Personality from characters comes from what they say and what they do, it it difficult to create a defining personality and build a development for a character when they are being described vaguely. Actual lines being read/(voiced), to me, is more immersive and roleplay friendly than some mysterious narrator dictating who says what in what manner, it makes the world feel a little more empty when there is little to no narrative being detailed.
Even if they took out the asterisks, even then, it would be still just as difficult to distinguish 3rd from 1st person.
