Why do people make such a big case about the VO quality?

[AdrianMorales]

I say just be happy the game features voice overs. I really don't care how the script is played out as long as the words are pronounced correctly and everything makes sense. Persona 4, for instance, has more dialog than most current-gen games out there. Sure, it's also very good:) And the Luminous Arc games are pretty much the only DS games that feature such extensive voice work on the handheld. Anyway, what's your take on the subject? Are the actors lending their voices that import to you or are you just glad there is someone narrating/acting out the long wall of text that most RPGs feature?

[unknown]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg

[kelvinc]

Wow I never realized how good I've had it until I saw that clip.

NOTE: everything below was written before I saw unknown's clip, which speaks volumes more than any written reply can.

VO doesn't necessarily add to the RPG experience by merely existing. RPGs are about story-telling, and if the written story doesn't match the vocal performances it worsens the experience.

The problem with video game RPGs is that there's so much happening graphically that the human response is to look there for emotional cues, not the text, but most real-time animations just cannot show that kind of depth. So you see these stilted automatons trying to express things like romance, despair, and such and it just doesn't click all that well. Good VO works to complement that deficiency by expressing emotions, not just describing them. But similarly, bad VO really hurts because CG actors are crappy enough as-is and the text isn't having the impact it would if you read it in a book, so everything goes to the pits.

e.g.
"She handed me an origami crane. 'I made it for you: it's good luck,' she whispered, then coyishly ran away with a giggle."
Now imagine that scene rendered real-time with something like the P4 engine, with that text and no VO, versus just the dialogue written and VOed properly. It definitely adds to the experience.
Then imagine her saying it in the VO with no emotion whatsoever: the moment is ruined.

(I think decent pre-rendered 2D animation can show the emotional depth I'm looking for, but then I just feel like I'm watching the game, not playing it, if it's all that. So I think good VO still helps.)

[AdrianMorales]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


That was so funny. Now I know I have to get the game:)

[Ido]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


That was so funny. Now I know I have to get the game:)

Are there versions of this game with people who actually care to give quality voices?

[hibiki_takami]

The reason why some games have terrible voice acting is because the voice actor perhaps has no context of what the other character's saying. Some voice recording sessions do voice playback so that the voice actor can act against a tape of the person they're conversing with.

In some cases, some developers are so secretive of their game that they record some lines out of order in order to prevent the voice actors from knowing what the hell is going on - which is bad because it doesn't give context to what the voice actors are saying. That one scene from Infinite Undiscovery comes to mind where this one character sounds like she's in grave peril, then the mood of the conversation changes dramatically over the course of the discussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ8XsighMFU

I think the problem here is that some developers who want voice overs in their games just want it in there to differentiate themselves from games that don't have it, as if it's some sort of status quo. Voice acting can make or break the game. Look at SMT:Nocturne and how minimal the VOs were - that didn't make it a bad game.

[VMan]

Here is another (classic) example for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQdZQ5KjgbU

Games with strong focus on story (which inherently focus on character development) bear the necessity of properly and effectively conveying the characters' personality to the player. This is so the player will actually care about the characters and build pathos when desired. Voice acting, IMHO, bears greater potential of connecting a character's personality with the player than just reading text. There is a level of emotion that can only be conveyed that way. This emotion and deeper sense of character/personality can greatly enhance the player's immersion, thus, the experience as a whole. That is why voice acting can be a valuable aspect of a game. Imagine the Metal Gear Solid series' cutscenes and codec conversations with only text boxes.

Now, all those qualities I just briefly mentioned mean nothing if the player can't truly connect with the character to begin with. Wanna know an effectively way of making that happen? Make the character sound like his/her voice is really just some dude in a recording booth reading some lines off a piece of paper. Bad voice acting can have similar effects of "breaking the 4th wall". It can kill the immersion because you can't take it seriously enough to begin with. That is why I, and I believe others "make such a big case about VO quality".

As far as just being "happy the game features voice overs", well, I think a game can be better off with no voice acting at all if the alternative was just plain bad. Indeed, Chaos Wars is a prime example. Why? Reread the second paragraph. At least the player can take a more imaginative approach as if reading a book.

[Fuyukaze]

The only thing I can think is because charcter voices are intended to enhance the game, not detract from it. It's very hard to get wraped into the story when you hear voices that either dont match the charcters or flux in emotions reguardless of the situation at hand. People pay good money for their games, it shouldnt sound like the VA's are just there for a pay check. Sadly, I still think voice work has a long ways to go before it gets to a point of great quality. There are a few games that do great work but even at their best, they still fall short. I cant say why its still lacking in most games though. Is it the lack of pay? Is it the lack of fame? Just how often do VAs get credit for the games they lend their voices to outside of Japan? There are a number of famous people doing it but compared with the mass number of games, most go unnamed except thru credits. Eh, maybe I'm trying to think to hard. It is 11am and I have only had 1 cup of coffie........

[VMan]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


That was so funny. Now I know I have to get the game:)

Are there versions of this game with people who actually care to give quality voices?

I seriously wonder about the methods some companies take to cast voice actors. Sometimes its as if they just run up to some people walking down the street and say, "hey, you wanna do some voice overs for a game?" For those of you who have played Shenmue, believe it or not, this was pretty much the case for many of the pedestrian voices in the game.

Seriously, if this is the best production some studios can come up with, then I'd love to do some voice acting. I won't claim to be the best out there but I sure as I heck can do a much better job than that from either a directorial or performance context.

For anyone who applies to do voice acting without a proven track record, it should be mandatory that they first provide multiple examples of what is bad voice acting. Make them show you what is and what is not quality work to them.

[Rikuo]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg

I died a little inside after watching that.:(

VO should be complained about, but for the right reasons. For JRPG's and games that focus on story and character development, the VO can be harder to deal wit. This is mostly due to the fact that these games are more story driven, have more emotion, and have more dialogue. Whether or not the VO can properly notice cues to show emotion, or put feeling in it depends on the writing, the animation, and whether or not said VO fits the character period.
Terrible Vo can ruin the experience, especially in a emotional scene.
This explains why there are those who only want to listen to the Japanese VO rather than English ones, simply because it sounds cooler and more bearable to them. Not all VO are bad. And as time goes on they have getting increasingly better. Some may not agree, but they probably still think it's 1995.

[kelvinc]

This explains why there are those who only want to listen to the Japanese VO rather than English ones, simply because it sounds cooler and more bearable to them. Not all VO are bad. And as time goes on they have getting increasingly better. Some may not agree, but they probably still think it's 1995.

I think that's one of those things where new JRPGers and old JRPGers are going to find their demands mutually incompatible, even as English VO improves. Newers gamers (like myself) have played with enough decent English VO that it's more natural to hear it. It's not hearing "English" per se, but just an intelligible language, like watching Star Wars characters speak in English. (One of the biggest peeve I had with FFX was that Al Bhed was a substitution cipher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substitution_cipher) of English, which implied that they actually knew English for some reason.)
Similarly, older gamers have used the original Japanese VO for so long that it's their de facto language for JRPGs: characters are supposed to speak in an unintelligible language (or Japanese for those who understand it).

So if I started playing a game with Japanese VO I'm going to start wondering why can't I understand them, which leads to the question of why are they speaking Japanese when they all don't look Japanese. Meanwhile, some of the old guard playing with an English VO are going to start wonder how in the world can they know English in a sci-fi fantasy setting.

[cj iwakura]

I'd rather have no VA than bad VA.

[Vincent Alexander]

I'd rather have no VA than bad VA.
Ditto. Also, what sparked this? Is an Atlus game catching ####? I hope not P4. I didn't care for the game that much, but every VO in it was pretty rock-solid.

[Delition]

I honestly wish that some games had no voice overs and only text as an option. Final Fantasy X probably would have been more tolerable for me if I had it muted throughout much of the game.

To be perfectly honest, I'd prefer subtitles over voices for a majority of games, but instead I am left with no subtitles and voices I could care less about. Or perhaps giving an option to mute the voices while still having the background music play would be more preferred for me.

I've never understood why people fight over "good" and "bad" voice overs, but I also can't really tell the difference anymore. The Chaos Wars scene was just about as bad as most things I've heard from games recently, Atlus games included.

[Camanche]

Annoying/bad VA makes me want to turn off a game and not play it. Simple as that.

[Constraint]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


That was so funny. Now I know I have to get the game:)

Be thankful Chaos wars lets you enable japanese voices with english text.

[Vincent Alexander]

Here is another (classic) example for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQdZQ5KjgbU
Just realized this was posted. Resident Evil's voice acting in part 1 was like that on purpose. It was supposed to sound like a cheesy, B-horror flick, which is why it is great.

[VMan]

Here is another (classic) example for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQdZQ5KjgbU
Just realized this was posted. Resident Evil's voice acting in part 1 was like that on purpose. It was supposed to sound like a cheesy, B-horror flick, which is why it is great.

I find that hard to believe. Who told you that? I remember Shinji Mikami admitting the poor voice acting in an interview and promised improvements for the REmake.

[sfried]

So many weeboos here...

To be honest, I think voice acting in videogames is much better in than it was 20 years ago. Some people listen to the Japanese VOs simply because they cant get enough of the coquettish voices which I cannot stand and feel too forceful for me. In fact, I'd say the reason why most English-language voice acting is terrible is because they try too much to sound like the Japanes counterpart rather than concentrate on performance.

(Perhaps the best reason why to not have full-on voices at all, and just leaves it at grunts and shouts. It leaves alot better to interpretation. The Nintendo tactic was right all along!)

I wonder what these same people who would dismiss English voice acting think of English voiced work such as Valkyrie Profile and its sequel...Not to mention japanese games like Resident Evil and even Knights in the Nightmare which have English voiceacting from the get-go.

It is very erronous for people to use nationality in VO as basis for quality, especially when they are not familiar with the language.

"Suffer like G did."

[Vincent Alexander]

Here is another (classic) example for you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQdZQ5KjgbU
Just realized this was posted. Resident Evil's voice acting in part 1 was like that on purpose. It was supposed to sound like a cheesy, B-horror flick, which is why it is great.

I find that hard to believe. Who told you that? I remember Shinji Mikami admitting the poor voice acting in an interview and promised improvements for the REmake.
A leprechaun under a bridge told me.

[Saburo Hikari]

For me, it depends on the quality of the voice-acting is for either language. The English voice-acting for Valkyria Chronicles showed more emotion and sounded more natural than the Japanese version. As for Eternal Sonata, I thought the English sounded a little off compared to the Japanese version. I do wish for a mute option if the voice-acting is bad as that Chaos Wars above though (If there are fans of Chaos Wars, I feel genuinely sorry for them.). However, so far I haven't actually played games with voice-acting that bad. The worst I've played would have to be Phantasy Star Universe, but that was still tolerable.

I agree that English voice-acting becomes bad if they try to mimic the Japanese version. Many of your probably realize that short/younger girls sound annoying in English than in Japanese. Persona 4 rocks because Atlus USA didn't try to copy Teddie's and Rise's high-pitched voices.

Now I find it annoying when people think the English sucks because it's so different from the Japanese, regardless if it's actually good or not. For Persona 4, some of you guys don't like Chie's voice simply because it's lower than her Japanese voice. In my opinion, her voice acting is one of the best in the game because of how natural she sounds, especially with her stutters.

Sometimes the quality depends if the localizers have to lip-sync the dialogue or not I think. Persona 4's in-game scenes didn't need lip-syncing, which is partly why I think the voice-acting's so well done. However, I thought the acting kinda sucked during the anime scenes where they had to lip-sync it.

[unknown]

So many weeboos here...

What are you talking about?

Nobody in this thread has said Japanese voice acting is far superior then a dub or anything like that.

[Ido]

If people didn't make a big case about VO quality, we would get more games with ####ty voice acting like this which would ruin the entire game if you could not turn the voices off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


That was so funny. Now I know I have to get the game:)

Are there versions of this game with people who actually care to give quality voices?

I seriously wonder about the methods some companies take to cast voice actors. Sometimes its as if they just run up to some people walking down the street and say, "hey, you wanna do some voice overs for a game?" For those of you who have played Shenmue, believe it or not, this was pretty much the case for many of the pedestrian voices in the game.

I think I know how they do this without any jokes. There's often what people call head hunters or agencies, what they do (i think) is that they post advertisement asking for "talents" and evaluate them at their office. There they probably just send whatever better talent they have, but if all they have is crap it ends up as you might think.

Now I've had fun doing one fandub myself and I'm sure I need a real proper training unlike some of them~

Oh and yes it's gotten better over the years. I can't necessarily be a weaboo anymore but I will mention that if I hear that some of my favorite seiyuu are on a certain game now I'll want it in Japanese, wouldn't that be fair at least?

Also is there a vocational school for VA anywhere in the americas most preferably Canada?? I'm actually interested doing this when I'll be back to reality :devil:

[Olethros]

I was about to write a lengthy post about this. Really.

Then I realized I had posted nearly the exact same thing several times over.

I was going to dig one or two out and quote myself, but honestly I'm too tired of this topic to be bothered.

[Superkenon]

This isn't really much of a question. Just like with any other aspect of a game, the more work you put into something (in this case voice acting), the more enjoyable the experience will be overall.

These days, with how big the budgets are for games and their localization, there's really no excuse for shoddy voice acting. Atlus seems to always get it right, even with their relatively humble spending budgets.

[jeffx]

Also is there a vocational school for VA anywhere in the americas most preferably Canada??

If there is, I'd assume it would be in Vancouver.

I'd rather have no VA than bad VA.

So true. Growing up with NES games and PC text adventures (like many others here), I am used to voicing the script in my head. Since so many American VAs sound like #### and are obviously only interested in the paycheck that comes out of it, I have learned to tune them out when playing games that don't allow for original VA or simply the option to turn voices off.

That said, John DiMaggio's in MadWorld, can't wait for that one!

[Kakizaki]

^Ditto. I would rather have no VA.

[Reynard]

I say just be happy the game features voice overs. I really don't care how the script is played out as long as the words are pronounced correctly and everything makes sense...

Do you not remember the dark days of early PC gaming? When they would just get whoever was around the office to read the lines? Have you ever heard a programmer trying to *emote?*

Or maybe you don't remember those days. Thanks for making me feel old.

[Onion of Mystery]

I say just be happy the game features voice overs. I really don't care how the script is played out as long as the words are pronounced correctly and everything makes sense...

Do you not remember the dark days of early PC gaming? When they would just get whoever was around the office to read the lines? Have you ever heard a programmer trying to *emote?*

Or maybe you don't remember those days. Thanks for making me feel old.


"Sdnatsrednu Hguabmil Hsur!"
Or is that going back too far?

[sfried]

Do you not remember the dark days of early PC gaming? When they would just get whoever was around the office to read the lines? Have you ever heard a programmer trying to *emote?*

Or maybe you don't remember those days. Thanks for making me feel old.
Privateer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bssgrbZNG5o&fmt=18) anyone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdMLcD01pw&fmt=18)?

Need more nostalgic tourture (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygAXaWCxPJ4&fmt=18)?

Yeah, I think you youngins are spoiled...Now we get everything voiced by either Jennifer Hale and/or Crispin Freeman. ;)

[cj iwakura]

It is very erronous for people to use nationality in VO as basis for quality, especially when they are not familiar with the language.

"Suffer like G did."

For some games, translations like that are practically a selling point.

[sfried]

It is very erronous for people to use nationality in VO as basis for quality, especially when they are not familiar with the language.

"Suffer like G did."

For some games, translations like that are practically a selling point.
Oh, I see your point...

Speaking of good (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK_uLee_1KI&fmt=18) VO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuyUShtcn94&fmt=18)'s...

[iammako3]

You know, maybe it is just in comparison to the other voices, but the guy who voiced Nicole in Chaos Wars didn't do a bad job (at least he was pretty good in the clip linked earlier). I give him credit for trying. The others? They need to burn in hell, lol.

[False]

The way I see it, the quality of the voice acting is proportional in some way to the quality of the script, which for lots of games means the quality of the localization. Take for example Working Designs, which was more or less Atlus before Altus because Atlus; a company that published Japanese games of various notoriety, from big titles like Lunar to litter ones like Vanguard Bandits. This was back in the early days of voice acting in console games, on the Saturn and Playstation, and Anime was just starting to get some sort of mainstream popularity thanks to Toonami.

Working Designs was kind of notorious for changing dialouge and descriptions of items to be funny when they were originally serious, which some people didn't appeciate (although I thought it was hilarious). This resulted in the level of the Voice Acting to be middling; when they were trying to be funny, they were funny, and when they were trying to be serious they usually would up looping back to being funny for the wrong reasons.

The point is, it's not just the quality of the VAs, it's the 'personality' of the project; if you phone in the script, don't be surprised when your VAs do the same thing.

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0

[sfried]

This was back in the early days of voice acting in console games, on the Saturn and Playstation, and Anime was just starting to get some sort of mainstream popularity thanks to Toonami.
It was already popular before Toonami. You know, during the 80's...(or I'm guessing America was just late in the game.)

And Saturn and Playstation having the early days? I believe you've forgotten about the beloved TurboGrafix-16 and Valis games (which were also dubbed over quite well for its time).

[Vincent Alexander]

This thread isn't specifically for this, but I just want to say that I still think the Legacy of Kain series has the best voice acting of any series.

[Sei]

To anyone that doesn't care about VO quality I have a Baten Kaitos to sell you.

Dual Audio 4tw!

[cj iwakura]

The way I see it, the quality of the voice acting is proportional in some way to the quality of the script, which for lots of games means the quality of the localization. Take for example Working Designs, which was more or less Atlus before Altus because Atlus; a company that published Japanese games of various notoriety, from big titles like Lunar to litter ones like Vanguard Bandits. This was back in the early days of voice acting in console games, on the Saturn and Playstation, and Anime was just starting to get some sort of mainstream popularity thanks to Toonami.

Working Designs was kind of notorious for changing dialouge and descriptions of items to be funny when they were originally serious, which some people didn't appeciate (although I thought it was hilarious). This resulted in the level of the Voice Acting to be middling; when they were trying to be funny, they were funny, and when they were trying to be serious they usually would up looping back to being funny for the wrong reasons.


I've never played a Working Designs game with bad voice acting.

Atlus has had quite a few.

[Superkenon]

To anyone that doesn't care about VO quality I have a Baten Kaitos to sell you.

I wonder whose idea it was to apply that baffling echo effect to all sounds in the game, including the voices. Because that surely didn't help the situation. Oi...

[Reynard]

"Sdnatsrednu Hguabmil Hsur!"
Or is that going back too far?



Privateer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bssgrbZNG5o&fmt=18) anyone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdMLcD01pw&fmt=18)?

Need more nostalgic tourture (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygAXaWCxPJ4&fmt=18)?
...


Wow, remember when that used to look impressive? Never sounded good though. Now I have to go kill those brain cells all over again. Where's my bourbon?

[nadeshiiko]

there's yuri lowenthal in it! come on! xD

wait for steven blum for vic.

maybe they'll be here xD

[Ido]

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mwIi8lVHQ is the voice actor behind Albedo considered a good one? :devil:

Oh and this is the japanese version, I prefer Albedo's laugh in this one by far :devil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRZOSalyQE

[sfried]

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mwIi8lVHQ is the voice actor behind Albedo considered a good one? :devil:

Oh and this is the japanese version, I prefer Albedo's laugh in this one by far :devil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRZOSalyQE
How about Lezard's laugh (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNJzIVgtyAc&fmt=18), which is completely identical in both versions?

[iammako3]

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mwIi8lVHQ is the voice actor behind Albedo considered a good one? :devil:

Oh and this is the japanese version, I prefer Albedo's laugh in this one by far :devil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRZOSalyQE

Crispin Freeman (Albedo) is actually a very talented dub actor and one of my favorites for the rare ooccassion I watch dubs. However, 90% of the time the Japanese is always going to be better/have the correct feeling (especially with laughter). ^_^

[Rikuo]

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0
^ Travis is a great example of a amazing VA, as well as Destroyman.

[Ido]

As for examples of good Voice Acting, I've always felt a good litmus test for a VA is if they can pull off a good scream. This is partially why lots of online 'voice actors' are so miserably bad, with their whisper-yelling, but that's another story. Travis' VA from No More Heroes has a good scream, so I like him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLOGi1T-a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mwIi8lVHQ is the voice actor behind Albedo considered a good one? :devil:

Oh and this is the japanese version, I prefer Albedo's laugh in this one by far :devil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMRZOSalyQE

Crispin Freeman (Albedo) is actually a very talented dub actor and one of my favorites for the rare ooccassion I watch dubs. However, 90% of the time the Japanese is always going to be better/have the correct feeling (especially with laughter). ^_^

Oh he is talented, I said that I liked it by far but never meant to say that he's not awesome. This is probably one that I know I can trust to do a great VO job.

[SickleCellAnemia]

To anyone that doesn't care about VO quality I have a Baten Kaitos to sell you.

I wonder whose idea it was to apply that baffling echo effect to all sounds in the game, including the voices. Because that surely didn't help the situation. Oi...

Great Mizuti was the saving grace on the voice front in that game. Other than the voices, I loved the game.

[gamerdood]

Sometimes voice acting can lend another dimension to a character, like Chie for example from P4. She just sounds like the total tomboy chick you'd want to be friends with.

[TheMagicHat]

I guess I'm just weird in a way. I prefer the voice acting to match the language of the text I'm reading. If I'm playing a game I imported, then the VO helps me to match what is being said to what I'm reading, which for me helps to learn japanese a lot better. If I'm playing a game in english, I'd prefer the VO to be in english because it helps me get more involved in that world a lot better. Playing a game with japanese voices with only the text translated only really helps me if I know what to look for, and that's only if I'm out to test my knowledge vs. the localization. Most of the time I'd rather just have fun playing the game, which is why I buy the game in the first place.

[Briareos]

I think the original voice actors often do a fine job of portraying emotion anyway. Even if the actor is speaking in Japanese I can figure out what they're trying to convey and can use subtitle text to find out exactly what's going on.

I would suppose the designers have an easier time spotting inappropriate voice overs when it's in a language they speak also.

Still Atlus has done some fine translations so I won't complain too loudly heh.

[xHaseox]

After seeing/hearing the club scene in Persona 4, I expect nothing but the best VO in Atlus's titles.

[Raydeus]

Hi, new member here.

Personally I care A LOT about VO, so even though I own the NA versions of FES and P4 I ended up disabling the voices in both cases before moving to undubbed versions of the games.

So, I joined today because I want to know if future PS3 localized games will include Japanese audio option like Sega's Valkyria (I'm specially interested in new Persona titles.) Or what can a gamer do to convince them to include it in future games. :confused:

[Vincent Alexander]

Hi, new member here.

Personally I care A LOT about VO, so even though I own the NA versions of FES and P4 I ended up disabling the voices in both cases before moving to undubbed versions of the games.

So, I joined today because I want to know if future PS3 localized games will include Japanese audio option like Sega's Valkyria (I'm specially interested in new Persona titles.) Or what can a gamer do to convince them to include it in future games. :confused:
The trick is to never, ever, ever ask Atlus about it ever again. Even better, tell them you don't want dual audio. Good ole' reverse psychology---works every time.

Oh...and welcome! Go introduce yourself in the "New Members" area so we can pelt you with annoying questions and such.

[Sei]

Hi, new member here.

Personally I care A LOT about VO, so even though I own the NA versions of FES and P4 I ended up disabling the voices in both cases before moving to undubbed versions of the games.

So, I joined today because I want to know if future PS3 localized games will include Japanese audio option like Sega's Valkyria (I'm specially interested in new Persona titles.) Or what can a gamer do to convince them to include it in future games. :confused:

Prolly write them emails directly.

I think Atlus is aware of how people on the forum feel about this though. I hope that Blu ray games on PS3 will as a rule have Dual Audio. A lot harder to see on the 360 cause they need multiple discs as is, but who knows, even some PS2 games have it! I don't think they can give a general be all end all answer at any rate.

Welcome to the forum!

[kelvinc]

The trick is to never, ever, ever ask Atlus about it ever again. Even better, tell them you don't want dual audio. Good ole' reverse psychology---works every time.

I think you may have Atlus confused with a much larger and less human publisher that squeezes every cash cow by endlessly reprinting old games on portable platforms, or a much smaller and less competent publisher that has trouble with basic rules of English grammar. :roll:

[Vincent Alexander]

The trick is to never, ever, ever ask Atlus about it ever again. Even better, tell them you don't want dual audio. Good ole' reverse psychology---works every time.

I think you may have Atlus confused with a much larger and less human publisher that squeezes every cash cow by endlessly reprinting old games on portable platforms, or a much smaller and less competent publisher that has trouble with basic rules of English grammar. :roll:
Well said

...

[VMan]

The trick is to never, ever, ever ask Atlus about it ever again. Even better, tell them you don't want dual audio. Good ole' reverse psychology---works every time.

I think you may have Atlus confused with a much larger and less human publisher that squeezes every cash cow by endlessly reprinting old games on portable platforms, or a much smaller and less competent publisher that has trouble with basic rules of English grammar. :roll:

Ouch....

I just want to chime in and say I'm all for dual audio whenever space permits. If noticeable compression must be done, though then I say no. But just speculating from a sympathetic standpoint towards localizing publishers, some may be hesitant/resistant to include the original audio because of the time and money spent on the localized audio track.

I'd guess many of us here would say they'd often prefer Japanese VO over dubs, but when you look at the consumer pool with a realistically large enough scope, you have to always bear in mind the dominant language of the pool and you have to assume that there are many in that pool who don't want/like to read subtitles.

[iammako3]

I'd guess many of us here would say they'd often prefer Japanese VO over dubs, but when you look at the consumer pool with a realistically large enough scope, you have to always bear in mind the dominant language of the pool and you have to assume that there are many in that pool who don't want/like to read subtitles.

This is true, even though I hate to admit it. I've grown up watching subbed anime (which has been literally half my life as I started at age 12 and am now 24), so I'm much more comfortable with original Japanese dialogue when the original product is from Japan (I've also minored in Japanese language and culture studies, if that makes any difference). There's just something fundamentally. . . Japanese about their creative works that even the best dub actor can't get it quite right. I would say the same thing about a US creative work getting dubbed in Japanese -- something would be off.

However, I tend to forget I'm in a rather niche minority. It boggles my mind how a lot of people prefer dubs over subs, but I've learned to accept it for the most part. Still, if there is an opportunity to fit both language tracks on a disc I respect the company that chooses to do so more than the company that ignores it.

[emperorzorn]

Why do people make such a big case about the VO quality?

I dont know if this has been posted yet,
but here is the answer to your question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg

[Vincent Alexander]

I'd guess many of us here would say they'd often prefer Japanese VO over dubs, but when you look at the consumer pool with a realistically large enough scope, you have to always bear in mind the dominant language of the pool and you have to assume that there are many in that pool who don't want/like to read subtitles.

This is true, even though I hate to admit it. I've grown up watching subbed anime (which has been literally half my life as I started at age 12 and am now 24), so I'm much more comfortable with original Japanese dialogue when the original product is from Japan (I've also minored in Japanese language and culture studies, if that makes any difference). There's just something fundamentally. . . Japanese about their creative works that even the best dub actor can't get it quite right. I would say the same thing about a US creative work getting dubbed in Japanese -- something would be off.

However, I tend to forget I'm in a rather niche minority. It boggles my mind how a lot of people prefer dubs over subs, but I've learned to accept it for the most part. Still, if there is an opportunity to fit both language tracks on a disc I respect the company that chooses to do so more than the company that ignores it.
Same boat as you. I've always preferred the Japanese language...probably from watching Anime at a young age subbed. Every once-in-a-while I will find something that I love in English much more than Japanese.

[rainking187]

Why do people make such a big case about the VO quality?

I dont know if this has been posted yet,
but here is the answer to your question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtC1SzWSXg


It's pretty sad that I don't even have to click on some of these links to know that it's Chaos Wars. Good god, what were they thinking?

[sfried]

I wonder what people here think over Japanese works which are initially dubbed in English...(There are several case, some with amazing voiceover work.)

[VMan]

I wonder what people here think over Japanese works which are initially dubbed in English...(There are several case, some with amazing voiceover work.)

If I'm not mistaken, the Resident Evils are voiced exclusively in English, (at least they were at one point in time) and I happen to find some of the voice work (post-original) quite memorable, especially Wesker. Quality voice acting is quality voice acting. Just because its spoken in a certain language doesn't make it inherently "better" (maybe more suited based on the character's background but not necessarily better). On that note, though, Metal Gear Solid is a series where I personally I feel the English dub is not only more appropriate but better (though I know it may not be initially recorded in English).

[James Fiend]

This thread isn't specifically for this, but I just want to say that I still think the Legacy of Kain series has the best voice acting of any series.

Especially the first one. Those weird monologues were really awesome. Silicon Knights can do anything.

[VMan]

This thread isn't specifically for this, but I just want to say that I still think the Legacy of Kain series has the best voice acting of any series.

Especially the first one. Those weird monologues were really awesome. Silicon Knights can do anything.

You reminded me of Eternal Darkness, another great example.