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Forums - Gaming - Mute protagonists. Good or bad?

arbitor365 on 14 December 2009

lets see......... a main protagonist with no emotion, character development, or personality................ whats not to like?



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gurglesletch on 14 December 2009

Silence can be weird though. Like in the first Resistance when that British woman keeps telling you crap that sounds like questions and you never say a word.




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dtewi on 14 December 2009

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.

"Heh. Look at Daxter talking for Jak. Funny. Heh."

Jak II

"... the fuck!?"

Daxter doesn't even serve a purpose in two except for comic relief! My god, the asses. I prefer Jak silent, thank you.



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trashleg on 15 December 2009
arbitor365 said:
lets see......... a main protagonist with no emotion, character development, or personality................ whats not to like?

In Link's case though, the emotion is visible all over his face, and his personality in the way he moves.  His eyes are incredibly emotive :D



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max power on 15 December 2009
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Mute protagonists are neither good nor bad. There are excellent games both with and without. It's just one method for video game storytelling.

I feel the OP's dislike of HL2 has nothing to do with the mute protagonist. The game would have added little by having a chatty main character.

My dislike of HL2 has a lot to do with Gordon Freeman being mute, because I don't like the storytelling, and the storytelling is shaped by him being mute. One specific example is not really worth noticing though, as it is the general principle I am opposed to.

Yeah... I don't buy it.  Gordon Freeman spent 95+% of the game alone... who did you want him to talk to, himself?



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Rainbird on 15 December 2009
max power said:
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Mute protagonists are neither good nor bad. There are excellent games both with and without. It's just one method for video game storytelling.

I feel the OP's dislike of HL2 has nothing to do with the mute protagonist. The game would have added little by having a chatty main character.

My dislike of HL2 has a lot to do with Gordon Freeman being mute, because I don't like the storytelling, and the storytelling is shaped by him being mute. One specific example is not really worth noticing though, as it is the general principle I am opposed to.

Yeah... I don't buy it.  Gordon Freeman spent 95+% of the game alone... who did you want him to talk to, himself?

For the mute-bit to work, he would have to have spent 100% of the game alone and he didn't. Everytime there was a character who talked to him, immersion was broken for me.

And whether you believe it or not, that's the truth. Take it or leave it.



max power on 15 December 2009
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Mute protagonists are neither good nor bad. There are excellent games both with and without. It's just one method for video game storytelling.

I feel the OP's dislike of HL2 has nothing to do with the mute protagonist. The game would have added little by having a chatty main character.

My dislike of HL2 has a lot to do with Gordon Freeman being mute, because I don't like the storytelling, and the storytelling is shaped by him being mute. One specific example is not really worth noticing though, as it is the general principle I am opposed to.

Yeah... I don't buy it.  Gordon Freeman spent 95+% of the game alone... who did you want him to talk to, himself?

For the mute-bit to work, he would have to have spent 100% of the game alone and he didn't. Everytime there was a character who talked to him, immersion was broken for me.

And whether you believe it or not, that's the truth. Take it or leave it.

So, the immersion would have been better if you heard someone else's voice coming out of your character?  That makes no sense at all...



Cheebee on 15 December 2009

Depends on the game, really. It fits for some games, for others, not so much.



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Rainbird on 15 December 2009
max power said:
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Rainbird said:
max power said:
Mute protagonists are neither good nor bad. There are excellent games both with and without. It's just one method for video game storytelling.

I feel the OP's dislike of HL2 has nothing to do with the mute protagonist. The game would have added little by having a chatty main character.

My dislike of HL2 has a lot to do with Gordon Freeman being mute, because I don't like the storytelling, and the storytelling is shaped by him being mute. One specific example is not really worth noticing though, as it is the general principle I am opposed to.

Yeah... I don't buy it.  Gordon Freeman spent 95+% of the game alone... who did you want him to talk to, himself?

For the mute-bit to work, he would have to have spent 100% of the game alone and he didn't. Everytime there was a character who talked to him, immersion was broken for me.

And whether you believe it or not, that's the truth. Take it or leave it.

So, the immersion would have been better if you heard someone else's voice coming out of your character?  That makes no sense at all...

Okay, I'm just going to quote myself, because I've already said this quite a few times in the thread. Read through the thread if you want more details.

Rainbird said:
mirgro said:
I feel like HL2 has one of the best story-telling elements out of any game. Silent protagonists are what the strength of Video Games as a medium is all about. If you wanted a movie and things, go watch one. In the game YOU are playing.

Again, HL2 has one of the best narratives in all video games.
Opa-Opa said:
Dunno what you guys are saying ... I feel silent protagonist provide players with such a deeper level of immersion into the game, than a boisterous, over zealous character.

Citing: Mario, Link, Gordon Freeman, Claude Speed (GTA III), Chrono, and many more iconic protagonists.

There's so much more in-game interaction and empathy on part of the player due to the "masked" characteristics of the silent hero.

That's exactly what I am not getting. I know it's not me in those situations, it's a different person with different strengths and characteristics from myself. These characters feel like muppets to me, and why the hell would any NPC talk to a muppet like it's a person, when they are thoughtless shells made to look like a person. It just feels so disconnecting, and breaks immersion for me.


max power on 15 December 2009
Rainbird said:

Okay, I'm just going to quote myself, because I've already said this quite a few times in the thread. Read through the thread if you want more details.

I've read through it.  You just come across as looking for reasons to dislike HL2 since it's such a well liked game

(It was just voted "Game of the Decade" on Crispy Gamer, by popular vote)

 

As far as I'm concerned, your complaint is just as valid as complaining that Mario games have no story... different things work for different games, and the mute protagonist 100% worked for Half Life 1 and 2.  Half Life 1 was in many ways revolutionary in how First Person Shooters told stories.  I think you're just late to the party and don't quite understand what you've missed.