Games with silent protgonists are far from dead. Look at Braid or Limbo for evidence of games that thrive on gameplay and connect on a personal level. 'Splosion Man fits the bill, too. Nintendo characters like Mario, Kirby, or Donkey Kong should remain mute (for the most part), too. But Samus? In my opinion, she's the Nintendo character that NEEDS to talk. As long as she spends most of the time isolated like she does in pretty much every adventure she goes on, we won't have to worry about her spouting pithy one-liners (prince of persia style) or anything. But when she's around people, I want her to demonstrate her intelligence and personality. So far, all she has been is a hot girl in a suit of armor. Any one of us could create that character. By giving her a voice, Nintendo will give her a soul. As long as the gameplay is intact, I'm all for it.
