On Silent Protagonists
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
She made other vocalisations, like grunting and shouting or whatever.jtesauro said:
Um, don't you? You either go out of your way to kill people and spray crap on buildings, or you don't. You have that choice, don't you? Sorry, I haven't played "Saints Row 2", but I do remember "Assassin's Creed 2" where I preferred to disarm my enemies and finish them with my bare fists rather than using weapons. Until I got the pistol. Yes, I did use swords at times.Xocrates said:
The problem with Samus' lines and voice actor is that the character isn't portrayed well at all. While in the previous games Samus was more or less like the "Team Fortress 2" Sniper crossed over with Cloud Strife (but with all the angst taken out), in "Metroid: Other M" Samus has been degraded into a whiny, weak, inept, cowardly, socially retarded daddy's girl. If I were to write Samus' lines, I'd make her more or less like TeamFourStar's Vegeta but with hero qualities.
All characters are free to develop. There's nothing wrong with giving previously dialogue-less characters actual dialogue. It's just that you have to implement it carefully. It's like platforming and 3D. While the Mario games managed the transition quite well, Sonic has been absolutely rubbish in a 3D environment.
The playa in Saints Row does speak once. It's actually a bit odd when he does, solely because up until that point, he's a silent protagonist.
I can't remember which movie it was, but Hollywood wanted to market one of the Marx Brothers' movies with "Harpo speaks for the first time." He would say one word: Murder. I'd imagine Harpo Marx speaking would have had much more of an impact at the time than "playa did, but it's kind of weird.
On a similar note, I think one of the worst instances of an end to silence is Drakengard. Caim speaks in the beginning, but soon becomes a silent protagonist, his only mouthpiece his pact-mate. And she usually responds to his thoughts, rather than spelling them out. One of the endings, he regains his speech. What does this tortured soul say, after all the silence? After watching tragedy after tragedy?
"I AM CAIM!"
Dude, seriously?
Back to Saints Row 2. It's especially important the character speak because his (or her, now) role has changed. The original character was muscle for most of the game. He didn't have to say anything. Rebuilding the Saints and taking charge, it works better with a speaking character. Though it would have been cool if your character was silent in some cases. Imagine if all he did was stare, snap his fingers, and his Lieutenants took care of business. However, I think that novelty would wear off rapidly.
They could have done the game with a silent "hero," but with their direction, I'm glad they didn't.
In Samus' case, I'm hard pressed to think of anything her voice adds to the experience. It seems like a dicey situation to add voices to beloved characters because we've all imprinted on them in one way or another. I'm sure the "Harp Speaks" phenomenon can have a positive impact, but it's nothing short of a gamble. Unless your goal is to divide your fanbase, it's a bad idea.
Then again, it sounds like Other M did more than that to divide the fanbase.
I can't remember which movie it was, but Hollywood wanted to market one of the Marx Brothers' movies with "Harpo speaks for the first time." He would say one word: Murder. I'd imagine Harpo Marx speaking would have had much more of an impact at the time than "playa did, but it's kind of weird.
On a similar note, I think one of the worst instances of an end to silence is Drakengard. Caim speaks in the beginning, but soon becomes a silent protagonist, his only mouthpiece his pact-mate. And she usually responds to his thoughts, rather than spelling them out. One of the endings, he regains his speech. What does this tortured soul say, after all the silence? After watching tragedy after tragedy?
"I AM CAIM!"
Dude, seriously?
Back to Saints Row 2. It's especially important the character speak because his (or her, now) role has changed. The original character was muscle for most of the game. He didn't have to say anything. Rebuilding the Saints and taking charge, it works better with a speaking character. Though it would have been cool if your character was silent in some cases. Imagine if all he did was stare, snap his fingers, and his Lieutenants took care of business. However, I think that novelty would wear off rapidly.
They could have done the game with a silent "hero," but with their direction, I'm glad they didn't.
In Samus' case, I'm hard pressed to think of anything her voice adds to the experience. It seems like a dicey situation to add voices to beloved characters because we've all imprinted on them in one way or another. I'm sure the "Harp Speaks" phenomenon can have a positive impact, but it's nothing short of a gamble. Unless your goal is to divide your fanbase, it's a bad idea.
Then again, it sounds like Other M did more than that to divide the fanbase.
I don't really disagree with how she was portrayed for the most part, actually. I do agree that the voice acting itself was quite terrible, though. It would have been better if the voice actor sounded a little bit more into it and if most of the dialogue that didn't actually have much effect was cut out.Daystar Clarion said:
The line "The word he so obviously chose - outsider - pierced my heart" is one such line that shouldn't have been there. Or maybe it would have been more effective if it was delivered with a hint of indignation rather than just the monotone it was done in.
I don't blame Team Ninja for it though... mostly because I know that they only did the gameplay. Sakamoto was the one who was in charge of the story and dialogue, as far as I know.
Agreed completely. I couldn't stand Other M because of how horrible the voice acting was. Not to mention the story. Urgh.
I think he has complete control over what he does.yourbeliefs said:
I know he goes out a buys the games and the Escapist don't send them too him.
yeah, and they got, like, the producer's nephew to do the voices. They were bizarrely terrible.Burningsok said:
Or maybe I was just so taken aback that I talked.
ODST was based on old detective film-noir. The Rookie was the detective going around picking up clues to help him find his squadmates. That was his whole purpose: to find the things to advance the plot and give the player a hubworld to screw around in. What kind of personality do you give a person like that? Also, if you read the backstory, the Rookie was the only survivor of his entire reaction force before he got re-assigned to the squad in-game.Jhales said:
As for Halo: REACH they didn't put 6 on the box art bBecause Noble 6 is supposed to be based on You. You choose what the armor looks like and you choose whether that character is male or female. They didn't want to give a definitive appearance for the character cuz it would differ from player to player. Also, Noble 6 does talk.
So he does talk? I haven't played the game yet. I dunno, making the campaign character be the same as your multi player character seems a tiny bit silly since none of the other characters notice your change in outfit every time you unlock something in multi.Silver Patriot said:
Worst silent protagonist I have ever had to deal with is the main character of Suikoden 4.\
person 1- "Hey you there, you just killed your surrogate father figure didn't you"
protagonist- *blank monkey faced stare*
person 1- "I can't believe you would do that. If you didn't kill him, just say something"
protagonist- *Blink Blink*
Person 1- "Well since you don't object...For your crimes we will banish you from the only home you know and love"
protagonist- *blank monkey faced stare*
person 1- "Hey you there, you just killed your surrogate father figure didn't you"
protagonist- *blank monkey faced stare*
person 1- "I can't believe you would do that. If you didn't kill him, just say something"
protagonist- *Blink Blink*
Person 1- "Well since you don't object...For your crimes we will banish you from the only home you know and love"
protagonist- *blank monkey faced stare*
Oh, dear god, Samus' voice is just...
...It sounds like something I'd hear in a nightmare where every thing has turned black and white.
...It sounds like something I'd hear in a nightmare where every thing has turned black and white.
"And especially when the game is trying to take itself seriously. Because in a world of rounded characters, silence just makes you seem like a mental deficient or a stubborn, aloof prick."
I think too many games have stubborn aloof pricks and not enough well written mental deficents.
I think too many games have stubborn aloof pricks and not enough well written mental deficents.
The problem with other M is not voicing a character, it's that whoever was in charge of this operation (not just team ninja, they know how to make "shut up and just play" games see Ninja gaiden) was obviously mad with power or some recreational drug, the writer couldn't care less and the voice acting was generally shite.
Could you possibly point me to the scene. My xbox is bricked until tomorrow and I want to see that scene.Talcon said:
Is it just me or does the article's last paragraph contradict its tagline?
I'm just glad that another person -- particularly a big name -- agrees that Samus having a voice isn't bad in itself, it was just the execution that ruined it.
I'm hard-pressed to say, though, that Samus ever really was a silent protagonist in the traditional style. She has had lines since Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion, which came out at the same time as Prime, put her narrative at center stage. Really, it was only in the Primes that Samus was ever a distinctly silent protagonist, and they weren't even made by Nintendo itself, so it seems to me more like an accident of history than anything that she was ever portrayed as one.
I'm just glad that another person -- particularly a big name -- agrees that Samus having a voice isn't bad in itself, it was just the execution that ruined it.
I'm hard-pressed to say, though, that Samus ever really was a silent protagonist in the traditional style. She has had lines since Super Metroid, and Metroid Fusion, which came out at the same time as Prime, put her narrative at center stage. Really, it was only in the Primes that Samus was ever a distinctly silent protagonist, and they weren't even made by Nintendo itself, so it seems to me more like an accident of history than anything that she was ever portrayed as one.
Online, I'll go stubborn, aloof prick almost every time.
Left4dead did this well. You can click to let out small bits of character dialogue or your own, or, just play it silently.
Left4dead did this well. You can click to let out small bits of character dialogue or your own, or, just play it silently.
I disagree that fans always complain about innovation. I for one said on forums that I thought it was a good idea if they really worked to pull it off - which they didn't sadly.
I mean, how the heck could they end up giving the voice acting job to the same damn woman that gives voice to princess Peach?
Still, I have a different view on the Zelda game - mostly because it isn't and should never become very character-based.
I mean, how the heck could they end up giving the voice acting job to the same damn woman that gives voice to princess Peach?
Still, I have a different view on the Zelda game - mostly because it isn't and should never become very character-based.