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[EmCeeGramr]

American accents would wreck the feel of the world for me, honestly. Only those posh English and Scottish accents they used in the LotR would be even remotely close to appropriate and even then, it would mean that Link's personality wouldn't be up to me to decide, so I'd lose a big part of the experience.

NO VOICE ACTING.

where did these phantom american accents and "link talking" concepts come from

you have plucked them from the ether purely for the purpose of destroying them


but what do i know, let's go back to pointing out that a video game for children (mario sunshine) and a cartoon for children had the voice acting appropriate for a children's product so we throw hissy fits about how it's not up to our exacting standards and how the loss of the experience of imagining a voice for "random villager #5" is destroying gaming

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I think what they did with Midna was basically perfect. If they wanted to stretch that to all characters, I would not mind.

Some voice-sounding clips in a gibberish language over text. No need for timing or directing or anything like that.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

if adventure games can transition into full-voice, Zelda sure as hell can.

there is no good reason for Nintendo to not hire a decent VA team to oversee some decent English vocal talent.

 

[Luigiv]

My opinion:
- 30% chance that a new Zelda game on the Wii will be announced in E3 2010.
- If they announce it, then there is a 10% chance that it will be released in 2010.

Opinions can be wrong sometimes.

Realistically the chances are
- Unveiling at E3 2010: 99%
- Release this year: 60%

 

[BowieZ]

If there's voice acting, I hope Link is done by the same guy who voices Xandir.

 

[SlipperySlope]

It is

He just goes to the different voice for those lines.

Haha. Oh man. Now I can't get those battle-ending sequences out of my head. "I'm not fighting!"

 

[EmCeeGramr]

we are beyond reading text.

if adventure games can transition into full-voice, Zelda sure as hell can.

i think they should replace the character models with floating paragraphs of character descriptions (not too exact though), i want to imagine them for myself and if i had to see the characters WELL THEN MY EXPERIENCE IS RUINED AND WHAT IF THE PEOPLE LOOKED BAD

 

[SlipperySlope]

If there's voice acting, I hope Link is done by the same guy who voices Xandir.

Gay porn in a Zelda thread. I've seen it all now.

 

[EatChildren]

the voice acting would be like 99% of video game voice acting, completely average and you wouldn't even care unless you were anal retentive about your electronic children's toys

Not anal about it, but I do want my entertainment to be of the best quality it can be for my enjoyment, and especially if I'm going to be spending upwards of 50+ hours playing.

But I'm of the belief that voice acting isn't a necessary feature of modern day gaming and that reading is a perfectly acceptable form of communication. I like to read, and considering Nintendo's track record of voice work I'd rather Zelda Wii go down that path.

That and hearing thick American accents on every fucking character would make the mute button and I the best of friends.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

If voice acting were to be done, I'd want Atlus to do it.

Somehow.

 

[ampere]

if adventure games can transition into full-voice, Zelda sure as hell can.

there is no good reason for Nintendo to not hire a decent VA team to oversee some decent English vocal talent.

Stealth edit of 'we are beyond reading text.'? What are you doing now, hmm? Just looking at avatars and imagining a voice?

Some things work better without voice acting, for example the main character in a game such as Zelda. EmCeeGramr has a valid point though, I didn't really care when random characters in Mario Sunshine talked. I really don't want a voice for Link though.

 

[Black-Wind]

I still stand by my stance that the only talking I think they would/ should do would be like in Peter and the Wolf where each character "talk" with a instrument. (In other words, characters are represented by musical instruments being played)

Watch, its easier to see for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILI3s7Wonvg

 

[SlipperySlope]

Stealth edit of 'we are beyond reading text.'? What are you doing now, hmm? Just looking at avatars and imagining a voice?

Some things work better without voice acting, for example the main character in a game such as Zelda. EmCeeGramr has a valid point though, I didn't really care when random characters in Mario Sunshine talked. I really don't want a voice for Link though.

I treat link like Gordon Freeman. Should always be silent.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

i think they should replace the character models with floating paragraphs of character descriptions (not too exact though), i want to imagine them for myself and if i had to see the characters WELL THEN MY EXPERIENCE IS RUINED AND WHAT IF THE PEOPLE LOOKED BAD

>:-|

I just don't want English voice acting, OK?

 

[ShockingAlberto]

i think they should replace the character models with floating paragraphs of character descriptions (not too exact though), i want to imagine them for myself and if i had to see the characters WELL THEN MY EXPERIENCE IS RUINED AND WHAT IF THE PEOPLE LOOKED BAD

Zorkda

 

[Beth Cyra]

I don't know it seems like alot of people are being really harsh on VA for stuff like Other M. As I have said before it is a little stiff but it is no where near as bad as some people are making it out to be.

I have heard far worse in both games (Star Ocean 4, Soul Calibur.) and certainly far worse in anime, seriously try listing to something like the Sailor Moon dub growing up, nothing in Other M even approaches the trash they called VA back then.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

there is absolutely nothing natural or acceptable about a camera facing a full 3D model who is animating, moving about and making sounds but not actually going the whole hog and speaking. it's a fucking wretched video game trope that needs to die, as soon as possible.

it is borderline unacceptable nowadays. it's almost as stupid as having a highly trained Assassin drown when he lands in a puddle of water. if you're making an audio-visual production that reaches a certain level of visual fidelity and believability there are things you must account for.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

there is absolutely nothing natural or acceptable about a camera facing a full 3D model who is animating, moving about and making sounds but not actually going the whole hog and speaking. it's a fucking wretched video game trope that needs to die, as soon as possible.

it is borderline unacceptable nowadays. it's almost as stupid as having a highly trained Assassin drown when he lands in a puddle of water. if you're making an audio-visual production that reaches a certain level of visual fidelity and believability there are things you must account for.

The characters do speak... in Hylian, the made-up language of Zelda.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

The characters do speak... in Hylian, the made-up language of Zelda.

 

[Skiesofwonder]

I still stand by my stance that the only talking I think they would/ should do would be like in Peter and the Wolf where each character "talk" with a instrument. (In other words, characters are represented by musical instruments being played)

Watch, its easier to see for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILI3s7Wonvg

Is that Winnie The Pooh narrating?

As cool as that would be, I think it would be pretty hard to pull off considering how many characters the latest Legend of Zeldas have.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

>:|

 

[EmCeeGramr]

are all the accomplishments of zelda fated to be nothing more than a layer of broken plastic shards thinly strewn across a fossil bed, sandwiched between the burgess shale and an eon's worth of mud

it is futile to cry for mother's milk when our true sustence awaits us among the stars. and only the universal union that small minds call "voice acting" can carry us there

 

[EmCeeGramr]

anyway rez talking about characters animating reminded me that in TP's first scenes, when Link is riding back into Ordon on Epona and talking to Ilia, if you look closely you can actually see his mouth moving as he talks to her

 

[SlipperySlope]

Actually, Wind Waker is pretty close to how I imagine Zelda, now that I think of it. Change out the boat for a horse, water for land, fill in the landscape with more things to explore and find, put in some more towns, make it fully explorable from the beginning, make it non-linear, and we're getting close.

And obviously don't use cel shading. Am I the only one that actually had my eyes hurt while playing that game? It was too bright.

Edit - On second thought, that's quite a few changes I listed

 

[EatChildren]

are all the accomplishments of zelda fated to be nothing more than a layer of broken plastic shards thinly strewn across a fossil bed, sandwiched between the burgess shale and an eon's worth of mud

it is futile to cry for mother's milk when our true sustence awaits us among the stars. and only the universal union that small minds call "voice acting" can carry us there

We see you still in Nintendo. Clearly we see you in the recording studio.

While our own writers lay scattered at your feet, you severed the vocal cords that bound the actors to life, and to us.

This is more than anyone can bear, but we will persevere.

 

[Luigiv]

The characters do speak... in Hylian, the made-up language of Zelda.

Hylian is just Japanese spelled with different letters....

 

[DanteFox]

does anyone remember that video of Charles martinet doing like a one line impression of what link's voice would sound like if he were to voice him? I actually thought it was pretty decent. I wouldn't mind him voicing link.

 

[Poyunch]

Why do people mention Spirit Tracks when worrying about Zelda Wii being simplified? It's pretty obvious that what they did in the overworld for Spirit Tracks was due to the limitations of the DS hardware. I doubt we'll get similar results in Zelda Wii.

 

[Myriadis]

Hylian is just Japanese spelled with different letters....

The old Hylian.The new Hylian (TP) is the english alphabet in an strange-looking font.

 

[scitek]

clearly link should be voiced by nolan north

 

[Danielsan]

It's already been stated in this thread and I've said in many thread that came before but Zelda needs voice acting and the best solution would be to create a fake language similarly to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus.

I can't believe that the Zelda games still haven't had voice acting. It's preposterous and people crying about how bad voice acting would ruin the game need to shut it because good voice acting would enhance the game. It's 2010 people, there are plenty of talented voice actors around and if the voice acting ended up poorly it's simply due to the fact that Nintendo dropped the ball to ensure quality voice work.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

^totally agree

 

[SuperAngelo64]

Mario just went back to what it was best at.

Zelda should do the same.

To be perfectly honest Zelda I was a pretty mediocre game and has not aged well at all.

The problem here is people are pretty split on what the "Glory Days of Zelda" actually were.

It's already been stated in this thread and I've said in many thread that came before but Zelda needs voice acting and the best solution would be to create a fake language similarly to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus.

They did that with Midna in Twilight Princess. It was pretty cool, I'd like to see more of it.

 

[EatChildren]

It's already been stated in this thread and I've said in many thread that came before but Zelda needs voice acting and the best solution would be to create a fake language similarly to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus.

I can't believe that the Zelda games still haven't had voice acting. It's preposterous and people crying about how bad voice acting would ruin the game need to shut it because good voice acting would enhance the game. It's 2010 people, there are plenty of talented voice actors around and if the voice acting ended up poorly it's simply due to the fact that Nintendo dropped the ball to ensure quality voice work.

I agree with your first paragraph, but the bolded in the second is exactly why a lot of people dont want voice acting in Zelda. They consider the probability of Nintendo fucking it up, regardless of how much it could add to the game if done right, to be nearly guaranteed.

 

[SuperAngelo64]

does anyone remember that video of Charles martinet doing like a one line impression of what link's voice would sound like if he were to voice him? I actually thought it was pretty decent. I wouldn't mind him voicing link.

I remember that. It was actually very awful and had that 80's faux-british white knight saturday morning cartoon sound.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

This OP is simply mindblowing. Keep the good work up!!!

 

[Skiesofwonder]

I'm putting myself in the camp of wanting voice-acting gibberish. Not to mention they could incorporate rhythm, different beats and sound for the voices like what is done in the Peter and the Wolf video linked beforehand. Would be awesome and give trhe characters a lot of....... character. A whole new language like SOTC would work as well.

In other camp-siding, I'm betting on first-person view. Nintendo has fooled around with it twice now (OOT and TP) without actually implementing it, but third time is always a charm.

Who is with me?

 

[darkwings]

I like to have 2-3 optional dungeons!

 

[watkinzez]

My pipe dream would be the guys who handled the Dragon Quest VIII voices to do Zelda. The mobster dude from Black Books needs to be in more video games.

 

[fernoca]

I wouldn't be surprising if the game has voice acting..would be cool too..
Heck, Metroid Other M will have voice acting and Samus speaking too..

 

[Skiesofwonder]

This OP is simply mindblowing. Keep the good work up!!!

Thanks!

My goal was to try and put everybody on the same playing field (as far as LOZ Wii information goes) and therefore give the opportunity for everyone to join in and have intelligent conversations about the possibilities of LOZ Wii.

So far, so good!

 

[BlueWord]

I agree with your first paragraph, but the bolded in the second is exactly why a lot of people dont want voice acting in Zelda. They consider the probability of Nintendo fucking it up, regardless of how much it could add to the game if done right, to be nearly guaranteed.

Exactly why I don't want it done. I can imagine a Zelda where voiced characters could be really cool, and add a sense of epic-ness to the story - almost like a classic Disney film, or something. But I don't trust Nintendo to follow through on that potential, and anything less would ultimately take away from the experience, imo.

If it's not broken, don't fix it, in other words. Who the fuck cares what people in Zelda are saying, anyway? Last I checked, you don't spend a lot of time talking to people in dungeons.

 

[Dresden]

Well, if Zelda needs voice acting:

Link: Laura Bailey
Zelda: Laura Bailey
Ganondorf: Nolan North

Perfection.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

I can only support gibberish speak.

To take out the chance of them fucking it up.

 

[HK-47]

Made up voices rock. The way Midna's gibberish sounded (and how she ended every other sentence with the phrase "Shir-two") added so much to her personality. Her giggling at you when you didn't quite get things made her seem alive.

People dont have to say gibberish to giggle...

 

[Myriadis]

I like to have 2-3 optional dungeons!

This.One dungeon should be something like a Post-game Dungeon which challanges even these who can easily play through Zelda 1.And I want to see the hidden caves from TP again (especially like the one right from the Kakariko Bridge).The rewards weren't that great,they were never that great in any Zelda,but exploring the labyrinth-like caves was so amazing.

Also,I also support voice-like glibberish,as long as Link don't do it.

 

[Danielsan]

Exactly why I don't want it done. I can imagine a Zelda where voiced characters could be really cool, and add a sense of epic-ness to the story - almost like a classic Disney film, or something. But I don't trust Nintendo to follow through on that potential, and anything less would ultimately take away from the experience, imo.

If it's not broken, don't fix it, in other words. Who the fuck cares what people in Zelda are saying, anyway? Last I checked, you don't spend a lot of time talking to people in dungeons.

I consider it broken because it's 2010 and if you're going to have dialogue on a home console game I expect it to be voiced.
Nintendo needs to get with the times and I'm sure it's not beyond Nintendo's budget to hire a competent voice director + voice actors.

One of the things that greatly contributed to the character of Midna (which I consider to be the greatest Zelda character) was her voice. It allowed her to express her emotions which allowed her to be more than a shitty cardboard character.

 

[LegendofJoe]

there is absolutely nothing natural or acceptable about a camera facing a full 3D model who is animating, moving about and making sounds but not actually going the whole hog and speaking. it's a fucking wretched video game trope that needs to die, as soon as possible.

I agree, Zelda should be fully voiced with a made-up language. I say that not only because of what you posted, but also because it would add more emotional significance to the experience. Additionally, the writing in Zelda is usually pretty good, so I don't understand why people are so adamant that Nintendo will drop the ball (especially if they go the artificial language route).

 

[jrricky]

God, there is nothing interesting in this thread to ponder... :/

 

[Oblivion]

STOP TALKING ABOUT VOICE ACTING YOU JERKS