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[dramatis]

I really don't see what's so bad about this. Is it the best writing and acting for a game? No. Is it worse than average AAA game? I don't think so.

Yes, it's worse than the average AAA game.

Asscreed Syndicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQG2EKlF1mU

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6vZ8q6Vyg

Hell, Resident Evil 6 was four years ago (2012). Still better dialogue and execution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsObvZKHs_c

And I haven't even included a Naughty Dog game.

 

[Tyaren]

Welp, it's definitely Japanese original voices then...

I found everyone's reaction to

Spoiler

the king apparently being dead

very unnatural and unbelievable. Noctis took it conciderably well and the three others didn't seem to care for that little detail at all.

 

[Mythos]

Welp, it's definitely Japanese original voices then...

I found everyone's reaction to

Spoiler

the king apparently being dead

very unnatural and unbelievable. Noctis took it conciderably well and the three others didn't seem to care for that detail at all.

It was more of a "Someone forgot to close the door, so the dog ran away..." - reaction XD

 

[Shadow Broker]

I feel like it's decent especially for a jrpg and that's pretty much all I can hope for lol

Cindy or whatever's southern accent is incredibly stupid though, I'm from Kentucky and even I feel like it's super exaggerated. Like they're making fun of southern accents or something by how exaggerated it is. Not saying nobody sounds like that, I've heard some pretty strong ones but it doesn't really make sense for her.

Bro, I'm a New Yorker. After my deployment I got stationed in Louisiana and I married into this state.

I'm glad I could understand what Cindy is saying because there's some Southern accents down here that I can't even understand. They speak so slow that sometimes I have to asks "are you even speaking English?" Cindy seems normal and from my point of view it matches her character.

 

[MilkBeard]

Yes, it's worse than the average AAA game.

Asscreed Syndicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQG2EKlF1mU

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6vZ8q6Vyg

Hell, Resident Evil 6 was four years ago (2012). Still better dialogue and execution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsObvZKHs_c

And I haven't even included a Naughty Dog game.

After watching these three, I have to say that I don't find FF XV's voices to be way out of line with this. It's about the same quality (in my opinion).

Also, these cutscene splices from XV still look unfinished, because some of the lipsyncing doesn't match up.

I'm unconvinced. Some of those scenes you posted are from more serious scenes in the game with longer dialogue exchanges. We haven't really seen the XV equivalent of those.

The best out of the three you posted (in my opinion) is Mirror's Edge. The other two do have a little bit cringy acting, the only difference is that you get a better sense of what is going on in the scene because of the visuals and the longer dialogue exchanges. XV has really outlandish character design so it brings more attention to what they are actually saying and delivering.

If you're going to compare, you have to compare XV's finished game scenes.

 

[Pooya]

Modern games all use performance capture, if you want it to feel natural and more fluid that's the way to do it, dubbing and pasting over voices isn't going to get you there, still it should be better than what we're seeing here though.

 

[artsi]

Modern games all use performance capture, if you want it to feel natural and more fluid that's the way to do it, dubbing and pasting over voices isn't going to get you there, still it should be better than what we're seeing here though.

Might be a bit too much to do for both Japanese and English in a game with this much dialogue, but yeah I agree.

 

[Tyaren]

It was more of a "Someone forgot to close the door, so the dog ran away..." - reaction XD

At least Noctis exclaimed: "Lies." But then Prompto answering: "If only..." Wow, dude, that is not how you calm down your best friend who just found out that

Spoiler

his dad was apparently killed

. XD

 

[Garrett Hawke]

Cindy is still such a mess omfg.

Apart from that, looks pretty good.

 

[Mythos]

At least Noctis exclaimed: "Lies." But then Prompto answering: "If only..." Wow, dude, that is not how you calm down your best friend who just found out that

Spoiler

his dad was apparently killed

. XD

The whole scene was just awkward, i hope it sounds better with japanese synchro, like all the anime do.

 

[brandonh83]

I'm glad I could understand what Cindy is saying because there's some Southern accents down here that I can't even understand. They speak so slow that sometimes I have to asks "are you even speaking English?" Cindy seems normal and from my point of view it matches her character.

I know some do have very strong southern accents. My entire family does. I have an accent too, though it's dissipated a little after I moved. I just think it's weird that this game has one super janky, strongly southern accented character, like it really sticks out. I'm not bashing the actual character, she may be a cool character for all I know, I just find it ridiculously jarring.

 

[artsi]

I know some do have very strong southern accents. My entire family does. I have an accent too, though it's dissipated a little after I moved. I just think it's weird that this game has one super janky, strongly southern accented character, like it really sticks out. I'm not bashing the actual character, she may be a cool character for all I know, I just find it ridiculously jarring.

Maybe everyone talks like that in the area where she lives, I guess we'll find out soon.

 

[brandonh83]

Maybe everyone talks like that in the area where she lives, I guess we'll find out soon.

Perhaps. It is kind of a "southern" area, I just didn't recall anyone else having that accent in the demo. Maybe they do.

I still think it's on the ridiculous side. Like you can do accents like that without being all WELL SHOOO YALL DUN WENT GOT YASSELFS INNA PERDICAMENT

 

[YankeeDonB]

Yes, it's worse than the average AAA game.

Asscreed Syndicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQG2EKlF1mU

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K6vZ8q6Vyg

Hell, Resident Evil 6 was four years ago (2012). Still better dialogue and execution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsObvZKHs_c

And I haven't even included a Naughty Dog game.

Game wring is definitely getting better, still not seeing XV as beyond pale.

The AssCreed one is indeed pretty good!

Mirrors Edge seems like a scene from a low quality show on the WB.

RE6 scene seems par for course with the better stuff they've shown from XV.

ND is top tier in writing and directing character dialogue, so not relevant to a discussion about what's average. They also make 10 hour long super pretty hallway games, dev effort in XV is spread a lot thinner.

Fairer comparisons might be games with similar length and script size as XV. Witcher 3 (really good), Horizon (so far not so good), Fallout 4 (yikes).

 

[artsi]

Perhaps. It is kind of a "southern" area, I just didn't recall anyone else having that accent in the demo. Maybe they do.

Yeah but Cindy came to that station with her truck from wherever Hammerhead is, could be far enough in the game's scale that they have different accents there

Could also be just silly casting yeah, but let's see.

 

[Koozek]

That's why SE needs new writers. Or better localization and ideally Western VA directors working directly with the dev team to ensure natural looking and sounding cinematics in English. The only good thing right now is the cinematography and the choreography, like the little details in the characters' interactions (Ignis helping to pick up Prompto's dropped phone, Gladio tapping Noctis' shoulder etc.). They finally behave less Anime-like and more natural most of the time. Of course we haven't seen much of the cutscenes yet.

This scene shows what I mean best. This is the kind of subtle dynamics I always hoped for in FFXV:

I guess this is Saori Itamuro's work we see here since she started writing the script last year? I was open to fresh blood in SE's writing department and wanted to give her a chance regardless of her working on only Dissidia before, but if this is the result... man After playing TW3 I knew the writing and acting in FFXV would stick out even more. Hell, even Tales of Zestiria has better writing, which I've played a bit recently (enjoying it surprisingly much, I must admit - I was convinced I'd never play a Tales of again in the last years).

 

[PowderedToast]

how can it be so much worse than XIII? this had to play well to English audiences and they've completely blown it. genuinely, what the fuck square?

 

[dramatis]

After watching these three, I have to say that I don't find FF XV's voices to be way out of line with this. It's about the same quality (in my opinion).

Also, these cutscene splices from XV still look unfinished, because some of the lipsyncing doesn't match up.

I'm unconvinced. Some of those scenes you posted are from more serious scenes in the game with longer dialogue exchanges. We haven't really seen the XV equivalent of those.

It's not lipsyncing, or voice acting. It's not English versus Japanese voices. It's the dialogue, the flow of dialogue, the 'acting'/animations of the characters in those cutscenes which make them easily head and shoulders above the FF15 cutscenes.

The 15 scenes are just not good dialogue or performance wise. The scenes I posted flow. They're not stilted. The characters have facial expressions and body language that match the moment or their lines. The camera captures the above and the focuses of conversation better. And I'm not sure how much more serious scenes get than a guy finding out his country has fallen and his father was killed. Aren't you just making excuses for poor cinematics because you're already too invested in the product?

 

[Koozek]

Game wring is definitely getting better, still not seeing XV as beyond pale.

The AssCreed one is indeed pretty good!

Mirrors Edge seems like a scene from a low quality show on the WB.

RE6 scene seems par for course with the better stuff they've shown from XV.

ND is top tier in writing and directing character dialogue, so not relevant to a discussion about what's average. They also make 10 hour long super pretty hallway games, dev effort in XV is spread a lot thinner.

Fairer comparisons might be games with similar length and script size as XV. Witcher 3 (really good), Horizon (so far not so good), Fallout 4 (yikes).

This is a good point, and why one can't compare an huge RPG to Uncharted. Uncharted has the luxury of having every single cutscene handcrafted until perfection and directed with every actor in the same room because it's shorter and has less characters. Of course, it would be an absolute dream if every game was on that level. Imagine Naughty Dog quality cutscenes in FFXV *.*

 

[DiipuSurotu]

SE should never have let Alexander O. Smith go, or at least they should have ensured that he localize all future FFs.

 

[brandonh83]

how can it be so much worse than XIII?

It's really not. As someone who can't usually stand RPG's with voice acting, this seems to be on the less offensive end of the deal, based on this video at least.

Noctis' VA is pretty bad though. But mostly everyone else seems fine.

 

[Masterspeed]

What I don't understand is, they have mobile phones and modern day technology. You'd think a PRINCE would be informed more about an invasion via anything more than a newspaper.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Why do I feel like I'm watching cutscenes from Sonic 06?

 

[DiipuSurotu]

What I don't understand is, they have mobile phones and modern day technology. You'd think a PRINCE would be informed more about an invasion via anything more than a newspaper.

We know from previous trailers that communication is being jammed.

 

[brandonh83]

What I don't understand is, they have mobile phones and modern day technology. You'd think a PRINCE would be informed more about an invasion via anything more than a newspaper.

Do we know what kind of social media stuff they have? And aren't they isolated/on the run? Maybe they're purposefully disconnected.

^^^or what he said lol

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I ragged on their localization on the official forums a while back.

https://forum.finalfantasyxv.com/discussion/938/reminder-fix-your-english-localization/p1

Even tho I'm used to and desensitized to anime style dubbing/localization, it is quite obvious this standard is not good enough for the mass market that they are pursuing. How they can be so blind to that is baffling and peeves me of a lot.

They achieved absolutely wonderful standards for FF12 and NieR, so why not this? Grrr...

 

[Koozek]

SE should never have let Alexander O. Smith go, or at least they should have ensured that he translate all future FFs.

Preach.

 

[YankeeDonB]

This is a good point, and why one can't compare an huge RPG to Uncharted. Uncharted has the luxury of having every single cutscene handcrafted until perfection and directed with every actor in the same room because it's shorter and has less characters. Of course, it would be an absolute dream if every game was on that level. Imagine Naughty Dog quality cutscenes in FFXV *.*

Ha ha someday - for now I'd be very happy with voice work and writing as good as Witcher 3, even if the conversational flow is still fractured.

SE should never have let Alexander O. Smith go, or at least they should have ensured that he localize all future FFs.

Yeah, he's really good. I don't think every game should be faux Elizabethan (and XII actually verged on self parody at times), but he's very solid with more naturalistic dialogue as well.

 

[jett]

Anime-looking game gets anime-level dubbing.

If I get this game, I'll be playing it in Japanese I believe.

 

[MilkBeard]

It's not lipsyncing, or voice acting. It's not English versus Japanese voices. It's the dialogue, the flow of dialogue, the 'acting'/animations of the characters in those cutscenes which make them easily head and shoulders above the FF15 cutscenes.

The 15 scenes are just not good dialogue or performance wise. The scenes I posted flow. They're not stilted. The characters have facial expressions and body language that match the moment or their lines. The camera captures the above and the focuses of conversation better. And I'm not sure how much more serious scenes get than a guy finding out his country has fallen and his father was killed. Aren't you just making excuses for poor cinematics because you're already too invested in the product?

Again, you posted longer dialogue exchanges in more serious cutscenes. The ones in the Gamespot video are cobbled together scenes that were made so that nothing is spoiled.

And I don't feel like those scenes in the other video as a whole are much better. There is better flow, yes, but that is due to what I mentioned.

If we are really going to get nitpicky here, gaming has a long way to go to reach the quality of movie acting. There are games, such as Witcher 3 and Uncharted 4 that reach near that level, but what you posted is not, and is indicative of how video game delivery is done in general.

Once again, the scenes in this video of XV are cobbled together, and don't really showcase the same type of conversation in the dialogues you posted. We don't know why Ardyn, for example, is standing there or why he says what he says. It is cut out of a longer conversation, which makes it harder to understand the context. All the other scenes start at the beginning and go on long enough to get proper context.

 

[Philippo]

Alexander O. Smith should actually write a FF.

 

[Seven Force]

Dub sounds pretty rough, but I guess I'll just have to get used to it. I know the JP track is available, but I hate having to hear those if I don't need to.

At least it can take solace in the fact that it'll never be the dumpster fire that Type-0 HD's localization was. Holy fucking shit, that was garbage.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

That moment when you realize you might have "Final Fantasy Disease."

I'm not going to be surprised if the writing in this feels dated compared to modern games. These clips are amateur hour compared to other high profile games. Could be cultural differences too. The visuals are becoming more realistic, but the line delivery and reactions are unnatural. They lack subtlety.

 

[Burbeting]

That moment when you realize you might have "Final Fantasy Disease."

I'm not going to be surprised if the writing in this feels dated compared to modern games. These clips are amateur hour compared to other high profile games. Could be cultural differences too. The visuals are becoming more realistic, but the line delivery and reactions are unnatural. They lack subtlety.

It seems that the voice direction is bad. Same happened in FF13 (I mean, that game was able to make Troy Baker sound awful). Ignis sounds most grating to me, and disconnected from his Japanese counterpart.

 

[Feep]

FFX level of vocal performance and pacing.

Ugh. I miss you, Alexander O. Smith.

 

[MilkBeard]

FFX level of vocal performance and pacing.

Ugh. I miss you, Alexander O. Smith.

I hope you mean XII. Played through X recently, it's not as good as you remember.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

FFX level of vocal performance and pacing.

Ugh. I miss you, Alexander O. Smith.

Amen.

 

[kvn]

No joke, I really had to laugh out loud when Prompto said that. That sentence is so out of place, wtf.

Yeah, me too. Completely random.

 

[Desi]

No joke, I really had to laugh out loud when Prompto said that. That sentence is so out of place, wtf.

when I used to sell cars that happened a lot. People love taking pictures with their new ride

 

[GavinUK86]

Cindy seems to be lip synced to the Japanese dialogue still.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Tabata has got a lot write with the internal restructuring to match modern development practices, but it seems like it will take another project (XVI perhaps) until it is realized that they need to gut their localization arm.

 

[MilkBeard]

The comments on that Youtube video are much more positive than people on Gaf. Goes to show that sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.

 

[DangerMouse]

I really don't see what's so bad about this. Is it the best writing and acting for a game? No. Is it worse than average AAA game? I don't think so.

Also at complaints about Noctis' reaction, maybe he's in shock? Denial?

Agreed. I thought Noctis' reaction is pretty good actually since we don't even have full context. You can see him holding it in and also in denial about it and at the same time they're all questioning if it's real. This scene also has the furthest along lip synching already which is also helping me not get pulled out of it, particularly Gladio's

The only good thing right now is the cinematography and the choreography, like the little details in the characters' interactions (Ignis helping to pick up Prompto's dropped phone, Gladio tapping Noctis' shoulder etc.). They finally behave less Anime-like and more natural most of the time. Of course we haven't seen much of the cutscenes yet.

This scene shows what I mean best. This is the kind of subtle dynamics I always hoped for in FFXV:

Yup, I think it's somewhat promising that these scenes have been pretty good in the handful of scenes we've gotten to see, since they've shown so few cutscenes let alone real story ones.

Yeah but Cindy came to that station with her truck from wherever Hammerhead is, could be far enough in the game's scale that they have different accents there

Could also be just silly casting yeah, but let's see.

Yeah. I don't have a problem with her outside of them still needing to match her lip synching.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

The comments on that Youtube video are much more positive than people on Gaf. Goes to show that sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.

Different audiences perhaps. Lots of older fans on GAF.

Even after 10 years I'm fine with the character designs, art style and general presentation etc... but I've become jaded with poor writing/localization.

 

[JBwB]

The comments on that Youtube video are much more positive than people on Gaf. Goes to show that sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.

Isn't that always the case though? People are overly critical here, no matter the game.

 

[kvn]

The comments on that Youtube video are much more positive than people on Gaf. Goes to show that sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.

No offense, but no, it doesn't. It goes to show that "the comments on that YouTube video are much more positive than people on Gaf". Your observation, which I doubt is completely solid, does not allow the conclusion that "sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.".

 

[MilkBeard]

Different audiences perhaps. Lots of older fans on GAF.

Even after 10 years I'm fine with the character designs, art style and general presentation etc... but I've become jaded with poor writing/localization.

The thing is...compared to Jrpg localizations in general, this is much better. But people get these out of context scenes and nitpick every small detail.

It's not ace, but it's not terrible either, unlike some people seem to be saying. A lot of things you need to see in context and with the final, finished scenes.

 

[Henkka]

There's something really sterile and off about this... The character designs clash with how mundane the environment is, or something.

 

[MilkBeard]

No offense, but no, it doesn't. It goes to show that "the comments on that YouTube video are much more positive than people on Gaf". Your observation, which I doubt is completely solid, does not allow the conclusion that "sometimes negative attitudes are infectious.".

Lol what? Yes it does. Gaf has it's guns raised against this game. It's pretty obvious to see. Especially when you see the contrast of opinions in different places, and with different people that have had hands-on experience with the game.

It's okay, you can feel whatever you feel, but it's pretty obvious that there is a big mass of negativity swirling over this game in gaf. The pages and pages of driveby shitposts, which transcends even Youtube shitposts, from the Titan E3 demo thread says otherwise.

Isn't that always the case though? People are overly critical here, no matter the game.

That could be true, I'm just used to seeing disgustingly bad comments in most of the Youtube videos I've looked through.

 

[Phediuk]

Why does this series still sound like a 90s anime dub.

Feels very PS2-era in that regard.