What do u think of Voiceless heroes in games?

I prefer voiceless heroes.  In Prey, for example, I just found Tommy annoying, because he was saying things I wouldn't say and wasn't thinking, and it broke the immersion in the game.

I think one game did it very well (Half-Life) and now its become a poor imitation really. Oblivion is a great example of the way in which it detracts from any form of characterisation. A voice would have added highly to the class you chose. You really have no idea who you are, no matter if you choose a Thief or a Mage. 

Both HL games were highly successful in immersing you into the fiction of their worlds. There really wasnt a need to have the main character speak. The action of the machinery of Black Mesa, the citizens of City 17, the NPCS filled you in on the story, the situations.

I like the way HL did it - it works - but I also prefer a bit of wit and some characterisation too. I think one of the best games to nail that was Thief. Great voice acting, witty comments that reveal the arrogance of Garrett. 

It is a shame that for such an iconic character - one of the most recognised in gaming - that Lara Croft had so little to say throughout Anniversary. You would that they would go to some lengths in a prequel to explain how the character came to be. I want to know more about Lara Croft!! They could really write an interesting history about her! One of the problems is that she doesn't have anyone to talk to in most of the Tomb Raider games. Legend went some way to fix that by adding Zip - so hopefully he'll be back in Underworld with some smart things to say. I can't believe in the demo he was trying to be funny saying: "Check your PDA. You can use it at any time unless you eat it. Then you'll have to wait an hour." What the hell....do these script writers read what they write? 

the strong, silent type - that's me and that's for me !!

:p

I don't mind either, I think voiced heroes can be less forgiving, as you can really miss the character and then the player gets detached, or worse hates themselves. Dead Space guy was mute, only a few times in the game did I want him to say something, but he didn't

If they don't say anything, then sometimes I'll just say out loud, oh yeah I just told a video game where to go!

I prefer voiceless heroes.  In Prey, for example, I just found Tommy annoying, because he was saying things I wouldn't say and wasn't thinking, and it broke the immersion in the game.RobertBowen

Yeah, but in The Witcher, Geraly usually says what i mean even when i can't choose what too say... It all depends on the developers.

I agree with the OP, Mass Effect was a great example of how dialogue in a game should and can be. The days of the "silent hero" main character are quickly coming to an end as decision-making becomes more important in game design.DGFreak

The good thing about ME was that you were able to control the dialogue (to an extent) so you could still play the character as you wanted, and make him/her say things that were similar to what you were thinking.

I prefer voiceless heroes.  In Prey, for example, I just found Tommy annoying, because he was saying things I wouldn't say and wasn't thinking, and it broke the immersion in the game.

RobertBowen

yeah .... for me similiarly in case of prince of persia : warrior within the prince's constant whinign was very annoying 

I like both voiceless and voiced. Both work for me.JP_Russell

Same here. As long as it's well done, I don't mind either alternative.

If link talked in Legends of Zelda he would just be annoying. After all therre was the saturday morning cartoons.lenson

Excuuuuuuuse me, Princess! 

Nothing takes hedgehogenstein out of an immersive game experience quite as abruptly as bad dialogue or voice acting.

Several of the most iconic games have had mute protagonists, too. Half Life, System Shock 2. Then again, for every Half Life there's a Max Payne and for every System Shock there's a Thief.

I guess, when executed properly, both are fine, but there is a greater risk of bad voice acting or dialogue when there is voice acting or dialogue, so mute characters have the advantage.

The thing about mute characters is that I feel far more connected to them because they'd never say things I wouldn't say, or in a tone I wouldn't use. Controlling a character (where I am that character) who says something I would not say, well, I'm no longer that character.

im not bothered.

sometimes i think it would even be a terrible move to add VO work to a character. it would just be wrong to see gordon freeman speaking for instance imho. to go a bit outside PC for a mo, i also think it would be bad to see link from the legend of zelda speak, or samus aran from metroid prime start yapping (god id love to see metroid prime on PC...never going to happen but just thought id mention it :P).haveing a speechless character sorta allows the player to have a bit of themselves in the game. it works best when theres no cutscenes though (like in HL2).

however for some genres i think VO work needs to be used for the main character (or at the very least text you read). an RPG like mass effect or the witcher wouldnt really work as well if the main character was completly silent.