Place yo' bets: Will Starfield have a voiced protagonist?

[TissueBox]

These days, there's been an inexplicable draw to the filmic school of storytelling. One way this can manifest in WRPGs is through having a voiced protagonist, conversations shot over the shoulder -- something that some may argue comes at the cost of precise and open ended choice driven dialogue and character roleplay.

Bethesda introduced a voiced hero/heroine for the first time in Fallout 4, and while I personally enjoyed it for what it was, others found it didn't suit BGS' style of game at all. This was not mimicked in Fallout 76, their next main project, which was also a semi-MMO.

Which leaves the question -- whaddya think's goin' down with Starfield? Think we'll see a voiced protag, or is it way too big for that?? And do you WANT a voiced protagonist? Leave your three cents down in that reply box thing..!!

 

[TubaZef]

Who's Will Starfield?

 

[Falchion]

God I hope so but if it's absolutely massive then I doubt it.

 

[Beth Cyra]

I could see it going either way.

That said I'd personally lose all interest if they aren't voiced.

 

[laikalot]

I think they will, while I'm hoping they don't.

 

[Jibbajabbawockky]

I think they will, while I'm hoping they don't.

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This.

The voiced protagonist was hot trash in Fallout 4. Give me a ton more diversity in character creation and just leave it unvoiced. Put those resources somewhere else.

 

[Smoothcb]

Hope they do. Makes it more immersive for me

 

[Plasmid]

After Fallout 4, i expect it to have a voiced actor, i expect the voice / dialogue options to be horrid though.

 

[Resident4t.]

I'll take a voiced protagonist as long as they go back to the blank slate protagonist l.
The kid/spouse thing from fallout 4 was awful

 

[Risev]

I think they will because there's no expectations behind Starfield being in line with any specific type of game and adhering to certain rules.

I also think ES6 and Fallout 5 will not because they said the dialogue wheel was ultimately a failure.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I don't think it will. FO4's voiced protagonist was SO BADLY received that even people who liked the game generally found it to be the worst part.

I think Bethesda will realize (rightly) that trying to have a super open-ended game AND a set protagonist doesn't really work.

 

[cgpartlow]

With the scope and budget I totally think it will. Why wouldn't it?

 

[catboy]

if it's voiced i would love to see them have multiple voices (ie not just feminine and masculine) and not be gender locked

 

[TurdFerguson]

I sure hope they do, but I won't put money on it.

 

[Lego Killer Moth]

God I hope not. It works sometimes but for the most part in games like this it's awful.

 

[ErrorJustin]

Pretty shocked at the people saying "no" given that Fallout 4 had one....

 

[Kongroo]

Every single one of Fallout 4's biggest problems stem from the fact that they have a voiced protagonist.

I really hope they go the silent route. Bethesda doesn't have it in them to offer a sprawling RPG with interesting branching dialogue/choices AND a voiced PC. It's one or the other. The choice is easy.

 

[The Lord of Cereal]

I think it will, yeah. I also really hope that it will too. From the trailer they definitely seem to be focusing a lot more on the storytelling and the lore of the game, and I feel like that will tie in nicely with having a voiced protagonist as well.

Fallout 4 certainly had it's issues, but a voiced protagonist definitely wasn't one of them.

The only BGS games I can see not having voiced protagonists from here on out are Elder Scrolls games, not only because I have a feeling that will remain the "traditional" RPG series from BGS but also for the logistical reason of needing up to 20 different voice actors for potential main characters (10 races, male and female characters)

 

[qatak]

if ZA/UM can voice disco elysium final cut, Microsoft can voice Starfield. I bet it'll happen.

 

[defaltoption]

No, they already came out and said this will be the most hardcore rpg bethesda has ever made, which im hoping means lots of choices and dialogue so I dont think they'll voice it all.

I prefer voice acting but not at the expense of options.

 

[Vic20]

if ZA/UM can voice disco elysium final cut, Microsoft can voice Starfield. I bet it'll happen.

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We are not talking about a fully voiced game, we are talking about the MC.

 

[RoboitoAM]

Pretty shocked at the people saying "no" given that Fallout 4 had one....

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I'm shocked people think Starfield will be a "yes", given that the voice over was a nearly universally disliked decision.

But really, it could be 50/50... hoping not.

 

[Koukalaka]

I'm hoping for "no", but expecting a "yes".

 

[qatak]

We are not talking about a fully voiced game, we are talking about the MC.

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I more meant this as a response to whether or not voiced protag was even possible

 

[Plasma]

With what they've said about this being a more hardcore RPG and giving you choices about your origins I can't see the character being voiced.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

No, they already came out and said this will be the most hardcore rpg bethesda has ever made, which im hoping means lots of choices and dialogue so I dont think they'll voice it all.

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Where did they say that?

Please someone show me. I want to look forward to a Bethesda RPG again. Those are the right words for me but I need to know that you're not paraphrasing haha

 

[Vic20]

I more meant this as a response to whether or not voiced protag was even possible

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Yeah, don't know what OP is thinking with that tbh, of course full voice MC is possible.

 

[CONCHOBAR]

As someone who actually liked Fallout 4 (despite the voiced main character) and followed the saga closely pre- and post-launch, I'm pretty sure Todd himself acknowledged at some point that the voiced protagonist was a misstep. Fallout 76 doesn't have one.

 

[Alienhated]

You think modern Bethesda would actually put out an AAA open world game with no voice acting whatsoever?

 

[pappacone]

the cover art makes me thing there will be preset male and female characters, in that case it would be obvious

 

[Deleted member 15240]

Probably, sadly.

 

[NickatNite]

I prefer it not to have a voice attached to the playable character. But, I could see it going either way.

 

[Lost Lemurian]

I hope they don't, so that's how I'm voting.

And if this game really is "Skyrim in space", I hope it continues the ES tradition of just letting me roleplay as my character instead of inserting a bunch of characterization for the protagonist.

 

[The Albatross]

I think yes, but I prefer no.

I don't have any problem with a voice protag IF they give you enough options to play out scenarios how you want to, and my experience with FO4 was that the voiced protag was one of the things that limited the scope of the role playing with dialog.

 

[Yuntu]

It would really lower my interest by a decent amount if my char would be voiced. That char is me, he has no voice but the one in my head.

Hopefully they listened to the Fallout 4 critic in that regard.

 

[medinaria]

yes

I'm also assuming that at some point you will meet an npc who will tell you that he took a blaster shot to the knee

 

[Chie Satonaka]

I'm fine with silent protagonists, but I liked hearing Nora in Fallout 4, so I'd also be fine with a voiced protag for Starfield.

 

[Ra]

A voiced protagonist works, when you spend the money to have them and the surrounding cast record enough lines to allow robust dialogue options and conversations. Bethesda has the bank necessary to make that happen, so I hope they took such a path.

I totally wouldn't be bothered by a silent protagonist either.

 

[Quinton]

I hope not.

 

[LumberPanda]

Unfortunately yes :(

 

[HardRojo]

Depends, if you want the game to have a dull protagonist, then no voice (if it's a set one, not one through a character creator), if you want the protagonist to be at least slightly interesting, voiced.

 

[Doc Laserstein]

I think a voiced protagonist is a near certainty.

 

[Kinthey]

It would feel pretty silly if the game is meticulous enough to render engine ignition sparks but then has a silent protagonist

 

[RPGam3r]

Honestly, I'm game either way. Falllout 4 having a voiced protagonist isn't one of the things I would change about it.

 

[Helix]

c'mon Todd "Big Man" Howard. gimme next gen Mass Effect

 

[chandoog]

I would imagine so.

Even FO4 had one.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

100% no.

 

[Kalor]

Todd Howard mentioned learning their lessons from Fallout 4 in terms of how they handled the voiced protagonist. So if it does, which I expect, it should be handled better at least and have more options.

 

[Apollo]

I assume they won't be able to help themselves. Would be nice if they're not voiced though

 

[Retromess]

Man I really hope, if the protag is voiced, they're at least a CHARACTER.

Make them have an established personality and motivations and all that that we can tweak through dialogue options and gameplay options.

But silent protagonists are always terrible, they've never worked well and none of them are good. You will never change my mind on this.