 Welcome back! Most of you know that I'm a recreational gamer who will occasionally blog about my experiences. I've been playing a compilation titled Metro: Redux. It's a crossover between the post-apocalyptic and survival horror genre with two games on a single disc. The game includes both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. Basically, it's a remaster of games that were available on earlier systems. I had a lot of fun playing both games, but they're quite challenging. So, I thought it would be a good idea to give a little review. I'll explain my favorite elements of Metro: Redux and the parts that annoyed me. Let's jump right in!  Metro 2033 takes place decades after nuclear war devastated the world. The playable character is a Russian soldier named Artyom who lives in the underground metro system. Artyom faces an onslaught of enemies both underground and on top of the toxic surface. Rival humans and mutated animals prove to be difficult enemies while Artyom completes his missions. The situation becomes even more complex when a humanoid race of beings with psychic powers appear. Are these mysterious beings friends or foes? The truth becomes more clear as the game progresses. I found plenty of positive elements. Firstly, Metro 2033 is a solid survival horror game. It's a fun first person shooter game with a variety of weapons and a slurry of enemies. This was a pretty early game on the Xbox One, but the gameplay mechanics are surprisingly good. I don't recall glitches or a frustrating gameplay system. The monsters are genuinely scary and the game tosses quite a few jump scares at the player. Overall, if you can't handle scares, avoid the Metro games. Creating your own weapons if a big part of the fun. I found money and valuable items that could be applied toward weapon upgrades. For example, I created a quadruple barreled shotgun with a sniper scope. The concept is nonsense, but this is a video game, so it's okay. You'll have the opportunity to create really powerful weapons, including explosives. Weapon modification definitely makes the game easier to play. This is also a decent game for both novices and expert gamers. I'm somewhere in the middle and it worked well for me. You can modify the difficulty level to an appropriate setting. Metro 2033 is also a nice introduction to the post-apocalyptic genre and first person shooters in general. It has the right type of setting, visuals, and tone for a good dystopian game. The gameplay also has some variety. You can try stealth approaches or run into a fray with guns blazing. There are plenty of options and sometimes it works better if you mix various styles of gameplay. If you're lucky, Artyom can outrun or avoid certain enemies completely. I also noticed some flaws in the game. It's probably too linear on today's standards. The game isn't particularly long and it lacks an open world environment. Your character basically moves from one scene to the next. I'm not surprised because it's a remaster of an older game. Metro 2033 would have been very impressive if it had an open world environment. Naturally, I took several wrong turns and got momentarily lost. Maps aren't super helpful and it becomes an issue when the player is being swarmed by enemies. It's even worse because enemies respawn after a while. You can't stay in one location for very long and getting lost can be fatal. It doesn't have the most engaging storyline either. Artyom is just a soldier who follows orders and kills monsters. That's about it. In fact, there's barely a plot at all. It's just a standard nuclear wasteland. Some of the gameplay becomes repetitive because there isn't a big variety of enemies. Artyom fights a lot of humans and a mutated creature that resembles a hideous mole. Occasionally, you'll encounter other monsters, but they're very sparse. I got a little tired of fighting the same enemies for extended periods of time. Some players might become really bored with this game because it's so repetitive.  The disc also includes Metro: Last Light. It's a direct sequel to the first Metro game, which also includes the same characters and setting. Metro 2033 introduced a mysterious humanoid race of mutants called Dark Ones. The Russians eradicated the Dark Ones with missiles at the end of the game because they appeared to be a threat. This becomes an issue in Last Light because the Dark Ones were actually friendly and helpful instead of hostile. But it's too late because their entire species is dead except for one youth. In Last Light, Artyom helps the young Dark One find other survivors, fight off enemy factions, and tries to stop the spread of a deadly virus. It's a pretty daunting task for one soldier.
Truthfully, I didn't click with this game very well, but it has some really good elements. The story is much more interesting than the first Metro game. It has more peril, mystery, and psychological elements. The plot isn't particularly complex or original, but it suits the game pretty well. The gameplay and scenery is quite similar to Metro 2033. You'll continue to find a great arsenal of weapons to fight enemies in a post-apocalyptic environment. I really enjoyed that part in the first game and it carries over to Last Light. This game has an extra perk because it has a lot more ammunition, health packs, and other vital items. Resources were very scarce in Metro 2033 and that part was alleviated in the following game. I also encountered more creatures in Last Light. That part made me feel really happy because I got tired of killing mutant moles in the first game. Last Light has all kinds of monsters that come in different sizes and battle difficulties. I would still like to see a little more variety, but this was a good step in the right direction. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy Last Light a whole lot. This game was incredibly difficult for me because it's more like a military campaign. It reminds me of Gears of War, Call of Duty, and other military style games. I don't play those games very often, so this was a challenging task for me. This game has way more enemies who respawn frequently and have massive amounts of accurate fire power. I can only progress to a certain point. Ironically, I heard the opposite scenario from other people. Many players find Metro 2033 much more difficult than Last Light. Granted, I have a feeling many players are more comfortable with military games than survival horror. I have the opposite situation. So, if you love military shooters, this would be a great pick. It seems like the gameplay has less variety. For example, stealth tactics are nearly useless in this game. Running into a room with guns blazing is a more effective option. But the gameplay becomes somewhat stale because it's more repetitive. Again, I don't think it bother people who enjoy military games. Like its predecessor, Last Light doesn't have an open world environment. Therefore, it still involves linear gameplay in the metro station and nuclear wasteland. It doesn't bring anything new to the Metro series or the post-apocalyptic genre. That part is a little bit disappointing. Despite some noticeable flaws, I definitely recommend Metro: Redux for gamers who enjoy the post-apocalyptic genre and first person shooters. It has a quick pace with a lot of excitement and some creepy moments. Metro: Redux is a double threat with two games on a single disc and that means you're getting a bigger bang for the money. It's not expensive either. This double feature is still available on Amazon for $20 and under. Do you enjoy Metro and similar games? Tell me about it in the comment section. I promise to have more gaming discussions in the future along with other posts. Tomorrow is going to be a fun day for me because I'm heading to the Los Angeles Comic Con. I'll post my Comic Con photos some time next month. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a good week.
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It's time for another photo gallery! I went to the Gaslight Expo in San Diego with my sister and niece. It was a lovely event, but the drive was really long. There was a really good selection of steampunk merchandise in the form of clothing, books, crafts, and all kinds of inventions. The Expo had several interesting panels as well, but we needed to leave early and beat some of the traffic. You'll have an idea of the merchants, costumes, and shopping by checking out my photos. As usual, I'll give a commentary and post some useful links. Have fun! I have no idea who created this item, but it was super cool. Perhaps, it's supposed to be a steampunk time machine.  Believe it or not, the Fire Prevention Services had a booth with steampunk lamps. I guess you never know who will attend these events.  I've encountered this vendor before. Moonlight Wares sells leather goods and costume accessories on Etsy. One of these days, I should order a teacup holster. They're ultra cute and a great addition to steampunk cosplay. I'll leave a couple links, so you can check out more of their merchandise. -www.etsy.com/shop/moonlightwares -www.moonlightwares.com  Holly Rosing is a regular at steampunk festivals and Comic Cons. Steampunk readers primarily know her as the author of a graphic novel titled Boston Metaphysical Society. It's a fun paranormal version of steampunk. The series seems to have a splash of influences from Ghostbusters and X-Files. I bought her companion novel to the series called Boston Metaphysical Society: A Storm of Secrets. It's fun to have a mixture of novels and comic books, so this was a good opportunity. I always enjoy running into familiar faces at these events. -Twitter: @MHollyRosing -Facebook: www.facebook.com/bostonmetaphysicalsocietycomic -www.bostonmetaphysicalsociety.com    This steampunk fan had a great costume. She was a very animated lady too. It's worth mentioning the Expo's island theme. Here's the basic story. We took the Nautilus and sailed to an island where everyone partied all weekend. Sounds like a blast, right? This outfit worked with the island theme perfectly.     I found a great merchant for people who create their own costumes. Blue Bottle & Lackin sells various accessories that you can add to any outfit. These items would be good for steampunk and any form of cosplay. Take a look of my photos to see what's going on. -www.bluebottleandlackin.wixsite.com        A couple of my favorite steampunk ladies had a booth at the Expo. Michelle Lowe is a fellow steampunk author. She's been releasing quite a few books in her Legacy series. I actually bought her third book titled Legacy: The Underground. If you enjoy reading steampunk novels, try out her series. It's pretty fun and interesting. I was also glad to meet Miss Elaneous again. She makes metal jewelry and bookmarks. You'll always find her dressed for the occasion at any steampunk event. I'll leave some useful links to their social media pages. Michelle Lowe -www.michellelowe.net -Twitter: @michellelowe_7 -Instagram: Michelle_Lowe6 Miss Elaneous -www.instagram.com/miss.elaneous  I thought these guys had a cool post-apocalyptic vibe. This gentleman's sword was amazing. A steampunk fan could go on a zombie chopping spree with that weapon.  Cynthia Diamond is a fellow steampunk author I've met a few times before. She's a really fun romance author who writes about the steamier side of steampunk. I'm not sure if the pun was intended or not. Take your pick. If you want something different, give her books a shot. Her writing actually has a lot more substance and character development than the typical romance story. Cynthia shared a booth with another steampunk author named Marie Andreas. This was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting her. I purchased her novel called A Curious Invasion: The Adventures of Smith and Jones. It's an entertaining steampunk adventure with vampires, aliens, and all kinds of oddities. I'll leave useful links, so you can learn more about both authors. Colleen Archer was also part of this group. I've met her at earlier steampunk events as well. She's the owner of Wyng'd Lyon Creations. She makes custom clothing for various types of cosplay, including steampunk, Ren Faires, witches, vampires, etc. Colleen also sells jewelry, decks of cards, art prints, books, and some licensed merchandise. You can purchase her products directly through the Wyng'd Lyon Creations website. Cynthia Diamond -www.cynthiadiamond/author.com -Twitter: @CinsDiamond -Facebook: Cynthia Diamond Author Marie Andreas -www.marieandreas.com -Facebook: Marie Andreas-Author -Twitter: @MarieAndreas1 Wyng'd Lyon Creations -http://store.wyngdlyon.com/    It looks like a I screwed up a little bit with this one. I'm pretty sure this vendor is Brass Menagerie. However, I can't find any online links. These gentlemen create mechanical critters that would be quite suitable for any steampunk event. Some of their creations are kind of like puppets that can be manipulated by hand. Hopefully, I'll run into them at another event. Perhaps some of you guys are familiar with this retailer. If they have an official website, I wouldn't mind if someone mentioned it in the comment section. At least you can enjoy some pictures.     We ran into Dude Vader again! He's a member of the Star Wars Steampunk Universe cosplay group and a super swell guy. These guys attend nearly every steampunk festival and Comic Con in Southern California. Needless to say, they're a busy group. Dude Vader went all out with his costume. It's a combination of Star Wars, steampunk, samurai, and island themes. You're a bold man, Dude Vader. My niece and I took the opportunity for a brief photo op. -www.facebook.com/StarWarsSteampunkUniverse/  There was a historical group who displayed a lot of interesting items. Some of their items were contemporary merchandise, artwork, and whatnot. However, they also had real devices from the 19th century. One of their members showed us a few items that were invented by Tesla and other innovators. I learned a lot of useful information about electricity. Retro futurism at its finest. Their stage name appears to be The Hatefish Crew. Imagine a super submarine with a crew who embraces speculative fiction. Sounds like fun to me. I suppose they might be a cosplay group, but their thematic material seems more like a reenactment group. You should check out their website. They have a really interesting story. -www.hatefish.com/            Okay! That's the end of my photo gallery and comments. I hope you enjoyed it and saw something a little different from my previous posts. Watch out for my photo gallery of the Los Angeles Comic Con in a few weeks. I'm also going to attend more events next year. So, there's going to be plenty of steampunk and pop culture in the future. Leave any comments that you have about my photos. You're a great audience and come visit my website again next week. Bye!
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May 2019
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