Subtitles in Video Games.

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

So I recently got Army of Two: 40th Day. The game isn't amazing, but one of my greatest riles is the lack of subtitles. The gameplay segments are full of loud explosions and gunfire, and I find it extremely difficult to pick out what Rios and Salem are saying to each other sometimes, and what is being told to them via their headsets. Also, the little radio broadcasts you pick up? I have to double my TV's volume to make out what is being said in them, then have to lower it again when I get back into the game. It aggrivates me no end that the developers decided not to include the option to enable subtitles.

I typically enable all subtitles in games where they have the option, because I'm one of those who don't like to miss a beat. Sometimes its handy for when the other people in the house are asleep, and I want to carry on playing my new game, but don't want to miss vital plot elements cause I've had to turn the volume down to miniscule amounts. [The people I live with are extremely light sleepers]

So, my question to you is, are you a subtitle fan like myself? Or do you see the inclusion of subtitles in a game pointless, and do you dislike it when they are forced upon you without the option to disable them?

 

[Rauten]

Since English is not my mother tongue, and Spanish dubbing is usually like a "failing 101" book dedicated to translation and crappy voice action, yes, I usually need subtitles. I can understand most of what's said, but I always miss a few details here and there.

 

[GodsAndFishes]

I rarely play games with the volume up anyway so subtitles are a must for me. Plus I've got used to having subtitles on everything (my sister used to be really loud when she was young so we had to put them on).

 

[Ultress]

I have the worst time hearing things and mishear all the time so I have subtitles on every time I play and do get a little annoyed when I can't have them.

 

[SpaceJam89]

Yes I do need subtitles. I like to know what characters are saying during a loud explosion in-game.

 

[splatterguy734]

I like having the subs on in most games but it depends on how intrusive they are.

 

[CoverYourHead]

Rarely, I tend to like to turn off subtitles most of the time. I find them distracting.

 

[challenger001]

I like playing games in different languages to avoid having to suffer bad dialogue when I think it might be a problem, so I always have UK subtitles on - even when it seems a bit off at times. I was kind of glad Screed 2 actually had the option to have it in Italian with subtitles.

 

[imaloony]

I turn them on, as you can sometimes get that character who talks really quietly, or it's just easier to read along as they talk, it helps me understand it a bit better.

Subtitles are your friend.

 

[Matt8Bit]

As soon as I start a new game, I will turn subtitles on, it's become a habit of mine. Likewise, I don't want to miss anything crucial in the storyline, and having text to read as well as sound makes this near impossible. More to the point, subtitles should be in-game so that people with impaired hearing can enjoy the same experiences as everyone else. Subtitles in games are a necessity for this reason and if you don't like them, you always have the option of switching them off.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

I always switch on subtitles seeing how English is not my native language. However, even English without subtitles is better that a Russian voiceover.

 

[MetaKio]

I like playing games in different languages to avoid having to suffer bad dialogue when I think it might be a problem, so I always have UK subtitles on - even when it seems a bit off at times. I was kind of glad Screed 2 actually had the option to have it in Italian with subtitles.

I didn't notice this until the second play through, and it just added to the experience. I personally need to read the text when there's something important being said over radio, comms, between characters etc, because my hearing (or, more accurately, my interpretation of what I hear) isn't that good.

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

English isn't my mother language so I need them.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Don't need them, but often use them as game audio can be quite crappy quality, unintelligible or just plain hard to hear.

 

[The_ModeRazor]

Understanding anything that Jacob guy says in GTA IV would be impossible without them.
Same goes for the Russian and Serbian and Spanish in the game.
And I still don't know what Altair said at the and of the first AC, because, you know, I don't speak Arabian, and the game didn't have any subtitles. <--- perhaps if somebody knows, could they tell me? I have a feeling it is "If the student doesn't defeat the teacher, then he is a bad teacher." but it's probably just "L0l I pwn3d ur 4$$ m4stur!"

 

[Plinglebob]

I've had a hearing problem for years which means I will always have the subtitles on and get really annoyed when games don't have them.

 

[Vet2501]

Yes I usually put subtitles on, I don't like missing stuff because someone was talking over it, or because the the voice is overpowered by in-game music/sound effects. Also, with dialogue trees, I find it sometimes helps to go over what was just said before I make a choice.

 

[joshuaayt]

I watch everything with subtitles, can't handle without. I'm just used to being able to know EXACTLY what's going on.
Ironically, I watch anime dubbed, but that's only because the people who sub anime usually have a tenuous grasp of the english language and, indeed, the language they are translating from, if the quality of their work is any indicator.