Metro: Last Light Message Board older than one year ago

The surface a the Earth may be a blasted wasteland, it be music shops 'n symphony halls reduced t' smoldering ruins. But as long as humans survive, so too will music. it be in that spirit that I enjoy the music a Metro 2033 'n it be equally post-apocalyptic sequel, Metro: Last Light. The games have a distinct musical sensibility, as the grim men 'n women surviving in the irradiated Moscow Metro carry on the musical traditions a… well, mostly a folk guitar 'n heavy metal. Cool by me. Earlier today, Chris observed how many a the everyday-life details in Metro: Last Light can make the game's cities feel uniquely lived-in. I agree, 'n the music plays a big part in that. In Last Light's early goings, ye'll make a tour through a well-known entertainment city, sort a the last bastion a the theatre for post-apocalyptic Russia. Before ye pillage back on the road, ye'll have a chance t' watch an onstage musical revue. The performances be awkward in the way video game performances usually be (tiny audiences, stilted dancing, awkward looping applause animations), but there be a few musical gems, if ye stay for the whole show. me favorite performance be the one in the video above, in which a guitarist performs a famous theme by Italian violinist 'n composer Nicholò Paganini. it be called Caprice No. 24; here's a video a the great Jascha Heifetz performing it: I love this theme, partly because it be very nice on it be own, but mostly because when I be in high school, our symphonic band played an arrangement based on it. That piece be called Symphony Fantasy Variations a a Theme by Nicholo Paganini, composed by James Barnes. Check out the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra's performance: Looking through the YouTube comments, it seems it be popular among all-state high school wind ensembles. that be at least partly because it be arranged t' highlight each individual section in the band. I be always bummed that the saxophone variation be so calm, but listening t' it now, it be actually quite lovely. Nothing can top the solo bass clarinet movement, though. There's a lot a great music in the world a Metro: Last Light, but that performance stood out amidst the guitar strumming 'n heavy metal drumming. Paganini would probably be happy t' know that even in fictional post-apocalyptic Russia, his music lives on.

Mood be such an important thing in a nuclear apocalypse; a detail that be so easy t' forget. That’s something that’s painfully palpable in the first hour a Metro: Last Light YARRRR there be telepathic, radioactive creatures. YARRRR, there be shooting 'n stabbing. But what really sticks t' me ribs more than anything be those tiny, nigh invisible moments a quiet — those tiny glimpses when ye see someone frittering away time 'n simply being a human being. Early on in Metro: Last Light, ye wake up from a horrible nightmare into a subterranean military base in the bombed out metro a subterranean Moscow. Walking around, ye’re greeted by yer compatriots in their off-time — A man playing a mournful song on his guitar in a bunk bed for his mateys, a soldier repairing his gun 'n someone with their headphones on, playing an air drum solo. People be unwinding, training 'n making due with best they have in a grim situation. There be something oddly touching about it. American games often like t' pretend that the end a the world might be a fun 'n bombastic place. We enjoy the cavalier, gallows humor a mocking Duck 'n Cover 'n other Cold War relics. We harbor a love for the nuclear wasteland like it be some kind a neo-cowboy playground. On some level, it’s our way a coping with the depressing, horrible prospect a a nuclear war obliterating everyone 'n everything ye love. But I’ve always found that Russia, the Ukraine 'n other former Soviet Bloc countries historically have had a more sober approach in their speculative fiction. Movies like Tarkovsky’s Stalker ('n by extension the loosely affiliated S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) 'n the Polish O-bi, O-ba - The End a Civilization, understand something basic about nuclear fallout: that if society be blasted back into the loam, if everything be burned t' ash 'n we be forced t' live like moles, all we will have left be our tiny, half-remembered creature comforts in a savage, dead 'n uncaring world. Metro seems t' understand that on a profound level (for more, read Kirk's full review). The people in this game be living for their yesterdays, holding on desperately t' the remnants a what made them human. "I remember so many random, unnecessary things" the protagonist, Artyom, reflects in Metro: Last Light's intro "yet I don't remember the most important one — me mother's face."

Metro: Last Light doesn't sound appetizing with it be "suffocating despair" 'n "gnarled monstrosities," but it be that kind a loveliness that made Ludwig enthuse about the Metro 2033 follow-up in his four 'n a half stars review. He deemed Last Light "an unusual, meticulously detailed shooter inextricable from it be environment."

a course, Ludwig wasn't the only brave soul t' delve into the underground sequel. Here be some other thoughts we dug up.

• GamesRadar (90/100): "Subtlety be what makes Last Light such an exceptionally immersive game. It nails the core tenets a a shooter, then forces ye t' react t' enemies in ways outside a simply taking cover. It plops ye in a post-apocalyptic world, then fills it with tons a minor but substantial details, like the shadows a once-living people now permanently nuked into stone walls. It strips ye a hope, only t' dangle a tiny sliver a it ahead a ye like a carrot on a stick."
• Game Informer (88/100): "This sequel plays more like a shooter than it be predecessor, but doesn't sacrifice it be intricate narrative or creative vision in the process. Masochistic fans will appreciate the harder difficulties that recreate the grueling experience a the original, but no matter how ye approach it, exploring Last Light's absorbing world be wholly entertaining."
• Giant Bomb (80/100): "By it be very nature a being a sequel, Last Light doesn't feel as fresh as Metro 2033 did, but there's still nothing else like it. Few games generate immersion through gameplay 'n transport ye t' their world the way Metro does."
• Eurogamer (70/100): "Metro: Last Light be not a bad game, but nor be it a good one in quite the same sense as it be predecessor. Metro 2033 be flawed but trying t' do it be own thing. If anything, Last Light feels like a regression. Similarities abound, but this be a more conservative FPS, one looking at the competition rather than itself, 'n one with some terrible missteps. So go in with low expectations, 'n ye might be pleasantly surprised."

Part 2 a IGN's Video Walkthrough for Metro: Last Light. Chapter 2: Ashes

Watch the ending cut scene a Metro: Last Light.

Metro: Last Light be now available on Steam in North America, Australia, 'n New Zealand! Please see the game page for the local release time in yer territory.

It be the Year 2034. Beneath the ruins a post-apocalyptic Moscow, in the tunnels a the Metro, the remnants a mankind be besieged by deadly threats from outside 'n within. Mutants stalk the catacombs beneath the desolate surface, 'n hunt amidst the poisoned skies above. But rather than stand united, the station-cities a the Metro be locked in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults a D6. A civil war be stirring that could wipe humanity from the face a the earth forever.

As Artyom, burdened by guilt but driven by hope, ye hold the key t' our survival the last light in our darkest hour…

What will the world look like after the bombs fall? Can God exist in a place without hope? When man's desire t' survive overrides his morality, be the empire he constructs worth saving? Those be some a the questions raised by Metro: Last Light. The (cheery!) first-person shooter be Russian studio 4A Games' follow-up t' their flawed 2010 gem, Metro 2033. The Metro games be based on the works a author Dmitry Glukhovsky; the first game be based on his novel a the same name, 'n while the sequel isn't based on a specific work, it directly carries on the first game's storyline. The Metro series be set some years after nuclear war has ruined the surface a the Earth 'n put an end t' civilization as we know it. In Russia, survivors have retreated t' the Metro, re-forging a bleak semi-existence in the tunnels beneath the city. This be the sort a game that mentions, in it be opening cinematic, the very real possibility that God be dead. Like Metro 2033, Last Light tells the story a a soldier named Artyom. The tale stands on it be own, though it does assume a fair amount a knowledge a the conflict at the heart a the first game. That conflict centers around the mysterious "Dark Ones," freaky-looking humanoid beings who possess psychic powers 'n terrify the human denizens a the Metro. Last Light assumes that players got the "bad ending" in Metro 2033 'n took the option t' blast the entire population a Dark Ones into oblivion. The subsequent discovery a a single surviving Dark One sets the plot a Last Light in motion. What follows be a breathless, well-paced 'n, aside from a handful a moral choices that affect the story's outcome, resolutely linear single-player story that has Artyom touring the lair a the fascistic Fourth Reich, a compound staffed by a powerful Communist army, 'n working his way through all manner a spooky catacombs, caves, 'n numerous jaunts t' the surface. The peaks 'n troughs a the narrative have been organized with a great deal a care; the story shifts between non-combat exploration, stealth, all-out firefights, 'n horror-tinged monster fighting with ease. One moment ye'll find yourself in a factory taking on squads a well-armed soldiers, 'n shortly afterward ye'll be alone in a swamp, facing off against horrible crab-monsters. 4A seems t' have taken notes from Half-Life 2 in a number a places; while there aren't any puzzles t' solve, the game's pacing often recalls Valve's 2004 masterpiece. The mostly surdy story only truly falters in the final act, where a series a revelations stack on top a one another so quickly that vital plot points go half-mentioned 'n it be easy t' lose track a what's going on. As they did in Metro 2033, 4A regularly demonstrates an uncanny mastery a the alchemy a atmosphere. Underground cities bustle 'n radiate with wretched life, 'n each location has been crafted with a rare degree a detail. There's not much t' do in most cities, aside from stopping off t' refill yer ammunition 'n maybe customize one a yer weapons, but I found myself regularly sidetracked, listening t' traders talk about their most recent sorties, or soldiers telling grim tales a survival. When in the field, ye can carry three guns at a time, along with a varied arsenal a throwing knives, grenades, 'n other survival equipment. Weapons come in the usual variety a assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles 'n pistols, with a few variations. Each weapon can be upgraded with silencers, scopes, sights 'n stocks, though I found little reason t' deviate beyond me standard silenced pistol/shotgun/assault rifle setup. That said, the weapons in Last Light be all assembled with an uncommon attention t' detail, 'n each one feels 'n sounds distinctive 'n memorable. I particularly liked me quick-fire shotgun, which held a revolver-like ring a shells close t' the stock, which Artyom would replace one by one after he fired. 'n, hooray, the show-stealing "Bastard" submachine gun from Metro 2033 returns, chewing through it be lateral-feed magazine in the same way me father eats corn on the cob. Two a Metro 2033's most distinctive elements make a welcome return in Last Light: The gas mask, 'n bullet-based currency. At many moments throughout the campaign, Artyom will have t' don a gas mask, either t' survive on the toxic surface or t' stay alive inside a gas-filled chamber. it be a wonderfully claustrophobic thing, that gas mask—Artyom's watch displays how much time remains on his current filter, 'n t' keep the sea dog from suffocating, ye'll have t' regularly change it. As his filter degrades, Artyom's breathing becomes increasingly ragged. I often found that even though I knew I had a minute or more left, I'd swap me filter just t' give the poor lad a break. Instead a booty or bills, the people a the Metro use military-grade ammunition as currency. These bullets be kept separate from yer "everyday use" ammo 'n can be spent t' buy weapon upgrades. However, if ye're facing off against a dangerous enemy 'n need more firepower, ye can opt t' load up a clip a money-bullets 'n attack for more damage. Woe be ye, standing there, firing a clip a money into an enemy, praying it dies quickly. ye may wind up broke, but ye'll live. On Normal difficulty, I found that I almost never ran out a standard ammunition, but in me limited time with the harder difficulty setting, ammo be much rarer. Hardcore Metro fans will probably want t' play this game on it be hardest difficult first, saving the extra-hardcore "Ranger Mode" for a second playthrough. (I did not have Ranger Mode unlocked on me PC build a the game, so I haven't had a chance t' try it out.) For all it be careful pacing 'n wonderful atmosphere, Last Light certainly has it be share a problems. The enemy artificial intelligence be a few steps shy a where it would need t' be t' be truly enjoyable; enemies routinely failed t' notice when I'd kill their nearby mateys, 'n more than once I'd come upon an alerted foe walking into a corner without taking any kind a understandable action. The animals 'n beasts ye'll fight be even less nuanced, 'n usually just charge at ye in a straight line. Nevertheless, the mutant monsters can make for some enjoyable showdowns, but they can also become tiresome. There be a few boss battles that be equally unsatisfying; ye're mostly pitted against giant charging bullet-sponges with weak spots, 'n even one rampaging beast that must be tricked into bringing down a series a columns in a room. At those moments, the artifice a Last Light shows through the clearest. While the locations in the game have been crafted with a fine eye for detail, the characters themselves feel half-formed. ye'll regularly watch waxen humans talk, slowly turning their unmoving faces toward 'n away from ye like animatronic figures. Last Light be a real testament t' the power a good lighting 'n environmental design: The graphical fidelity a the world can be remarkably convincing, which stands in sharp contrast t' how stilted 'n unconvincing the characters themselves can be. Children, in particular, be a bit freakish, 'n their voice acting be hollow 'n odd; not a new problem for a video game t' have, but certainly one that Last Light doesn't solve. If I'd passed through each area without stopping, I wouldn't have noticed the seams so often. But the game encourages players t' AVAST! 'n listen in t' conversations, which often go on for minutes on end. 'n so ye'll stand, watching as characters stand stock still with only their lips moving, zoning out as ye listen t' their (usually quite interesting!) conversations. Life in the Metro isn't a holiday for the fairer sex, 'n neither be Metro: Last Light. This be a world filled with men 'n sexual violence, 'n almost every female character be either a prostitute, a stripper, or a potential rape victim. I don't mean t' suggest that a post-apocalyptic underground society wouldn't reveal this sort a barbarism, but the game doesn't handle any a it particularly deftly. One a the only exceptions t' the prostitute/stripper/victim-rule be a female sniper who eventually becomes a love interest, in a rushed storyline that culminates in a stilted first-person lovemaking scene. (Aside from the frequent loading screens, Artyom never actually talks, so any potential for warmth be immediately torpedoed by his creepy silence.) The scene felt jarring, as did an earlier lap dance from a dead-eyed stripper that had me peering through me fingers in mortification. Late in the game, a character remarks that "The Metro be a living, breathing thing, with a heartbeat, a soul, 'n a mind." Indeed, this place feels alive; sometimes more so than the men 'n women who occupy it be tunnels. In fact, Last Light be often at it be best when there's no one else around. The psychic powers a the Dark Ones play into a running current a mysticism that makes Last Light's Moscow a more mysterious, spiritual place than yer average ruined city. The whispers a the dead will call out t' ye, 'n scenes a horror 'n beauty will float up from the past, almost as though the city be still crying out in agony. These moments be chilling, 'n be easily me favorite parts a the game. So now comes the big caveat: Technical performance. I played a PC review build a Last Light provided by the game's publisher, Deep Silver. Throughout the game, there's often an underlying feeling that Last Light hasn't been stitched together quite right. Granted, I be playing a pre-release build, but it crashed on me a number a times, usually forcing a complete reboot. In one instance, I encountered a bug where upon dying, I reloaded outside a door with no way t' move or put on me gas mask. I had t' either watch Artyom asphyxiate over 'n over or restart the entire chapter 'n lose twenty minutes a progress. Triggered events be often cued sloppily or out a sync, directional audio can be jumpy, 'n the game even hard-locked on me during the closing credits. One additional technical shortcoming that, while not a bug, remains annoying: The game appears t' have only one save-slot, 'n when I started a new game on the higher difficulty, it erased all a me progress 'n left me unable t' load any later chapters. A single save slot, in a PC game? What on earth? Last Light's PC performance issues be perhaps more troublesome. I be having some fairly intense issues running the game on an AMD Radeon 6870 (with 8GB a RAM 'n an i5 3.4Ghz processor), 'n found that it ran much more smoothly on me other PC, which runs an Nvidia GeForce 660Ti (with 8GB a RAM 'n a i5 2.8Ghz). That said, I couldn't pillage either machine t' run the game well on me TV through HDMI; both games seemed stuck at 24-30 frames per second, no matter which settings or resolutions I chose. The only way t' pillage them t' run at a high framerate be t' plug them into me PC monitor via DVI. Late last week, PR advised reviewers t' turn off PhysX on AMD cards, which does help performance, but the game still feels substantially less optimized for AMD machines. (Last Light carries the endorsement 'n branding a Nvidia, the company who make GeForce cards, but not a AMD.) On an AMD 6870, it'd generally run at High-t'-Very High settings 'n keep at 40-60FPS, but often it would dip into the nether regions below 20FPS. On me GeForce card, however, it ran the same settings in a 45-60FPS sweet spot for the majority a the game, 'n only occasionally dipped down t' 30. I don't have either console copy a Last Light, but Chris in the New York office has been testing out the 360 version 'n reports that it works for the most part, though it has crashed on the sea dog once. 'n, not t' freak anyone out, but Luke played the game on an AMD 6950 'n it fried his card after about 15 minutes a playtime. His video card be now unusable. His card be broken all weekend, 'n he only just got it working again. Did the game cause that, or something else? There be too many variables t' say for sure. I have yet t' see anyone else report anything like that, at least. I don't feel I have enough information t' say anything definitive about the game's PC performance, so I'll keep an eye on seas once the game be out 'n there's a larger sample-size a players. But what I can say definitively be that while Last Light mostly worked fine on me GeForce-based PC, this game has a few more technical problems than it ought t'. I've been emailing with Deep Silver PR about Last Light's performance issues, though I don't yet have any official word on a patch or any planned fixes. I've also reached out t' AMD t' ask if they be going t' issue new drivers. I'll update once I know more. For the time being, if ye can bear t' wait, I'd recommend holding off on Last Light if ye're using an AMD graphics card, as the game will hopefully pillage more playable in the near future. 'n hey, there's already a Last Light-optimized beta driver out for GeForce cards, which I haven't tested but which Nvidia claims further improves performance. Despite those technical irritations, I very much enjoyed the majority a me time with Metro: Last Light. (Oh, the power a well-wrought atmosphere!) it be a game a stark, nightmarish beauty, 'n while it borrows liberally from many other games—among them S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Half-Life 2, Far Cry 2 'n it be own predecessor—Last Light still manages t' forge a weighty, worthy identity a it be own. t' contact the author a this post, write t' kirk@kotaku.com or find the sea dog on Twitter @kirkhamilton.

A solid setting 'n interesting story don't completely outweigh technical shortcomings in 4A Games' fun post-apocalyptic FPS that could have been so much more.

Patrick 'n Brad inhabit the depths a Moscow once again, this time with freakin' SPIDERS.

Metro's enemies aren't all that tough... when they break 'n just stand there. Frozen on the PS3.

If "Ranger Mode" be the way Metro: Last Light be "meant t' be played," why be it a preorder bonus 'n not in the main edition? "Offering game content as a pre-order exclusive be a requirement by retail," the game's publisher told PC Gamer. Ranger Mode be $5 t' non-preorderers because that be the minimum they can charge.

Last Light isn't just a run-'n-gun shooter. it be got a spooky atmosphere 'n a lot a monsters, too. pillage a taste a what ye can expect in this creepy gameplay footage.

Cam 'n Lucy talk post-apocalyptic survival, the joys a killing Nazis 'n bad Russian voice-acting.

Andrew Prokhorov, creative director on Metro: Last Light at developer 4A Games, recently had the nuance a his words lost in translation, according t' publisher Deep Silver. The ITCChannel interview allegedly shook out details about a version a Metro: Last Light for PS4, the release a a software development kit (SDK) for Metro 'n downloadable content details.

"It be no secret that 4A Games do want t' release an SDK for Metro, finish the extremely promising multiplayer component 'n release this in some form, 'n investigate a PlayStation 4 version provided it makes commercial sense," a Deep Silver representative informed Joystiq. "Although no development has started on any next-gen console versions [a Metro: Last Light]. We have confirmed these hopes 'n ideas plenty a times before."

The statement continues, "However, all these ideas be just ideas at the moment. It will be some time before we can officially commit t' any a these projects or suggest when they might materialize. They genuinely might all happen, but equally none a them might happen. Anyone expecting Metro: Last Light as a PS4 launch game be probably going t' be disappointed..."

Deep Silver plans on confirming details about Metro: Last Light DLC in the near future. Pick up Last Light on May 14.

Confession time: I very frequently feel like I be neither clean nor deadly enough, which be the root cause a most a me insecurities. I sometimes think, ye know, maybe if I be just slightly above-average at one or the other, everything would be all right. But goodness, I don’t even know where t' begin. Fortunately, the final entry in Metro: Last Light‘s “Ranger Survival Guide” series be here t' clear up a few things – including me grit-caked, horrifically pockmarked skin – for me. Apparently, me biggest mistake be failing t' wipe rain, grime, 'n radioactive goop off me face all the time. Also, I need t' buy a gun. I be, however, hopeful, because a charmingly rugged Russian man has told me I’m infinitely capable a both.

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If ye're in the market for a new graphics card, Nvidia be hoping t' entice ye with a special promotion. Those who purchase an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or above will also pillage a free download a Metro: Last Light when it launches this May. The deal be available via many online retailers, though it looks like Micro Center be the only physical retailer t' offer the promotion. A full list can be found here.

In other graphical news, publisher Deep Silver has revealed the PC specs required t' play Metro: Last Light, 'n the good news be ye won't need that GeForce GTX 660. Baseline specs bottom out at the Nvidia GTS 250 or AMD Radeon 4000 series. See the full specs after the break. ye can also automatically test yer rig for compatibility right here.

Metro: Last Light be so close. So very, painfully close. Sometimes, on cold, lonely nights 'n also in Russia for some reason, I can almost feel it sidling up t' me, locking me in a warm irradiated embrace, telling me everything’s going t' be OK. Patience, however, be not me strong suit, so I think frequently subjecting myself t' these very nice promo videos constitutes some form a masochism. The latest one’s quite the ride, too, taking us on a whirlwind tour a Last Light’s various factions, human murderjerks/WWII allegories, 'n mutant creepy crawly stompy blaaarghies. Take a peek for yourself after the break, 'n then join me in a moist state a anticipatory writhing for the next month.

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Things be going t' pillage dark in the upcoming post-nuclear survival sequel.

The world a Metro: Last Light be grim 'n dark, as these things tend t' be, but it’s not yet clear whether it crosses the line into grimdark. Calculating such things be difficult, 'n requires prolonged exposure 'n comparative flowcharts containing pictures a fetishised death factions 'n tattered children playing with burnt toys in the rubble a their homes. The children be ghosts but even so a mutant dog, formerly their pet, will eat them soon. Through all the horrors a this most recent video, which provides an overview a the Metro system, factions 'n threats, a disconcertingly cheerful man explains the situation 'n provides survival tips, such as “try not t' lose yer head”.

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For those who missed out on Metro 2033, this trailer be a primer a the game's world 'n explains that Metro isn't actually a post-apocalyptic train simulator. ye know, in case ye be confused.

A denizen a the Moscow underground teaches us more about the Metro 'n the people ('n things) that occupy it.

We've written about Metro several times, but now we've played it. Watch the game in action 'n listen t' our commentary over three new segments a the game!

Gritty-looking Russian-accented choochoo-themed tunnel shooter Metro: Last Light be bought from THQ by Deep Silver, 'n will come out in North America on May 14th 'n everywhere else May 17th, which be weird because we live in an electronic age 'n I be an electronic wench 'n everything-best-come-out-at-once please. Anyway, here be a new trailer for it. It looks a bit chilly in that there Russia, 'n everything seems t' have a rust problem.(more…)

Only darkness 'n things that go bump in the night lay hidden in the subway systems a Metro: Last Light. Sorry, we meant: only monsters 'n things that will give ye bumps in the night be down there. Tickets t' ride Metro: Last Light will be available this May.

April showers bring incredibly bleak May doomsday scenarios. me mother always used t' tell me that, right before encouraging me t' succeed with sagely tidbits like “yer generation will doom us all.” I’ll admit that a bit a it went over me head. Now, though, it’s beginning t' make sense, seeing as Metro: Last Light‘s  blown back the radioactive vapors from THQ’s nuclear self-destruction t' reveal a May launch date. So hooray! I finally understand me childhood. Also, videogames. Details after the break.

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Metro: Last Light be coming t' North 'n Latin America on May 14, 'n Europe three days later on May 17, publisher Deep Silver announced this morning. The PS3, Xbox 360, 'n PC sequel t' Metro 2033 be, last we heard, expected t' release this month, but that be always uncertain following original publisher THQ's troubles 'n the horror/shooter's acquirement by Deep Silver.

Vote with yer wallet. We constantly preach it as an approach that actually Makes Important Things Happen, but does it? Does it really? It’s such an easy be-all, end-all argument t' toss out, but things be rarely that simple. The recent death a THQ 'n potential failure a Gas Powered Games’ Wildman represent very tangible examples a how “vote with yer wallet” can screech 'n shatter like so many piggy banks being hurled into a craggy abyss. But there’s hope, too, if ye know where t' look for it. The industry’s changing. Here’s why that makes us – it be most vocal, diehard fans – equal parts more 'n less powerful than ever.

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Pre-orders a the PC download version a Metro: Last Light have been removed from Impulse, GameStop's PC download service. In addition, no other upcoming THQ games be available from the service, though released games can still be purchased.

"Essentially, due t' THQ's current financial situation 'n uncertainty a delivery, in order t' protect our consumers we removed the ability t' pre-purchase that specific game," GameStop vice president a public 'n investor relations Matt Hodges told GameSpot, referring t' Metro.

Bids for the now bankrupt THQ's assets be due January 22. Either the company will be purchased outright, or it be assets will be auctioned starting January 23.

Pre-orders a physical versions a Metro 'n other THQ games, for PC, PS3, 'n Xbox 360, remain active on GameStop.com. The removal currently only applies t' PC downloads.

OK, hold onto the floppier parts a yer brain, because this be about t' pillage a bit complicated. So remember how THQ went bankrupt 'n fell into bed with “stalking horse bidder” Clearlake Capital? Well, the primary intent a all that be t' keep THQ in one piece while dealing with that nasty little “having basically no money” thing, but – at the 11th hour – there be a twist. Creditors decided THQ’s all-or-nothing sales approach wasn’t fair t' them (it’d probably pull in less money, after all), 'n a US bankruptcy court judge agreed. So now THQ’s gone from monolithic one-gulp meal t' easily chopped up buffet, 'n rumor has it that a number a major players be interested in various series, games, 'n franchises.

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For a brief bit a levity, here be the first image that popped up when I Google image searched "stalking horse."

THQ be bankrupt, 'n has a new owner. YARRRR, all at the same time.

Clearlake Capital Group LLP has acquired the financially beleaguered publisher as a "stalking horse bidder," offering up a total consideration a $60 million for the company, including a new $10 million note for it be creditors.

The bankruptcy petition by THQ be simply a byproduct a this larger deal, allowing the company t' shed some a it be debt obligations in the wake a the sale.

According t' a press release put out by THQ today announcing the deal, the company made it clear that it has every intention a continuing development on it be upcoming suite a games, including the likes a Metro: Last Light 'n South Park: The Stick a Truth.

"The sale 'n filing be necessary next steps t' complete THQ's transformation 'n position the company for the future, as we remain confident in our existing pipeline a games, the strength a our studios 'n THQ's deep bench a talent," said Brian Farrell, Chairman 'n CEO a THQ. "We be grateful t' our outstanding team a employees, partners 'n suppliers who have worked with us through this transition. We be pleased t' have attracted a strong financial partner for our business, 'n we hope t' complete the sale swiftly t' make the process as seamless as possible."

In case ye're anything like I be prior t' writing this story 'n don't really understand what a "stalking horse bidder" even be, it turns out it be simply a method a auctioning assets that ensures THQ wouldn't be low-balled by potential bidders. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, THQ be able t' use the stalking horse method t' select Clearlake as an opening bidder for the publisher. Any other company could have entered the fray 'n bid up over Clearlake, but it sounds like nobody did. In effect, THQ chose it be eventual owner, while sailing away the door open for other bidders who never appeared.

Kind a an interesting story t' just float out there right at the end a the year, when all the media be beginning t' disappear for vacation, ain't it?