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RPGs: The Silent Protagonist or Talking Protagonist?
- Thread starter ULTROS!
- Start date
I dislike the talking protagonist when we're given dialogue options that don't reflect what they're actually going to say. I feel more attached to Adam Jensen than I do to Shepherd for this reason, but either are preferable to the unvoiced main character of (the otherwise completely voiced) Bloodlines.
Gordon Freeman makes sense to be silent in HL1 (pretty much everyone he meets is trying to kill him), but should have had a voice in HL2-- he interacts with human allies, so why does he just stand there? Chell in Portal was also silent, but it makes sense in her account: who's she going to talk to except GladOS, Wheatley, or the turrets?
Silent protagonists can be done well, if they're given expressions to show that they're not just a walking inventory. Dragon Quest VIII has an excellent silent hero. Not an RPG, but the main character in Okami also doesn't speak (in a way anyone can understand) but still displays a lot of personality.
Gordon Freeman makes sense to be silent in HL1 (pretty much everyone he meets is trying to kill him), but should have had a voice in HL2-- he interacts with human allies, so why does he just stand there? Chell in Portal was also silent, but it makes sense in her account: who's she going to talk to except GladOS, Wheatley, or the turrets?
Silent protagonists can be done well, if they're given expressions to show that they're not just a walking inventory. Dragon Quest VIII has an excellent silent hero. Not an RPG, but the main character in Okami also doesn't speak (in a way anyone can understand) but still displays a lot of personality.
abstract alien
Member
In what context? Chances are the entire premise is going to be silly, if it's of the usual RPG offering.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
He talks....thus i vote talking protagonist.
PumpkinPie
Banned
Depends on the game I suppose. Games like Tales of seem to be unable to make a likeable talking protagonist.
first post
WrenchNinja
Member
I would have preferred that the protagonists in Persona 3 and 4 actually had voiced lines when we select their dialogue in voiced cutscenes.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Fine with both. I like to gauge or relate to my talking protagonist. For my silent ones, I need to be able to express my decisions with choices. Good, bad, or just plain being a total douchebag.
ScepticMatt
Member
Mostly dislike silent ones, in DA:O it felt very strange to me that all people talked around me.
It depends on how it's done though.
It depends on how it's done though.
The only thing my character said was: "Can I get you a ladder, so you can get off my back?!"
After that I prefer total silence -.-'
Azure Phoenix
Member
If the developer wants you use to use a pre-set character but still see that character as yourself then silent is fine as long as you have dialogue choices. I always hate when your character is classified as mute or shy simply as a way to excuse the lack of voice acting.
However the most annoying trend is any game with a character creator having a mute main character. There is no excuse for it, all they have to do is offer 2 voices per gender and let you pick one for your character ala. Saints Row The Third.
However the most annoying trend is any game with a character creator having a mute main character. There is no excuse for it, all they have to do is offer 2 voices per gender and let you pick one for your character ala. Saints Row The Third.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I prefer the protagonist to talk, but I don't really mind when they are silent if it's handled well.
But it's awkward when there is a switch involved. Someone mentioned Persona previously, but Golden Sun is another example. Isaac doesn't say a word in the first game and Felix talks all the time when you see him. But then in Lost Age Felix is silent and Isaac talks. That never really sat well with me.
But it's awkward when there is a switch involved. Someone mentioned Persona previously, but Golden Sun is another example. Isaac doesn't say a word in the first game and Felix talks all the time when you see him. But then in Lost Age Felix is silent and Isaac talks. That never really sat well with me.
I can't stand silent protagonists, irks me quite a lot actually. For me when I play RPGs, I enjoy taking control of the characters embedded in their own story, rather than giving the Protagonist an original name different from the game's description and not having them interact with any of the other characters.
SeanNoonan
Member
Now that depends...
First Person - Silent* (Half-Life, Bioshock)
Third Person - Talking (Metal Gear Solid, God of War)
*pain and grunts are just fine
First Person - Silent* (Half-Life, Bioshock)
Third Person - Talking (Metal Gear Solid, God of War)
*pain and grunts are just fine
Silent all the way for western RPGs where you make your own character. I hated Mass Effect's voiced protagonist, it completely ruined my immersion and took the character away from me as a player.
I'm fine with it in JRPGs where you don't make your own character though, since that wasn't meant to be my character to begin with.
I'm fine with it in JRPGs where you don't make your own character though, since that wasn't meant to be my character to begin with.
Urban Scholar
Member
Hmm it depends on context for either case. Best silent example I can think of is persona 4. The best talking case recently would be resonance of fate.
ii Stryker
Banned
I prefer silent protagonist and the first person perspective. The thing I enjoy most about Bethesda RPG's is feels like its MY story.
While I enjoy RPG's like Mass Effect, I feel I'm just an extension of an already established persona within that universe. It also depends on the actor doing the voice acting and the overall narrative.
While I enjoy RPG's like Mass Effect, I feel I'm just an extension of an already established persona within that universe. It also depends on the actor doing the voice acting and the overall narrative.
This is a tough call for me. Plenty of games have done well enough with silent protagonists (Mother 3, Zelda series, GTA3, Dragon Quest series... etc.), but sometimes you get sick of having NPC's asking you questions and then answering themselves. Giving the protagonist dialog can make them much more interesting as characters, as opposed to silent protagonists merely serving as nameless player vessels. Of course, I would rather a silent protagonist than a poorly written main character with godawful voice acting.
When it comes to dialog in my JRPG's, give me text any day over fully voiced characters. Western RPG's like the Elder Scrolls series have decent enough voice acting for NPC's that it doesn't bother me, but voice acting in JRPG's either needs to improve immensely or go away completely.
When it comes to dialog in my JRPG's, give me text any day over fully voiced characters. Western RPG's like the Elder Scrolls series have decent enough voice acting for NPC's that it doesn't bother me, but voice acting in JRPG's either needs to improve immensely or go away completely.
Talking, it's more realistic and immersive. You can't have a game where everyone's talking to a wall the whole time. I even prefer it in a game like the old republic where my character rehashes like 40% of his lines, it's still better than picking a choice and the NPC magically knowing what I said.
Well that's more of a problem with JRPGs in general in that the casts for the most part are younger.
Don't think that Bethesda's RPGs protagonists are completely silent.
They have ton of lines, they just aren't voice acted.
What's silly is games like Half Life 2 or the post OoT Zeldas (admittedly, not rpgs) where the characters are silent but to have storytelling the designers have to add a sidekick to the protagonist to do the talking. That sometimes works when the sidekick is a good character by itself (Alyx, Midna, King of the Red Lions) but it completely breaks down when not (SS).
toastyToast
Member
I really enjoyed playing as Geralt in The Witcher games. It was nice to play as an established character instead of a blank slate. Whereas, in DA2 I hated playing as a voiced character since the dialog choices were never quite what I wanted. This could have to do with the fact that I was able to dissociate myself from Geralt since he was already so established in his world that I was just guiding him along in his adventure; gently nudging in what ever direction I saw fit. In DA2 I felt like I was meant to assume the role of the Champion but the voice got in the way of that. The dialog really broke my immersion. In that case, a silent protagonist would have skirted the issue.
Unless it's done well a voiced protagonist should be avoided.
Unless it's done well a voiced protagonist should be avoided.
It forces you to use your imagination, similar to all silent protagonists. By having the player fill in the blanks they create a story/personality that they prefer by default. That's the effectiveness of a silent protagonist.
If the protagonist talks and has a set personality, then they better be good. That's the difficulty there. And IMO most protagonists are forgettable, boring, or annoying. The exceptions for me would be people like Dante, Leon, Ratchet/Clank, Jak/Daxter, Jade, Drake, and I few others. I guess I enjoy the more upbeat style. Well it makes sense actually because dramatic characters require great narratives, which I don't see often in games.
However, I hate custom designed protagonists who talk. Create them for me cause I don't care to make a look nor a personality. WRPGs absolutely annoy the hell out of me with this which is probably why I don't play many of them.
chickdigger802
Banned
So would games in which the player have the option for yes or no in dialogue be considered silent? Are the persona MC 'silent'?
I personally don't mind unless they try to cross streams, like trying to make you care about your blank slate character or something silly.
I personally don't mind unless they try to cross streams, like trying to make you care about your blank slate character or something silly.
DrAndonuts
Member
It really depends on how the game presents the story. When it's a game like Skyrim, or even Chrono Trigger, the stories are presented in a way where it doesn't seem forced for the main character to have no dialogue.
However, when a game presents its stories in a more cinematic way, and the main character responds with an exaggerated head nod, or grunt and thumbs up, that's annoying to me. I don't mind a silent protagonist, as long he/she doesn't seem arbitrary.
However, when a game presents its stories in a more cinematic way, and the main character responds with an exaggerated head nod, or grunt and thumbs up, that's annoying to me. I don't mind a silent protagonist, as long he/she doesn't seem arbitrary.
Like the hat?
Banned
Generally prefer silent. Don't mind talking though as long as they aren't cocky. I don't want to play a cocky character generally.
I prefer silent because I feel more like I'm the character that way, rather than I am controlling this guy that has his own thoughts, etc that don't mesh with mine.
I prefer silent because I feel more like I'm the character that way, rather than I am controlling this guy that has his own thoughts, etc that don't mesh with mine.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Yeah, how well-written Stocke was a little surprising. Rather than developing his character over time, different facets of his character were slowly revealed to the player as a means of "development". I liked him, and his personality in terms of motivation and natural charisma was written well.
PatrickLyons
Member
hrm. so many thoughts.
anyone who would like to see Link from legend of zelda fully voiced should watch the animated series.
not exactly rpgs, but i've recently had awesome experiences with Last Express and Gabriel Knight, both featuring fully voiced main characters. That requires both good acting and good writing though, things many games suck at.
I also really liked Bulletstorm's use of dialogue and characterization. One of my games of the year, and the writing and acting were important parts.
I can see that there's a danger with voicing when you're doing an RPG though, so it makes a lot of sense to me to go the Dragon Age route where the main character is very chatty but also is unvoiced because it lets your own voice, the voice in your head, fill in the gaps.
anyone who would like to see Link from legend of zelda fully voiced should watch the animated series.
not exactly rpgs, but i've recently had awesome experiences with Last Express and Gabriel Knight, both featuring fully voiced main characters. That requires both good acting and good writing though, things many games suck at.
I also really liked Bulletstorm's use of dialogue and characterization. One of my games of the year, and the writing and acting were important parts.
I can see that there's a danger with voicing when you're doing an RPG though, so it makes a lot of sense to me to go the Dragon Age route where the main character is very chatty but also is unvoiced because it lets your own voice, the voice in your head, fill in the gaps.
sixteen-bit
Member
I prefer silence. I'm just that kind of guy, lol.
The weirdest thing is that you actually witness Link have a full conversation with someone in Skyward Sword, the camera just pulls back too far to hear.
He's quite the hand talker.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
If you do less, people have less to complain about and criticize.
Silent protagonists are easy, ones that speak have more chance of going wrong, especially if there's actual dialogue rather than canned conversations and monologuing NPCs.
Good speaking character > good silent character.
Silent protagonists are easy, ones that speak have more chance of going wrong, especially if there's actual dialogue rather than canned conversations and monologuing NPCs.
Good speaking character > good silent character.
we.are.the.armada
Member
I prefer the silent when the character begins as a cipher for you as the player to make your own. If dialogue is involved, if prefer not to hear it since it's usually too dorky soundy (Male Sheppard). I prefer DA:O and Persona 4.
I think that Adol from the Ys series is a pretty good silent character with good development since the narrator often conveys his attitude and in some cases his actions exemplify his motives.
I think that Adol from the Ys series is a pretty good silent character with good development since the narrator often conveys his attitude and in some cases his actions exemplify his motives.
I'm okay with the silent protagonist in most cases as long as the overall narrative is strong enough or not serious enough. That's the case with Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy 7 and Golden Sun.
I did not like it in Half-Life 2 though. I think the game's overall story was too weak, and the silent protagonist was part of that.
I did not like it in Half-Life 2 though. I think the game's overall story was too weak, and the silent protagonist was part of that.
There's quite a lot that can go wrong with silent protagonists as well. It depends on how the story is told and what role the main character actually has. Breath of Fire 4 is probably the worst case I've seen. The story is pretty much centered around figuring out who Ryu is, and every step along the way there's long discussings about what to do next. But he of course never takes part in those decisions and you just feel like a retarded child when your character sits staring blankly into space while the party is discussing what to do with him.
Neuromancer
Member
I almost always prefer silent, in fact that goes not just for RPGs but for all games. I like putting myself into the shoes of someone else and once they start talking, it's not me any more. I don't play video games for the character development.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
In the future when you speak into your microphone the game will interpret your speech and formulate an appropriate response.
Is Skyrim really a silent protagonist? They're not voiced, but the dialog choices are all in the character's voice.
ULTROS!
People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
This will be fun. Can't wait to scream "cure me asshole" to a stupid AI controlled party member.