Nope. I generally prefer my characters in western RPGs to be silent. For non RPGs though I find mute protagonists to be jarring.
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I hate silent protagonists and unvoiced NPC dialogue
- Thread starter banshee150
- Start date
As a reader of books and the whole reason I took games seriously being that FF7 was like a book I could play which made me really invested in the medium as a kid (Beyond my already existing love of Megaman/Mario/etc) I've never needed voice acting to be invested in events. I think most people who read books or like reading stories in general usually don't mind because that creative legwork is already ingrained in their head.
I know it sounds like gatekeeping but I've always found the people who need voice acting/ a specific bar for graphics/etc came into the medium at a specific time/age and/or only like it for certain reasons, and that's fine. Everyone likes what they like. But I see a lot of hyperbole often with games like DQXI and the like that silent protagonists are "garbage", turn based combat is "bad" etc. Things like calling them "relics" or "outdated" are really bad takes imo.
Saying something wouldn't be the same game is a false equivalence because there is no other baseline to compare it to and each game was written/designed with those features in place. Not that games can't be better or worse for having or not having voices, but it's a silly comparison to make.
Glad to see a lot of people on the forum not needing voice to play though. I was worrying with next gen and the graphics/"we gotta be movies" push that I'd be that old man yelling at clouds in silent text boxes :P
I know it sounds like gatekeeping but I've always found the people who need voice acting/ a specific bar for graphics/etc came into the medium at a specific time/age and/or only like it for certain reasons, and that's fine. Everyone likes what they like. But I see a lot of hyperbole often with games like DQXI and the like that silent protagonists are "garbage", turn based combat is "bad" etc. Things like calling them "relics" or "outdated" are really bad takes imo.
Saying something wouldn't be the same game is a false equivalence because there is no other baseline to compare it to and each game was written/designed with those features in place. Not that games can't be better or worse for having or not having voices, but it's a silly comparison to make.
Glad to see a lot of people on the forum not needing voice to play though. I was worrying with next gen and the graphics/"we gotta be movies" push that I'd be that old man yelling at clouds in silent text boxes :P
To be fair in DQXI it really is bad.
Characters not only talk around you but you also just never emote or... anything. You have no agency, you have no personality to input onto them. The Hero in DQ11 isn't a person, or a vessel. They are nothing.
I prefer protagonists who do talk and emote but for RPGs voice acting only in certain parts. I can't stand waiting for an actor, especially random npcs, to act through dialogue that I can read so much faster. Time is limited!
Hate silent protagonist and NPC. By silent I don't necessarily mean the protagonist needs to be voice acted, the character needs dialogue and decent enough facial expression. For example- Phoneix Wright characters are not voice acted but they still have really good dialogue and expression to characterize them while characters like DQ hero or Link are not really well characterized.
Maybe it's because I'm from "Ye olden days" but I've never needed "agency/personality" to play a game, as protagonists are typically written as garbage or self inserts as it is and I'm mostly there for the rest of the cast and world. "I am the protag" therefore I don't need an animator or someone to try and make me that way.
Problems arise like in Andromeda where characters say shitty or snarky or stupid things that I would never say when you give the reigns to someone else, so I'd rather just imagine it myself.
I don't need the hero to be a vessel or a person. Not that it can't be better if he was, or worse if he was spouting off one liners and terribly localized.
But I don't need that. I never needed that. I've been a big proponent of voice acting taking away from a lot of good experiences personally, especially in english dubs at times depending on who localizes the game.
There's too much to dive into in this one thread, but I internalize when I play games therefore those decisions/commentary/responses/etc are all coming from inside my head when I respond to npcs and stuff like that and I don't need lip flaps or a character to invest me into the world as I'm already (typically) invested.
I could write a thesis on the weird analysis I've seen of games that have sprouted up from mostly "game watchers" or people who came in as the push for being like movies began. But I digress. I disagree that I need that in the first place.
If it's an extremely cinematic game like Uncharted then voice acting is necessary. If it's a game with text boxes and static images then voice acting mostly gets in the way. I'll have finished the text box long before the actor gets through it, so then I either sit and wait for them to repeat what I've already read or skip through the voices.
I can't stand silent protagonists. Rips me right out of the situation when real shit is going on around them and they have zero to say. It's not immersive when YOU would definitely say something. There's very few architypes that actually works with. In most applications these days though it's just butt biscuits. They come across as either dumb as a box of rocks or completely uncaring. And either way... meh.
Caveat: when no one is voiced I'm actually completely fine with that. It's only when your character is the only one that isn't that it sucks for me.
Caveat: when no one is voiced I'm actually completely fine with that. It's only when your character is the only one that isn't that it sucks for me.
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Honestly this comes across as basically being: "Some people have done it bad, therefore no one should try."
Holy hyperbole Batman.
What I'm saying is it can be better and it can be worse. No one "needs to" do anything to make a "good" game.
The people who hyperbolize any option other than what they see as the "superior" format are imo the ones that are cutting off discussion and multiple expressions and types of projects.
But whatever floats your boat I guess.
time for this thread once again i suposse. I much rather have them because, if the devs know what they're doing, they'll make the protagonist express using animation and maybe sounds. Also something is not a "relic" just because you dont like it. This site i swear to god sometimes.
People want every line of dialogue to be voiced in story-heavy games? Jeez, how long do you want to be playing video games? People got shit to do, even RPG players.
It's not really hyperbole when your post basically that it's fine as it is because it could have been worse. Anything can be worse. Someone shouldn't rest on their laurels because it could be worse.
I really don't care if the protagonist is voiced or not, but when they just don't say anything at all it is very jarring.
Silent protagonists are fine because they are fine.
You or others putting your personal preferences as objective observations are why I hate talking about games with people these days. If it's not being told that every RPG has to be action or every game needs to look a certain way, it's being told that because I think Silent Protags are good I'm saying that no one should bother despite loving games like Dragon Age Inquisition and Witcher 3.
Why do I even bother posting.
The only version of the silent protagonist I remember explicitly enjoying is in Shining Force III, when your character is clearly saying something, and other characters react to it, but the dialogue just shows an ellipsis so you can imagine for yourself.
...until you play the other scenarios and hear the characters you previously played speaking.
...until you play the other scenarios and hear the characters you previously played speaking.
After listening to some of Josh Sawyer's post-mortem on Deadfire, and replaying Baldur's Gate I and II. I've come to have a better understanding that requiring voiced dialogue requires a TON of work and places a whole bunch of unseen limitations in terms of branching and incidental dialogue, etc. Even though I loved the full voice acting in Deadfire and games like Divinity Original Sin 2, seeing the sheer amount of character/companion interactions in a game from as far back as Baldurs Gate II and compare it to Deadfire and I begin to wonder if the game would have been better if characters had been allowed to go unvoiced.
At the same time though, I'm still absolutely floored by how much voiced dialogue there is in Guild Wars 2, to build off of the OPs paragraph on MMOs. I really think it's a strength of the game in that instance.
At the same time though, I'm still absolutely floored by how much voiced dialogue there is in Guild Wars 2, to build off of the OPs paragraph on MMOs. I really think it's a strength of the game in that instance.
In RPGs I like NPCs fully voiced, and player character limited voice.
Talking to an NPC should have voiced intro/goodbye, but multiple dialogue options that don't need be voiced (unless got a huge budget). Dialogue options>voice.
All other genres fully voiced.
Talking to an NPC should have voiced intro/goodbye, but multiple dialogue options that don't need be voiced (unless got a huge budget). Dialogue options>voice.
All other genres fully voiced.
This. Holy shit this pissed me off. I've play through this game a few times now and it still bugs the shit out of me. The entire
Yamantau section is such an incredible level marred by Artyom not saying a damn word during any of it. His wife is being taken in front of him by a bunch of cannibals and he doesn't utter a fucking word... so dumb.
I think you have an issue with your opinion being challenged. I'm not attacking you.
Also I feel like you are completely misunderstanding me and don't even show to understand why people have an issue with the DQ11 protagonist.
Ultimately this whole thing stems from people not knowing what the difference between a Silent and a Non-Voiced Protagonist are.
Non-Voiced are what a lot of old school RPGs did where your character never had any voiced dialogue but they still had choices they could make.
Silent Protagonists having varying levels but universally unlike non-voiced characters they have no choice. However through a combination of actions and facial expressions, you can still give life to these while still maintaining the ability to put yourself into the role.
In DQ11 there is either very little or none. The protagonist is just there. Things happen to them but they keep the same stoic face. It detracts from trying to put yourself in that role because most people aren't completely emotionless dolls. You could replace the hero with anything and nothing would change.
I find the text-only stuff in Yakuza kind of endearing for some reason. Makes the games feel just old school enough for me.
My opinion being challenged versus being told my opinion is "wrong" is two very different things and why this forum and this topic comes up as confrontational so often.
When I state my opinion of "I've never needed that because I don't need a game to tell my why I should be invested in the main protag" and "I don't need voice acting" I'm met with "You think they shouldn't even try then!"
You can have an issue with the DQXI protag. I don't. That doesn't mean you're "right" because you feel that they need to be a certain way. That's how opinions work. I said "I don't need that" and somehow that got us into the back and forth of "You're wrong because DQXI protag is soulless"
The DQXI is just a vessel of which I'm experiencing the story in my point of view. I don't need him to have character or be a certain way. Just like I haven't "needed" it in any game. You can not like it, just like people don't like turn based combat or people don't like dubs vs subs or something else.
Saying that DQXI is somehow inferior because it doesn't give YOU or someone else what THEY want is why "opinions being challenged" is such a pain in text based discussion. Because the onus is on the interpretation of the person reading it, so no matter how it's intended to be said or read, you can still take it as another way.
I think DQXI is fine. I think Silent protags are fine. I think unvoiced protags are fine. I don't need to be told by a character how to feel and I don't need the character I'm inhabiting to be a certain way for me as a player to be invested. I stated my piece and I'll be off now.
Should it be punished by law?
I'm fine with both, I read faster than they speak, so most of the times is pointless
Silent protagonists are literally the bane of my gaming existence. I hate it. It even grinds my gears in Zelda.
I don't mind no voice acting - that's a different thing entirely. But when the protag just STANDS there and contributes nothing to the plot? Ugh. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster.
I don't mind no voice acting - that's a different thing entirely. But when the protag just STANDS there and contributes nothing to the plot? Ugh. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster.
You can lose so much with voice acting. Something like branching dialog has to be simplified because those voice-overs just start piling up. For certain games I think any kind of voice acting is a hindrance.
I want more VA in FFXIV and idc if it breaks immersion like you're driving a car around already. I didn't notice it but in ShB it's v awk when there's a dramatic scene and I'm just standing here emoting or nodding.
I admit not all NPCs need VA since I'll be skipping like store text or other canned lines.
I admit not all NPCs need VA since I'll be skipping like store text or other canned lines.
these seem like two very different issues and your poll doesn't make any distinction between them.
silent protagonists suck, but its ok for an entire game to have its dialogue in text, depending on the genre. in a fast paced action game it needs to be voiced otherwise it's hard to pay attention.
consistency is key, but even then a mix is acceptable if the game has an ungodly amount of dialogue, such as an mmo.
voiced isn't always better, many games take a lot of their atmosphere from the scrolling text combined with music; its a good way to make things feel a bit more alien.
basically if a game has voice acting i want my character to have voice acting, but even if it doesn't i want to see what my character is actually saying to people.
silent protagonists suck, but its ok for an entire game to have its dialogue in text, depending on the genre. in a fast paced action game it needs to be voiced otherwise it's hard to pay attention.
consistency is key, but even then a mix is acceptable if the game has an ungodly amount of dialogue, such as an mmo.
voiced isn't always better, many games take a lot of their atmosphere from the scrolling text combined with music; its a good way to make things feel a bit more alien.
basically if a game has voice acting i want my character to have voice acting, but even if it doesn't i want to see what my character is actually saying to people.
i think non silent protags would RUIN games like pokemon, animal crossing, zelda, etc
theres room for both.
as for voicing, i dont think its necessary at all, i like to read and tend to cut voiced lines short because i already finished reading
never really got the immersion take since i dont really imagine myself as these characters
but also this thread and poll are about two different things and im confused
theres room for both.
as for voicing, i dont think its necessary at all, i like to read and tend to cut voiced lines short because i already finished reading
never really got the immersion take since i dont really imagine myself as these characters
but also this thread and poll are about two different things and im confused
At the start of the game i try this. But after a couple of hours i mostly skip the voiced part, because i read faster than they talk
I always prefer no voices in games - text all the way, especially when you have the ability to FFW through the text options.
I'm a super fast reader and I would prefer to read and blast through dialogue as fast as possible, often times I feel like I'm sitting there waaaaaaiting for the spoken parts to finish.
I'm a super fast reader and I would prefer to read and blast through dialogue as fast as possible, often times I feel like I'm sitting there waaaaaaiting for the spoken parts to finish.
I just finished Metro Exodus and I know the protag has never spoken,but it really stood out in this game.People are always talking to you and asking you what you think should happen next and you stand there silent.....then they just pretend that you answered them,really weird.
Silent/non-speaking protagonists are awful. Playing a game and hearing everyone else's voices then watching the player-character not reply is the fastest way to take me out of a story.
The reverse could be said: voiced everything is needless and overly complicating something that can remain simple. I actually disliked when games started voicing a lot of things because it just felt unnecessary and in a lot of cases got in my way. The worst thing is when the developer doesn't let me skip dialog boxes because of the voices. If I've already read the text box, I don't need to sit around waiting for you to talk more, I want to just continue.
I'd honestly rather not have voice acting at all than have to sit through it, have it make the game take longer or cost more or just annoy me to death when I just want to move on.
Yes? There are multiple absolutely gargantuan huge games where everything is voiced. TW3, Red Dead 2, and AC:Odyssey as examples.
Expecting full voice acting ruined many RPGs, limited options and generally hurt especially the RPG genre. Expecting full voice acting on everything just hurts the industry. Yes triple A games can do it but what about smaller fish? You can watch this very intersting presentation of Josh Sawyer about how full voice acting hurt Pillars of Eternity 2 among other things. Not having full voice acting on everything is fine.