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Should Zelda Wii U get Voice Acting?

I really hate silent protagonists in games that have voice work so I can't imagine liking it. With voice acting, the alternative would be to have Link speak which might be even worse.
 
I am opposed to voice acting for Zelda because I think it is generally a waste of resources. Good voice acting can add some nice color to a game, but it's almost always too small an improvement for the expense.

There are additional, stronger reasons for opposing voice acting for Link in particular. Most of them have been raised in this thread already, so I won't repeat them now.
 
I would love full voice acting for everyone beside Link.

Realistically I want voice acting from major characters during major event scenes. Side characters should also have three voiced clips of versions "Hello", "Goodbye" and "Thank you" that they can say at beginning and end if conversations as well sidequest-related dialog.
 
I'll echo the "everyone but Link should talk" sentiment.
link can talk too for all i care but i'm not a fan of the series and i don't want to open a can of worms here

The biggest reason for that is that Nintendo is a huge offender when it comes to dialog boxes interrupting gameplay. I don't want to click A to scroll through dialog when it's not an RPG. Just talk.
 
I don't really care either way. It's not something that will add to the game though. As long as they don't fuck it up they can include it for all I care.
 
I'm fine with the gibberish for everyone but Link, but that would be a bit redundant, since they'd still need textboxes or at least subtitles. So I guess I don't really care, as long as it isn't actual English/Japanese. And Link has to stay silent at all times.

There'll probably be shit for this, but I really think full (English/Japanese) VO would ruin some of the charm.
 
khaaan said:
That is not the game encouraging you to do something like that, that is you doing it by yourself.
Click to expand...

Those are the same thing. While Zelda characters do have consistent grammar, syntax and (minimal) vocal style, in addition to providing body language and expression, things like rhythm, accent and intonation are absent. There are only so many gaps literary dialogue can fill, but that's part of its pleasure, since the reader provides the rest.

I love Zelda because, aside from the amazing design, scale and production values, it's one of the few games which makes me feel like I'm lost in classic children's literature (and many classics it heavily borrows from), and the lack of voice acting is a big part of that.

Zelda feels more like a book than a movie is what I'm saying, and I'd prefer the presentation to reflect that.
 
Please God, no. I think the gibberish with text is the perfect blend for Zelda. Gives you a clear idea of the character's personality without subjecting you to the inevitable bad delivery. It also lets you bounce through the dialogue trees much faster without herky jerky audio cuts.The fantasy and whimsy of those sorts of worlds flattens out when you have voice actors trying way too hard to match the atmosphere the game evokes on its own.

Thankfully I don't think Nintendo will ever do this. It was bad enough in recent Metroid games (no, not just Other M), and it would be even worse in Zelda.
Nanashrew said:
Well, what exactly would it add to the experience?
Click to expand...
A security blanket for literal minded people without imagination. :p
 
This thread just reminded me of Ghirahim in Skyward Sword repeating his canned laugh (and animation) forever, waiting for me to advance the text. That felt really awkward. So in some cases, the franchise would benefit from full voice acting.

However, I don't think it's a deal breaker if it doesn't. I can tolerate scrolling through textboxes and I do really like the jibberish sound effects it makes when characters like Midna speak.

outunderthestars said:
Would it speed up the overly long first two hours of every new 3D zelda game? Then yes please.
Click to expand...

No, because you can advance textboxes at your own pace.
 
I've been pretty vocal (!!!) about my support for voice acting in the Zelda franchise, be it in English or a fictional Hylian language. There is simply no excuse for not having it in this day and age, when every other facet of the series' production values has evolved with the times. Link can remain "silent", but I wouldn't be opposed to him speaking. Mario has a canonical voice.

The perfect compromise would be to have an option to turn voice acting on/off in the menu, satisfying both camps. Done, argument over.
 
The scenes and all dialogue were unbearable in Skyward Sword, although I'm not sure if it's down to voice acting. Probably because the text moved so slowly. Sure you can press A to speed things up, but that's annoying doing it constantly and only changes it from game breaking to still painful slowness.

As for voice acting? I think I'd be okay with it as long as threy left Link as he is. Casting for Zelda herself would be near impossible though and one of the biggest roles to ever exist in entertainment
 
Audio Settings

Voice Acting
NPCs: on / Hylian / gibberish (classic)
Link: on / Hylian / gibberish (classic)

edit: no idea's original
 
Everything we hear about the new one seems so positive even if it's vague.

Voiceacting has a strong potential of fucking things up in a significant way.

I don't see how it would improve the series.

It has much more of a chance to hurt it.
 
Haeralis The BRave said:
It should, but won't because Nintendo and most Zelda fans are stuck in the past
Click to expand...

O8HMXJp.jpg
 
Haeralis The BRave said:
It should, but won't because Nintendo and most Zelda fans are stuck in the past
Click to expand...

Nanashrew said:
Well, what exactly would it add to the experience?
Click to expand...

GrotesqueBeauty said:
A security blanket for literal minded people without imagination. :p
Click to expand...

/dead

XD
GrotesqueBeauty said:
Please God, no. I think the gibberish with text is the perfect blend for Zelda. Gives you a clear idea of the character's personality without subjecting you to the inevitable bad delivery. It also lets you bounce through the dialogue trees much faster without herky jerky audio cuts.The fantasy and whimsy of those sorts of worlds flattens out when you have voice actors trying way too hard to match the atmosphere the game evokes on its own.

Thankfully I don't think Nintendo will ever do this. It was bad enough in recent Metroid games (no, not just Other M), and it would be even worse in Zelda.
Click to expand...
We are now buds.
 
Should be gibberish like the King of Hyrule at the end of Wind Waker or Midna.

The odd sounds characters make in Zelda adds to its charm.
 
No because I can't see what it would add to the game that isn't already portrayed excellently through sound effects and text. Anyone who thinks that it would be better than reading text is lazy and anyone who thinks that voice acting is faster reads too slowly. If anything should be changed, it should be the addition of an option that allows text boxes to fill up immediately.
 
Neff said:
Those are the same thing. While Zelda characters do have consistent grammar, syntax and (minimal) vocal style, in addition to providing body language and expression, things like rhythm, accent and intonation are absent. There are only so many gaps literary dialogue can fill, but that's part of its pleasure, since the reader provides the rest.

I love Zelda because, aside from the amazing design, scale and production values, it's one of the few games which makes me feel like I'm lost in classic children's literature (and many classics it heavily borrows from), and the lack of voice acting is a big part of that.

Zelda feels more like a book than a movie is what I'm saying, and I'd prefer the presentation to reflect that.
Click to expand...

Zelda characters have become more vocal with every major iteration, the design can accommodate people who like to impose their own onto the characters but they are not encouraging. If anything, they are removing the flexibility that existed when the characters were mostly completely silent. There's no reason voice acting would loose the story book feel.

Also I'm going to post this again because everyone seems to ignore that a Zelda game did have a significant amount of voice acting (in Japan) and the world in fact did not end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2yxdK57O5E#t=2m30s
 
If Link were to speak the whole purpose of the name "Link" would vanish.
He would No longer be a link between player and ingame character because with a voice comes a single identity and personality.
Everyone else can speak, no problem with that, just keep Link silent.
 
I think they should try it first in a spinoff game (Hyrule Warriors would be perfect, wouldn't have much dialogue) just to see what the reaction is and if bad they can blame it on whatever studio made that game.
 
Zeyphersan said:
Zelda Wii U should get voice acting, but speaking Hylian (gibberish). I thought it sounded great on Midna. Would really help the atmosphere

Also Link shouldn't talk
Click to expand...
I definitely think this would work best, and would certainly look less silly than characters who are just opening and closing their mouths.

It would add voice acting to the game, but in a more tasteful manner.
 
#teamvoicedlink

If they're continuing their push toward story being a larger focus, it needs voice acting, and Link needs a voice. This personality-less, silent "project yourself onto him" avatar thing is kind of nonsense nowadays.
 
I don't know. Decent voice acting would be a nice touch, but I have this nagging feeling that the English VO could be absolutely terrible (other Japanese developers don't exactly instill faith). In that sense, I'd rather have no voice acting than bad one. Also, reading text really doesn't bother me at all outside of video sequences.
 
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