What's the appeal of a silent protagonist? How are you supposed to care about a character if you're not even sure they have a functioning frontal lobe? It seems lazy. I have the same problem with the Shining games.
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What's the appeal of a silent protagonist? How are you supposed to care about a character if you're not even sure they have a functioning frontal lobe? It seems lazy. I have the same problem with the Shining games.
It's called projection.Quote:
Originally Posted by zetastrike
Well, considering that the writing in most Square games are terrible, i think it's best to have an silent protagonist like Chrono ( which is only bland ) than to have something like Cloud ( bland and annoying ) or Tidus ( a joke ).
On the Shining games, that doesn't concern me, since you ( the Player ) are the main character in the game.
The GBA fire emblems actually make you (the player) appear in the game as a mysterious wandering strategist and the characters talk to you. It's quite awkward but I always thought it was cool they did that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bottino
I was going to say that the silent Chrono is the only thing I didn't like about CT, but I think you've convinced me otherwise. Square writing is terrible. I remember playing FFVI (III) and thinking how wooden the characters felt. I still love the game, but couldn't give a crap about them as characters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bottino
I'd say the PS1 Square games are pretty enjoyable (never played Chrono Cross) and the writing is pretty good for video-game standards. Clear, accessible, strong characterization, and helps you get into the world. Saying Cloud is annoying makes me feel like you are focusing more on the post-FFVII bandwagon than the game itself!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bottino
Man, how am I supposed to care about Ico? Or Link? Or the Vault Dweller? :? I can't even be sure they have a functioning frontal lobe!Quote:
Originally Posted by zetastrike
FF 8, your argument is invalid.Quote:
Originally Posted by EmperorIng
Yeah, a character doesn't need to emote or have a personality in a story dependent game.Quote:
Originally Posted by EmperorIng
Every time this comes up, my first thought is Snake Eyes. You know, the most popular G.I. Joe character, who has carried stories before.
Ico talks...Quote:
Originally Posted by EmperorIng
It works fine for Samus Aran in the Metroid games.Quote:
Originally Posted by zetastrike
Forget I said it. I just think for the main character to never utter a word in a dialog heavy game is strange.
G.I. Joe had way better writing than square though. Snake Eyes was still a driven, self sacrificing, and heroic character even without speech. Chrono was more of a damn robot that the robot in your party was. Another point is that everyone knows Snake Eyes doesn't talk. In a game where you're supposed to be naturally interacting with other characters and NPCs it just comes off as a little strange sometimes. Compare the first Jak and Daxter game with it's sequels. The engaging and deeper personality he gets in the later games doesn't detract in any way, but really adds to the experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by midnightrider
Another example is the Legend of Zelda games. It wasn't a big deal in the 8 and 16 bit era when at most your interactions amounted to answering yes or no, but in the 3d games the character comes off as kind of dull most of the time. The only real exception in my opinion is toon link with his expressive facial features and body language.
Just my two cents. They're all still great games where it really counts, and CT is still one of my own favorite SNES games.
A game that has its own hate bandwagon invalidates my argument? Ok. The writing is fine; not as good as FFVII or IX, or Tactics, but nowhere near as terrible as X. It still has atmosphere, music, and enemy design to make the ride enjoyable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamahl
Not necessarily. Ocarina of Time pulls it off. The Avatar in the Ultima games feels fleshed out because the characters in the games, across the series treat your actions as meaningful and impactful. Ryu in Breath of Fire 3 gets across a lot of personality thanks to great sprite animation (still a silent protagonist). Not speaking =/= not having emotion or personality.Quote:
Originally Posted by zetastrike
I recall ~three lines, something to the effect of "Let's get out of here", "Why were you locked up here?" and "We're almost out of here!" =)Quote:
Originally Posted by j_factor
There's a significant amount of speech when he first meets the girl. Plus, he speaks every time you use the call command.Quote:
Originally Posted by EmperorIng