Ways They Can Add Voice Acting but Not Totally Change the Series

[DuelMark]

I recently listened to a 6 way review of Skyward Sword. Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits was one of them and his suggestion is that series implement voice acting to "flesh out their characters". I could be wrong and someone else said that or something similar. The point is they made a suggestion I don't agree with unless the game was non-canon, like Super Smash Bros. The reason I don't think voice acting works isn't just because of the cartoon and the CD-I games, but because players have the option to rename Link, thus we must have the voice actor magically insert every possible name, which isn't very likely or possible. However, I do think there are ways of using voice acting that CAN work. Sure, they can avoid the name like in, say, Skyrim, but The Legend of Zelda is a series with a specific character with the same default name so the idea of them never saying Link's name makes him even less a character and more just something the player can use in the game.

The best example I can think of is in Epic Mickey. Only one character has actual audio dialogue, and that's the narrator, Yen Sid, as played by Corey Burton. So it is very likely we can have a voice actor who narrates the game to us, making sure never to say Link's name, just referring to him as "the young hero". If they want, they can reveal at the end of the game the narrator was Link, recapping his days as the hero.

How do you think they can implement voice acting without making major changes?

 

[SNOlink]

I don't know how a narrator would work for Zelda. My initial response is that it wouldn't work, but when you think about it, it at least seems like a relatively good idea. I don't exactly know if it would work, but for that, there'd either have to be a fan video with that or an actual Zelda game with that.

 

[guapo2003]

Nah, I don't see them even having a narrarator working. Zelda is just one of those games they don't need voice acting to be great!

 

[JuicieJ]

It's pretty simple, really. Only use voice-acting in the cutscenes and use the Hylian language. That's actually what I'm hoping for in the future.

I don't see the how adding voice acting would change the Zelda series drastically at all, actually. I feel that there is too much fear towards change, but we need to wake up and realize that Zelda is getting old and cool motion controls only feel awesome and new for a game or two. I personally think voice acting is completely fine as long as Link himself doesn't get a complete voice. As stupid as it initially sounds (it really is stupid) I would prefer it if the "Link is the connection between the player and the world of Hyrule, therefore he doesn't need a voice" stayed traditional.

That basically sums up my exact thoughts on the topic.

...but because players have the option to rename Link, thus we must have the voice actor magically insert every possible name, which isn't very likely or possible.

As Erebea said, there are games that feature voice acting that don't mention the protagonist's name. These games would be RPG's where players get to name the character, such as the The Elder Scrolls series and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

 

[cucco002]

Do the games need voice acting?

 

[JuicieJ]

Do the games need voice acting?

Do video games need to exist?

 

[unknown]

I can think of maybe adding some more, as well as realistic voice sounds, but not having an entirely voiced dialog. Keep the text boxes, but just add a little by the way of sounds. maybe just a few words as a greeting to link. Look back at the days of Baldur's Gate. It had voice parts, but it wasn't completely spoken out. Otherwise just make it so the only name for link is Link.

 

[Irishmile]

I welcome voice acting.. having played the games since the first one when it was brand new I am what you could consider an "old school" fan... On of my other favorite franchises didnt have VA when I first started playing.. that was Monkey Island.. then in the 90's they hired an actor (Dominic Armato) to voice the lead character Guybrush and it was brilliant... I think if taken seriously (which I have faith Nintendo would) and if they hired the right actor even the biggest naysayers would start to enjoy listening to Link talk and interact with other characters... then you would be able to have more dynamic cut scenes and sequences because you would no longer be focused on a little box with text, you would be enjoying what was being played out on screen....

Yes I know, Guybrush was given clear dialog and Link never has.. but I am in the "Link talks" camp.

 

[Fame Killz]

link talking is never / should never happen. nintendo knows this.

 

[Kupsacker]

Well, if I had to choose between the two, I'd rather there have voice acting than ability to name Link. Link's name is Link and I think it should stay that way, lol.

 

[Koosholts]

Well I'd agree with the other people that if voice acting did occur I wouldn't want Link to get a voice, and that really isn't too different then the other games out there with voice acting currently so I don't think it would be a problem.

To me, voice acting would only enhance gameplay, storyline, pretty much everything honestly. Although I'm glad they focused on getting Zelda into HD rather then getting it into voice acting because I feel HD is more important. If they do both, well then hey, that's fantastic.

One thing I hope they do NOT implement if they choose to do voice acting is actually a flaw that Skyrim had. In Skyrim, when you walk up to people, even though you don't click a button to actually talk to them, they still talk to you! When going through a town it becomes extremely annoying hearing random voices start a conversation then abruptly end only to here another person start talking to you after that. It made me so angry I completey murdered everybody in Whiterun and Dragonsreach because of it.

 

[Blackbaldrik]

I say this every time the subject comes up: If there must be voice acting, it should be entirely in Hylian, it wouldn't make fans too angry, it would be extremely cool to actually hear the language of Hyrule(maybe with different dialects from game to game), give super-fans a fictional language to learn, it would provide pretty much all of the bonuses normal voice acting would, and it would save Nintendo tons of money on voice actors.

That said, I'd still prefer it if voice acting was left out of Legend of Zelda, it has never needed it, and I don't think it ever will.

 

[A Link In Time]

I say this every time the subject comes up: If there must be voice acting, it should be entirely in Hylian, it wouldn't make fans too angry, it would be extremely cool to actually hear the language of Hyrule(maybe with different dialects from game to game), give super-fans a fictional language to learn, it would provide pretty much all of the bonuses normal voice acting would, and it would save Nintendo tons of money on voice actors.

That certainly is interesting. I advocate for voice acting but don't understand what problem people perceive with the current text. Do they not want to read? If so, then people have dipped down so low...But anyways, I say that because if people don't want text now, why would they want Hylian voice acting and subtitles. It's certainly an interesting idea and one I would support but quite probably not the majority.

 

[DuelMark]

I say this every time the subject comes up: If there must be voice acting, it should be entirely in Hylian, it wouldn't make fans too angry, it would be extremely cool to actually hear the language of Hyrule(maybe with different dialects from game to game), give super-fans a fictional language to learn, it would provide pretty much all of the bonuses normal voice acting would, and it would save Nintendo tons of money on voice actors.

That said, I'd still prefer it if voice acting was left out of Legend of Zelda, it has never needed it, and I don't think it ever will.

I like this idea as well. Speaking in a different language, therefore still needing those subtitles.