Kotaku UK: Shut The Hell Up, Deacon

J_ToSaveTheDay · May 5, 2019

Haven't played Days Gone yet but this sounds a bit like my experience with Aloy.

Aloy is a great character that I'm really endeared to, but she almost always had to put a word in with nearly every gameplay scenario through my run-through of Horizon Zero Dawn. Her audible quips were completely inoffensive in their nature but I still occasionally found grating on my concentration when she'd just have to say something while I was trying to play methodically -- it just felt distracting.

I suppose it might be a bit more problematic if Deacon is difficult to like, but I haven't looked into Days Gone intently enough to know anything about his personality yet honestly.

Indy in the Fridge · May 5, 2019

Gamers: we want unique characters that aren't just silent cardboard cutouts

Bend: here's Deacon, a man unhinged and constantly under threat in a zombie wasteland. He says a lot of stuff because antagonizing enemies and self-narrating helps him fight and to cope.

Gamers: shut the fuck up Deacon

Salty Rice · May 5, 2019

Well i like more what Deacon has to say than what Kotaku UK has to say recently.

En-ou · May 5, 2019

Hahaha
I've been saying this for years about western AAA and ND games as well. I had to mute certain parts of the last of us because Ellie won't stfu.

justiceiro · May 5, 2019

So talking and yelling alone at things that cannot understand you is suddenly normal? C'mon guys, most of those lines are obnoxious.

Procheno · May 5, 2019

The problem I always see with these types of "character speaking lines to himself alone during an action" like in this game and horizon zero Dawn for example is how it feels like the game developers are always trying to keep your attention, like they need someone talking constantly or else people will lose interest, like they have the attention spans of babies. Worse is when they do this but for instructions on how to do something in the game, again just like the audience are babies.

"I wonder if I can use this on that car over there"
"I better keep quiet or else they'll hear me"

Stuff like that type of monologuing

Eolz · May 5, 2019

Silvergun-Blue said:
And the incessant picking part of this game is getting wearisome. It's an example of the over the top cynicism and negativity in the industry and it's community these days.
It's almost like the fact that the game is (seemingly) selling well and those who have bought it are enjoying it is an annoyance to some people.

You're reading way too much into this. The same kind of articles came out with Aloy in Horizon for example.

Deleted member 12833 · May 5, 2019

Nah, Kotaku is wrong as usual

I do wish the volume mix was better though. Deacon shouts a little too loud

Deleted member 9971 · May 5, 2019

I guess uk people never talk to emselves? Guess they are to busy talking about the queen 🤭

TheInfinityGauntlet · May 5, 2019

Tofer said:
Nah, Kotaku is wrong as usual

I do wish the volume mix was better though. Deacon shouts a little too loud

Yeah sometimes he's yelling on bike to someone just behind him (in the example I'm on about it was Boozer) and Boozer just talks normally? It's really peculiar

TeenageFBI · May 5, 2019

Procheno said:
The problem I always see with these types of "character speaking lines to himself alone during an action" like in this game and horizon zero Dawn for example is how it feels like the game developers are always trying to keep your attention, like they need someone talking constantly or else people will lose interest, like they have the attention spans of babies.

This is exactly what's happening. Really grated on my nerves in Horizon.

germuso · May 5, 2019

easy clicks low bait.

George Romero · May 5, 2019

I dont know what is the problem

Igorth · May 5, 2019

The guy is nuts, and the voice actor goes out of his way showing it, I like it.

Richter1887 · May 5, 2019

justiceiro said:
So talking and yelling alone at things that cannot understand you is suddenly normal? C'mon guys, most of those lines are obnoxious.

Just because you don't do it yourself doesn't make it abnormal.

GarthLordOfTheSith · May 5, 2019

I cannot agree with this hot take st all.

boontobias · May 5, 2019

*tossing a grenade while stealth crouching in a bush*
TAKE THAT YOU FRICKIN FRICKS

Loxley · May 5, 2019

I'd like to see Deacon vs the guards from Splinter Cell: Conviction.

M. Wallace · May 5, 2019

Kotaku shut the fuck up

shinobi602 · May 5, 2019

I'm having fun with the game but I have to agree with the article. I guess you can make the argument that he's starting to lose it after what's gone down in the game and talking about events or actual things going on in from of him but there's nothing believable about a person commenting on EVERY action taken, saying "Ah, yeah, fuel can, need that to refuel bike!" 1000 times to themselves lol.

He literally comments on almost every single thing he does. "Good, scrap, I'll need this." x1000

"Need to repair my bike. Yup repairing my bike" x1000.

"Gotta track this deer. There's that deer. Gutting this deer." x1000

"Here's one of those, what do they call them, micro recorders? Yeah" every single time you get into a NERO unit.

It's just silly lol. Showing a person falling into madness could have been done far better imo.

ket · May 5, 2019

BrassDragon said:
The OP is a valid critique but it drops on top of a pile of 'bitch eating crackers' commentary about Days Gone. What is it about this game that makes the game press nitpick things that go with barely a comment in other recent open world games?

Aside from the fact that this is the most significant game launch of the last two weeks? Nothing much.

Days Gone is a major PS4 exclusive that recently released. This means that there are going to be a lot of articles about it because that's how this stuff usually works. A big game comes out and then articles are written about it until the next big release.

Not every article is going to be positive and that's okay. There is nothing special or irregular with how Days Gone is being written about.

J_Viper · May 5, 2019

phant0m said:
And gamers should know best the kind of shit that comes out of people's mouths when in "combat".

ENEMIES EVERYWHERE

Hey Please · May 5, 2019

I understand the complaint about repetition. I played HZD for around 60 hours (IIRC) and in that time, Aloy started to repeat some of her traversal and stealth based one liners. It does become a bit immersion breaking.

Then again, silent protagonist, especially when third person as opposed to first person (the latter allowing the player to literally inhabit the PC), never created that sense of immersion. Players seldom got a sense of inner workings of their protagonists. For me these dialogues serve two purposes:

1. Diagetic/Organic method of imparting tutorials and information on objectives
2. Helps with establishing personalities beyond cutscenes
3. While not completely attained, it can also be used to give a sense of character progression/arc and psychological states.

So, personally, I would always take a character who has expresses internal monologues when playing games featuring third person perspective. However, as aforementioned, repetition works against this model and the only rectification lies with recording more audio, i.e. it's a time and cost based issue.

With regards to Deacon, Jim Sterling's review posited an interesting point- He likes Deacon's crazy doomsday prepper unhinged ramblings but states that it is at odds with the cutscene/story version.

It's Kotaku's opinion piece and as such he is entitled to it and folks who feel otherwise do not have to agree with it.

Puffy · May 5, 2019

I actually love it. They should call the sequel "Days Gone 2: Daamn Deacon chill lmao"

Loudninja · May 5, 2019

People love to go on and on about immersion this is a major part of that,I am tired of silent characters or characters that never comment on the situation they are in.

SirFuzzyDunlop · May 5, 2019

Loving my time with the game, but I have to agree with the article.

Neuromancer · May 5, 2019

I like it. It makes him sound unhinged, which he is.

tiebreaker · May 5, 2019

Deacon is insane and it's fine.

Alcohog · May 5, 2019

I'm surprised by this rant, I've only played about 6 hours but I have been having the opposite reaction to the dialogue; it's great and seems more of what a real person might spout off in the context of this environment.

carlsojo · May 5, 2019

It's pretty fantastic and sets him apart from other protagonists.

Sorel · May 5, 2019

moist penguin said:
Agreed. It isn't as if he keeps regurgitating the same lines. Bend did a good job at having a variety of situational commentary. The VA was incredible and his dialogue added to whatever scenario you found yourself in, especially when your only point of human contact is typically in brief conversations over a radio.

Never heard twice the same line. So yeah really good job.

Cactuar · May 5, 2019

It appears Kotaku has never played the Witcher 3. How do you like that silver?

shinobi602 · May 5, 2019

i-Lo said:
I understand the complaint about repetition. I played HZD for around 60 hours (IIRC) and in that time, Aloy started to repeat some of her traversal and stealth based one liners. It does become a bit immersion breaking.

I feel it's far more pronounced than even HZD. At least Aloy doesn't comment on grabbing plants or arrows or anything like that. Deacon literally comments on even cutting plants, probably, I don't know, 75% of the time with me lol.

CaptainKashup · May 5, 2019

I personally love it.
Deacon is a gold-mine of unhinged madness.
The voice actor in the French version really understood that, that man is really wrecking his throat for this role, it's really funny.

Deleted member 54292 · May 5, 2019

KillstealWolf said:
That moment when Bubsy of all things has the solution to the problem.

Just have an option slider that lets you decide how much the character talks.

(I'm all for characters talking more, Silent Characters only really work if it's a custom character or a Pair of Jeans character that you are supposed to put yourself into.)

This would rule in so many games.

Deleted member 51539 · May 5, 2019

Cactuar said:
It appears Kotaku has never played the Witcher 3. How do you like that silver?

Damn, you're ugly.

BBboy20 · May 5, 2019

Apparently the rest of the UK doesn't mind.

jeyu · May 5, 2019

I Love it. Kotaku never fails to have the worst articles. About 25 hours and I love to see he react to the world all the time

Azurik · May 5, 2019

I like it. Adds a lot of personality to the character.

Raised in a Barn · May 5, 2019

Cactuar said:
It appears Kotaku has never played the Witcher 3. How do you like that silver?

Place of Power, it's gotta be!

Pryme · May 5, 2019

BBboy20 said:
Apparently the rest of the UK doesn't mind.

Everyone knows Call of Duty and FiFA games are beyond reproach.

Seriously though, sales numbers have nothing to do with this.

Edgar · May 5, 2019

peter42O said:
something

Indy in the Fridge said:
Gamers: we want unique characters that aren't just silent cardboard cutouts

Bend: here's Deacon, a man unhinged and constantly under threat in a zombie wasteland. He says a lot of stuff because antagonizing enemies and self-narrating helps him fight and to cope.

Gamers: shut the fuck up Deacon

You do realize theres a middle ground and just because in concept it sounds good, the execution is middling at best in DG? right?

En-ou said:
Hahaha
I've been saying this for years about western AAA and ND games as well. I had to mute certain parts of the last of us because Ellie won't stfu.

Yes , generalize every western AAA because one game is bad at this implementation , good job.

Loudninja said:
People love to go on and on about immersion this is a major part of that,I am tired of silent characters or characters that never comment on the situation they are in.

Again, there is a fuckin middle ground , theres always a time and a place for commentary and always comes down to execution , what days gone is doing with Deacon when it comes to commentary is just bad and obnoxious, theres no restrain, the implementation is all over the place.

Richter1887 · May 5, 2019

Edgar said:
You do realize theres a middle ground and just because in concept it sounds good, the execution is middling at best in DG? right?

Yes , generalize every western AAA because one game is bad at this implementation , good job.

Again, there is a fuckin middle ground , theres always a time and a place for commentary and always comes down to execution , what days gone is doing with Deacon when it comes to commentary is just bad and obnoxious, theres no restrain, the implementation is all over the place.

To you maybe. I love it the way it is.

TheInfinityGauntlet · May 5, 2019

shinobi602 said:
I'm having fun with the game but I have to agree with the article. I guess you can make the argument that he's starting to lose it after what's gone down in the game and talking about events or actual things going on in from of him but there's nothing believable about a person commenting on EVERY action taken, saying "Ah, yeah, fuel can, need that to refuel bike!" 1000 times to themselves lol.

He literally comments on almost every single thing he does. "Good, scrap, I'll need this." x1000

"Need to repair my bike. Yup repairing my bike" x1000.

"Gotta track this deer. There's that deer. Gutting this deer." x1000

"Here's one of those, what do they call them, micro recorders? Yeah" every single time you get into a NERO unit.

It's just silly lol. Showing a person falling into madness could have been done far better imo.

This is fair but this seems like fairly typical game dialogue to let the user know the thing they're doing is successful? Like you do this, here's confirmation dialogue you know? and I think that's specifically such a wide thing that making an article about it solely for this game is kinda silly

Kenzodielocke · May 5, 2019

shinobi602 said:
I feel it's far more pronounced than even HZD. At least Aloy doesn't comment on grabbing plants or arrows or anything like that. Deacon literally comments on even cutting plants, probably, I don't know, 75% of the time with me lol.

Sadly, she does. If you pick up healing, she is saying "this is gonna help" or something like that.

kingkenny76 · May 5, 2019

Richter1887 said:
I like it honestly. Adds a lot to how deranged and insane Deacon is.

Yeah, same for me. I like it

melodiousmowl · May 5, 2019

Primethius said:
I'd say there's a big difference between Aloy and Deacon. Aloy does a lot of observation commentary where as Deacon just sort of rambles in response to things in a pretty crazy way (most of the time).

Between the two, Deacon is personally far more enjoyable since it's more unique and not really a, "let me narrate what's on screen" type of deal.

This drove me INSANE in Horizon. I hate feeling like I am being herded to see or learn about every single little thing that the devs spent time on. Let me explore - just feeding info takes out the magic.

Carolina Reaper · May 5, 2019

Put him in a car traveling cross country with Aloy and film it. Two dummies who can't stop narrating the world around them. Good TV.

Bishop89 · May 5, 2019

Different strokes.

I love it

Overflow · May 5, 2019

There was that one Horizon Zero Dawn gameplay showcase where Aloy sounded so god damn obnoxious and annoying, glad she wound up a great character.

It's a hard facet of storytelling in games to get right.

Kotaku UK: Shut The Hell Up, Deacon

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