manic on normal time but after the nuke he took over with charisma. Same for the whole Bunker level with canivals. Or even the forest ppl that where just kid that didnt really undernstad that they where acting like killer even if they try to protect only.
For me the best map was the last one going back to a dif metro on another city and checking that something similar happen there but the Metro didnt survive the whole civil war.

I think the same as Metro 2033 and LL, Metro have alot more story when you take the time to infiltrate camps and listen. That is soemthing i love about this games. No other FPS do it like Metro do.

And for the atmostpher i guess playing on RangerSurvival and running out of ammo and resources all the time make me have some tention moments like i was always out of filter and even on the maps that you didnt use the gasmask much i was runing out and that was a nightmare.

Some ppl said the story was weak but for how 2035 book ends i think it doest a really well job connecting it, how Miller is now with Artyon and how much camaderi is bettewn him and his Spartan friends.

I give the game a 8/10, still a exelent game. But isnt perfect. But is far from been a dissapointment

[Mesond]

Originally posted by lorddran:

First sorry for my bad english
i guess it depend on how you play, i been taking a non rush aproach on each map, and wild life interact bettwen each other, i have see patch of Watcher going agains a Demon, or Demon hunting the small Demon like birds on the desert, Humanimals going agains settlements at night and fighitng other NPC.

I really like the whole point on the story or lets said the political side of the story and how much is related to communism or the old one, like PPl getting control on the Metro by the Silent Watcher, or the Baron that was a old manager getting control over a region since he have power and going crazy and getting replace by a double, or the Crazy coult leader that it was a manic on normal time but after the nuke he took over with charisma. Same for the whole Bunker level with canivals. Or even the forest ppl that where just kid that didnt really undernstad that they where acting like killer even if they try to protect only.
For me the best map was the last one going back to a dif metro on another city and checking that something similar happen there but the Metro didnt survive the whole civil war.

I think the same as Metro 2033 and LL, Metro have alot more story when you take the time to infiltrate camps and listen. That is soemthing i love about this games. No other FPS do it like Metro do.

And for the atmostpher i guess playing on RangerSurvival and running out of ammo and resources all the time make me have some tention moments like i was always out of filter and even on the maps that you didnt use the gasmask much i was runing out and that was a nightmare.

Some ppl said the story was weak but for how 2035 book ends i think it doest a really well job connecting it, how Miller is now with Artyon and how much camaderi is bettewn him and his Spartan friends.

I give the game a 8/10, still a exelent game. But isnt perfect. But is far from been a dissapointment

I don't see how playing the game differently changes the enemies you face or not. If we're using the witcher as you used as am example we still get to face "plenty of human enemies with plenty of monster enemies". And these human enemies could be "guards" or "bandits". But if the Witcher added teenagers I think even you would pause and ask yourself if it fits the scene. technically it kind of did that with 2 but since it was basically fighting against discrimination with people already surviving then it didn't feel too out of place. The last attitude you're going to have after bombs fall as you struggle to survive is "We're cheery school kids".

It also doesn't change how animals behave. They either "leave you be if you're not hostile" or they don't.

If I go in guns blazing the enemies are the same. The story is the same. The encounters are the same. If I go in stealthily my approach is different but what I encounter is still the same.

The problem with Exodus is that it has nothing but good guys. Except the bad ones that are clearly just in the way to be bad and that's it. There's no redeeming qualities about any of them. They feel like they're there "just to be there". Granted, last Light had "typical nazi villains", but it also had "Other bad guys that are like the Red Baron". We don't really have one here. You could argue Miller has his own bad deeds but he's already turned over a new leaf. And worse you don't have ANY bad guys once you reach the end game. Could have explored those giant apes more. A possible experiment by another faction or something (I imagine hearing voices in your head makes you lose moral). We could have had some US or soviet general who opposes you and sends an army at the end to have you make a last epic fight after giant apes as you escape but we don't get it. My question is why. It would have been fun and added a character to enhance the story. Even if it was a last minute thing where they magically hunt you down it would have at least been fun in terms of gameplay after fighting nothing but mutants as you fight to escape with Miller.

It's knowing past games have done these things before that I'm so critical. If it's done it before then I got no choice but to deduct a point for going "Go to point A and B and just sprint past the apes". I could have snuck by them too. Or shot them. I actually did all three because I ran out of ammo (then I realised what an easy enemy they were). Didn't change what was lacking. Which is human enemies late game and something to do with other factions. Which the whole game kind of dangles in your face as if it's a carrot on a stick.

[hihi04]

Originally posted by Taramafor:

Originally posted by Gigantoad:

Some of the issues you had might be due to the book Metro 2035 this is inspired by? I haven't read it but it sounds like this may be partially responsible for the themes presented in Exodus.

Never read the book. I only really played Last Light. Saw some of the first game but since that was the first game it was bound to lack some content.

My issues are in no way shape or form because of what's in the book. I actually doubt I'd like the book (would likely make too many religious references for my taste). My issues are "Why is this stupid stuff happening and breaking immersion. And where's the past fun stuff."

it has nothing to do with the book 2035, in the book artyom finds antennas that interfere with the signs, discovers that the world survived and tries spear the news in the metro, anna and he go out alone to find a new home with a car.
I recommend you read the books are very good. The events from metro exodus never happend in the books, I'm waiting for him to make a book like 2036 to see what happens with artyom and anna in the outside.