Metro 2033 pulling up to 360, PC in early 2010

Beyond its initial announcement in 2006, Metro 2033 has operated largely under the radar, even after its anticipated holiday 2008 release window came and went. That changed today, however, as THQ announced that it will publish the postapocalyptic shooter from Ukrainian developer 4A Games. Though initially slated to appear on the PlayStation 3 and PC, Metro 2033 is now scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and on Windows desktops in early 2010.

Based on Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky's 2002 novel of the same name, Metro 2033 posits a near-future Earth in which human civilization is obliterated by an apocalyptic tragedy in 2013. With Earth's surface now an inhospitable wasteland, a portion of humanity's few survivors have taken shelter in Moscow's underground subway system.

The game picks up 20 years after the cataclysmic event, as players assume the role of Artyom, who has spent his entire life underground. Though THQ was light on gameplay details, the publisher did say that players will battle any manner of mutants in hostile environments both aboveground and belowground. When the game was initially announced, 4A Games said that it would pull elements from both the FPS and role-playing genres a la the recently released "role-playing shooter" Borderlands.