The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii U / Switch

[M_rock]

I'm not sure about voice acting. In games where it's done well it really adds alot (like w101), but on the other hand I really appreciate the lack of it as a choice in style. The way twillight princess did midna was perfect to me, so maybe more of that? I'm just thinking that all the talk about legends and heroes might sound really cheap with voice acting. And I would rather have no voice acting over bad voice acting.

[Hogge]

Speaking of voice acting - are we pro or against it?

 

To be honest, reading scripts does feel a little aged... But of course, I will always be anxious with how VA is implementing. I would say Nintendo don't seem particularly great at it... Looking at Mario Sunshine and FLUDD etc.

 

Seeing how other companies have helped Nintendo with their own franchises lately, I don't see anything stopping them from collaborating in this department.

 

I must reiterate: a lack of voice acting is not "part of the Zelda formula". Back in the N64-days, it was excusable because OoT and MM were massive games, stored on tiny cartridges. After playing the likes of Goldeneye and Mario 64 before OoT, I was pleasantly surprised they fit cutscenes at all.

On the Gamecube, that excuse was no longer valid.

 

Whether Nintendo at this point thought that they could get away with being cheapskates on their own killer-app franchise, or they had no clue of what tje rest of the game industry had been up to for the last decade or it really was that costly for Aonuma to implement his gimmicks is anyone's guess.

 

 

So my perfect Zelda: Silent Link and fully voiced NPC's.

[Kav]

Regarding voice acting: I'd like to see it done in the way Midna had a 'voice'.

 

Give races a quirky langauge to talk and still have them translated for us in speech bubbles.

 

This is how I want voice-acting in Zelda to be. It gives a sound to their voice which you can then interpret into your language.

This, for me, is much better than having different language versions where the voices for the characters all sound so different!

 

Whenever I heard Ganondorf's grunts I read what he said in the same sound of his grunts... it'd all be lost if some randon people talk and don't have that oomph because of the way they sound.

[Goron_3]

Silent Link.

 

Voice over's for everyone else.

[Jonnas]

I second the "Grunts work just fine". It's not like Zelda has dramatic, thought provoking stories that benefit from it. They're playable adventure/fairy tales, like reading from a book.

 

Also, they would have to write the game so that Link's name does not appear in the dialogue, defeating the purpose of getting to name him.

[Shorty]

Agree with your first point, disagree with your second point. Many modern RPGs handle that just fine by having the text say your name but the NPC say "he" etc.

[Fused King]

Let us, however, not forget the way in which the powerful story of the Subspace Emmisary was told: practically no voices whatsoever!

 

I'd say, if anyone can do it, it's NINTENDO and co.

[Cube]

Agree with your first point, disagree with your second point. Many modern RPGs handle that just fine by having the text say your name but the NPC say "he" etc.

 

As well as various nicknames. Zenimax managed to do voice acting for an entire MMO without it feeling odd that your name wasn't mentioned.

 

Although I'd be OK if they got rid of that aspect. I've never used anything other than "Link".

[Jonnas]

Agree with your first point, disagree with your second point. Many modern RPGs handle that just fine by having the text say your name but the NPC say "he" etc.

 

Maybe I could rename Link to "You" or "He" to reflect what a voice would say "You're the Hero of Time, you!" "Curse you, Zelda! Curse you, Sages! Curse you, you!"

 

On a more serious note, some rewriting would still be required. You always see cutscenes from Link's perspective, too, characters will mostly use the name to talk to him, and I personally prefer not to be reminded of obvious limitations imposed on the writing.

[Hogge]

Maybe I could rename Link to "You" or "He" to reflect what a voice would say "You're the Hero of Time, you!" "Curse you, Zelda! Curse you, Sages! Curse you, you!"

 

On a more serious note, some rewriting would still be required. You always see cutscenes from Link's perspective, too, characters will mostly use the name to talk to him, and I personally prefer not to be reminded of obvious limitations imposed on the writing.

Well, there are numerous solutions to this problem.

 

The first and most obvious question is: is it really important that Link isn't referred to quite simply as Link? Gordon Freeman never speaks and is never seen in-game for the very reason of you imagining that you're him. But all characters refer to him by his name. In Mass Effect you can even change gender, appearance and background story of your character. Yet he's allways referred to as Commander or Shepard.

 

In OoT, very few characters refer to Link by the players name. Most characters use terms like "mister" and so on.

What if Link is a soldier in the game? So he is referred to by his rank.

 

"You must get to the Master Sword before Ganondorf, Commander", for example.

 

Or you could find a solution like in Skyrim, where the main protagonist is referred to as "Dragonborn". Hero of Time is obviously too much of a mouthful to call someone, but the principle remains: use a title instead of an actual name.

 

 

Also, speaking of Mass Effect: since Link is supposed to mirror the player, does anyone reckon that Nintendo may introduce a female version of him? So you can choose at the start?

[Blade]

I would not want to see voice acting in Zelda. I read the text in the sounds/grunts/noises they make initially. There's no need for voice acting. It could possibly ruin all perceptions of the Zelda characters.

[Jonnas]

Like I said, if the others refer to him as "Sir" or whatever, it completely defeats the purpose of letting us name him.

 

And yes, I would prefer to name him (and I'm sure I'm not the only one who does). Is it needed? Not really, but it's a generally nice touch that has always been well received. Like Link's green tunic, or pointy ears.

 

I would love to see a female version of Link. That's something they should definitely look into.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Also, speaking of Mass Effect: since Link is supposed to mirror the player, does anyone reckon that Nintendo may introduce a female version of him? So you can choose at the start?

 

Oooh, how about a male Samus while we're talking about silly things like these. I'm not even gay and I'm getting a semi just thinking about it.

[Kav]

How about a transgender Link, or a Link that's a hippopotamus?!

 

Link isn't supposed to be "us". Link is simply an avatar through which we play the game. He was aptly named Link as he serves as the link between the player and the game-world. He's not supposed to be us in the game.

 

Keep Link as he always has been... and don't be sacrilegious and name him something other than Link!

Edited May 29, 2014 by Kav

[Ville]

Well, you could always just have a Majora's Mask type alternative world game where the sexes have been reversed, and see what comes of it.

 

Link: teenage girl

Zelda: Prince of Hyrule

Ganondorf: Queen of Gerudos, which are all men (worrying dynamic)

Navi / whatever annoying sidekick: boy fairy / spirit

etc

 

Might actually be interesting!

[bryanee]

Not once have I ever named Link anything other than Link.

[Ville]

You guys actually name him Link? I never do that...

[Glen-i]

You guys actually name him Link? I never do that...

 

Unless there's some customisation options, I always use the default name.

It just feels weird otherwise.

[Kav]

You guys actually name him Link? I never do that...

 

Ville..!!!! Nooooooo! Why?! Just... why?!!!!

 

He should always be named as Link!

[Hogge]

Personally, I always call myself Link the first time around in each game. Then, I use something else just to be able to tell the savefiles apart.

[dazzybee]

The character is link. He's called link. In smash he's link. In soul calibur 2 he's link. In the cartoons, instruction manuals, books, tshirts he's link. He has games with his name in the title. He's link. I can't believe they even give us the option of changing his name.

 

For me, silent grunty link and give everyone else either full on voice acting or alien tongues. And everyone can call him Link. Because that's his name.

[bryanee]

You guys actually name him Link? I never do that...

 

Its his name. I don't even know why they bother giving you the option to pick a name, its not something like Mass Effect where you can kind of put yourself in that character and make the choices you think you'd make in that kind of situation.

[Ville]

Well it's not like it's a real person or anything. I usually use some variation of my own name, and it just feels more personal. I mean you're supposed to identify with the main character anyway, so it helps that. Playing as "Link" just doesn't feel right at all to me...

[Retro_Link]

I've always used my own name for the first playthrough at least,

[Pestneb]

Thus we see why they give the option to play with either Links name or another name of the players own choosing. Link could just be the name given to the "chosen" one, his real name could be anything.