NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Has Ubi explained that yet? It's incredibly bizarre given the attention to detail they gave to other periods and characters in the series.
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The bizarre British accents of Assassin's Creed Unity...
- Thread starter NotTheGuyYouKill
- Start date
WaffleTaco
Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
I am assuming because those characters are British...or no one gives a shit anymore.
DOWN
Banned
Not sure this needs a thread, but I believe it's chalked up to the tradition of British theatre that carried over to cinema where the actors accents and language are understood by the audience to be a convention that makes the drama and perceived sophistication more immediate for the audience.
It's a way to sound sort of historic and sophisticated while being in an easily interpreted form.
It's a way to sound sort of historic and sophisticated while being in an easily interpreted form.
Jawmuncher
Member
I gotta say ACU has to be the biggest game that can't catch a break in the last 5 years.
That's not to say its undeserved though.
That's not to say its undeserved though.
its like any other period piece, just go with it.
Ace Harding
Member
Help us out here - how are they bizarre? I haven't played the game but I'm curious. Have a clip handy?
Edit - duh it's not out yet. Whatever. Haven't seen a trailer. Going to check one out...
Edit - duh it's not out yet. Whatever. Haven't seen a trailer. Going to check one out...
DOWN
Banned
The game is in France.
Extra Sauce
Member
What happened in the last 5 years? I know about the "female animations are too hard" controversy... what else?
Because it's a game set in France, made by a French company and it has British voice-overs for all the French people. It's a little weird.
Black Door
Banned
Language convention. Why would French people speak their own language to each other in a French accent?
They're French. Main guy is French and Austrian.
Yeah its been explained
Weak.
DOWN
Banned
Forgot about that. The first game clearly explained that the Animus renders memories with a number of conventions to make it navigable for the user.Yeah its been explained
Why not French? Don't think I ruled out that the lack of French language is part of this conversation.
That said, obviously many would find a French accent more appropriate.
And the Italian games used Italian accents. The Middle Eastern game had those accents as well.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Ubisoft has some of the biggest dev team sizes in the industry and spends dozens of millions on each game, and manages to turn profit, so issues that could've been addressed/handled better tend to stick out more.
Wolfenstein: The New Order managed to have all its character speak/understand languages appropriately depending on where they were from. AC: Unity takes place in France, is developed in a place where people speak French, yet apparently characters speak English with a British accent?
Yeah its been explained
The reason is because the series creators decided on having english spoken in all settings. The animus is a plot device, "device" being the operative word. Nothing about AC's story is factual or so well-done that it demands game design.
Yeah. I found that incredibly jarring when it was shown off. A game set in Paris made by Ubisoft and its all British.
Made me wonder if that was just the US version and whether I could play it in french with subs.
Ace Harding
Member
Ah. Yes that is weird. Especially since it was developed by a developer in Montreal and published by a French company.
Leafhopper
Banned
What.
Poodlestrike
Banned
Because nobody (and I mean nobody) wants to listen to French accents for that much time. Hell, even the French can't stand them.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
It's bizarre because Ezio's trilogy rendered everyone's voice in their native Italian-sounding accents, and ACBF used a pretty wide variety of British Isle accents. AC3 had American and British accents, while the first AC had a decent variety of Middle Eastern, British, and Germanic accents (if my memory serves me correctly, except for Altair)
It's strange is all.
It's strange is all.
AuthenticM
Member
It has to do with american ethnocentrism. American audiences do not like watching/playing characters who do not speak american English. But if they have to, it has to be characters with British accents. American audiences are finicky like that.
So it's purely marketing. It was the same reason why the last Three Musketeers had English actors playing every European nationality.
edit: regarding your post above, yeah, that was true. I guess French accents must be more unpopular than other types of accents. I wouldn't be surprised if american francophobia played a role in Ubisoft's decision to go with British actors.
So it's purely marketing. It was the same reason why the last Three Musketeers had English actors playing every European nationality.
edit: regarding your post above, yeah, that was true. I guess French accents must be more unpopular than other types of accents. I wouldn't be surprised if american francophobia played a role in Ubisoft's decision to go with British actors.
The Dear Leader
Banned
The Animus translates the speech to the users native language I think. I thought that was the explanation for why AC1 wasn't in arabic.
Poetic.Injustice
Member
Bizarre considering the Italian accents for AC2.
Glass Rebel
Member
Honestly, the corny accents and random Italian snippets in ACII, BroHo and Revelaitons were half of the fun for me.
For those who want a proper explanation Alex Amancio answered why in a fan interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKWuR5LLpaU&list=UUfB8dJdMxEofkcybwAskjqQ
Its at the 2:15 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKWuR5LLpaU&list=UUfB8dJdMxEofkcybwAskjqQ
Its at the 2:15 mark.
Leafhopper
Banned
You know what you may be right, I remember something like that.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
I have no idea why they wouldn't just get people to do French accents. They had the cast do Italian accents for AC2.
Reminds me of the "Roman Empire had British accents" trope you see in a lot of stuff actually.
Reminds me of the "Roman Empire had British accents" trope you see in a lot of stuff actually.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
petethepanda
Member
Accents in Ubi games always seem to be weird.
Indeed. I assume Ubi doesn't want to listen to actors doing French accents.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
It's like sword and sandal genre and theater actors. you want their real voices.
AuthenticM
Member
Do not confuse the diegetic explanation with the creative decision. I seriously doubt that Ubisoft went with all-english actors because they were dead set on respecting the arbitrary lore with which they came up (the animus translating). They made a decision based on marketing, and then explained it within the game's narrative so it would feel more natural and be more easily accepted by the audience.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
funkystudent
Member
A few French Canadian accents sneak into most AC games. I guess Ubi Montreal cast local talent for random NPC's and stuff but it always stands out.
Would be pretty funny if the game set in France is the one where they cut that out.
Would be pretty funny if the game set in France is the one where they cut that out.
Imru al-Qays
Banned
I'd much rather have British English than ridiculous accented English like in previous Assassin's Creeds. If you want historical realism switch the language to French in the options.
DOWN
Banned
I'd actually be tempted to do this.
I tried it for a bit with the Ezio games, but found the Italian actor less distinctive and alluring.
Same. Even if they're speaking English, I liked hearing accents. I might be wrong but weren't the French in Brotherhood speaking English with French accents? Same with Aveline in Liberation.
AuthenticM
Member
Imru al-Qays;122248678 said:
wow
They should. AC2 allowed full Italian altho that kinda messed up the joke about the Animus translating the world with buggy voices.
SketchTheArtist
Member
Hire this guy:
Him as a main Templar bad guy would be just so badass.
Uncle Rupee
Banned
It's stupid and it takes me out of the French Revolution setting even just watching clips. Especially when the people talking about the game in the behind the scenes videos are French Canadians speaking English with a French accent. Are they self-conscious about the French accent?
Imru al-Qays
Banned
What? There's no reason for a bunch of Italians or Turks to be communicating with each other in shitty imitations of Italian or Turkish accents. It's absolutely preposterous.
AuthenticM
Member
Has anyone here played Onimusha 3 ? How was Jean Reno in that game ? I remember reading that he voiced his character in English but not in French; hahaha.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Imru al-Qays;122248678 said:
Roger Craig Smith was actually fantastic as Ezio.
KnightHero117
Banned
In assassin's creed 4 they basically explained how they can use the animus to alter a certain character's accent to make him sound cooler in the sense, that's why Edward had an English accent instead of welsh.
Then again whenever he is asked about how he did the italian accent, he mostly calls it a "shitty impression of Antonio Banderas mixed with Dos Equis most interesting man"
My memory of playing the game is very fuzzy, but I think it was the other way around. I'm heading to Wikipedia to find out.