I haven't had much time to spend on gaming for a while, and recently I had some spare time and was able to play some games I ended up really enjoying, like Sleeping Dogs. After finishing that and Spec Ops: The Line, I decided to get back to a game I was looking forward to for a long time: Persona 4 Golden.

I'm not that far into it... Yukiko has just joined the Investigation Team and the next victim (to avoid spoilers for those that may not have played vanilla P4) hasn't even been introduced yet. In between that I decided to play through the story mode of Persona 4 Arena, which I was originally on the fence about picking up, and found that I became very invested in the story there. Thus far I've gotten to the "cliffhanger" parts of Yu, Yosuke and Yukiko's stories.

However, one thing began to really nag away at me while playing through both at the same time. The first one I won't really rehash since that was covered in the thread about Chie's VA (again not that far into either yet) but I feel she's less "shrill?" and perhaps a bit more nuanced in Arena? Like, not quite as high-pitched and... for lack of a better word, annoying? I've gotten more used to her as time goes on and I feel like I will get accustomed to her at some point. I also only played through Yosuke's story in Arena in English (Yu and Yukiko I used Japanese audio).

Anyways, back to my main point. For those of you who have played both (or even just vanilla and Arena), is anyone more than a little bummed out about the lack of voice acting for the MC? I realize that Golden is just an enhanced version of the original for PS2 and I am in no way saying I expected them to make such a drastic change like adding dialogue and voice for the MC, but the whole silent protagonist bit is becoming long in the tooth for me. I really enjoyed having the characters refer to the MC by name and actually hearing his thoughts and voice. It was something I had kind of grew accustomed to after Persona 4 Animation but I could kind of distance that since it was a show and not a video game, but Arena is much closer in execution to vanilla and Golden (comparatively speaking).

I REALLY hope that they decide to give the protagonist a voice in Persona 5, whether it's a completely new story or if they decide to continue from where Arena left off... hope I'm not the only one.

No, I am not. Yu is a silent protagonist in Persona 4. I like the personality and voice they gave him in the anime and in Arena, but in the RPG he is merely an avatar for the player. It is why in the game's intro he's referred to as "Hero" and not "Yu Narukami."

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

If they're going to have the player's avatar do things without player choice, which they do all the time in Persona, then give him or her a voice. Those points break the illusion of an avatar more than a voice would. Better than "bark bark bark" or "You tell them that"

@OmegaChosen said:

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

Nah, balls to that. It's an SMT tradition.

The main character can never talk outside of battle exertions. He's just there to kick ass and possibly break the fabric of reality, depending on the series.

@FluxWaveZ said:

No, I am not. Yu is a silent protagonist in Persona 4. I like the personality and voice they gave him in the anime and in Arena, but in the RPG he is merely an avatar for the player. It is why in the game's intro he's referred to as "Hero" and not "Yu Narukami."

Fair enough. It's just that after games like The Walking Dead where the player is in control of the words and actions of a well-written character who interacts with the people and environment around him in a fully realized way, I'm getting tired of silent protagonists in any type of game, be it RPGs, FPSs or anything. To have other characters talk to the MC/Hero and have him not say anything even when you choose a dialogue option really bums me out.

Perhaps these types of games just aren't for me anymore? Well, not really. Despite my gripe Persona 4 is still probably on my 'all time top 5' list and I still love it to death. I just hope for a "better" story telling mechanism than a silent protagonist who is meant to make the players feel more "invested" and like they're in the game. Different strokes for different folks. I still hope for a voiced protagonist in Persona 5 though, how about yourself?

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

I agree completely. As I said in my original post, I realized that this is just an enhancement of the original PS2 game. For the amount of work they'd have to put in to add dialogue and voice for the MC, I'd much rather them put that effort in towards developing the next Persona game. Yes, it'd be more effort for them to actually come up with dialogue for the MC but in the case of P4, it's not like they would've had to go out and hire another voice actor. Johnny Yong Bosch already recorded some dialogue for the MC (Persona names as well as actually just yelling Persona!) and he voices Adachi as well.

Persona series has done silent protagonists better than Dishonored did so they can do whatever they want.

@Terramagi said:

@OmegaChosen said:

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

Nah, balls to that. It's an SMT tradition.

The main character can never talk outside of battle exertions. He's just there to kick ass and possibly break the fabric of reality, depending on the series.

Things change though. I mean, they've added plenty of other stuff since the Persona series started, don't see why voicing the lines that you choose would be bad.

Persona games ain't technically part of SMT either now that I think about it but eh.

This isn't a deal breaker by any means of course. I'm not hating on silent protagonists or anything, I just think having voiced options wouldn't be too bad.

my friend is in the same boat about having the MC speak, and while I don't mind the silent protagonist, it would be at least nice if he said the lines that you select. But if he just starts going off and speaking stuff that the player doesn't choose for him to say it takes away some of what makes the silent protagonist work, you're not saying stuff that you didn't choose to say. sucks when a MC starts saying stuff that you wouldn't say or think the complete opposite of, just because the writers made him say it. but that may just be me.

@OmegaChosen said:

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

It really came to a head for me when the game prompted me to choose a response once. I forget the exact thing but it was when everyone was meeting up for the first time and I chose like "Let's catch this guy!" only to hear the exact same words I just chose come out of Yosuke's mouth. It was more than a little jarring for me and has definitely worn much thinner since the release of vanilla P4 back in '08.

@AlisterCat said:

If they're going to have the player's avatar do things without player choice, which they do all the time in Persona, then give him or her a voice. Those points break the illusion of an avatar more than a voice would. Better than "bark bark bark" or "You tell them that"

I don't think we have to limit it to only games that don't require player choice. Games such as Walking Dead or Mass Effect ask for player choice in dialogue options and they do a pretty good job of it, so I feel like a voice protagonist can work in any case. It's also annoying when the game says "You tell the others what you saw." and you see the MC miming the action of talking but not actually saying anything.

@Terramagi said:

@OmegaChosen said:

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

Nah, balls to that. It's an SMT tradition.

The main character can never talk outside of battle exertions. He's just there to kick ass and possibly break the fabric of reality, depending on the series.

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

The whole Yu being your avatar is a stupid argument against VO for Yu. If they truly wanted to achieve this then they'd let you create your own hero at the start if the game. Hell, the anime made Yu more likable than the game version of him. Just imagine what the Persona Team writers could do with the ability to give him a voice. Persona 4 Arena is another good example of this. I think the reason why your protagonist didn't have a voice was because of the cost of it. I really do hope that the next Persona game has VO for the protagonist.

@Nightriff said:

Persona series has done silent protagonists better than Dishonored did so they can do whatever they want.

Persona 3 was really enjoyable and I love Persona 4 so I will totally buy the next Persona game regardless of silent or voiced protagonist. However, a voiced protagonist is on my wishlist of things I'd like to see in the next installment.

@MyNiceIceLife said:

my friend is in the same boat about having the MC speak, and while I don't mind the silent protagonist, it would be at least nice if he said the lines that you select. But if he just starts going off and speaking stuff that the player doesn't choose for him to say it takes away some of what makes the silent protagonist work, you're not saying stuff that you didn't choose to say. sucks when a MC starts saying stuff that you wouldn't say or think the complete opposite of, just because the writers made him say it. but that may just be me.

I can understand where you're coming from. It can definitely be frustrating and whatever choice Atlus decides to make for their next game of course there will be people who are unhappy with the decision made. Like OmegaChosen said it's not a deal breaker but personally I wouldn't mind the change.

Nah I like me a silent protagonist in some situations and Persona games is one of them.

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

The only Persona games that don't have the SMT tag is Persona 4 Arena and P4G. At least in North America.

@IrrelevantJohn said:

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

The only Persona games that don't have the SMT tag is Persona 4 Arena and P4G. At least in North America.

This... bodes... ill.

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

They add that when they localize them and only starting with 3 even then (Persona 1 was localized as Revelations and Eternal Punishment didn't have any tag except for Persona). In Japan, Persona was a spinoff series that didn't carry the SMT tag from the very first one. They still don't actually, releasing each game as simply Persona #. P4G not having the tag is actually a return to the norm.

@OmegaChosen said:

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

They add that when they localize them and only starting with 3 even then. In Japan, Persona was a spinoff series that didn't carry the SMT tag from the very first one. They still don't actually, releasing each game as simply Persona #. P4G not having the tag is actually a return to the norm.

I find your logic sound and probably accurate, but my subtle rage is illogical and I don't know how to deal with that.

@Terramagi said:

@OmegaChosen said:

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

They add that when they localize them and only starting with 3 even then. In Japan, Persona was a spinoff series that didn't carry the SMT tag from the very first one. They still don't actually, releasing each game as simply Persona #. P4G not having the tag is actually a return to the norm.

I find your logic sound and probably accurate, but my subtle rage is illogical and I don't know how to deal with that.

Punt a cow until it turns into delicious steak. Devour said steak in a manner most befitting a carnivore. Repeat.

@OmegaChosen said:

@Phatmac said:

I'm not surprised that it doesn't have voice acting but I hope the next Persona game does. I'm tired of silent protagonist. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Not sure on them being more trouble but I'd definitely like it if in the next Persona game the MC actually speaks the lines you choose instead of just assuming he did. I mean, the MCs have voice actors, make use of them outside of going "hmm!" and "gah!" and shouting Persona names.

I agree, it would basically be the same as now honestly. I kinda find it annoying that it goes for example: >you tell them there's empty space inside. He already talks so much in battle like you said, so we know his voice, shoulda just showed his portrait and him saying: There's empty space inside. It doesn't bother me that much either way though, as long as they still have plenty of dialogue choices if they do voice the next MC.

@Terramagi said:

@OmegaChosen said:

@Terramagi said:

@wchigo said:

Granted... though if I were to nitpick I could argue that even though the series is known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, both Persona 3 and Persona 4 were released WITHOUT the SMT tag.

I'm looking at my P3:FES and P4 boxes right now, and it's definitely on there.

Any further re-releases, I can't speak for. Mainly because the lack of the SMT tag subtly enrages me and I choose to remain ignorant on the subject.

They add that when they localize them and only starting with 3 even then. In Japan, Persona was a spinoff series that didn't carry the SMT tag from the very first one. They still don't actually, releasing each game as simply Persona #. P4G not having the tag is actually a return to the norm.

I find your logic sound and probably accurate, but my subtle rage is illogical and I don't know how to deal with that.

Sadly Omega beat me to it but yeah. Since your subtle rage is illogical I suppose it can ignore the existence of the original Japanese releases and only acknowledge the localized versions?

@OmegaChosen said:

Punt a cow until it turns into delicious steak. Devour said steak in a manner most befitting a carnivore. Repeat.

Or this. Just make sure to also give up your womanhood.

Doesn't Arena set up a new, set protagonist in 5, which could fix what you are talking about? Or did I simply misinterpret that?

@Ghostiet said:

Doesn't Arena set up a new, set protagonist in 5, which could fix what you are talking about? Or did I simply misinterpret that?

Are you talking about that "One True Vessel" thing or something completely different?

@Ghostiet said:

Doesn't Arena set up a new, set protagonist in 5, which could fix what you are talking about? Or did I simply misinterpret that?

I've only gotten to the cliffhanger portions of Yu, Yosuke and Yukiko's stories and haven't made it all the way through yet, so I haven't seen what you mentioned. It'd be interesting to see if that's the case, though will they actually follow the events of Arena straight into Persona 5?

Personally, though I think it's unlikely, I really like Jeff's idea of Persona 5 potentially putting together the casts of 3 and 4 and having everyone work together. I'll admit that I played 3 first, but only for a few hours, and then proceeded to buy and eventually beat 4 before going back and just beating FES back in September this year so the cast of 4 holds a more special place in my heart, but I would have a total nerdgasm if what Jeff mentioned actually comes to pass.

Now I really want to finish Arena as soon as possible to see what you're talking about... rawr...

noooo. i like to put my voice into those lines. dont need another voice. get an imagination people. hes not suppose to have a "character" because you supposed to put the character in him,

@Ghostiet said:

Doesn't Arena set up a new, set protagonist in 5, which could fix what you are talking about? Or did I simply misinterpret that?

Are you talking about that "One True Vessel" thing or something completely different?

@Ghostiet said:

I didn't play it very carefully so I may be wrong about it, but doesn't someone receive a particular Arcana and resolves to find friends for a quest? I don't want to spoil shit to anyone, especially since I may be totally off the mark.

Yes, but everything that happens in P4A that people presume will be resolved in a future title has only been speculated to be the plot of Persona 5; nothing more. I personally don't think Persona 5 will have anything to do with it, at least primarily.

@wchigo said:

I still hope for a voiced protagonist in Persona 5 though, how about yourself?

I don't really mind. Catherine was all about player choice and it had a character with his own personality and voice, so I could see that working for P5. Persona 2: Innocent Sin's main character had an established personality (despite being the strong, silent type), so it would have been easy to imagine him with proper voice acting. Perhaps the team is reluctant to give Persona main characters their own voice, since that is apparently why they turned Maya into a silent protagonist in Eternal Punishment instead of giving her her own lines of dialogue.

If anything, I'd want the protagonist to have an established name so characters don't have to resort to "leader", "partner" and such names all the time.

i wouldnt be opposed to a speaking protagonist but a silent protagonist offers a lot of flexibility.

I don't mind having a VO for the lines that you pick, but writing a personality for the main character puts you on some sketchy ground. Keeping the main character mostly silent lets the player assign whatever personality works best for them in the context of the story.

For me the game just wouldn't be as good without American exchange student Chaz Malibu and his introducing sweet basketball skills to Japan, as the hero.

@Darkstalker said:

noooo. i like to put my voice into those lines. dont need another voice. get an imagination people. hes not suppose to have a "character" because you supposed to put the character in him,

That's certainly a valid opinion and you're entitled to it. I'm just saying that for my own personal preference, I'd like a speaking character. It just makes more believable and engaging for me rather than to have every one EXCEPT for the MC have any dialogue. I mean, even Fox gets "Yip yip!" lines... :p

For that matter, now that I think about it, it REALLY annoyed me when they gave Soap a voice in Modern Warfare 2 when you weren't controlling him, but as soon as you take over he goes back to being a silent protagonist. WTF? You already hired a dude to record lines for him, why the silly design choice? -_-;

@FluxWaveZ said:

@wchigo said:

I still hope for a voiced protagonist in Persona 5 though, how about yourself?

I don't really mind. Catherine was all about player choice and it had a character with his own personality and voice, so I could see that working for P5. Persona 2: Innocent Sin's main character had an established personality (despite being the strong, silent type), so it would have been easy to imagine him with proper voice acting. Perhaps the team is reluctant to give Persona main characters their own voice, since that is apparently why they turned Maya into a silent protagonist in Eternal Punishment instead of giving her her own lines of dialogue.

If anything, I'd want the protagonist to have an established name so characters don't have to resort to "leader", "partner" and such names all the time.

I suppose if they decide not to go with a voiced protagonist, I'd settle for an established name. With that being said, I doubt they'd do that as people will be up in arms about not being able to name their dude anymore. I kind of wish they'd go completely in one direction or another: as someone stated earlier in the thread, if the MC is meant to be an avatar for the player then introduce character creation tools into the game as well as naming your own dude. Otherwise, give the dude a name and some dialogue.

@casper_ said:

i wouldnt be opposed to a speaking protagonist but a silent protagonist offers a lot of flexibility.

I suppose... I think it works better in first-person games such as Half-Life since you generally don't see the character you play as.

@Ghostiet said:

@OmegaChosen

@Ghostiet said:

Doesn't Arena set up a new, set protagonist in 5, which could fix what you are talking about? Or did I simply misinterpret that?

Are you talking about that "One True Vessel" thing or something completely different?

I didn't play it very carefully so I may be wrong about it, but doesn't someone receive a particular Arcana and resolves to find friends for a quest? I don't want to spoil shit to anyone, especially since I may be totally off the mark.

Oh right, that slipped my mind. Well yes, that happened but I think said person may be too powerful to use as a potential protagonist. As a late game join, sure, but I think part of the journey is starting off weak and steadily becoming able to take on gods. Not to mention said person's goal may not invest players unless they've played the previous games.

@wchigo: You'll get used to Chie's voice and never think about it again. At the point I'm at now, I like it way more then the original VA, and I freaking loved the original VA. Going back to the original now though, she sounds a lot more flat in a bunch of areas.

@LiquidPrince said:

@wchigo: You'll get used to Chie's voice and never think about it again. At the point I'm at now, I like it way more then the original VA, and I freaking loved the original VA. Going back to the original now though, she sounds a lot more flat in a bunch of areas.

Yeah, I was already starting to come around to the new voice by the end of Yukiko's castle, but I still feel that some lines are over-exaggerated and can make her seem childish. I know that part of her darkness is she feels she's immature and such, but it is at a bit of contrast comparatively speaking to the rest of the cast. I mean, for all the talk that Chie "sounded old" previously, I felt in some ways you could make the same argument for Yukiko.

I guess I wish there was a bit more reservation to the voice, similar to the bits I've heard in Arena (I can't say for the Animation as I've only watched the fansubs thus far). The lisp also gets to me at times; I guess tl;dr is I don't hate the voice, but it's different and will take some getting used to.

@wchigo said:

@LiquidPrince said:

@wchigo: You'll get used to Chie's voice and never think about it again. At the point I'm at now, I like it way more then the original VA, and I freaking loved the original VA. Going back to the original now though, she sounds a lot more flat in a bunch of areas.

Yeah, I was already starting to come around to the new voice by the end of Yukiko's castle, but I still feel that some lines are over-exaggerated and can make her seem childish. I know that part of her darkness is she feels she's immature and such, but it is at a bit of contrast comparatively speaking to the rest of the cast. I mean, for all the talk that Chie "sounded old" previously, I felt in some ways you could make the same argument for Yukiko.

I guess I wish there was a bit more reservation to the voice, similar to the bits I've heard in Arena (I can't say for the Animation as I've only watched the fansubs thus far). The lisp also gets to me at times; I guess tl;dr is I don't hate the voice, but it's different and will take some getting used to.

It really gets toned down as the story moves on, don't worry.

@LiquidPrince said:

It really gets toned down as the story moves on, don't worry.

Glad to hear it, I've seen other people mention the same thing in the main Chie voice thread so that's reassuring.

I actually hope they add some voice acting for the new protagonist,but also hope for him to be silent at times. Only for important events in the game,however for social links in such I hope he stay quiet more often,but I would to hear a voice actor from time to time,but don't want to talk as much as his teammates since I still like the idea of an silent protagonist. However if they ever do this,I hope they get a different voice actor,I strongly disliked the voice actor in arena,it kind of annoyed me personally more than Chie's voice,however I liked Chie's voice better in Arena than in Golden. The voice actor for Golden,seem like she was trying to hard than she was in Arena.

@TohruAdachi said:

I actually hope they add some voice acting for the new protagonist,but also hope for him to be silent at times. Only for important events in the game,however for social links in such I hope he stay quiet more often,but I would to hear a voice actor from time to time,but don't want to talk as much as his teammates since I still like the idea of an silent protagonist. However if they ever do this,I hope they get a different voice actor,I strongly disliked the voice actor in arena,it kind of annoyed me personally more than Chie's voice,however I liked Chie's voice better in Arena than in Golden. The voice actor for Golden,seem like she was trying to hard than she was in Arena.

I like the Bosch, but he seems to only have one voice for all the characters that he plays. I don't know if that's simply a case of "Nolan Northism" (wherein the companies that hire him just want him to do that voice) or if he just doesn't have the range. I felt his voice was okay, but if they were to put it into Golden as-is it would've been TOO similar to Adachi's. I also COMPLETELY agree with you on the subject of Chie's voice: Arena vs. Golden.

But now that you mention it, fully voiced Social Links! Generally these are the most emotional moments of the game, and I think proper full voice acting could increase the emotional impact of these even more. Can you imagine the scenes with Nanako near the end of the game without VA? Thanks for reminding me about this, another big thing on my wishlist.

No thanks. Atlus can do whatever they want with the MC in Arena, but the MC in P4 is mine. Voicing him would ruin that feeling.

@wchigo said:

@TohruAdachi said:

I actually hope they add some voice acting for the new protagonist,but also hope for him to be silent at times. Only for important events in the game,however for social links in such I hope he stay quiet more often,but I would to hear a voice actor from time to time,but don't want to talk as much as his teammates since I still like the idea of an silent protagonist. However if they ever do this,I hope they get a different voice actor,I strongly disliked the voice actor in arena,it kind of annoyed me personally more than Chie's voice,however I liked Chie's voice better in Arena than in Golden. The voice actor for Golden,seem like she was trying to hard than she was in Arena.

I like the Bosch, but he seems to only have one voice for all the characters that he plays. I don't know if that's simply a case of "Nolan Northism" (wherein the companies that hire him just want him to do that voice) or if he just doesn't have the range. I felt his voice was okay, but if they were to put it into Golden as-is it would've been TOO similar to Adachi's. I also COMPLETELY agree with you on the subject of Chie's voice: Arena vs. Golden.

But now that you mention it, fully voiced Social Links! Generally these are the most emotional moments of the game, and I think proper full voice acting could increase the emotional impact of these even more. Can you imagine the scenes with Nanako near the end of the game without VA? Thanks for reminding me about this, another big thing on my wishlist.

From what I've heard of Bosch, he's got about three main voices. His most used one is his hero voice obviously but he's also got a normal neutralish one, which is sorta Adachi, and he's also got a higher pitched one that you hear a few times on background characters in the game (Almaz from Disgaea 3 or Renton if you watch anime are other examples).

In the Animation actually he gives Adachi a slightly higher pitched version of his neutral voice and Yu his heroic voice in order to differentiate them more.

@OmegaChosen: I haven't watched the English version of animation so I'm not sure about that,but I can tell the difference in voices definitely,but still can tell how alike they sound,and like I said,I'm not hating on him,he did a fantastic voice on Adachi,but that voice just makes the MC look annoying in my opinion or it was just dialogue because personally I hated it.

@StarvingGamer said:

No thanks. Atlus can do whatever they want with the MC in Arena, but the MC in P4 is mine. Voicing him would ruin that feeling.

And that's fine. Thoughts on giving the MC a voice going forward though?

@OmegaChosen: To be honest I haven't heard much of his voice acting, as I don't watch much anime in English anymore. I remember him from back in his Power Rangers days and I know he did some video game VA work (DMC4), but otherwise I only really remember him doing some short "documentary" on how recording VO works and he was doing it for the MC for Eureka Seven. Aside from that I know he does Ichigo in Bleach but I don't have much exposure to that either. But from what I do recall it's seemingly a similar voice (though now that I recall it, the Eureka 7 one is much higher pitched); I still do like him though despite what may be considered me ragging on him above.

@wchigo said:

@StarvingGamer said:

No thanks. Atlus can do whatever they want with the MC in Arena, but the MC in P4 is mine. Voicing him would ruin that feeling.

And that's fine. Thoughts on giving the MC a voice going forward though?

I don't think that would work very well for me.

Basically it's the Bioware conundrum. When you have a fully voiced MC, fully written out responses become problematic. It's hard to want to sit there and listen to a line of dialogue that you have already read in full, often with a very different sound in your mind. In games like this, more often than not, I find myself listening to the lines for the first hour of the game, then skipping them after reading them for the remainder. To combat that some games utilize abbreviated responses, only giving players the general gist of what the character is going to be saying. This leads to its own problems, as these vagaries can often be misconstrued resulting in line of dialogue not in line with the player's expectations. The clearest way to work around this, then, is to create a shorthand system to further define the nature of these responses.

However, in order for this sort of system to remain comprehensible, you have to restrict that shorthand to 3 or so extremely generic response types, typically Nice / Mean / Neutral. Once you reach this level of delineated abstraction, it becomes easy to approach your character from a very detached perspective. Instead of scrutinizing every dialogue choice as an individual decision, there's a tendency to always pick nice or always pick mean. It's less role-playing and more puppetry. While it may seem insignificant, the distinction between playing as "my Shepard" in Mass Effect and playing as "me" in Persona 4 is important.

If they end up adding voice while keeping the dialogue system in tact, I'll find it more of a distraction than anything else as the readings of the lines that I do in my head will feel truer than the ones delivered by the voice actor. And any systems they put in place to incentivize me to listen to the VO will most likely lead to frustration or a loss of investment in the character. In a world of fully-voiced everything, it would be a shame to lose one of the best examples of a silent protagonist done well.