Poll: Silent Protaginist?
- Thread starter BOBdotEXE
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For some reason I really like silent protagonist the persona 3 MC was, quite frankly, a badass. For some reason ALL silent protagonists seem badass. (Gordon Freeman, Persona 4 MC as well, Isaac)
I enjoy deciding what my protagonist says, it makes me feel like I have the power to mimic my own personality. Also, I can possibly yell "BOOBIES!" at strippers if there's selectable text.
I prefer a game where they talk. An uninvolved protagonist takes away from the storyline quality.
Mass Effect was perfect. You got to choose what they say, but not exactly what they say, and you actually hear an actor saying it. Dragon Age: Origins silent-choose-what-they-say protagonist bothered me a bit. I like hearing my character chat, makes them more realistic and sympathetic imo.
It depends on the game itself. Using RPGs as an example, Golden Sun, Pokemon and Chrono Trigger all get by with little more than a yes or no option yet they don't seem worse for it. However, in a game where the playable character needs to have a big part in the construct of the story they usually need to speak.
It is nice to be able to choose what to say in a game where that was built in, like Mass Effect where the conversations form the story points, but it isn't needed all the time in a straight narrative. Most Final Fantasy games follow the evolution of a character of the course of the story and as such would be worse off having the player choose every conversation path. Likewise, if said character was silent there would be little evolution to be had save for the speaking roles of the supporting cast.
It is nice to be able to choose what to say in a game where that was built in, like Mass Effect where the conversations form the story points, but it isn't needed all the time in a straight narrative. Most Final Fantasy games follow the evolution of a character of the course of the story and as such would be worse off having the player choose every conversation path. Likewise, if said character was silent there would be little evolution to be had save for the speaking roles of the supporting cast.
I don't really like silent protagonists it's so unreal. They're always super cool bad asses and no one is really like that especially not the one playing the damn game. There aren't any choices you don't really contribute anything other then complete destruction of who ever you're pointing at.
It all depends on what kind of character it is. A non-human main character such as Amaterasu from Okami could bark and howl but not speak and that was fine by me. Even if the character is some sort of man-animal (how very redundant)hybrid, having them speak broken cultural context appropriate human languages or their own language would also be fine. I don't like it when they come across as humans in fur covered suits, anyway.
Uni-cellular organisms get a pass, too.
Now, if the character is human, off-human (those fantasy races that look like humans with sharp teeth, pointy ears or abnormal proportions which aren't just stylistic choices)or robot, it doesn't make sense unless that character took a vow of silence or is the strong,silent type(or is a Silent Sister who couldn't talk if she wanted to!).
Selectable dialogue is always a good thing. It made Final Fantasy X-2 quite a bit more enjoyable to choose some of the ridiculous things which Yuna said. I'd have liked to pick what Rikku said or rather, chosen to forego her dialogue to give Paine some more lines.
Uni-cellular organisms get a pass, too.
Now, if the character is human, off-human (those fantasy races that look like humans with sharp teeth, pointy ears or abnormal proportions which aren't just stylistic choices)or robot, it doesn't make sense unless that character took a vow of silence or is the strong,silent type(or is a Silent Sister who couldn't talk if she wanted to!).
Selectable dialogue is always a good thing. It made Final Fantasy X-2 quite a bit more enjoyable to choose some of the ridiculous things which Yuna said. I'd have liked to pick what Rikku said or rather, chosen to forego her dialogue to give Paine some more lines.
Sometimes silent protagonists work. I can understand why it would be used in something like a FPS, but I think they've certainly reached a point where you could have a character speak while in first person and know without a doubt that it's your character speaking. That would enable more development and strong characterisation, which always helps with the crafting of deeper stories.
One of the benefits of RPGs, though, is being able to choose the type of character you play, so having selectable dialogue is good then. In Fallout 3, for example, having them be silent worked because I was able to imagine their voice and the way in which it was delivered; it was my character and I didn't really want anyone else interfering with my perception of them. That character was an extension of myself and what I felt like doing.
But, in a game like Mass Effect, having Shepard be fully voiced with dialogue choices was a brilliant decision; it worked because you were playing a character that was completely fleshed out and fit perfectly within the story, but you had enough say in what they were doing to resemble your own thought processes and to experience Shepard in ways that made him/her more sympathetic or interesting to you. It's still always Shepard, and they're still always the hero, but it reflects different methods of achieving your ends in the greater scheme of things.
One of the benefits of RPGs, though, is being able to choose the type of character you play, so having selectable dialogue is good then. In Fallout 3, for example, having them be silent worked because I was able to imagine their voice and the way in which it was delivered; it was my character and I didn't really want anyone else interfering with my perception of them. That character was an extension of myself and what I felt like doing.
But, in a game like Mass Effect, having Shepard be fully voiced with dialogue choices was a brilliant decision; it worked because you were playing a character that was completely fleshed out and fit perfectly within the story, but you had enough say in what they were doing to resemble your own thought processes and to experience Shepard in ways that made him/her more sympathetic or interesting to you. It's still always Shepard, and they're still always the hero, but it reflects different methods of achieving your ends in the greater scheme of things.
No matter how much of a Half-Life fan I am, I make it a common routine of mine to take "fans of Gordon Freeman" out into dark alleyways and slam a dumpster lid on their head for several minutes. (sarcasm, not trying to flame)
A silent protagonist is a humble way of trying to avoid inflammatory, disagreeable, or immersion-breaking lines from the "player" and also letting you project yourself there better.
But the far more likable protagonists I've seen are the ones who only say things that anyone would agree with. He doesn't often make a judgement call about "That guy deserved that!" or "I'll take the mission." A lot of the time, he's just going with what any normal person would do, often meaning he gets pulled into a lot of things rather than deciding to go along with them. And once in a while he'll make a snarky one-liner, but only if it's good.
Examples:
GTA characters (CJ, Tommy, Niko, etc)
Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)
possibly Batman (Arkham Asylum)
A silent protagonist is a humble way of trying to avoid inflammatory, disagreeable, or immersion-breaking lines from the "player" and also letting you project yourself there better.
But the far more likable protagonists I've seen are the ones who only say things that anyone would agree with. He doesn't often make a judgement call about "That guy deserved that!" or "I'll take the mission." A lot of the time, he's just going with what any normal person would do, often meaning he gets pulled into a lot of things rather than deciding to go along with them. And once in a while he'll make a snarky one-liner, but only if it's good.
Examples:
GTA characters (CJ, Tommy, Niko, etc)
Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)
possibly Batman (Arkham Asylum)
I like talking protagonists. Those who don't speak a single word are just boring. Yes, even Freeman - and i'm a huge Half-Life fan.
And what i really would like to see is a subversion of silent protagonist. The guy who does not speak untill situation reaches boiling point, then blurts out ridiculously awesome one-liner... yeah. He would have great shock value. Saints Row (the first one) did something to that effect.
And what i really would like to see is a subversion of silent protagonist. The guy who does not speak untill situation reaches boiling point, then blurts out ridiculously awesome one-liner... yeah. He would have great shock value. Saints Row (the first one) did something to that effect.
I enjoy talking characters. Because they are voiced by proffesionals, written by proffesionals, characterized by proffesionals and are generally rather relatable. Mind you this can either go one of two ways. A company can have a shitty, cliche riddled script voiced by a someone who desperately needs an out of place lozenge and have the whole character relatibility thing get f'ed in the A. Or it could have a cleverly done script which makes the character seem like someone from, oh I dunno, REAL LIFE, have a seasoned voice actor who can properly emote and really represents all aspects of the character they are voicing and make the protagonist a great character.
It depends on the game. I don't like silent protagonists in games that have a complex or detailed story... it breaks my suspension of disbelief. I think the only exception off the top of my head is Halo 3: ODST, because I know the protagonist's backstory, and it's easy for me to imagine he's so quiet because he has severe PTSD and doesn't want to interact with other people as a result.
ever since I cracked Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, and Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon, I have loved the ability to give a smartass response to everything just to see how the game reacts.
But some games I say if silence works for the character, fine. Though I think it will be a dying trend.
But some games I say if silence works for the character, fine. Though I think it will be a dying trend.
I prefer a talking protagonist, but that doesn't mean there aren't any badass non talking one.
Ohh and Jak for Jak and Daxter
Best of both worlds huh?
Ohh and Jak for Jak and Daxter
Best of both worlds huh?
Being able to choose what they say is probably the coolest, but where's the "indifferent" option. I'm fine any which way.