Sorry, long post ahead ;.;
thetrin said:
1) They talk like samurai in Japanese TV dramas. Thematically pretty familiar.
Having never seen a Japanese TV drama, likely as most English speaking audiences, I can't say. I'm fairly sure Ignition publish games for English speaking people.
thetrin said:
2) That...makes absolutely no sense to me, but whatever.
I just prefer something I understand, as the tones and inflections better match my own ability to read what is being conveyed. I've been trying to absorb as little information from this before playing it, anyway, but I'm almost positive integrity to the reality of the period is thrown out the window in about 5 minutes anyway. Unless Japan really had cyclops and magic and shit, I don't know.
thetrin said:
3) They're trying to preserve the Japanese nature and atmosphere of the game. You translated that as doing less work? I'd rather they not bother and stick to the JP dubs instead of try and fail. I don't want english dubs that suck ass when they could put that time into something else (either other aspects of the game, or another game altogether).
There is
no other way to interpret it. They did not have to hire new voice actors, or a voice director, or rent out a recording studio, or hire a professional company to take care of. This game is seen as a spiritual sequel to Odin Sphere, which was published by Atlus, so it's
extremely interesting you're praising Ignition for doing
less work than Atlus, when we're in a new generation and frankly stakes are higher than ever.
I myself said it when it was announced that this was a double edged sword for me. I have absolutely no faith in Ignition hiring competent English voice actors anyway, and I know I would have stuck to the English track regardless of how good or bad it was (unless it were like Chaos Wars or whatever that game was called).
They clearly have their reasons for doing it, but those reasons reflect on their own needs before their fans, which is another area Atlus excels in. They wanted a cheaper localization which they could hurry to the market before a flurry of titles - basically, maximize their own profits, but at the cost of
choice, which is something I'm sure Atlus or XSEED would have managed.
thetrin said:
4) Choice is great, but when they HAVEN'T implemented something, and it rules in my favor, why would I complain? I got what I wanted. Now if they had both english and japanese dubs, I wouldn't ask that they take them OUT.
That isn't what I was saying... I was saying it's ridiculous to go out of your way to compliment a half-assed effort just because it's kept your personal option in there. Your exact words were "
I'm really glad they're not doing English VA." Obviously it's one thing to say you're happy the Japanese dub is there, but it's quite another to praise them restricting everyones options.
thetrin said:
Besides, English dubs (both in anime and in translated Japanese games) are still pretty fucking bad.
I've been a pretty big fan of anime and video games for most of my life, to be honest... and I've never managed to like Japanese VA. I have always preferred English. And this is a ridiculously outdated viewpoint; Final Fantasy XII, Dragon Quest, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, etc. English localization is fucking
fantastic these days.
thetrin said:
I don't expect stellar voice acting from Ignition, and I imagine there's a possibility they knew they couldn't pull it off in satisfactory way, so instead they took the path that makes the most sense.
I don't expect shit from Ignition, frankly. Shane has made it sound like the company is heading for new horizons and all I'm seeing is a muddied past with an unsure future, and a half-assed present. But regardless, Ignition wouldn't have needed to handle the voice acting in-house - they could have hired a company with better expertise to handle it for them.
While cost will obviously increase with the talent, I don't see it as an entirely unreasonable action to at least
do it - Vic Ireland himself said before hiring English VAs only offsets the need for a few thousand more units sold.
And, by the way, I'd be as vehemently pissed off with Ignition if they had done English VA but dropped the Japanese. This is about expectations and options;
Ignition want to challenge the throne? Then do the fucking legwork. While I'd be disappointed by the lack of English VA with any publisher, it certainly strikes me as a much more ballsy move coming from Ignition.