Metro 2033: The book + The Gospel according to Artyom discussion

Discussion in 'Books & Comics' started by ComradeCommisar, May 27, 2014.

  1. ComradeCommisar

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    First off, haven't read "Gospel" yet, but going to get it soon. So, secondly, has
    anyone read the book? This is kind of a discussion to vent on what was wrong and right about the game, and about how we can make the other discussions more accurate. Also, is 2034 worth reading?
     
    • We have the Gospel right here at the forum.
    • Most of the forum users who are still active actually have read the book and some of them are fans of the expanded universe novels as well. Funny thing we don't have a section for the literature yet. Some of the discussions about the novels can be found here.
    • Metro 2034 is very different from Metro 2033. The narration is coming from several PoVs for one. Glukhovsky said in one interview that the first book is very popular amongst adolescents and young adults, while he has no [freaking] idea who likes M2034 which turned out to be a hit and miss.
     
    #2 Komodo Saurian, May 27, 2014
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  2. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    Komo pretty much explained everything right. :) It's also worth pointing out that M2034 tries to be much deeper and more philosophical than M2033. When it works, it does so greatly, but when it doesn't - then it tends to really drag and makes you miss the more action-oriented approach of the first book. I personally liked M2034 (can't decide if more or less than M2033, but it's certainly more unique), so I'd say it's worth a read. However, it might turn out that the book just isn't for you. Though I should probably mention that my impressions of neither of the books are fresh, since I read them quite a while ago and don't remember them 100%.

    I just realized how silly this is.

    Obviously, as is practically always the case with film or game adaptions, the game and the book don't agree 100% on some things (certain events from the novel are portrayed differently in the game or they are missed out entirely). That's expected. My biggest gripe with the game is how much of a fearless killing machine Artyom is, which is completely against how the book presents him. Still, considering the fact that 4A Games adapted Metro 2033 using the FPS genre, I see very few alternatives. Plus the slightly more awkward and sluggish mechanics of the game compared to many other contemporary shooters add a bit of realism and make the game slightly more unique. I'd say they did pretty good for a first-person shooter adaptation of a written narrative. They've certainly carried over the atmosphere very well, which is arguably the focal point of the franchise.
     
    #3 Bamul, May 27, 2014
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  3. ComradeCommisar

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    Of course... but I feel like a couple of the deeper points, such as conversations held with Khan and the whole Metro-2 adventure, would have been interesting... I agree, Artyom should've been that 20-year old, not a BA killing machine...
    And good point, a literature section would be nice.
     
  4. Actually early versions of the game had about three to four hours before the player got their first weapon and it was much, much slower paced.

    Compare Metro 2033 alpha that we saw in Leipzig in 2006 with the final version (Eight second reload is amazing):

    [YOUTUBE]2FFa7DhXa5s[/YOUTUBE]

    [YOUTUBE]sUuFgXDHxFU[/YOUTUBE]

    It didn't work well and was changed with some input from Glukhovsky.

    Also as a bonus:

    [YOUTUBE]I1QAbfG25oY[/YOUTUBE]

    Actually that all depends on player's actions. He is only as good as the player controlling him.
     
    #5 Komodo Saurian, May 27, 2014
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  5. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    Agreed.

    That makes sense. I remember when looking at screenshots of the alpha version for the first time that I really wanted to try it. Obviously, as alpha versions do, it looked much less polished, but it reminded me of more obscure Eastern European games (in a somewhat good way).

    True, it is possible (and very satisfying) to sneak through the game almost never firing your gun. However, the fact that rushing through the game and shooting everything that moves is so easy (well, harder than the average contemporary shooter, but it is somewhat easy overall) which puts me off. According to the book, Artyom shouldn't be capable of such things. Still, I really do appreciate the game's flexibility in terms of how combat and progression can be approached - it is very non-linear in that area for such a linear FPS.

    Was that Czech? If it was, then this is kinda strange because I think I understand spoken Russian better than I do Czech. :lol: I'm not sure how easily I would be able to pick up spoken Slovak as I haven't heard it in a while, but understanding written Slovak was really easy last time I tried.
     
    #6 Bamul, May 27, 2014
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  6. ComradeCommisar

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    Well...

    Some of the commentary in the game while in VDNKh references Artyom being a deadeye shot and the like
     
  7. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    I posted a while ago in this thread (a reply to both of your comments) and then something else in one other topic in General Chat... now they're both gone. Weird to say the least, but it might be connected to how slow the forum is working for me today.
     
  8. Not in the russian version it doesn't. Which, in this case, is the source material and is superior to the english localization which changes or outright throws away certain lines in the script.

    The original Hunter's line is "Этот-то не пропадет" or "He'll be fine".

    His line in the English dub for reference: [Click me].
     
  9. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    They're back now and in the correct order.... wtf.
     
  10. ComradeCommisar

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    Weird, man... And I now bow to Russian superiority in cases of things written in Russian.
     
  11. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    This reminds of another thing that bugged me about Metro 2033 (Last Light as well in this case), but the issue can really only be applied to Polish and other Slavic translations of the game. I tend to play both Metro games in Russian with Polish subtitles, but I've noticed a while ago that the Polish subtitles are translated from the English version. This really pissed me off because first of all the Russian version is the original source material, so I want the more accurate version.

    Secondly, it is stupid to translate from English to Polish when there is a Russian version. Russian and Polish have much more in common with each other than they do with English, so I bet it would be easier to translate accurately from Russian to Polish and keep it a similar length/style. From the little Russian I know, it is not hard for me to hear and understand words and sometimes even sentences from the game, yet I've never taken courses in Russian. I just go off what I've learned on my own and the similarities between our languages.

    It would be amazing if they'd correct that with Metro Redux, but that definitely won't be the case. The translators who take care of all the different language versions are probably just given the English one and have to make do. The people who make the decisions don't give a damn whether we get an inaccurate version or the proper one.
     
    #12 Bamul, May 28, 2014
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  12. ComradeCommisar

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    Speaking of translations...

    Speaking of translations, are there any English translations of the Metro Universe series?
     
  13. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    Nope. No official ones and I haven't heard of any fans attempting this.
     
  14. ComradeCommisar

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    :( Meh... They look so good
     
  15. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    Most of the ones I've read are very good - some are on par or even better than Metro 2033 and Metro 2034, though I'm three books behind on the Polish translations (got some reading to do over the summer holidays). I'm not sure if they will ever be translated to English, but if they will be then the sluggish speed at which Metro 2034 was translated is no good omen.
     
  16. rolfwar

    rolfwar Well-Known Member
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    To be honest, most of the M2033 Universe books i've read didn't make me feel like reading them more than once.
     
  17. Can confirm. Aside from an occasional great story a lot of them are not that good. They are all essentially fanfiction, not unlike S.T.A.L.K.E.R. expanded universe.
     
  18. Bamul

    Bamul S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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    Well, there is a crapload of them now, and I base my impressions on only the 3 that I have read (Piter; Towards the Light; Into the Darkness), so perhaps you guys are right.
     
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