Voice acting in videogames is rubbish

[DevilRedeemed]

You want to play something that feels like a film? Well good for you, I don't. Even if you do, how goofy is the voice acting in practically all games? Tremendous idiotizing mechanism, brings any and all experience down to sub pedestrian level. You are led down the narrowest of paths. There's no room for the imagination.

I seem to post something along these lines every few years or so. Shit voice acting, scripting, characterization is as alive as ever. Everything in the videogame arena seems so souless these days, reviewers, game developpers, in-game character representations. Everything is robotic and faux charismatic, when AI moves in and takes over eventually, please no crying. Humans have been acting like robots for way too long, that includes "artists." If a machine can do your creative work maybe you've been on auto pilot all this time. The corporate world chewed you up and spat you out. You where nothing but a placeholder to begin with.


I dunno. ..

/rant

 

[LoneSage]

I'll tell you what the problem is. The problem is games are basically interactive movies at this point. They don't even make game music anymore, just ambient soundtracks.

 

[fake]

Anime VO is even worse. They all have that overly perfect annunciation with overacted delivery. Or even worse, the female voices have that cutesy nasal thing.

At least with subs I can’t tell how much it sucks.

 

[BeefJerky]

Voice acting in videogames peaked at "ON DA GWEEN".

 

[FAT$TACKS]

That wizard came from the moon.

 

[terry.330]

I'll tell you what the problem is. The problem is games are basically interactive movies at this point. They don't even make game music anymore, just ambient soundtracks.

It's funny because back in the 8-32 bit eras games were constantly trying to be more and more cinematic and now that they actually are everyone complains.

Honestly a lot of games wouldn't be anywhere near as enjoyable without their voice acting. MGS, RE, Yakuza etc.

 

[famicommander]

Best voice acting in a game is still GTA Vice City

Ray Liotta
Gary Busey
Jenna Jameson
Miss Cleo
Burt Reynolds
Lee Majors
William Fichtner
Luis Guzman
Dennis Hopper
Tom Sizemore
Robert Davi
Philip Michael Thomas
Fairuza Balk
Danny Trejo
Lawrence Taylor
Danny Dyer

 

[theMot]

Bro, put down the controller and find a moist hole.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Bro, put down the controller and find a moist hole.

Feels like an invitation to post my credentials, but I'm almost 50 and can't be bothered. Not doing too bad though. Seriously succesful women and stuff

 

[DevilRedeemed]

It's funny because back in the 8-32 bit eras games were constantly trying to be more and more cinematic and now that they actually are everyone complains.

Honestly a lot of games wouldn't be anywhere near as enjoyable without their voice acting. MGS, RE, Yakuza etc.

The problem is, there's nothing outside this form of narration.

 

[terry.330]

The problem is, there's nothing outside this form of narration.

Well there are still people making text adventures, point and click, puzzle solving as narrative style stuff. There's also a ton of "artsy" games that have completely visual story telling with zero dialogue and narration. You just have to look harder to find them.

 

[DevilRedeemed]

Well there are still people making text adventures, point and click, puzzle solving as narrative style stuff. There's also a ton of "artsy" games that have completely visual story telling with zero dialogue and narration. You just have to look harder to find them.

You are right ofcourse, and my angst aimed at the mainstream is chronic and a thousand years old at least. Also money talks and drives. So there's that.
I'm just one more silly man in an ocean of silly people. I think of late I am simply coming to terms with the fact that culture does not engage with me anymore, there is another generation of adults pushing the envelope and being catered for (millennials) and another just behind it begining to rear it's head (gen z).
I mean my eldest is almost 22 and we don't speak the same language at all.
In summary, blah blah

 

[LoneSage]

I'm just one more silly man in an ocean of silly people. I think of late I am simply coming to terms with the fact that culture does not engage with me anymore

Yeah brother this is it right here. We had a good run many years ago but what gaming is now is not what we like. For a bad analogy, much like when silent films transitioned to talkies, I'm sure there were people who grew up with silent films at a young age and weren't happy about the change, maybe or maybe not.

It's a bummer growing up and not having that comfort of familiarity with what is popular and accepted in the present.

What did I say many years ago, gaming for me changed when people had to start going to college or uni to learn how to make games.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Even if you do, how goofy is the voice acting in practically all games?

the exception of course being bj love

 

[Jon]

Voice acting in videogames peaked at "ON DA GWEEN".

No, it peaked in Mega Man 8.

"Hey, Bass! Why must I fight you?! We are not enemies!"

"Shut up!"

Jon

 

[2Heed]

No, it peaked in Mega Man 8.

"Hey, Bass! Why must I fight you?! We are not enemies!"

"Shut up!"

Jon

I was going to make a mention of Mega Man 8 and you beat me to it.

I still can't get over Dr. Light's VA. The most intelligent human in that universe sounds like a drunk, stuttering Elmer Fudd.

Like Mega Man X4 and Zero's "What am I fighting FOORRRRRRRAAAAUUGHERRRRR?!" line, it's so bad it's funny.

 

[Neo Alec]

I think part of the hate Sonic games get is from the English voice acting. It feels like a cheesy 90's anime dub aimed at kids. Can't even begin to take the game seriously at all with characters talking like that.

The Japanese Sonic voices aren't great either and it's still like an anime, but at least the actors are consistent, and they're pros.

 

[city41]

No, it peaked in Mega Man 8.

It really did

I hope they find Doctor Wowy.

 

[Jon]

I was going to make a mention of Mega Man 8 and you beat me to it.

I still can't get over Dr. Light's VA. The most intelligent human in that universe sounds like a drunk, stuttering Elmer Fudd.

Like Mega Man X4 and Zero's "What am I fighting FOORRRRRRRAAAAUUGHERRRRR?!" line, it's so bad it's funny.

That fight between Zero and Sigma...used to love watching that scene. Zero fucks up Sigma before he gets that massive headache and Sigma takes him out.

Jon

 

[Orpheus]

You want to play something that feels like a film? Well good for you, I don't. Even if you do, how goofy is the voice acting in practically all games? Tremendous idiotizing mechanism, brings any and all experience down to sub pedestrian level. You are led down the norrowest of paths. There's no room for the imagination.

I seem to post something along these lines every few years or so. Shit voice acting, scripting, characterization is as alive as ever. Everything in the videogame arena seems so souless these days, reviewers, game developpers, in-gane character representations. Everything is robotic and faux charismatic, when AI moves in and takes over eventually, please no crying. Humans have been acting like robots for way too long, that includes "artists." If a machine can do your creative work maybe you've been on auto pilot all this time. The corporate world chewed you up and spat you out. You where nothing but a placeholder to begin with.


I dunno. ..

/rant

THIS!....and everything after it.

I fell out of modern gaming long ago. The "Hollywoodization" of it is something I have no interest in.

I don't mind many earlier efforts (90's & such) that that have a certain charm based on their "so bad it's good" VA (think early RE series, HOTD, ETC) but these cinematic type games that have these C grade hollywood flunkeis doing the VA are cringey as hell. Like that one mainstream blockbuster that had that main character that was a rip off of Ellen Page. This is one of the reasons why I don't bother with shit like the new FFVII Remake series. I listened to Aeris & she sounded like she just hit 15. Barret almost sounded stereotypic in an almost racist way.

And it's ot just that shit but how they need to water down & dumb down everything with fluff & filler like unnnescessary dialog.

In the FF7 remake they, for mainstream appeal, ditdhed the turn based formula & made the combat system like every other generic hack & slash action game. If the insanley over the top "wisp" style effects every time someone attacks does not drive you crazy then the retarted quotes that each character says every time they do so will.

Yeah brother this is it right here. We had a good run many years ago but what gaming is now is not what we like.

THIS as well.

While it's easy to look back with those rose tinted glasses on it's safe to say that we had some of the best of what was ever offered from the early 90's to the late 2000's (with teh pinnacle being the late 90's to the earlt to mid 2000's). The maxed out tech/hardware made developers lazy & un-creative. The uber corporatization & mainstreaming of gaming aided in that I brought more BS as well.

Not all is lost & there is still some great stuff out there but it's not the norm & it's not whats bringing in the real proffits for the industry.

 

[100proof]

Part of the problem is that video game writing is still largely terrible. Games have come a long way in the 25 years since voice acting became commonplace but you'd probably sound like a fucking clown too if you had to repeat some of the dumb shit that gets written for video games, And I'm not even talking about Kojima's word salad nonsense or translations of embarrassing Japanese weeb shit. Even Western games are either written by people who could never make it in a real writer's room or some semi-talented person that they got to bang out a script in 3 weeks between real writing gigs. The people who make video games just don't have the ear or the eye for what looks good on a page and what is going to sound good being repeated 74 times when people fail the same quest over and over.

The other issue is that they generally get 4th and 5th tier actors to do everything except main characters. Troy Baker and Jennifer Hale can't play every character and they rarely have money in the budget to hire any real voice talent. It's just the same five people over and over again and whatever scale talent they can scrape from the surrounding area to fill in the gaps.

I'm not necessarily against games being "cinematic" but the people that make video games largely aren't capable of doing that well.

 

[madmanjock]

I have no idea what you guys are talking about

 

[LoneSage]

The other issue is that they generally get 4th and 5th tier actors to do everything except main characters.

It's an open secret that voice actors are basically a cartel in the entertainment industry. Very, very difficult career to break into.

 

[madmanjock]

It's an open secret that voice actors are basically a cartel in the entertainment industry. Very, very difficult career to break into.

Shame they suck balls at what they do then.

 

[Tron]

It really did

I hope they find Doctor Wowy.

This and the voice acting for shining force 3