Poll: What do you think of voice acting in games?

[targren]

90% of the time, I have subtitles turned on anyway and skip ahead, cutting off the VA when I've finished reading the text. Unless the game won't let me, which REALLY pisses me off.

 

[TehCookie]

I think the best games have a mix of both. Any important scenes and cutscenes should be voice acted, but talking to unimportant NPCs and merchants should just be text so everyone in the world doesn't have the same voice.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Voice acting is one of those features that doesn't really need to be there but still has a definite impact on a game. Personally, I'm fine with reading dialogue but will readily admit that quality voice acting can definitely make a good game even better.

Good voice acting will never make a bad game into a good one. Bad voice acting, however, can certainly make a good game bad (or at least notably worse).

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

Good VO can save a game. An otherwise average story can be immensely improved by a great voice cast. Look at Arkham Asylum. It was a great game, but the story was pretty standard comic book fair. However add in Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil reprising their B:TAS roles and suddenly it feels way more epic than it actually was.

And heck, think about Uncharted without Nolan North or Gears without John DiMaggio. They'd still be fun, but the good VO makes them so much better. I can't say it's crucial really, but done well it becomes a valuable part of the project.

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

It depends on the game usually. If verbal dialogue is present throughout then it should be a priority to get the right people for the job.

If not then you'll be jabbing gum in your ears begging for them to stop. In some extreme cases you'll go to the options menu and find there is no dialogue menu that either will mute it or also mutes other things in the cutscenes and possibly the music as well.

Oh, and stay away from Raven Squad. It's one of those examples.