Support NeoGAF

[Salsa]

I'm also confused as to why people who want the original game as intended just don't import the game in its original language rather than whine about dual audio. Just seems strange to me.

there's this thing called money, you ussually need more of it to import stuff

 

[AnkiRendan]

there's this thing called money, you ussually need more of it to import stuff

So get more money to earn your 100% legit and accurate original version. Should be worth the money over those localized versions without "original creator" intent, no?

 

[Solid Samus]

So get more money to earn your 100% legit and accurate original version. Should be worth the money over those localized versions without "original creator" intent, no?

#1 - undubs tend to boast english text with japanese voice acting (over here anyway), imports are usually full on foreign
#2 - do you think that 'original creators intent' is for their game's dialogue to sound stupid as fuck in other languages that they potentially don't understand or didn't factor in when writing? Go ahead, play Metroid: Other M, listen to that direct translation, and see if the overuse of certain themes and phrases, deployed in a monotonous monotone voice, doesn't start to grate after a while. I bet even Sakamoto would agree

 

[WrenchNinja]

#1 - undubs tend to boast english text with japanese voice acting (over here anyway), imports are usually full on foreign
#2 - do you think that 'original creators intent' is for their game's dialogue to sound stupid as fuck in other languages that they potentially don't understand or didn't factor in when writing? Go ahead, play Metroid: Other M, listen to that direct translation, and see if the overuse of certain themes and phrases, deployed in a monotonous monotone voice, doesn't start to grate after a while. I bet even Sakamoto would agree

I am betting that Other M will sound just as awful in Japanese.

 

[RyougaSaotome]

With cheesy I rather mean the voice / style itself, in particular Aegis. Omg...

As do I. It's just as cheesy and the English voices do a good job of emulating that style. It comes down to whether or not you can tell when Japanese performers are overacting like crazy. Most of the time they are.

Not that that's specific to Japanese games. TV dramas, films, theater; lots of overacting.

Go ahead, play Metroid: Other M, listen to that direct translation, and see if the overuse of certain themes and phrases, deployed in a monotonous monotone voice, doesn't start to grate after a while. I bet even Sakamoto would agree

I'm happy to report that Metroid: Other M sounds just as stupid in Japanese. It's so poorly written that it doesn't even matter if the actors are talented or not. They're spouting garbage and it sounds like it.

 

[Busaiku]

I did it because the dub in Persona 4 was horrible. Thank goodness you could turn them off though.

This is just continuing the joke from a few posts up, right?
Right?

 

[RiouV]

I generally prefer the original voices whether it is games/anime/TV/movies. It usually sounds more natural.

 

[Salsa]

So get more money to earn your 100% legit and accurate original version. Should be worth the money over those localized versions without "original creator" intent, no?

if you have enough disc space, why not put both options in there?

I dont understand your logic. "some of you guys want this and it costs them nothing to not take it out but if you want you must pay more for it!"

 

[akaoni]

Which enables you to helpfully understand the translated text, rather than the "original," untouched "intent" of the creators.

Shocking news that fans of games that receive top-tier US English localizations are fans of properly localized games. Just so you understand, the hostility you describe comes from attitudes like this:

People who enjoy well-translated games (rightly) find this attitude pretty disrespectful to the localization teams that bring games into additional languages in the first place, and aren't excited about the idea of getting butchered localizations to "save the money" or to pander to a dubious concept of authenticity.

Nothing unreasonable here. PS3 games are region-free and many can be played very easily with a translation guide and a dictionary, helping you start learning another language and get a completely unfiltered exposure to the "original intent." If someone really cares about experiencing something in its original form, without any translation getting in the way, this is the only real way to do it -- i.e. to do the hard work and actually understand it.

"I can understand the translated text without comprimising the voice over", that's what I said?

I understand why they're so hostile, they're the final enclaves, I know how vulnerable they are, and they know vulnerable they are. Slowly but surely the 'original voice over crowd' has gotten more vocal, "If you can do dual audio why not just skip the English VO, save money, more chance of localisation, earlier release dates etc", I don't think those statements are false and only strengthen the case for original audio, the options for original audio vs replacement dubbing aren't on equal footing. Atlus and Tales games are already on upper fringe of niche games, and the release dates mostly suffer. The case with SMTIV is quite interesting though, but still it's not for me. All that said, American dubs aren't localisation, and it only feels like a negative effect for other likeminded Euro people.

How much effort do you think it takes to;
-Play a translated/subtitled game with original voice overs
Vs.
-Translate every single piece of a game by hand, remember it and/or learn an entirely new language (particularly a non-Germanic derivative) so that I can feel better a few times a year.

Deliberately unreasonable. It's done to deflect attention away from the real points on hand because they're (rightly) afraid to lose their preference. They've watched it happen with other series. They've watched it happen with animu; once upon a time wanting the JP dub meant you were the outcast.

I've been on both sides of the fence regarding this issue, I know dem feels they have all too well.

I don't buy into the "If it's not perfect let's just fuck it all out the window", I'm more "If it's not perfect let's do the next best thing", that being leaving the VO as is and translating the text.

It does make me really happy when games do multi-audio without hiccups, and in an ideal world this would be the case for every game.

 

[Busaiku]

if you have enough disc space, why not put both options in there?

I dont understand your logic. "some of you guys want this and it costs them nothing to not take it out but if you want you must pay more for it!"

It doesn't cost them nothing though, and could result in a worse localization overall, due to resources being devoted to getting the tracks.

 

[Wolf Dawgz]

It makes the experience more "authentic. Even if you'll never truly be able to understand it due to not actually knowing the language, you'll understand the tones they use more. Language itself is a large part of culture, and it just seems weird to cover it with English. The VA also seem more passionate with the way they VA things, and sometimes dubs are inconsistent and shaky with how they are done. Also the actions were designed around the VA.

Not that dubs can never improve an experience, and add more in terms in dialogue. The Lunar series is a good example of that. I also know a lot of people who can't watch a movie in another language due to finding reading the subtitles annoying.

Overall I prefer the original VA. for games/film. I like to listen tot he game as the creators intended it and their culture.

 

[mullet2000]

if you have enough disc space, why not put both options in there?

I dont understand your logic. "some of you guys want this and it costs them nothing to not take it out but if you want you must pay more for it!"

It costs them money. They need to pay all of the Japanese voice actors again for every region the game comes out in.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I don't watch foreign films dubbed over, why would I want to play games dubbed?

 

[AnkiRendan]

#1 - undubs tend to boast english text with japanese voice acting (over here anyway), imports are usually full on foreign
#2 - do you think that 'original creators intent' is for their game's dialogue to sound stupid as fuck in other languages that they potentially don't understand or didn't factor in when writing? Go ahead, play Metroid: Other M, listen to that direct translation, and see if the overuse of certain themes and phrases, deployed in a monotonous monotone voice, doesn't start to grate after a while. I bet even Sakamoto would agree

This is the point I'm making, and I'm sure people have already said this. Those people who say they want original voices because they are the closest to the creator's original vision are still not getting the original because they are playing a translated/localized version. If you want the original language so badly, why not go all the way? You might end up with dubtitles instead, like Valkyria Chronicles.

And thank you for that second point. There are creators who actually work alongside the English licensors to make sure they approve of things. Yet people still whine about this shit.

if you have enough disc space, why not put both options in there?

I dont understand your logic. "some of you guys want this and it costs them nothing to not take it out but if you want you must pay more for it!"

Lol! How do you know it costs them nothing to put dual audio in? You do know some actors' agencies charge extra to even allow the voice work to be released in other countries, right?

 

[Salsa]

Lol! How do you know it costs them nothing to put dual audio in? You do know some actors' agencies charge extra to even allow the voice work to be released in other countries, right?

Makes sense, yet many publishers have done it in the past and continue to do so, and I think that is pretty appreciated across the board. Would just need to see how it reflects on sales.

Your logic of not understanding why people want this instead of just importing the game is still really weird to me. How can you "not understand" why people would prefer to have dual audio as opposed to spending more money on a jap version that probably doesnt have english subtitles?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I did a quick search and noticed that there is an undub of Final Fantasy XII.
I don't even know how to react to that nonsense.

I actually imported FFXII and played through it in JP because I didn't want to wait for the English localized release nearly a year later.

Even now, it still drives me nuts that people pronounced the word 'Marquis' as 'mar-kwiss' in the English version of FFXII.

 

[CmdBash]

sometimes the original language may just fit with the theme/atmosphere of the game better. and sometimes the lip syncing is atrociously bad that it distracts me from the cutscenes.

 

[charlequin]

I'm also confused as to why people who want the original game as intended just don't import the game in its original language rather than whine about dual audio.

That would force people to confront how difficult it is to actually get the "original intent" from a language they don't speak.

They just don't have the professional education that the japanese VAs undergo.

Most videogame VA these days uses union actors (either in union jobs or slumming it under pseudonyms.) They're certainly "professional."

I find bad localisations very disrespectful to the ORGINAL creators of the game (whether written or spoken).

As do I, but with most of the RPGs we're talking about in this thread (S-E games, Atlus games, Tales, etc.) we're not talking about anything remotely like bad localizations.

(Something like Arc Rise Fantasia is a different story, and I don't blame anyone for undubbing that.)

I can't tell you how bad most VAs are if you take the time to actually compare them. It's not hard to hear the difference in quality at all.

It's instructive to note how people who speak only English make this claim frequently, but the fluently bilingual posters with the most game experience (Ryouga, Aeana, duckroll, etc.) will always agreee that JP VA is frequently bad, that a number of games have better EN than JP dubs, etc.

I understand why they're so hostile, they're the final enclaves, I know how vulnerable they are, and they know vulnerable they are. Slowly but surely the 'original voice over crowd' has gotten more vocal

What you are actually observing here is the once-profitable mid-tier market for JRPGs and other niche Japanese games falling away, leaving only an overly-insular enthusiast crowd whose preferences wind up further alienating others from the genre.

 

[Hypron]

As someone who was born and grew up in a non-anglophone country, I really dislike dubbings. I don't even consider watching dubbed movies. It just sounds wrong.

I'm a bit more nuanced for videogames. For example, I'm currently playing Metro Last Light in english because not everything is subbed when you put the audio on russian and the subtitles' font and colour make them hard to read. However, I still vastly prefer playing games in their original language when possible. The original VA is almost always superior (just try playing any game with french dubs... Even the ones that are considered "good" sound absolutely horrendous to me). It's also nice to hear other languages every once in a while.

 

[RyougaSaotome]

Even now, it still drives me nuts that people pronounced the word 'Marquis' as 'mar-kwiss' in the English version of FFXII.

I can't tell if this is a joke or not.

You do realize that the word exists in both English and French, rigtht?

In English its pronounced mar-kwiss.

 

[akaoni]

I can't tell if this is a joke or not.

You do realize that the word exists in both English and French, rigtht?

In English its pronounced mar-kwiss.

In English it's pronounced mar-kee. Like quay (kee).

 

[Zukuu]

Most videogame VA these days uses union actors (either in union jobs or slumming it under pseudonyms.) They're certainly "professional."

Measured to their own business in the us - not even remotely comparable to japan. Really, it's madness how specialized their VA schools are.

Also, that's exactly the thing. Actors aren't good VAs perse.

It's instructive to note how people who speak only English make this claim frequently, but the fluently bilingual posters with the most game experience (Ryouga, Aeana, duckroll, etc.) will always agreee that JP VA is frequently bad, that a number of games have better EN than JP dubs, etc.

I've been through enough to undoubtedly call something bad or inferior even if it's in japanese (and I speak it on a beginner level). Even if the ov VA is overly dramatic, it's most of the time better than their english lazy / uninspired / forced / cheesy / just as overdramtic / bad dub (in most languages). And japanese DUBS are just as inferior most of the time as are english dubs. Best voice option is the original one 99.99% of the time. It seems to be a matter of origin tho. People that grew up in non-native english speaking environments seem more likely to use subs and dubs.

 

[RyougaSaotome]

In English it's pronounced mar-kee. Like quay (kee).

That's the French pronunciation. =/

English pronunciation is 'mär-kwəs.

French pronunciation is mɑrˈkiː.

 

[charlequin]

In English it's pronounced mar-kee. Like quay (kee).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=marquis

("mar-KEE" is frequently used in English, especially because most people are familiar with the term only from "Marquis de Sade," but the English peerage title is pronounced "mar-KWIS.")

 

[akaoni]

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=marquis)

"Mar-kwiss or mar-kee" says the audio clip.

Never in my 20 something years have I heard the former and you would be corrected in a place of education. I learned something but I'll trust the 'original language'.

Spoiler

GEDDIT?

 

[Zukuu]

"Mar-kwiss or mar-kee" says the audio clip.

Never in my 20 something years have I heard the former and you would be corrected in a place of education. I learned something but I'll trust the 'original language'.

Spoiler

GEDDIT?

It's obviously pronounced JIF.

 

[akaoni]

It's obviously pronounced JIF.

Well obviously. Tch.

 

[AnkiRendan]

Makes sense, yet many publishers have done it in the past and continue to do so, and I think that is pretty appreciated across the board. Would just need to see how it reflects on sales.

Your logic of not understanding why people want this instead of just importing the game is still really weird to me. How can you "not understand" why people would prefer to have dual audio as opposed to spending more money on a jap version that probably doesnt have english subtitles?

Well I dunno. If people want a foreign language they aren't fluent in/don't understand so badly, why not go all the way? They say the voice acting isn't good, or things are changed that they don't like. Why settle for the original voices but not the original text?

Keep in mind, I'm not aiming this at just anyone who likes Japanese voices. Only those who like to say that they prefer the true version or the true voices--don't half ass it. If you want the true experience, you'll take it the way it was first released. If you like Japanese games and the original language, I see no reason not to learn Japanese.

And to those who just ignorantly bash English voice acting as "not trying as hard as the original/not taking it seriously/reading off the script", I honestly pity them. It's funny how people praise Bioshock/Last of Us when the main actor in both, Troy Baker, has also done a lot of dubs and I'm damn sure he did his very best in each and every role.

 

[Salsa]

Well I dunno. If people want a foreign language they aren't fluent in/don't understand so badly, why not go all the way? They say the voice acting isn't good, or things are changed that they don't like. Why settle for the original voices but not the original text?

because they cant read it?

I live in Uruguay and I refuse to watch hollywood movies dubbed, I'd prefer to get as close as the original material as I can get, if I can

Even tho I understand english i'll still gladly watch with subtitles. Being able to avoid someone giving a character a different voice has its value.

I get that you mention this in your post but I dont see why you're "not aiming" at those people? I think those are all the people there are here. No one's saying "release the game in japanese with no subtitles!"

 

[Zukuu]

Well I dunno. If people want a foreign language they aren't fluent in/don't understand so badly, why not go all the way? They say the voice acting isn't good, or things are changed that they don't like. Why settle for the original voices but not the original text?

Keep in mind, I'm not aiming this at just anyone who likes Japanese voices. Only those who like to say that they prefer the true version or the true voices--don't half ass it. If you want the true experience, you'll take it the way it was first released. If you like Japanese games and the original language, I see no reason not to learn Japanese.

And to those who just ignorantly bash English voice acting as "not trying as hard as the original/not taking it seriously/reading off the script", I honestly pity them. It's funny how people praise Bioshock/Last of Us when the main actor in both, Troy Baker, has also done a lot of dubs and I'm damn sure he did his very best in each and every role.

Apples and oranges much?

A game MOTIONCAPTURED or developed with a specific actor in mind AND in english first is a whole different story to a DUBBING job. That's why you play tlou in english and not in any other dub. The same goes the other way around tho. And not all dubs are bad, but most are inferior.

Also, there is a difference between text and voices. You can listen do a song in a foreign language as well and get if he/she is a good singer.

I can't understand the denial some people show here. Watch some movies in the OV with subtitles and be enlightened. I drive an hour to the cinema to get OV movies and not dubbed versions (even tho they are very great most of the time; living in Germany). OV is just most of the time superior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOuunxZHOuc
Watch this and tell me if you seriously think they are all on the same level...
Bad dubs are common. Even to this day, at the very least partially. (I dare you to play tales of Graces F. Asbel and Cheria are the horror²)

 

[IrishNinja]

I played Heavy Rain in French after hearing how terrible the English dub was.

this was an option? so gonna do this on my next replay

 

[Valnen]

The only undub I've played was Tales of the Abyss, and that was only to get voiced skits. Most of the time, the script is changes so much with localization that it doesn't even match the original dialog, which must be jarring if you understand Japanese.

I find Tales of the Abyss to be unplayable without the undub.

 

[Hypron]

this was an option? so gonna do this on my next replay

French is not the original language though, even though the dev team is based in France. I listened to a couple of clips on YouTube and it does sound pretty bad.

 

[IrishNinja]

French is not the original language though, even though the dev team is based in France. I listened to a couple of clips on YouTube and it does sound pretty bad.

...shit. bad like irish accents in many american films bad, or bad as in if i don't know any french it might sound alright? cause there's lots of japanese audio games/anime etc i likely hear from the former but don't notice as much as a native would, presumably

 

[Hypron]

...shit. bad like irish accents in many american films bad, or bad as in if i don't know any french it might sound alright? cause there's lots of japanese audio games/anime etc i likely hear from the former but don't notice as much as a native would, presumably

Bad as in it doesn't sound really natural. You might not notice though if you can't speak French. Give it a try and see whether you like it or not.

 

[Mental Atrophy]

Terrible voice acting is half of the fun when it comes to RPGs.

 

[sakipon]

Terrible voice acting is half of the fun when it comes to RPGs.

Except not really. Bad voice work is a the reason why I'm happy with old school silent text boxes.

 

[AnkiRendan]

because they cant read it?

I live in Uruguay and I refuse to watch hollywood movies dubbed, I'd prefer to get as close as the original material as I can get, if I can

Even tho I understand english i'll still gladly watch with subtitles. Being able to avoid someone giving a character a different voice has its value.

I get that you mention this in your post but I dont see why you're "not aiming" at those people? I think those are all the people there are here. No one's saying "release the game in japanese with no subtitles!"

That's why I said to learn it. With enough effort and interest, anyone can do it. Most people have the interest, but...

Well, that's you, man. Why you take one thing and think the other is fine will forever
remain a mystery.
I don't know how many times I need to say this. That argument doesn't even make sense. You say you want the original voices because they are the original product, the original vision. Yet you'll take the subtitles as they are, even if they have changed names, changed jokes, missing emphasis or story details? If you're so serious about the original vision, why not take the whole thing?

Apples and oranges much?

A game MOTIONCAPTURED or developed with a specific actor in mind AND in english first is a whole different story to a DUBBING job. That's why you play tlou in english and not in any other dub. The same goes the other way around tho. And not all dubs are bad, but most are inferior.

Also, there is a difference between text and voices. You can listen do a song in a foreign language as well and get if he/she is a good singer.

I can't understand the denial some people show here. Watch some movies in the OV with subtitles and be enlightened. I drive an hour to the cinema to get OV movies and not dubbed versions (even tho they are very great most of the time; living in Germany). OV is just most of the time superior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOuunxZHOuc
Watch this and tell me if you seriously think they are all on the same level...
Bad dubs are common. Even to this day, at the very least partially. (I dare you to play tales of Graces F. Asbel and Cheria are the horror²)

Even if it was motion captured in English, Troy Baker was STILL using his voice and acting it out, just as if he was in front of a microphone. And that's what we are talking about, voice acting. Right? Even though MGS has an English and Japanese version, I still see both versions get thumbs up.

And you think people can't tell if something is wrong with text? Try telling people who played the Wii version of Muramasa that, as any idiot could tell that the translated text didn't feel like it matched up with the length of the dialogue. And yes, you can tell someone's singing talent--to an EXTENT. But without being fluent, your ability to really understand how good someone is limited. I'm sure many posters who are actually fluent in Japanese will agree. My Japanese girlfriend wouldn't be able to tell a good actor from a bad one unless it was extremely obvious, and she's been exposed to English since junior high.

As for Tales of Graces, I already know Asbel's actor is crap. I think he's a horrible actor and I don't know how he continues to get work. Cheria's actress is good (Laura Bailey is highly praised, and she damn well deserves it) but the voice director is probably to blame on this one.

 

[Salsa]

That's why I said to learn it. With enough effort and interest, anyone can do it. Most people have the interest, but...

Well, that's you, man. Why you take one thing and think the other is fine will forever
remain a mystery.
I don't know how many times I need to say this. That argument doesn't even make sense. You say you want the original voices because they are the original product, the original vision. Yet you'll take the subtitles as they are, even if they have changed names, changed jokes, missing emphasis or story details? If you're so serious about the original vision, why not take the whole thing?

because I want as near to the original version as I can get without learning a new language? im not as passionate as to learn fucking japanese, I just dont want to hear a dub if im able to avoid it

this conversation is baffling

 

[Gaiaknight]

Well, in the case of Anime, the dub often changes the BGM as well. Besides, nobody screams as amazing as a japanese voice actor.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx2vMyVkmLE

VS

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nwXtuPYqHgI

Dragon ball is one of the very few dubs that was amazing and i cant stand watching it in anything other than english. Sean Schemmel ftw dat epic ssj3 transformation.

 

[mullet2000]

...shit. bad like irish accents in many american films bad, or bad as in if i don't know any french it might sound alright? cause there's lots of japanese audio games/anime etc i likely hear from the former but don't notice as much as a native would, presumably

As someone who speaks French I just listened to some of it on Youtube and it definitely didn't sound all that good.

The kids sound fucking awful, but that's true for the English dub too :lol.

Hard for me to say if you'll think it sounds bad because I have to put myself in the mindset of someone who doesn't understand it, but to me the English dub sounds better.

 

[dragonbane]

...shit. bad like irish accents in many american films bad, or bad as in if i don't know any french it might sound alright? cause there's lots of japanese audio games/anime etc i likely hear from the former but don't notice as much as a native would, presumably

You could play it on German too. Dub isn't that bad and the kids are actually alright for the most part. I vastly prefer the English VA, but for someone who doesn't understand German it might sound pretty good. The voices fit at least for the most part.

 

[Comandr]

Ni no Kuni's Japanese voice acting was awful.

I don't mean their voices were annoying or anything like that. I mean the actual acting was just terrible.

People who played the localized version got the better game.

This sort of situation isn't that rare to be honest.

What? I mean, I respect your opinion, but this is a joke, right? The english voice acting was awful. Nonsensical and unnecessary name changes, awful accents, and "Golly Mr. Drippy!" every ten minutes. No. Horrible.

 

[CyclopsRock]

Is inflextion in a language like Japanese even recognisable to a western person that doesn't understand it? Most Latinate languages follow more or less the same sentence structure so inflection can still be understood, but in Japanese?

 

[nmanma]

This is the great invention that people use to justify this concept to themselves. Despite not actually understanding a language, people tell themselves that they're somehow grasping some nuance of the work that's being lost in the process of translation.

It's not real. Yes, there are elements of any work that aren't carried over when it's translated. That's why, for someone with fluency, experiencing a work in its original language can be so rewarding. But all those lost elements are still lost in a dub, because you're still experiencing the translated language of the work, not the original. Whatever wording choices, whatever subtle linguistic puns, whatever levels of seriousness and social interaction and intention are embedded in the script are all going to be lost -- or, in a good localization, transformed and reworked -- by the process of putting the work in a new language.

Talking about the "original intention" conveyed by the untranslated voices is a way to feel like you're getting the untranslated experience, but the reality is that a translated game is never going to provide the original experience -- nothing will except playing in the original game.

(In terms of bad dubs, there are certainly some that are quite poor, but we're in 2013 now -- the number of poor English dubs is vanishingly small these days.)



Movies have real actors (which means a dub causes cognitive dissonance at hearing the wrong voice for the person you see) who you can see the facial movements of as they speak (meaning they dub also causes dissonance at hearing voices that don't match the visual speech you see.)

Games generally don't have this problem; you have virtual actors and most of the voice-acting isn't lip-synced (or can be reanimated.)



Every time Atlus announces another title without Japanese voice support, I'm pleased again that they aren't giving in to the people who (entirely unfairly) shit on their excellent localizations.

I think the main problem with your point is that you're talking about original intent as it's all-or-nothing, like if you don't learn the language and experience the original version in its full glory you shouldn't bother with anything at all as nothing else will get you even an inch closer to the original intent

Voices do carry information by themselves. That information is limited but is better than nothing, and there are people that are content with that extra information, limited as it is, or at least content enough to either not learn the language, or to accept it as a temporary measure while they learn the language

Or even as a tool to learn the language. I disagree with the notion that undubbed versions with subtitles are useless for learning a language, they were very helpful when I learned English, and that seems to be a common sentiment among non native English speakers

 

[RyougaSaotome]

What? I mean, I respect your opinion, but this is a joke, right? The english voice acting was awful. Nonsensical and unnecessary name changes, awful accents, and "Golly Mr. Drippy!" every ten minutes. No. Horrible.

Not joking. The Japanese acting is stilted, fairly emotionless, and just all around terrible. It's bad enough to pull you out of the game as soon as character's start to speak. To make matters worse, the Japanese script is pretty terrible in general.

It put me off to finishing the PS3 version of the game.

 

[PROOP]

While I generally do prefer the original voice actors for any media, some dubs do it better than the original.

Specifically, Cowboy Beebop and Steamboy's English dubs are superior to their Japanese originals.

 

[hokagespit]

i loathe dubs. unless its for comedic sake. or a title i grew up with and am already adjusted to have some sentimentality towards. ala princess mononoke, cowboy bebop, flcl. i rented ffx when it came out on ps2 excited for voice acting broke it the first night feeling absolutely betrayed. havent rented a game ever again since

 

[Clownboat]

Purity. Hearing the "true" voices of the characters. Also, voice acting is generally taken a lot more seriously in Japan (you train/go to school for it, as a serious craft like acting) than in America (random celebrities or low-paid nobodies are hired, and no one cares about the original director's intentions).

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Purity. Hearing the "true" voices of the characters. Also, voice acting is generally taken a lot more seriously in Japan (you train/go to school for it, as a serious craft like acting) than in America (random celebrities or low-paid nobodies are hired, and no one cares about the original director's intentions).

That's bull about the low paid nobody comment. Voice acting in games now have been better than ever.