Rail Replacement: Metro 2033 & Last Light Revamped

Update: Relax, everyone! A bit, at least. Steam's offering each Redux for half-price if you own the original game.

Huh! Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light are being "remastered" for re-release, which is a funny thing. The pair of solid shooters are still quite recent, after all, not to mention pretty enough. It all seems quite odd until you remember new consoles now exist--shiny new consoles hungry for pixels and games, which people are quite keen to feed. So thank you, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Thanks to you, 4A Games are giving 2033 a grand makeover and Last Light a fetching new outfit.

Being the more senior of the pair at the ripe old age of 4, 2033 is getting more work as it becomes Metro 2033 Redux. The announcement reels off these changes:

• The original game has been rebuilt in the latest and greatest iteration of the 4A Engine, bringing all the graphical and gameplay improvements from Last Light to Metro 2033 Redux
• Enjoy completely re-mastered visuals: advanced lighting, dynamic weather, more detailed characters with improved animation, more dynamic destruction and improved smoke, fire and particle effects
• Experience radically improved gameplay: advanced enemy AI, improved combat and stealth mechanics, superior weapon handling and more responsive, intuitive controls plus signature features from Last Light such as the atmospheric 'mask wipe' mechanic, weapon customisation, and silent kills and take-downs

Metro: Last Light Redux's changes are less drastic. 4A have given it "a graphical face-lift"--a painful metaphor--and introduced handy features like being able to directly check your watch (2033-style I imagine) rather than peer at your virtual wrist. All of Last Light's DLC is banged into the Redux too.

The announcement also mentions "new full-body player animations" for both games, which I can only hope means I'll get to gawp down at my virtual legs.

Prettiness is good and all, but what's in it for those curious sorts who stubbornly insist that graphics have no bearing upon a game? The Reduxes will have 'Survival' and 'Spartan' options, turning Artyom into either a giant baby scrabbling in the dirt for supplies and fumbling with guns or some manner of swaggering badass.

Both Reduxes are due this summer. They'll cost £15.99 apiece as downloads or, if you really like your Steam codes to come in a box, come in a Metro Redux boxset for 34.99.

Here's Metro 2033 Redux:

Here's Metro: Last Light Redux:

And here are Girls Aloud On the Metro: