The Stalin Subway

The Stalin Subway Official 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 first-person shooter published in 2005. The story takes place in 1952 and is about a great conspiracy in the USSR government with Deputy Premier Lavrentiy Beria plotting 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 released in 2006, The Stalin Subway: Red Veil (Russian title "Метро-2: Смерть вождя", "Metro-2: Smert vozhdya"). The story takes place in 1953, after Stalin's death and with Beria again trying to take over the government. 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 in the game "Browning Hi-Power 1944", the 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 rather than the correct 13 in a magazine. Enemies don't uses this pistol. The in-game name of this gun seems to hint at the version produced during the German occupation of Belgium for the Wehrmacht, which was designated the "Pistole 640(b)". The Hi-Power doesn't see much use as while it does use its own exclusive ammo, it's weak and after the third mission, the weapon abruptly vanishes from the game as it's removed from the player's inventory and is never found again despite the fact the player still finds ammo for it.

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 PPShs. Note the uncocked hammer; realistically, the weapon would be unable to fire in this state.

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

The world model of the Hi-Power.

Luger P08

In some missions in Stalin Subway, you can play as Natasha Mikhalyova who carries the Luger P08, called the "Mauser P-08" in-game (possibly indicating a WWII-era Mauser-produced example), as 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. It is not available for Gleb and shares ammunition with the Sten. It does not return in Red Veil.

Luger P08 - 9x19mm Parabellum

Natasha holds the Luger while sneaking through the Kremlin.

Going down to the dungeon, she stumbles upon some unfriendly troops.

Reloading the Luger.

Makarov PM

In both games, the player characters and some Soviet officers wield Makarov PMs. Gleb can also dual wield them in 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. Oddly in Red Veil, the intro cutscene actually shows Lena drawing and loading a Makarov only to have the Browning Hi-Power when gameplay starts as well as carrying the maximum capacity of reserve ammuniton of the Makarov once the player picks one up.

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 in 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.

Gleb as an NPC and Lena hold their Makarovs in Red Veil.

Stechkin APS

In Stalin Subway, some of the Soviet 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 five bullets in full-auto mode. In has 20-round magazine and is one of the most accurate automatic weapons, despite machine pistols generally being regarded as difficult to control in full-auto. It does not return in Red Veil.

Stechkin APS - 9x18mm

Firing a APS burst, surprisingly the APS' secondary burst fire has the least screenshake of any automatic weapon in the game.

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 and has heavy screenshake when fired. In Red Veil the PPSH, SVT rifles and AK-47 somehow all share ammunition despite them correctly not sharing ammo in the first game.

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 in mid-2000s Word War II FPS games, but one assumes this can't help accuracy in any way. Also note the closed bolt; the real PPSh is an open-bolt gun, and wouldn't be able to fire like this.

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

Sten Mk V

The Sten Mk V is used by Soviet paratroopers in Stalin Subway, a rather odd choice to say the least. 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 but is the accurate fully-automatic weapon. It does not return in Red Veil.

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.

A dead Soviet Paratrooper with his Sten Mk V showing the pistol grip and stock of the Mk V.

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

Even the poor Sten itself seems to think it's an Mk 2 when it's examined closer as an idle animation.

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, and only widely distributed to Soviet military forces in 1949). 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 Red Veil. On top of that, it uses even further anachronistic prototype steel 5.45x39mm magazines which are also incompatible with the AK-47.

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

Prototype AK-74 - 5.45x39mm. Image used to show the steel 5.45x39mm magazine.

The render of the AK-47. The magazine's curvature is more in line with a 5.45x39mm version.

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.

Rifles

PTRS-41

The PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle appears, boasting good destructive power at the cost of having to be stationary 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 is single-shot. Oddly, the PTRS-41 and RPG-2 somehow share ammo despite firing very different projectiles and the PTRS-41's ammunition is depicted as explosive with the RPG-2 having a larger actual blast radius but with less shrapnel and the PTRS-41 sending more shrapnel within a smaller radius. It does return in Red Veil but only midway through the final level and its bullets are no longer explosive, rendering it merely a one-hit-kill rifle that requires Lena to be stationary without much ammo available.

Anti-tank PTRS-41 rifle - 14.7x114mm

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

The world model of the PTRS-41.

The PTRS-41 in Red Veil.

SKS

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

SKS with no bayonet - 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 Stalin Subway. 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. The SVT and DP-27 share ammunition in the original game and it does not return in Red Veil.

Tokarev SVT-40 - 7.62x54mmR

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

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

Idle with the SVT-40 showing off more of the rifle.

SVT-38

A scoped Tokarev SVT-38 appears in The Stalin Subway: Red Veil, replacing the SVT-40 from the first game. Just to confuse matters further, it is called "SVT-40" in an inverse of the first game.

Tokarev SVT-38, sniper variant - 7.62x54mm R

The player character finds an SVT-38 with sniper scope on the floor.

The player character holds the SVT-38.

Looking down the sniper scope of the SVT-38. Note the inaccurate and anachronistic PSO-1 style reticle instead of the proper "German #1" reticle.

Machine Guns

DP-27

The DP-27 machine gun, incorrectly called "DPM" in the The Stalin Subway and "Stationary machine gun DPM" in The Stalin Subway: Red Veil, is the most powerful standard weapon in both games. It feeds from 47-round magazines, fires in full-auto mode only, 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 the in-game model appears to lack. In Red Veil it can only be found once hidden near the start of the final mission despite the player finding ammunition for it across the entire game.

DP light machine gun - 7.62x54mm R

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

Lena holds the DP-27 in Red Veil.

Explosives

F-1 hand grenade

The main grenade used in-game, used by pretty much everyone is the F-1 hand grenade. Caution must be taken when using the F-1, PTRS-41 or RPG-2 as Stalin Subway simulates bullet ricochet and all of the game's explosive weaponry release "shrapnel" bullets that can potentially ricochet around and hit the player even if a grenade is thrown from behind cover. Due to an oversight, the F-1 Grenade is considered a "weapon" and not "ammo" so the player can pickup F-1 Grenades even if they've already hit the maximum amount, resulting in "wasting" F-1 Grenades as they'll vanish after being picked up.

F-1 hand grenade

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

Molotov Cocktails

Molotov Cocktails can be found in Red Veil.

Holding the Molotov.

Launchers

RPG-2

The RPG-2 is used in the first game. It boasts enormous destructive power, but finding the rockets for it is hard and of course it is dangerous to use in close-quarter battles. It's anachronistic for both The Stalin Subway and if it appeared in Red Veil as it was introduced in 1954. Both the RPG-2 and PTRS-41 cannot be fired when moving. It does not return in Red Veil.

RPG-2 with PG-2 rocket - 40mm

Gleb "aims" his RPG-2 in the animation used when readying it to fire while stationary while looking at another RPG-2 on a multiplayer map.

The player character holds his anachronistic RPG-2 while moving, wondering if using it in a subway is really all that good an idea.

LPO-50

The LPO-50 flamethrower appears in The Stalin Subway: Red Veil. It is powerful, despite the fact that burning enemies will continue to fight completely unbothered until they burn to death. Its main disadvantages are its uncommon ammunition and its short range.

LPO-50 flamethrower

The player character holds the LPO-50, after demonstrating its effects to an unsuspecting soldier.

The world model of the LPO-50.

Other

Tsar Cannon

A virtual recreation of the Tsar Cannon, the world's largest cannon, is found as a prop in The Stalin Subway. Produced by bronze maker Andrei Chokhov in 1586, it has the largest caliber among cannons- 890mm. Despite what may be assumed, the carriage it is mounted on and nearby cannonballs are purely decorative and were added in the 1830s. The cannon, while primarily produced to commemorate Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, has been fired at least once and was designed to use grapeshot, rather than solid shot, although it was never used in combat.

Tsar Cannon as it stands now - 35 in (89 cm)

The Tsar Cannon in the game from the almost the same angle as the above picture. Note on the slightly crooked pose of it on the plinth as it clips into the ground and lack of barrier chain. This shot was produced via noclip, as the player cannot approach the monument in normal gameplay.

AK-74 Variant

An unknown AK-74 variant can be seen in the main menu of The Stalin Subway under the moving USSR newspapers. Only the magazine and foregrip are visible. The magazine shows it is chambered for 5.45mm cartridges. The AK-74 and its ammunition were first produced in the early 1970s- highly anachronistic for the summer of 1952.

AK-74 - 5.45x39mm

The AK-74 variant can be seen on the left.

Cut Weapons

These firearms were cut or replaced before the The Stalin Subway's final release.

Tokarev TT-33

A Tokarev TT-33 was initially supposed to be one of the handguns in the game (and was in the beta version), but was later cut for unknown reasons.

Tokarev TT-33 - 7.62x25mm Tokarev. Post-1947 version.

The render of the removed TT-33.

A player character reloads the TT-33 in an beta version of the game.

Walther P38

A Walther P38 was cut early into The Stalin Subway's development for unknown reasons.

Walther P38 WWII dated with black grips - 9x19mm

The render of the removed Walther P38.

PPSh-41 with 35-Round Magazine

The PPSh-41 was initially supposed to be in the game with 35-round stick magazine, but later was replaced by the version with a 71-round drum magazine.

Soviet PPSh-41 Submachine Gun with 35-round stick magazine - 7.62x25mm Tokarev

The render of the early version of the PPSh-41.

A player character holding a PPSh-41 with stick magazine in an beta version of the game. Note that the in the final version of the game, the graphics became much better.

A player character carries the PPSh-41 in a beta version of the game, rather impractically holding it by the barrel shroud (in the final version of the game, he more realistically holds it by the bottom of the magazine).

Sten Mk II

A Sten Mk II was cut early into The Stalin Subway's development for unknown reasons. It is likely that it was replaced by the Sten Mk V; this may explain why the Sten Mk V in the game is incorrectly called an Mk II.

Sten Mk II - 9x19mm

The render of the removed Sten Mk II.