Side-by-side comparisons of the original Metro game, Metro 2033, and its reprise evidence the value of the remake to newcomers to the series.
That evaluation also proves that no more than a 50 percent discount to returning players may be justified, according to developers 4A Games.
Metro 2033 has been inducted into the core canon of first-person-shooter, survival horror games and, according to critics and gamers alike, Metro: Last Light only improved on the original for those who navigated the decrepit metro systems with the unforgiving shooting mechanics and absence of a heads-up display in game's "Ranger" mode.
Roughly a year after releasing Last Light, 4A games has been preparing to launch remastered versions of both games. And while A4 Games will give owners of either game a 50 percent discount on the respective redux version, 4A Games said too much work has gone into the remasters to warrant offering Metro 2033 Redux at a lower base price or offering Metro: Last Light Redux for free to owners of the original.
Maurice Tan, international community manager at Deep Silver, went to Steam to address concerns owners of the original Metro games have raised about the redux versions.
"For sure, Metro 2033 Redux is a far more significant upgrade over the original than Metro: Last Light Redux -- and we're not trying to pretend otherwise," said Tan. "We think the 50 percent discount is more than fair for the amount of work that has gone into this title. It is a complete remake of the original game in the latest engine that will offer a significantly different experience from the original throughout with improved graphics, performance and gameplay."
As indicated by Tan's post, Metro 2033 will represent the greatest value for returning players and has generally been received as warmly as news of a new-gen remake of classic horror game Resident Evil -- there's enough time in between the original and the remake.
There were some rough areas in the Metro 2033's graphics and gameplay that 4A said have been improved. The game has been ported over to the 4A Engine, which was used to create Last Light, and the game's developers have been able to leverage the power of the new-gen console to better realize life inside the metro tunnels.
While the upgrades to Metro: Last Light haven't appeared to be nearly as pronounced as those imparted on Metro 2033, Tan said 4A understands if gamers feel there's a lack of value in the remake of the sequel. Metro: Last Light Redux drops 32-bit support, which means it can be apply as a patch to the original version of the sequel.
"We know this response will not please everyone," said Tan. "But even though you still might not agree with the rationale, we do hope you understand that our goal was to reward, not exploit, existing owners while still making a viable business model that allowed this Redux project to go ahead on PC as well as console."
