[TL/DR] The crux of the matter is that loving or disliking the game depends a lot on what level of difficulty you play in your first run. Its a mix of scripted shooter FPS and story driven game.

Let me start with the bad:

The game has many scripted scenes where the player needs only hide and the NPCs do all the work.
The morality system is very badly implemented with nothing to guide you on good or bad deeds. Example, taking some ammo could be stealing but you have no indication either way.
Some objectives are stated in ways that will lead the player in circles without a clue as to what needs doing.
Most of the game is on rails with only a few real real gameplay levels.
Checkpoint system works if the levels are very well designed and in this game they arent.
The story is okish but mared by an ending depending on moral choices you have no idea you are making.

And now the thing that grieved me the most.
The Survival Ranger Hardcore mode is only really a pain because of stupid things the game does to you:
Making the player waste resources in scripted events where he has no effect on the outcome
The checkpoint system is a nightmare often propelling you forward before you are ready to do so. It could happen that you trigger a checkpoint by mistake and without gathering enough resources. This makes the next level impossible to beat. Example of this is triggering a boss checkpoint with 10 seconds air and 10 bullets left.
These two factor make up for 80% of the hardship in this difficulty level.

The good:
The few levels where you have freedom to choose your approach are truly great! Either stealthy, guns blazing or a mixture, they are a pleasure to play and will never bore you.
The game does hook you up and lead you to want to find out what is around the next corner ( if you don't play survival hardcore ranger in which you will just rage quit )
Some characters and situations are superb with Kahn being the best.
A lot was spent on fleshing out the world and it really shows. It feels like a believable place.

Veredict:
All in all the game is a fun experience and can be obtained regularly for a fairly discounted price.
It is worth the cost in hours of enjoyment offered.
I played the game in Survival Ranger Hardcore and got extremely pissed off lots of times. I believe that, because of the scripted elements, the best way to enjoy the game is in spartan normal or hardcore modes. That will strike a balance and not detract from you replaying it or some elements of it.

PS - Playing with russian audio is much better than english (even though english is the original), however, you will miss some of the rich world conversations going around you. Understand that it would be impossible to subtitle them as there are usually at least two happening around you. Unlike the first metro, they actually try to but its not feasible.

( I copy pasted about 75% of my Metro 2033 review. As I stated above, the games are extremely similar)

[TL/DR] The crux of the matter is that loving or disliking the game depends a lot on what level of difficulty you play in your first run. Its a mix of scripted shooter FPS and story driven game. Let me start with the bad: The game has many scripted scenes where the player needs only hide and the NPCs do all the work. The morality system is very badly implemented with nothing to guide you on good or bad deeds. Example, taking some ammo could be stealing but you have no indication either way. Some objectives are stated in ways that will lead the player in circles without a clue as to what needs doing. Most of the game is on rails with only a few real real gameplay levels. Checkpoint system works if the levels are very well designed and in this game they arent. The story is okish but mared by an ending depending on moral choices you have no idea you are making. And now the thing that grieved me the most. The Survival Ranger Hardcore mode is only really a pain because of stupid things the game does to you: Making the player waste resources in scripted events where he has no effect on the outcome The checkpoint system is a nightmare often propelling you forward before you are ready to do so. It could happen that you trigger a checkpoint by mistake and without gathering enough resources. This makes the next level impossible to beat. Example of this is triggering a boss checkpoint with 10 seconds air and 10 bullets left. These two factor make up for 80% of the hardship in this difficulty level. The good: The few levels where you have freedom to choose your approach are truly great! Either stealthy, guns blazing or a mixture, they are a pleasure to play and will never bore you. The game does hook you up and lead you to want to find out what is around the next corner ( if you don't play survival hardcore ranger in which you will just rage quit ) Some characters and situations are superb with Kahn being the best. A lot was spent on fleshing out the world and it really shows. It feels like a believable place. Veredict: All in all the game is a fun experience and can be obtained regularly for a fairly discounted price. It is worth the cost in hours of enjoyment offered. I played the game in Survival Ranger Hardcore and got extremely pissed off lots of times. I believe that, because of the scripted elements, the best way to enjoy the game is in spartan normal or hardcore modes. That will strike a balance and not detract from you replaying it or some elements of it. PS - Playing with russian audio is much better than english (even though english is the original), however, you will miss some of the rich world conversations going around you. Understand that it would be impossible to subtitle them as there are usually at least two happening around you. Unlike the first metro, they actually try to but its not feasible. ( I copy pasted about 75% of my Metro 2033 review. As I stated above, the games are extremely similar)