I know this might make me sound like a BG:I/II grognard but I still like the way dialogue would be 'half-voiced', the first line of dialogue would establish the character and the tone, and then sometimes again to underline a dramatic point or important information. I feel like this could allow a lot more dialogue to be added as well as sidestep the issue of consistent acting. Of course playing Wrath of the Righteous right now, which does this, and it's not exactly perfect either.
For the MC it's different, because how important the voice of character is can depend on how much they have establish characteristics. Like the difference between Commander Shepard and Gordon Freeman.
I bought the enhanced edition and keep getting sidetracked by irl issues LMAO.
That's not a bad compromise. I feel like consistent acting can be a problem, but also dialogue in these games can sound kind of bad when performed by an actual human being, haha. I get that exposition is just an inherent part of the high fantasy genre but boy can it get grating at times. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I would love it if more metered dialogue existed, especially in games with a focus on voice acting. There's a lyricism to it that sounds so good when read aloud.
Although in the case of WoTR, I do wonder how much clunkiness revolves around translation issues. I know the studio is based in Russia but I'm not sure how much effect that has on their writing process.
The cost of VA work is probably the most compelling reason to keep it at a minimum for me. But I'm not entirely sure how their contracts work--are they paid per line voiced? I heard vague rumblings about the voice acting union a few years back but regrettably never tuned into the conversation.
I like initial voice followed by reading for games with lots of text on the screen (like Disco Eleysium and DOS2), as I read instead of listening anyway. In cinematic games like TW3 and DAO, good voice acting is essential.
I despise voiced protagonists in classic rpgs, but enjoy them when I play a predefined character. They have to be excellent tho. M and F commander Shepherd in ME, Geralt in TW3, and male Eivor in Ass Creed Valhalla were all exceptionally good. M and F Hawke in DA2 were both cringingly bad. It makes a difference for sure.
I haven't played an AC game since Black Flag so can't really comment there. I've never been a fan of Mark Meer's Shephard, personally. He isn't outright bad but I find him a touch bland. Shepard strikes me as more of an in-between type of protagonist than Geralt. Geralt feels really, really defined as a character in terms of backstory while Shepard is a lot more malleable and open-ended. Although I've read the Witcher books so that might be biasing my perspective a bit. Mostly agree otherwise.
But I really really really miss french voices we had in BG1/2. Short sentences like in Pathfinder but translated... It's NEVER gonna be possible in BG3. It could have been if dialogs were not all fully voiced in EN.
I feel a bit stupid for not considering perspectives outside an English one. Good point.
