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[IonicSnake]

I don't like them but I thought it was done really well in the first Jak & Daxter game thanks to Daxter.

 

[gutter_trash]

mute Sonic from the Genesis games >>>>>>>>>> chatterbox Sonic from the Dreamcast games and up

GTA3's Claude was probably the sickest of the GTA main characters

Gordon Freeman's view on the world is how you see through your first person view and it extremely well done

same goes for the Portal main character

 

[manueldelalas]

It really depends on the game and series IMO.

Mute characters are good when the game wants you to actually "be" the character, and it was really weird seeing characters "speaking" in early PS1 games (with or without an actor voice).

It was weird in FF VIII for example, because the main character was such an idiot asshole; in that game mute character would have been preferable.

In Golden Sun, the system worked, but then you played Golden Sun 2 and they switch main characters, so the older main character talked a lot, but the new main dude didn't talk, although in the first game he did. That was very weird, and a bad decission IMO, I would have preferred both characters mute in both games, that would have been kind of lolsome.

About voice acting, I know I will be in the minority here, but I generally don't mind it; I grew up playing RPGs, so I'm kind of used to stupid lines, and voice acting doesn't do anything for me, except in extremely rare cases. In Suikoden Tierkreis, the main character was a class A idiot and talked a lot through the game, and to save memory (I guess), all of his lines are sped up, it is really annoying. He would have made a great silent character.

I guess that what's annoying about voice acting is that it is almost always an afterthought, it's like some dude reading the text there, but the problem is just that. If a game is designed with text lines first, then the text must say all, it must transmit character emotions, the setting, etc. A good use of voice acting (and cutscenes) would be to actually transmit emotions through voice and visuals, so that the text would be less (maybe we wouldn't have to bare the stupid HAHAHA scene if they thought of what they where doing).

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Gordon Freeman's view on the world is how you see through your first person view and it extremely well done

The problem with Gordon is that other people are assumptive of his nonexistent personality traits.

Why is Alyx his love interest? Beats me.

same goes for the Portal main character

Chell, meanwhile, doesn't have to deal with this problem.

Sure Glados and Wheatley are assumptive of her personality, but that's because they are both pompous, self-centered characters who only react to the situation and the actions that got Chell there in the first place.

For example: Glados hates Chell and calls her a terrible, evil person because Chell killed her. It's reasonable for her to think that, even though we don't know if Chell is really a bitch or not.

Breen questioning Gordon's motives in thwarting the Combine is similarly well done.

 

[PjotrStroganov]

I love it when voice acting is done right in FPS's. Crysis did a very good job at it. It really felt like you were listening from inside the suit helmet.

Otherwise I rather have a silent protagonist.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

I prefer it in some cases, like Zelda and Metroid work better with mute characters since Nintendo excels at immersion through the game world and most attempts at voice acting from them has failed horribly. Hell you could say the some for non Nintendo franchises like Sonic.

But when it comes to games like Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, etc. do work better with speaking main characters. So hating this or the other is stupid though.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

Videogames are uniquely well-equipped to leverage cipher characters (and silent protagonists), particularly when utilizing the first-person perspective. It's a shame that the vast majority of developers are too busy trying to replicate film storytelling rather than develop videogame storytelling. Even though the original Portal's story was forgettable sci-fi, it was significantly more interesting to experience than Uncharted's forgettable pulp because of the way each was told.

 

[Clott]

For me it's one of the main reasons I couldn't stomach Chrono trigger, because the design of the main character has so much personality but he never said anything so I quickly would get my immersion ruined. I do plan to give it another try on the DS tho.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Final Fantasy should have muted characters. Just listening to the VA makes the games not enjoyable.

 

[Boogiepop]

I've definitely found myself preferring muted characters, at least in RPGs, in recent years. Particularly ones where you/your party are all custom, and more just experiencing the world around you than being the special "chosen one" or what have you (IE, Etrian Odyssey, Monster Hunter, kinda DQ IX a bit). Mostly, though, RPGs that make me feel like I'm fighting with the dickish, stupid nature of the protagonist are really starting to get on my nerves. I mean, no, I don't particularly want to say "screw you guys" and run away from my established party for no good reason other than to be an unlikeable dick, Tales of Legendia lead. Bleh.

 

[Azure Phoenix]

I've got no problem with mute characters as long as it's just in terms of VA, but you still have dialogue choices to make. Characters that simply stand like a lemon and never respond to anything - such as Link - really get on my nerves.

 

[Alrus]

I've got no problem with mute characters as long as it's just in terms of VA, but you still have dialogue choices to make. Characters that simply stand like a lemon and never respond to anything - such as Link - really get on my nerves.

He answers question by yes/no

On a more serious note, what thing would you have him say? I don't see any kind of dialog that would make the game more interesting.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I've got no problem with mute characters as long as it's just in terms of VA, but you still have dialogue choices to make. Characters that simply stand like a lemon and never respond to anything - such as Link - really get on my nerves.

But from WW on link doesn't just stand.

Sure he doesn't say anything, but you can get the gist of his thoughts through his facial expressions and body movement.

 

[beril]

Mute characters are a delicate art that can go either very well or horribly wrong depending on how it's presented. I think Dragon Quest generally does it very well; the main character is never really has much reason to speak, and he's not given much of a personality, and everytime there's any need to speak you get a yes/no box. Even if its just a contant loop of "Dost thou love me? But thou must!" until you get the right answer. Zelda sometimes stretches the limit a bit with people implying that Link has said some rather strange things sometimes, but still manages to make it charming enough.

I think the worst example of a mute character I have ever seen is in Breath of Fire 4. The main characters identity is such a major part to the story and the other PCs constantly have long discussions about their next move without ever adressing him. You just feel like a retarded child as you sit quietly staring blankly into space while the other characters discuss what to do about you.

As with everything, the more realistic you make everything else, with voice acting, animation etc, the harder it makes it to suspend disbelief that your character doesn't talk (or does talk but you can't hear him).

Also a mute character makes the generic NPC dialog much easier to swallow, because I really don't want to imagine how the hero initiates a conversation that leads to all that random shit that NPCs say.

 

[beril]

The problem with Gordon is that other people are assumptive of his nonexistent personality traits.

Why is Alyx his love interest? Beats me.

There's probably plenty of girls who would fall in love with a quiet guy who kills alien zombies with a crowbar.

Spoiler

Though honestly I agree that he's a kindof shitty example of a silent protagonist

 

[udivision]

Hmm... in some RPG's it comes off as "The world is crumbling around me, but I'm okay with this." The main character might be spoken to, but someone always speaks for him/her. They just go with the flow.

 

[Deified Data]

mute characters suck. Even Gordon Freeman.

Well, except Chell.

Why? Why just Chell?

Mute characters have their place. It depends entirely on if the story demands them to speak or not. I'd rather play a mute character in an RPG, at least. It gives me more "say" when it comes to their personality.

 

[Skiptastic]

I kinda preferred that Isaac didn't talk in the first Dead Space.

I disagree.

It's amazing how much the second game improved by fleshing out Clarke's character, personality, and giving him a voice. The Dead Space series is a perfect example of why any game should have voice acting(assuming quality).

I completely agree. Giving Isaac a voice worked so well for the internal dialogue that game had as a major part of its story. If he was silent in that game, I doubt it would have worked as well as it did.

 

[Femmeworth]

Dead Space 2 had a weaker script than its predecessor, but making Issac speak was not a bad decision.