On Silent Protagonists

[MGlBlaze]

Good article. I don't disagree with Samus gaining a voice and personality. I do however, disagree with the way she was portrayed in Other M.

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.
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.

 

[Pendragon9]

Agreed completely. I couldn't stand Other M because of how horrible the voice acting was. Not to mention the story. Urgh.

 

[The Ambrosian]

Yahtzee is playing Halo: Reach? He must not have a great deal of control over the games he gets to review, between that and FFXIII. I'm all for a good bashing of a game (which I'm about 99% sure he is going to do) but it seems to lose something when it's a game that he's probably not going to like in the first place. Of course that won't stop me from watching it (or any of his videos)

I think he has complete control over what he does.
I know he goes out a buys the games and the Escapist don't send them too him.

 

[jebara]

damn it!
i wanted him to review peace walker but this kinda says he is gonna review reach
i guess he is never gonna review it...

 

[JuryNelson]

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.

yeah, and they got, like, the producer's nephew to do the voices. They were bizarrely terrible.
Or maybe I was just so taken aback that I talked.

 

[kael013]

For some games, I don't mind having a silent protagonist. But ODST annoyed me with it. Not only did it have an awesome cast of voices, they let play as each of those characters, having their voice come out of the player. Then, after enjoying the cast of Firefly, you're thrown back into the Rookie. It's completely idiotic and jarring. Why bother saying that the Rookie is the player, but then have the player be characters with personality?
When I heard Reach would have a silent protagonist, I groaned. And then I saw that the cover doesn't even have Noble 6 on it. Why bother making the character for single player campaign if he isn't even going to be on the front cover?

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.

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.

 

[Jhales]

Because your character could look a number of different ways depending on how you designed him. I don't know how that would work.

Also he isn't silent, but he dosen't talk that much either.

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.

 

[RaziTheRed]

Maero REALLY should've offered more than 20%...

 

[Taynas]

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*

 

[Fatalistic]

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.

 

[The Cake Is Annoying]

"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.

 

[t3hmaniac]

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.

 

[ProtoChimp]

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

Could you possibly point me to the scene. My xbox is bricked until tomorrow and I want to see that scene.

 

[Monk Ed]

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.

 

[Elf Defiler Korgan]

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.

 

[WaderiAAA]

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.

 

[kouriichi]

I hate when they add voices to RPG's.

Im a 19 year old african amarican who speaks beyond litteritly ((so much so it pisses my friends off)) and when they let me design my character to look however i want, i always make me. Im vain, yes in know.

But then, BAM! Dorky non-fitting voice. My commander Shepard? Glory Black man i invision myself to be in 20 years. Voice? Angry white dude. It just throws off the whole thing about our imagination. When the character is scilent, we can put to him ((or her)) whatever voice we want, be it jewish pervert who looks in windows every day, or Space Marine commander with a constipation problem!

 

[camazotz]

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

It woud be totally awesome if he speaks as his epic last words when doing whatever it is he does in episode 3 that will kill him.

Damnit, I would have Yahtzee himself as the voice for Gordon Freeman! Oh that would be awesome.

 

[Truly-A-Lie]

I wasn't sure what my opinion was of the whole talking Samus thing. In general characterisation is good. However when I heard about cowering before Ridley, who Samus' has repeatedly made her ***** over the years, it seems like they may as well have just cast a new main character. It'd be Solid Snake seeing a Metal Gear and running away to a fallout shelter.

 

[BelmontClan]

I agree a bit with the silent protagonist thing. I recently finished Persona 3 and that is a LONG LONG game. One of the better games I've ever played BUT. Silent protagonist...sort of. He actually DOES have a voice, to call on the many Personas in his arsenal and that's it. For as involved and complicated and good as the story is in the game, it would have helped to have your nameable main character say SOMETHING, even if it was just text.

I also watched a review of the Other M on gametrailers just to try and hear how bad the voice was. O_O Oh my LORD there was no emotional response in that voice. And then to read some of the comments made me feel like I was in some kind of bizarro universe.

One such comment was "Oooh, how dare you complain about giving a soulless, emotionless voice to a soulless emotionless character! It fit perfectly!"

It almost sounds like instead of going for zero emotion for a hardened bounty hunter, if they shifted it to a world weary tone and then interjecting anger at key fighting scenes, that might have actually helped a lot.