The Stalin Subway

The Stalin Subway Offical Boxart Release Date: 2005 Developer: G5 Software Orion Games Publisher: Buka Entertainment Platforms: PC Genre: FPS

The Stalin Subway (Russian title "Метро-2", "Metro-2") - is a Russian FPS published in 2005. The story takes place in 1952 and is about a great conspiracy in the USSR government with L. Beria against an older Stalin. The hero of this game, Gleb Suvorov, is a member of MBG and must stop Beria's plans to destroy the government.

A sequel was made, "The Stalin Subway: Red Veil" (Russian title "Метро-2: Смерть вождя", "Metro-2: Smert vozhdya", published in 2006. The story takes place in 1953, after Stalin`s death and when Beria tries to capture the government again. He arrests Gleb but his wife, Lena Suvorova, escapes from Beria's men. So she has to free her husband and destroy the evil plans of Beria again.

Both games have almost identical weapons and graphics, so weapons from both games will be together - with notes about which game is which, of course.

Pistols

Browning Hi-Power

Called the "Browning Hi-Power 1944" Browning Hi-Power is the starting weapon in the game "The Stalin Subway: Red Veil". Lena wields it while escaping from the powers of Beria. Spare magazines as well as actual guns can be found in neighboring flats. The gun incorrectly holds 7 rounds; the real HP holds 13. This weapon is rather weak, and after the third mission it is lost. No enemy uses it.

The Hi-Power is a weird choice for a game set in the early 1950's in the USSR, as the Hi-Power was never used by the Soviet Union or any branches within it. The only rational justification for it is that it's a holdover from the Lend Lease programs or a war trophy from some Nazi soldier.

Browning Hi-Power - 9x19mm

Lena Suvorova holds the Browning Hi-Power, slightly annoyed that she only gets a pistol as she's attacked by men with PPSH's.

Lena reloads her High Power, giving a good profile of the gun. Note that the slide is blank and lacks trademarks.

Luger P08

In some missions in "Stalin Subway", you can play as Natasha Mikhalyova, the helper of the conspirators. The Luger P08, incorrectly called the "Mauser P-08", is her starting weapon. Ammo for the gun is rare, and weapon is rather weak, making it an emergency weapon at best until a better weapon can be used. Like the Hi-Power, no enemy uses it.

Luger P08 - 9x19mm

Natasha holds the Luger while sneaking through the Kremlin.

Makarov PM

In both games, the player characters and some Soviet officers wields PMs. Gleb can also dual wield them in the "Stalin Subway". Being a common pistol, the Makarov isn't quite as accurate as the APS found later on, but is a dependable sidearm nonetheless.

Makarov PM - 9x18mm.

The player character makes his way through a facility, Makarov in tow.

The player character decides to go pre-John-Woo John Woo on an (almost) empty subway.

The player character admires a couple of posters and hoists his pistols up. Note that the guns are not just mirrors of each other, a mistake even modern shooters still make.

Stechkin APS

In "Stalin Subway", some of the Russian officers and Gleb Suvorov wield Stechkin APS pistols. Such a choice makes the APS one of the more "modern" pistols in the game, seeing as the APS was developed in 1951 while the game is set in the Summer of 1952. The machine pistol fires in semi-auto as standard, but secondary fire shoots 5 bullets in full-auto mode. In has 20-round magazine and is one of the most accurate pistol in both games.

Stechkin APS - 9x18mm.

While wandering around, Suvorov admires his APS. Fairly good detail for a 2005 game.

Submachine guns

PPSh-41

The PPSh-41 is a common weapon of Soviet soldiers in both games, alongside the AK-47. It is possible to use it in semi-auto mode. It incorrectly holds 72 rounds (one more than the weapon can hold, and it cannot hold another in the chamber due to being an open bolt weapon). It is a fast firing, high-capacity weapon, but is quite weak in terms of damage.

PPSh-41 - 7,62x25mm

A Soviet officer dares the player character to shoot him. Note that the player character holds the PPSh by the bottom of the magazine; a fairly common act during mid-2000's Word War 2 FPS games, but one assumes this can't help accuracy in any way.

Having dealt with the armored officer, the player character finds a subway and liberates it from it's former users.

Sten Mk V

The Sten Mk V submachine guns are used by Soviet soldiers in the parachutist uniforms in the "Stalin Subway". Incorrectly called "STEN Mk2"; the actual Sten Mk II lacks a proper foregrip or stock and has a different heat shield and front sight. The player character can use it in semi-auto mode. It has an incorrect 30-round magazine (should be 32) and is rather weak.

Sten Mk V - 9x19mm without vertical grip.

The player character blazes away at enemies with his Sten Mk V. Note, as ever with Sten Guns in video games, he holds it by the magazine.

Having arrived at their destination, the player character marvels at the architecture, Sten in hand.

Assault rifles

AK-47

The AK-47 is used by a number of soldiers throughout the game. An unusual choice for sure, seeing as it would still be quite recent during the game's story (being only five or so years old at the time). However, the AK-47 modeled in the game is a Type III AK, first made in 1953 and anachronistic for "Stalin Subway" and would be improbable to see in "Stalin Subway: Red Veil".

Final Production version of the Type III AK-47 with cleaning rod removed and laminated stock - 7.62x39mm

Having arrived to his destination, the player character greets some troops in the kindest manner.

Having dealt with the threats around them, the player marvels at the very nice architecture of the station.

Battle rifles

PTRS-41 rifle

The PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle appears, boasting good destructive power at the cost of having to be placed on a bipod in order to fire, as well as a low rate of fire and hard-to-find ammo. The game depicts the weapon as a single-shot rifle, which is incorrect, as the real PTRS-41 loads from a five round internal magazine. One can only guess the developers were thinking of the PTRD-41, a precursor to the PTRS that was single-shot.

Anti-tank PTRS-41 rifle - 14.7x114mm

Having found a PTRS, the player character happily blasts away at a wall to test its power.

SKS rifle

The SKS rifle called "SKS-45" is a standard weapon of Russian soldiers in both games. The in-game version lacks a fixed bayonet.

Russian Simonov Type 45 aka the Russian SKS rifle - 7.62x39mm.

Natasha holds an SKS, grumbling about the fact she found another one almost instantly. The lack of a fixed bayonet is clearly visible here.

SVT-40

The Tokarev SVT-40 appears in the game. Incorrectly called "SVT-38". The actual SVT-38 was hated by soldiers for being unwieldy and unreliable and was abandoned in 1940 (a good twelve years before the events of the first game) for the SVT-40, itself replaced by the SKS that is also in the game.

Tokarev SVT-40 - 7.62x54mmR

The player character runs into a Soviet Officer who laughs at him for thinking his rifle is a SVT-38.

Having dealt with the problem, the player finds themselves in the wrong kind of subway.

Machine guns

DP-27 light machine gun

A DP-27 machine gun, incorrectly called "DPM" in the "Stalin Subway" and "Stationary machine gun DPM" in "Stalin Subway: Red Veil" and is the most powerful standard weapon in the both games. It feeds from 47 round magazines and fires in full-auto mode, and is very accurate and powerful. The only weakness is the use of 7.62x54mm ammunition, which is very rare. No enemy uses it. The actual DPM was a modern update to the DP-27 that had a pistol grip, one of the in-game model appears to lack.

DP light machine gun - 7.62x54mm

While just trying to go on his daily commute, the player fires his DP-27 at some assaulting troops, grumbling about Mondays.

Other

F-1 hand grenade

The main grenade used in-game, used by pretty much everyone.

F-1 hand grenade.

Having decided the subway is not as important as he originally thought, the player whips out a F-1 and prepares to clear the station another way.

RPG-2

The RPG-2 rocket launcher is used in the first game. It boat enormous destructive power, but finding the rockets for it is hard and of course it is dangerous to use in close-quarter battles.

RPG-2 40mm with PG-2 rocket

The player character reloads his RPG-2, wondering is using it in a subway is really all that good an idea.