It doesn't matter to me in any genre. I'm immersed into the game no matter if I'm John Marston in Red Dead Redemption or My character Adean in Skyrim.
Poll: Voice Acting for Protagonists in RPGs - More or less immersive?
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I've never actually played any of the Shin Megami Tensei games, despite my desire to. Or seen any videos on any of the games. Mostly because I always had trouble finding them, and I've lacked the funds to get them whenever I saw them. But to answer your question, I would place that character under the same category I would place characters like Hawke and Shepard. That is the developer's creation, while you just have control over the character itself, somewhat like a puppet.RedEyesBlackGamer said:
To be perfectly honest, voice acting doesn't really matter too much to me in RPGs. Yeah, I like it, but I don't need it. I would like to change some of my initial response, and elaborate, as I was not entirely accurate.
Preset Developer characters, the ones I prefer to be voice acted:
Hawke and Shepard are already established characters within the world in which they exist, and what YOU do, is influence that character's actions and decisions, allowing you to define the developer's creation, Hawke and Shepard, as you desire. Those are the kinds of characters I would personally like to have voice acted.
Raw player created characters, the ones I prefer to stay silent:
However, for games like Dragon Age: Origins and Skyrim, your character is entirely your own character, allowing "you" as a whole, to become a part of the world you're playing in. Characters like the Dragonborn or the Warden, or hell, even Avatar in White Knight Chronicles, these characters are the player's eyes in the world. The player's very being, in the world in which they exist. You, for all intents and purposes, are a character in the story you have been presented. These are the characters I prefer to stay silent, as I choose from different dialogue options, as I can project my own voice and my own attitude into those statements, to further my immersion as I play my own role within the world I am presented. I am the Dragonborn of Skyrim, I am the Warden of Dragon Age: Origins, I am the very essence of who Avatar is in White Knight Chronicles, and as a silent character, I can further project myself into the world as that character.
And yes, I am aware you can edit Hawke's and Shepard's appearances. However, they have their own "canonical" appearance that the developers have given to them, and because of that I can't stand to play them looking any other way. Thus, I view them as a developer's creation that I string along as a puppet.
Mind you, all of this is of my own viewpoint of the topic, and as such, should not be taken as fact.
Depends. Are any dialogue options sacrificed for the voice acting, and are there multiple voices. I like DA:O style protagonist over DA2 not because he was silent, but because there was a fair amount of choice in what I could say, and it didn't come down to the same old Good, Witty/Neutral, Evil/Ass responses. I HATE the Dialogue wheel with a passion due to how it influences you into playing a certain character. For instance, you want to play a really good character who tries to do nothing wrong. In DA:O, you might pick a dialogue option that the NPC didn't interpret as being good for some reason or other (Alistair not having his normal sense of humour when you respond to him 'Yes... My King' or whatever it was), and thus whilst trying to be good, they have made a mistake and must try to fix it. It leads to deeper characters and better roleplaying. The dialogue wheel forces you into always picking the top right option, as that is always the 'good' option. Your character has no chance to make a mistake, and it is harder to effectively roleplay a character. Now, a lot of this is a gripe with the Dialogue wheel and what it does, but it is used to make dialogue easier to get the response you want from, with fewer options due to the 6 slots it has and people not liking to navigate 'Other' menus, and thus cuts down what is left to say. The wheel is used with fewer dialogue options, and I can see that coming off of not having time to have a voice actor read a ton of lines. Whilst at the moment the two may or may not be directly connected, if not having time to voice act a lot of lines results in fewer options in dialogue, and/or a dialogue wheel type setup, then I prefer silent.
Likewise, if there is just one voice for your character, no matter what race they are or what they look like, it can be odd. I prefer the DA:O style of having many voices for your character. Unfortunately, due to time restraints I'm sure, the lines dialogue were not recorded by voice actors, only random statements when you came across a trap, or entered a fight. When given the option of fully voiced by numerous actors protagonist with which voice you use up to choice, or a silent protagonist, I would not mind either way.
Likewise, if there is just one voice for your character, no matter what race they are or what they look like, it can be odd. I prefer the DA:O style of having many voices for your character. Unfortunately, due to time restraints I'm sure, the lines dialogue were not recorded by voice actors, only random statements when you came across a trap, or entered a fight. When given the option of fully voiced by numerous actors protagonist with which voice you use up to choice, or a silent protagonist, I would not mind either way.
If the other characters have voices than my character has to have a voice. If no one has a voice, than I am fine with not having one.
It broke my immersion so much in Dragon Age that my character had no voice. It made certain cutscenes and situations just so awkward looking, as my character stood around with a stupid look on his face, never yelling or saying anything. I appreciated the depth of responses you could have in comparison to Dragon Age 2. However, I vastly preferred the voiced Hawke of DA2 to my Grey Warden.
Of course many of my favorite RPGs have voiceless protagonists but those are in text heavy games.
It broke my immersion so much in Dragon Age that my character had no voice. It made certain cutscenes and situations just so awkward looking, as my character stood around with a stupid look on his face, never yelling or saying anything. I appreciated the depth of responses you could have in comparison to Dragon Age 2. However, I vastly preferred the voiced Hawke of DA2 to my Grey Warden.
Of course many of my favorite RPGs have voiceless protagonists but those are in text heavy games.
I don't like it because it's not done well yet, they either repeat the lines you just read to select them or in the case of recent Bioware games they will say stuff completely unrelated to what you picked and then they even exaggerate the tone of those lines so your character looks completely schizophrenic and mental.
Human Revolution went a little better by displaying the short sentence version and the full text as you went over it so you could check your character wont just flip out with the next path you take.
That part was good anyway, they still fell down on several stupid monologues and severe cases of "I read the script".
And the biggest issue with voice acting all the dialog options haveto be chopped up to accommodate all the extra work.
Human Revolution went a little better by displaying the short sentence version and the full text as you went over it so you could check your character wont just flip out with the next path you take.
That part was good anyway, they still fell down on several stupid monologues and severe cases of "I read the script".
And the biggest issue with voice acting all the dialog options haveto be chopped up to accommodate all the extra work.
To me, it entirely depends on two factors:
1) Do I sound like that? - Probably the biggest immersion breaker in first person games (i.e, when I'm being me ) is when the main character has a completely different accent to me; and since most game protagonists have American accents, and I have an English/ British accent. This doesn't bother me in third person games though, since I treat it more like a role, as if I'm acting.
2) Would I say that? - Not much explanation here, happens frequently in bioware games when I pick an option an the main character says something completely different to me.
1) Do I sound like that? - Probably the biggest immersion breaker in first person games (i.e, when I'm being me ) is when the main character has a completely different accent to me; and since most game protagonists have American accents, and I have an English/ British accent. This doesn't bother me in third person games though, since I treat it more like a role, as if I'm acting.
2) Would I say that? - Not much explanation here, happens frequently in bioware games when I pick an option an the main character says something completely different to me.
Don't really care one way or the other, I'm not one of those picky types that throws a fit over little things like this. I love playing as Command Shepard and Marcus Feniex just as much as I love playing as the Rookie or Noble Six. Yeah he talks but he has so little personality that he might as well be a silent progagonist.
Depends on the type of game and how well it's done. Those old enough to remember the first Resident Evil will recall how poor the acting in that game was. And yet in the same period of time the Legacy of Kain series was launched with Blood Omen, which despite looking dated, still has excellent voice acting, which in my opinion made it more immersive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIjUQbwxpdE here's an example of some of the monologue you get throughout the 1st game.
I prefer full voice acting.
The "choose a dialogue line while your character stands there blankly" thing kinda annoyed me. (Dragon Age: Origins) I was glad to see DA2 voice acted.
Even Half Life 2 which I consider to be one of the best done silent protagonists, had some really awkward moments that would have been much better if he could have spoken. (Alyx Vance gushes her soul out to him but Gordon just stands there dumbly and doesn't say a peep...)
I prefer playing a character that can talk and show emotion.
[edit]Actually... Link from Zelda might qualify as an exception, he shrugs and animates (body language) in a way that allows him to get his point across even if he can't speak.
The "choose a dialogue line while your character stands there blankly" thing kinda annoyed me. (Dragon Age: Origins) I was glad to see DA2 voice acted.
Even Half Life 2 which I consider to be one of the best done silent protagonists, had some really awkward moments that would have been much better if he could have spoken. (Alyx Vance gushes her soul out to him but Gordon just stands there dumbly and doesn't say a peep...)
I prefer playing a character that can talk and show emotion.
[edit]Actually... Link from Zelda might qualify as an exception, he shrugs and animates (body language) in a way that allows him to get his point across even if he can't speak.
It depends for me. I liked how Mass Effect did it. But there you're not really playing 'yourself'. For me it's like I'm taking on the roll of Commander Shepard. And not creating my own character within this universe. I don't mind that too much. But in games like Fallout, Oblivion and Skyrim. I make my own story. My own character within that world. It's much more immersive. I will sometimes say the lines myself if i feel like roleplaying a bit extra. Or I might even roleplay out emotions and things outside of the written dialogue.
But it all depends I guess... I didn't mind Male and Female Shepard's voices for example. Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale both have great voices which fit the character they're portraying. But I hated Female Hawke's voice in Dragon Age 2. I couldn't stand it, sounded too whiny and posh for me. And therefore never played through it as a female. Completely broke immersion for me. Male Hawke's voice was a bit annoying too. They both sound too posh to be from a tiny farming village out in the middle of nowhere.
But it all depends I guess... I didn't mind Male and Female Shepard's voices for example. Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale both have great voices which fit the character they're portraying. But I hated Female Hawke's voice in Dragon Age 2. I couldn't stand it, sounded too whiny and posh for me. And therefore never played through it as a female. Completely broke immersion for me. Male Hawke's voice was a bit annoying too. They both sound too posh to be from a tiny farming village out in the middle of nowhere.
I find it far more immersive in RPGs where the characters actually say what they're meant to be saying, rather than telepathically communicating it into the minds of the intended receivers without making the slightest sound.
I never even slightly understood how people could say the lines their character was meant to be saying out loud. It makes me feel incredibly silly to even contemplate doing that - I don't sound a single thing like any sort of hero and can't act to save my life, particularly when there's no receiver present except my screen.
I never even slightly understood how people could say the lines their character was meant to be saying out loud. It makes me feel incredibly silly to even contemplate doing that - I don't sound a single thing like any sort of hero and can't act to save my life, particularly when there's no receiver present except my screen.
For me it can depend on the quality of the voice acting and the game itself, mass effect is awesome with voice acting and it's very well done but in you are trying to be a specific person rather than any random rpg character where it can be be off putting if there is a random voice that you don't feel fits your character at all.
As long as it's good quality and fits the tone of the game overall I prefer it to be added but understand it's not possible for a lot of games due to size and all the character options.
As long as it's good quality and fits the tone of the game overall I prefer it to be added but understand it's not possible for a lot of games due to size and all the character options.
When I'm playing as someone who has an established role in the world, eg Shepard is a Spectre, Hawke is The Champion, John Marston, Niko Bellic, etc. I prefer them to be voiced. When I make all the decisions about personality and who they are, no voices please.
I'd even go as far to say that any game where you can customise your character shouldn't be voice-acted. This isn't as bad with Hawke whose English accent could apply to any sort of look you give him, but Shepard's voice is so WHITE. I wanted to make a black Shepard because so few video games have a black protagonist (one of the reasons I'm so into Prototype2) but the voice did not fit at all.
I'd even go as far to say that any game where you can customise your character shouldn't be voice-acted. This isn't as bad with Hawke whose English accent could apply to any sort of look you give him, but Shepard's voice is so WHITE. I wanted to make a black Shepard because so few video games have a black protagonist (one of the reasons I'm so into Prototype2) but the voice did not fit at all.
I find that voice acting is essential if there is dialogue. There are a rare few things that are less immersive than a main character which doesn't speak, I speak all the time, especially when i'm being talked to, so to see the character I'm attempting to project myself onto stand around like a third wheel at a party in silence is just plain unenjoyable.
In first person games it's not so bad because I don't have to watch my character be a mute loser, but in 3rd person games voice acting is a must.
Personally, I can't wait for a first person RPG which allows you to actually speak the lines of dialogue you want to say and the game will recognize your selection. That would be nicely immersive. But not in 3rd person games, no no no.
In first person games it's not so bad because I don't have to watch my character be a mute loser, but in 3rd person games voice acting is a must.
Personally, I can't wait for a first person RPG which allows you to actually speak the lines of dialogue you want to say and the game will recognize your selection. That would be nicely immersive. But not in 3rd person games, no no no.
You pretty much said it. I picked it depends as well, if the voice just doesn't seem to fit the character I am developing it can completely ruin the RPG experience for me. I think RPGs often fall into one of two categories, sandbox or rails. Railed games, like Mass Effect/Witcher/Dragon Age where the writers have done the bulk of the character development for me rather than me doing it in my head, voice acting can add to it. That said, I didn't even notice that my character didn't talk in Dragon Age Origins.ZenoX969 said:
Sandboxy style, play any character you want, write your own story like Elder Scrolls/Fallout I prefer not having a real voice...Fus Ro Dah being the limit of my character's voice acting is just fine.
I personally feel that it doesn't really matter. Regardless of whether or not the player character has voice-acting, there's going to be a limited number of dialogue options that you'll have to choose from. At best, it's just a difference between greater consistency in the presentation or a wider selection of responses.
In the case of voice-acting, the benefit is that everything will be more consistent. You select a dialogue option (the text generally being abbreviated), your character says it; nothing seems out of place. It might not be more immersive if you want to place yourself in your character's shoes directly, but I think it makes the game as a whole more immersive because of the more consistent presentation; less shattering of the illusion due to pseudo-one-sided conversations. And regarding the Mass Effect dialogue wheel appearing in DA2, that's probably moreso a carry-over from ME's more console-friendly interface rather than it being a limiting factor for the dialogue.
Without the player-character being voice-acted, the diaoglue options (and probably the selection of origin stories as well, should the choice be included) tend to be more varied. The main reasons for that however, is monetary rather than anything else. Voice-acting costs a lot more money than giving a text option which the player fills in mentally, so having the player character be voiced tend to make the developper inclined to limit the number of options available; commonly moving to only one origin story and just having fewer options in general. This also frequently leads to the player-character being addressed by the rest of the cast in more generic terms (though sometimes using a title, rank, or last name as an appropriate substitute). The number of spoken lines increase exponentially with the number of choices given to the player, and having to voice them all is not really feasible with even the most exorberant budget for a game. However, theoretically, this issue can be avoided entirely if a publisher did give a game functionally unlimited funds.
That brings us back to the only difference between having a voice-acted player-character and one without a voice being the immersion gained via either the player being able to better mold themselves to the character (no VA) or better immerse themselves in the more consistently presented setting (VA).
So really, it's not a big difference.
.... Unless you like to imagine your non-voiced character as a mute writing down all his lines on a clipboard and showing them to everyone.
In the case of voice-acting, the benefit is that everything will be more consistent. You select a dialogue option (the text generally being abbreviated), your character says it; nothing seems out of place. It might not be more immersive if you want to place yourself in your character's shoes directly, but I think it makes the game as a whole more immersive because of the more consistent presentation; less shattering of the illusion due to pseudo-one-sided conversations. And regarding the Mass Effect dialogue wheel appearing in DA2, that's probably moreso a carry-over from ME's more console-friendly interface rather than it being a limiting factor for the dialogue.
Without the player-character being voice-acted, the diaoglue options (and probably the selection of origin stories as well, should the choice be included) tend to be more varied. The main reasons for that however, is monetary rather than anything else. Voice-acting costs a lot more money than giving a text option which the player fills in mentally, so having the player character be voiced tend to make the developper inclined to limit the number of options available; commonly moving to only one origin story and just having fewer options in general. This also frequently leads to the player-character being addressed by the rest of the cast in more generic terms (though sometimes using a title, rank, or last name as an appropriate substitute). The number of spoken lines increase exponentially with the number of choices given to the player, and having to voice them all is not really feasible with even the most exorberant budget for a game. However, theoretically, this issue can be avoided entirely if a publisher did give a game functionally unlimited funds.
That brings us back to the only difference between having a voice-acted player-character and one without a voice being the immersion gained via either the player being able to better mold themselves to the character (no VA) or better immerse themselves in the more consistently presented setting (VA).
So really, it's not a big difference.
.... Unless you like to imagine your non-voiced character as a mute writing down all his lines on a clipboard and showing them to everyone.