On Silent Protagonists

[Ryokai]

QFT, as they say.

There is one related subject.
In adventure and roleplay games, when I select a dialogue option, I don't want to hear my character say what I just selected. I've obviously just read it, so it's redundant.
Any opinions about that?

Well, I like how Mass Effect did it. You chose from options of Short Phrases that summed up what you wanted, then your character said an entire sentence that said it.

If you're using dialogue options that are whole sentences, do what Fallout and Oblivion did--have your character not actually say anything.

 

[Burningsok]

Totally OT and the link has probably been made by someone before... but seeing those two images one after the other in that article...

Yahtzee Freeman? Uncanny.

omg the resemblance!! all he needs is a thicker goatee with the soul patch connected to it.

 

[Burningsok]

Damn, I really need to get around to playing Saint's Row 2 one of the these days.

It really is that fun.

just saying, the protagonist in Saints Row 1 actually spoke, but he only had one line for each of the 3 final missions, and then I think one or two lines on the end cut-scene.

 

[Staskala]

Why is everyone blaming Team Ninja for screwing up?
Not that I particulary like them, but Sakamoto himself was the one who just decided to give Samus a definite personality.
So yeah, THIS is how Samus has always been apparently, at least the creator himself says so now.
You just misunderstood the previous games.

From an interview with Sakamoto: (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=263225)

Depicting the story of Samus Aran in this game was one of the most important game design concepts from the very beginning because before Other M I did not think about what kind of person Samus Aran was and how she thinks and her personality.
If many people have different ideas about what kind of person Samus is then there will be some problems about making the future franchise games. So with Other M I really wanted to determine and express what kind of human Samus Aran is so that we can really tell what kind of natural step she should be taking in the future.

That's right, her new personality will return in sequels.
R.I.P. Metroid


But to be fair, neither Sakamoto nor Team Ninja are to blame for the horrible English voice.
That's at least worth something I guess.

 

[Infernai]

Totally OT and the link has probably been made by someone before... but seeing those two images one after the other in that article...

Yahtzee Freeman? Uncanny.

Soo...what you're saying is that if Valve ever DID decide to give Freeman a voice, they would choose Yahtzee?

 

[StriderShinryu]

There's one issue I have with silent protagonists.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who notices that the big "argument" people inevitably use for JRPG characters is "It's supposed to be youuuuuuuuu. Youuuuuuuuu're supposed to put youuuuurself in the character's place."

This is my thought as well, and I love that it was brought up in this article (and, amazingly, actually pinned on a game that gets so much praise) I get that in many silent prot games you are supposed to be the protagonist, but that just doesn't work when the game world and, more importantly, the character you are playing as are so defined. I'm sorry but the character I'm playing as can't "be me" and be someone else at the same time. As the article says, particularly in relation to HL2, Gordon Freeman is not an example of a good silent protagonist.

 

[Dr Megadeth]

If they didn't let her talk, the media would go into a frenzy about sex discrimination.

 

[Queen Michael]

So Gordon Freeman is like Gromit with a pry-bar fetish?

No, he's like Chuck Norris in a geek form!
(cookie for reference!)

 

[DarkPanda XIII]

Mrr...glad that he brought in Saints Row 1 in this. The protagonist for that game (named "Playa", was etched with hilarity with all the odd things that he didn't say, and just made a face at. When I realized what he was from the first game, I did feel just the tiniest bit disappointed that they couldn't make him/her silent in Saints Row 2, but I understood due to the fact that s/he was now the boss of the gang.

Plus I laughed really hard once when I passed a few Ronin thugs and heard one mutter "You were better when you kept your mouth shut" or something very close to that.

Gordon Freeman is pretty much the self-explanatory silent protagonist, and he'd probably share the same looks that the guy did in Saints Row 1, the instant 'reaction' that would keep people in the conversation...

...so what was I going to go with this....Silent Protagonists are kewl, and when you have to give them voices, actually give a good reason, like the "Playa" of Saints Row 1 is now "Boss" for the 2nd.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Painkiller had cinematics. And there were even some admirable moments involving Lucifer and Alastor in them.

 

[-Ulven-]

When playing through Half Life 2 for the uncounted time. I still have the impression of Gordon actually speaking ... no really, everyone reacts like he talks etc. Maybe the point is for you to come up with your own dialouge.

Just saying... and Ben Croshaw Freeman?
I think our dear Croshaw have something to explain.

 

[ProtoChimp]

So Gordon Freeman is like Gromit with a pry-bar fetish?

No, he's like Chuck Norris in a geek form!
(cookie for reference!)

#Fight for freedom
with a brainstorm#
#Gordon Freeman saved my life#

 

[Tom Phoenix]

To be honest, I always imagined that Gordon Freeman and Link are mute (although the fact that Link speaks in Wind Waker throws that theory out the window). I don't know, I just thought that they can't speak at all, period.

I think Samus was one of the rare Nintendo characters where a voice was appropriate. That said, it does kind of take away from the mystique of the character if she talks too much. For future games, I think Samus should be silent most of the time and only speak on rare ocassions. That way, her words would have a greater impact.

 

[Cucipher]

Is "pet brick" a Father Ted reference I wonder?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_3

 

[Beryl77]

I think he's right. Giving a silent protagonist a voice isn't bad. It can make the game even better, you just have to do it right. For example, Snake used to be silent in metal gear 1 and 2 but the they gave him a voice in mgs1. I don't think there are many people who complain about that decision.

 

[Unlucki]

Lol. The Painkiller that I downloaded really didn't have any cinematics. Whoever put it on the internet cut them out. I like it that way.

 

[GodKlown]

I too dislike the abuse of voice acting in some games. It was somewhat better in the 8-bit era to have to use your imagination with characters, or rely on terribly written text that was often misspelled. What is sometimes annoying is when you can't turn on subtitles, and then everyone in the game starts to whisper during a crucial point in the story. You can't hear what they are saying, you aren't sure who is saying them, and then you get stuck having to climb the dialogue tree in the dark. It would be like being a blind koala being guided by a bat to avoid stepping on the wrong branch and falling out of the tree and breaking your ass.
A good example of character dialog was Ray Liotta in GTA:VC. They didn't give him some overly dramatic purpose, just a sociopath trying to make some money and get revenge. He'd throw out a decent one-liner at the end of cut scenes, giving enough personality to the character to suit the need without having him dominate the audio space. We don't need a main character who likes to pontificate whenever they have a free moment between dodging bullets to tell us what is on their mind at the time. Just trudge your way through the cut scene, keep your mouth shut and let me play the game without hanging on my shoulder, giving me your running commentary like some third-rate sports announcer.

 

[Ed.]

The problem with other M is they destroyed the character samus is meant to be a strong loner anything els is daft and forcing a Freudian excuse is also stupid.

I know EXACTLY what scene you're talking about, and damn did I love it. Wasn't my FAVORITE scene, but I did appreciate the British accent I gave my character

"Do you know where the Sons of Samedi stash is?"

"Well... no..."

"Well shut the fuck up then"

or another good one

"For fuck's sake, die!!"

I bought that game 'cause you recommended it, Yahtzee. I got the shitty watered down Steam version, but despite all the frustrating bugs, I still put it down as one of the best stories in a game. The Brotherhood arc was probably the most emotionally grabbing for me

the steam version has its pros this for example

http://community.saintsrow.com/forums/topic/43953

 

[Danpascooch]

A similar problem occurs even if the game occasionally cuts to third person but everyone is wearing expressionless helmets so you can't see their lips moving. This is incidentally a problem I'm having with Halo:Reach.

Seriously? I thought there was NO chance you'd play Halo: Reach after you seemed to hate Halo 3 so much. Does this mean we can expect a review? I hope so! Of course, I know you'll hate it, or at least I expect it, but I don't care, here's hoping to a Reach Review

 

[TetsuoKaneda]

I'm curious as to who Yahtzee would have voice Gordon Freeman in the event he begins to speak.

Half-Life games are when I do my absolutely horrendous Malcolm Tucker impersonation. It tickles me to imagine the cast saying and doing all of that stuff, and Gordon berating them with baroque and dirty language with a Scottish accent.