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[Draugoth]

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will have a voiced main character: 'it draws the player in that much more', says the game's ex-Bioware narrative designer

To voice or not to voice, that is the question.

www.pcgamer.com

Bloodlines 2 will feature a fully voiced protagonist, the studio revealed Speaking to TCR's Arone Le Bray, the game's narrative designer, about the project, and particularly about the game's newly announced protagonist Phyre (pronounced "Fire"). They'll be fully voiced in the vein of RPG protagonists like Mass Effect's Commander Shepard, Cyberpunk 2077's V, or the Inquisitor from Dragon Age Inquisition. That's a major departure from the first game, which leant on a more Dragon Age: Origins-meets-Bethesda style of doing things.

"Ultimately," says Bray, the choice "was down to, 'How immersive do we want the story to feel?' What having a voiced protagonist and a slightly more established character gets us is, we can go deeper into the customization, and deeper into experiencing [Phyre's] role by doing that—as opposed to trying to go more broad and encompassing all the various possibilities"

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Voiced protagonist is RPG is not immersive, you absolute idiots.

 

[crackajack]

Voiced protagonist is RPG is not immersive, you absolute idiots.

disagree. Silent protagonists always weird me out in anything. Where my character is just standing there and looking like an idiot push me out of any immersion in a world. I never want to actually be my character, pretending I am talking or some shit, I just want to watch a properly told story and voicing every character is part of that.
Maybe they can make it optional, turn it off and everyone can be happy. The other way round would be impossible for that.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

disagree. Silent protagonists always weird me out in anything. Where my character is just standing there and looking like an idiot push me out of any immersion in a world. I never want to actually be my character, pretending I am talking or some shit, I just want to watch a properly told story and voicing every character is part of that.
Maybe they can make it optional, turn it off and everyone can be happy. The other way round would be impossible for that.

In the best RPGs, YOU are the character.

 

[GamesDontSuck]

Voiced protagonist is RPG is not immersive, you absolute idiots.

... erm .... isn't your avatar JC Denton from Deus Ex tho?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

... erm .... isn't your avatar JC Denton from Deus Ex tho?

Yes. And voiced protagonist is not exactly why that game is immersive.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Voiced protagonist is RPG is not immersive, you absolute idiots.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I guess Larian, the current kings of the genre, didn’t get the memo. I’m sure having Troy Baker reading all dialogue would make the game a true masterpiece. GTFO.

 

[hyperbertha]

My own character narrating the dialogue I picked is a nuisance and annoying. I just read through the dialogue to pick it. Non voiced is simpler, fast, and let's me imagine my character's personality, thus aids immersion.

 

[The Cockatrice]

I guess Larian, the current kings of the genre, didn’t get the memo. I’m sure having Troy Baker reading all dialogue would make the game a true masterpiece. GTFO.

No one said mute protagonists are bad either. The statements that voiced protag and mute protag are immersive are both true. That being said, I'm in the camp of voiced protag if they have a good male voice. Deus Ex games amazing protag voice, Witcher as well, Cyberpunk as well and many other and they were all as immersive as BG3 or Dragon Age Origins. I fucking love male V's voice, so underrated. Nohomo tho.

 

[-Zelda-]

I guess Larian, the current kings of the genre, didn’t get the memo. I’m sure having Troy Baker reading all dialogue would make the game a true masterpiece. GTFO.

 

[Holammer]

Voiced protagonist is RPG is not immersive, you absolute idiots.

I suppose your forum avatar does not signal your love for Deus Ex then?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

No one said mute protagonists are bad either. The statements that voiced protag and mute protag are immersive are both true. That being said, I'm in the camp of voiced protag if they have a good male voice. Deus Ex games amazing protag voice, Witcher as well, Cyberpunk as well and many other and they were all as immersive as BG3 or Dragon Age Origins. I fucking love male V's voice, so underrated. Nohomo tho.

Are you sure you’re not confusing action RPGs with RPGs?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

My own character narrating the dialogue I picked is a nuisance and annoying. I just read through the dialogue to pick it. Non voiced is simpler, fast, and let's me imagine my character's personality, thus aids immersion.

This exactly. Let us role play.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

I suppose your forum avatar does not signal your love for Deus Ex then?

Where have I said that I love Deus Ex for being RPG game with immersive dialogue? Try harder.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Are you sure you’re not confusing action RPGs with RPGs?

Do you really think Bloodlines will be a pure RPG? Your hopes for this game are higher than most it seems. Still, even if its a pure RPG, I would prefer my character to have a voice, if at all possible.

 

[Big Baller]

They'll be voiced?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Do you really think Bloodlines will be a pure RPG? Your hopes for this game are higher than most it seems. Still, even if its a pure RPG, I would prefer my character to have a voice, if at all possible.

No, don’t think that and no I have 0 hopes for the sequel. I was only commenting on the statement from the developers.

 

[The Cockatrice]

No, don’t think that and no I have 0 hopes for the sequel. I was only commenting on the statement from the developers.

So if its an action rpg like Cyberpunk, then you wouldnt mind if it was voiced? When I say voiced, I automatically assume very well voiced, nothing less.

 

[Warablo]

It works for Cyberpunk, but it was horrible in Fallout 4.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

So if its an action rpg like Cyberpunk, then you wouldnt mind if it was voiced? When I say voiced, I automatically assume very well voiced, nothing less.

I do mind it because Cyberpunk could use a deeper conversation system.

Luckily for all of us with the way technology is progressing, this won’t be an issue in the near future.

 

[TastyPastry]

Phyre sounds really fucking stupid

 

[Big Baller]

Phyre sounds really fucking stupid

 

[ungalo]

Character design is shit, no customization. Not going to give this game its twentieth chance, at some point you got to let go.