Silent or Talkie? The endless protagonist debate.

[Logan Westbrook]

Hugh Laurie is too old. Edward Norton, on the other hand...

 

[ChristianxKrupps]

Edward Norton would make a great voice for adult link. thats just me.

i like most games with voices. if master chief didn't have a voice, he probably would have gotten knocked off of hurt and heal faster.

my favorite games are james bond games and splinter cell games and they have voices so all the more power.

but if say gordon freeman did, i probably wouldn't think about playing the game

 

[fix-the-spade]

There is melee button. But in realistic hand to hand it would have to be ANOTHER god of war rip off button pressing fest or have the game built around it like condemned.

Or you could press and hold the melee buttong whilst using the right stick to swing your rifle around like a baseball bat. Let go of melee button to revert to normal controls.


Anyway.

Most of the time I prefer the mute stoic type of character.

BUT

As long as the charatcer is well developed, they can speak as much they want. There's just too many smug self satisfied one liner puking mysoginists running around.
For once I'd like a talking hero who's scared shitless.

#If Gordon Freeman ever speaks I will personally hunt down Gabe Newell and murder him.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Freeman as House...

"I take risks, sometimes people die, but not taking risks causes more people to die - so I guess my biggest problem is I've been cursed with the ability to do the math."

I can see that. Valve, sign up Hugh Laurie!

That'll have to wait for their next smash hit game series.

You had to change your icon. It's dark and I'm in a room full of books, now the lights just went out...

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

You had to change your icon. It's dark and I'm in a room full of books, now the lights just went out...

Count the Shadows...

Oh, and you might be slightly interested in this... http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/05/new-who-boss-ex.html

I can't think of a single example, so I'll ask. Has there ever been a game protagonist who literally couldn't talk?

Hrrmmmm...Dizzy, Monty Mole...most of the animal species really...Pacman and all the anthromorpicised ones; The Ninja Warriors never spoke...I don't think I can remember a human that had chance to but couldn't though.

Even Manny Calvera can and he's got no voicebox.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

I just knew this would become a Half-Life thread. You guys have played other games with silent protagonists, haven't you? What's up with Gordon Freeman anyway? His friends have got to be thinking he's a bit of an asshole by now considering how he never talks back when they're talking to him. Then again, with that cast of mandible flappers they probably don't notice.

Silent and chatty both work if written in a good way. In the Halo games, Master Chief only talks in cutscenes, and even then not in long-winded expositions. Solid Snake, for being in Metal Gear of all series, isn't particularly chatty and I really think it works for the character...although everyone else in those games needs a gag. For crying out loud, even a character's dying words last 20 minutes. Other games such as the Legend of Zelda series never had a speaking protagonist but the dialog is written around the fact so you don't even notice it.

I can't think of a single example, so I'll ask. Has there ever been a game protagonist who literally couldn't talk?

Myst. The person in the game is literally you.

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

I don't agree completely with BallPtPenTheif - but only because "bullshit" is a strong word - it can add immersion, it just depends entirely on the game.

what i meant was that it was fairly irrelevant. there are other more specific variables that contribute to immersion more than wether or not the protagonist speaks. character continuity can be retained or derailed with or without speech from the protagonist.

 

[Kovash86]

I like a fair mix, it should be different from character to character, for example I like Ash from Army of Darkness, but sometimes I just want a character to be a mute, nameless, faceless, emotionally blank killing machine. I like Masterchief, get over it, I like to imagine how he must feel wandering through the darkness, between fights, thinking about all of his friends, living and dead, and how he must win in order for the living to stay that way, even the vague, somewhat weird undertones of love he has for the women in his life (Mostly Kelly 087, Dr. Catherine Halsey, and Cortana, who he probably, or at least should, thinks of as girlfriend, surrogate mother, and best friend, if not second girlfriend, respectively) then again I'm a fanboy. The few words he does use, are usually really eloquent, and kinda inspirational.

 

[Mausenheimmer]

He blows up a ship with its own bomb!
Single handily does everything (Buddies are fucking retards)
And girls just wanna have fun!

Yeah, he does that in the most reckless (reckless stupid not reckless cool there is a difference) way possible. Seriously, jumping out a ship holding onto the bomb? I realize he has a suit so he can breathe in space, but I didn't think he had any jet pack or anything to help aim the bomb. Why not just throw the bomb out the ship without climbing on? On top of that the only reason he talks is to say one-liners, if his speech made a major contribution to the story or character development of some sort I wouldn't mind, but its a bit irritating just to here someone saying things and hoping they'll catch on as "quotable game moments." I dunno, Masterchief strikes me as someone who took the dialog from movies like Lethal Weapon and Army of Darkness too seriously. Nobody talks like that, just cut it out. (That black commander guy pissed me off, he had the same speech impediment. "Let's rock and roll! Let's take it to 'em! I've got a bad feeling about this.")

You also bring up another good part of the debate. Buddies, do you think they should have personalities, or just be quiet, nameless, and help out?

Well, since you clearly didn't play Halo 2, the bomb Chief rode out was operated on a timer. Since the time had almost expired, he used Cortana to stop the timer. In order to make sure the bomb blew up at the right time and that Cortana was not destroyed along with the bomb, Chief had to follow it. Besides, it looked cool.

Also, I prefer Chief's laconic conversations to mute protagonists. At least it shows that the character is aware of his surroundings and interacts with things beyond shooting. My only criticism of Half Life 2 is that Gordon Freeman is an emotionless mute while all the other characters have brilliant personalities.

 

[Jumplion]

One more thing just came to my mind just now.

Probably the reason why i really did not care about the marine dieing from the nuclear explosion in CoD4 was probably because he never talked. I loved Captn' Price and the others, but i really did not care what happend to the protagonist.

Ah's well.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I think the silent protagonist works quite well in some games, especially FPS. Gordon Freeman has already been mentioned, but I'd also like to add Jack from Bioshock (who actually speaks in the intro). The fact that Jack doesn't talk and just reacts to the circumstances around him really draws you into the "puppet on a string" situation he's in. If he broke into soliloque or extensive exposition with Atlas it would probably ruin things.

On the other hand you have Solid/Naked Snake (David Hayter) and Sam Fisher (Michael Ironside) who have personality up the wazoo and I don't believe it affects the immersion factor one bit. If they were both silent, I think it would be detremental to both games.

The biggest problem I have is when they allow extensive character customization and then give you a choice of only five voices. I can create a character that looks identical to me but never find a voice to match and it frustrates the hell out of me. My actual voice is too deep for the white guy voices they provide and not deep enough for the black guy voices they provide. The end result is a olive-skinned white guy with a voice like Keith David. Weird.

 

[Prozoquel]

The silent protagonists had their era, but in modern day games it just feels outdated when the main character never utters one single peep except to grunt or scream. Like in Twilight Princess, I know it's a Zelda tradition to never have Link talk, and it worked well in the old games cause he wasn't a deep character, just a ridiculously brave hero who does whatever he's told and is pu**y whipped by like eight different women. But in TP, they tried to flesh him out into a full-fledged character and give him passions and emotions. But you really can't do that unless he F***ING TALKS! It felt like he was on the brink of talking the entire game, and it really just ruined it for me that he didn't.

And I guess it's partly since I love movies, but I just like being along for the ride and watching characters think and develop on their own while I take over for the action-packed sequences. I do love me some KOTOR as well, though, since I am the main character but I actually get to give him a voice of my own instead of pathetically imagining what he says like a little child.

 

[The Potato Lord]

I hate the silent protagonist approach, I don't feel immersed because the protagonist never talks I'd only feel like that if the NPCs responded to what i yelled at them via my TV. If one of em turned around pissed off after I yelled "Shut the hell up *****!" when I have to go on some suicidal mission for the 83rd time, when they could have done it, i'd be immersed by the protagonist's silence. Relative silence is a much better alternative like they did in Bioshock, where the reason he didn't really talk is because he never really had anything to say, not because he couldn't.

 

[Kovash86]

The Chief is an icon, he was fairly well written all things considered, he didn't talk when all there was would be banter, what he did say always meant something important, either he made a promise, which is more like a divine edict than a promise,or he said something to inspire courage ("When I make a promise..." let's Cortana finish it), or he said things because that was military protocol. Other heroes should aspire to be like the Chief. A lot of the time he said nothing because the only thing that could be said at the time was complaints and who wants to hear that?

 

[second only to The One]

Chatty protagonists can be done well (cf. GTAIV, Bioware games, Deus Ex, Planescape Torment OMG) or they can be done painfully badly (cf. most games). If a game isn't going to have a fully-realised chatty protagonist with well-written, well-delivered lines, it shouldn't go there at all. It'd be tough to do a good talking Link.

link already talks: huAH hWUU HiYAAA!!! i could CLEARLY understand what he said. maybe he just has tourette's and no one in his time period has discovered that disease yet

for anyone who doesnt know the story behind master chief outside of the games, he an "enhanced" soldier designed specifically for battle and not for intellectual conversations. he's the last enhanced spartan soldier after the humans lost a battle at Reach. he isnt designed for talking or feelings. but halo has enough flaws other than the voice of mc... he could have easily been silent, it still would have fit his nature and the storyline

what i have noticed is that most games where the protagonist speaks, you cant skip the cut scenes he is involved with. i dont mind sitting through cut scenes once, but as in assassin's creed, i hate listening to them again. i like silence or minimal talking myself, that way i can focus on the action im supposed to perform and not what i said

 

[TheIceface]

Well, since you clearly didn't play Halo 2, the bomb Chief rode out was operated on a timer. Since the time had almost expired, he used Cortana to stop the timer. In order to make sure the bomb blew up at the right time and that Cortana was not destroyed along with the bomb, Chief had to follow it. Besides, it looked cool.

I beat Halo 1 and 2, didn't take very long, except for that one area where I chased that stupid robot for hours through rooms that all looked the same and contained the exact same enemies. I always saw the blowing up of the bomb as an explosion on impact due to impact, even still, throwing the bomb out the hatch would have been less stupid and I wouldn't have gotten the feel like the character was just showing off so people would think he is cool.

The difference between Master Chief and Freeman isn't just the voices, the reason Freeman is cool and the Chief really isn't is that whenever anything interesting happens its a cutscene for Master Chief. Whenever Freeman has to do something cool, its interactive, the player is actually doing it. It removes the feeling that the developers are simply telling you "This is a cool character because we say so."

If you actually controlled Master Chief as he launched himself into space, perhaps had to steer the bomb past the other ships, then it would be cool. The same reason grabbing someone and interrogating them in Splinter Cell makes the character badass, its the user's actions that define the character, not the cutscenes.

In all this debate, I'm surprised nobody has even mentioned one of the most popular new silent... well... kinda protagonists:
The Companion Cube

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I think people really need a reality check on The Weighted Companion Cube. It's only in the game for one level and really isn't any different to the normal cubes (except for the adorable love heart and the fact you have to carry it with you). The nerds have gotten hold of it and elevated it to godlike status. It's now geek chic.

I say "get over it"!

The definition of protagonist is a "main or leading character" which would more suit the turrets given they play more an active role; however I guess they are more antagonists (and they aren't silent).

 

[Kovash86]

Chatty protagonists can be done well (cf. GTAIV, Bioware games, Deus Ex, Planescape Torment OMG) or they can be done painfully badly (cf. most games). If a game isn't going to have a fully-realised chatty protagonist with well-written, well-delivered lines, it shouldn't go there at all. It'd be tough to do a good talking Link.

link already talks: huAH hWUU HiYAAA!!! i could CLEARLY understand what he said. maybe he just has tourette's and no one in his time period has discovered that disease yet

for anyone who doesnt know the story behind master chief outside of the games, he an "enhanced" soldier designed specifically for battle and not for intellectual conversations. he's the last enhanced spartan soldier after the humans lost a battle at Reach. he isnt designed for talking or feelings. but halo has enough flaws other than the voice of mc... he could have easily been silent, it still would have fit his nature and the storyline

what i have noticed is that most games where the protagonist speaks, you cant skip the cut scenes he is involved with. i dont mind sitting through cut scenes once, but as in assassin's creed, i hate listening to them again. i like silence or minimal talking myself, that way i can focus on the action im supposed to perform and not what i said

Hmm...someone didn't read all of the books, there is still 3 other Spartans out there, stuck in a pocket dimension which holds a Micro Dyson sphere with Doctor Halsey. Kelly-087 Frederic-104 and Linda-058 are all in there, and still very much alive. Spartan-II enhancements are many, give Captain America Wolverine's bones, and you are almost there, neither of those characters are quite as strong as a Spartan-II, nor are they as fast or tough, well Wolverine still has a healing factor that makes him a tougher kill than a spartan, but any spartan would just knock him unconscious and then tie him up.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Spartan 3's are crazy, 300 of them at a time, on suicide missions.

Crazy stuff.

And chief does talk, but not much. he reserves his speech for essential banter, he talks in military protocol, short sentences or quick phrases. why do people only remember his dramatic one-liners? because they are damn good ones. He's humanities last hope, the only soldier capable of saving the human race, a shielded super-soldier who through skill and speed takes down armies. why cant he make the occasional one liner? i despair sometimes... how can he please you people? once the majority started to hate him to be cool... reason ended...

*weeps*