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Well, which do you prefer?  I prefer heroes that speak, and have some personality to them.  I know the mute ones are meant to be the player, but that doesn't really appeal to me.  However, that does not affect my opinion on a game.

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"So in the end
I will be-what I will be
No loyal friend
Was ever there for me"
-Gollum's Song, Emiliana Torrini

No, HELL NO!  I can't stand when an otherwise jawdroping leave-your-wife-at-a-friend's-house-and-turn-down-the-lights rpg goes and skimps on the main character

(and before anyone mentions Squall, that is not what she is refering to.  She's talking about Chrono or Link)

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"Number One, I order you to go take a number two."

Honestly, I think it depends on the game.

I really like the protagonist having a character in the FF games, and I think Chrono Trigger might have worked better with a speaking lead.  However, the Baldur's Gate games work very well with a character who only says what you choose - and this actually does affect the game, which, I think, is why it works.  A personality is also built up by the way the other party members interact with that character and his/her choices, which doesn't happen as much in Trigger.

I'd like to have a speaking lead because if they're mute, it seems like they have 0 personality and all they do is just fight.

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"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

I liked having a mute character in Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger, so yeah. It's a little different and it makes the main character more mysterious.

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Lou: There's a couple of guys fighting down at the aquarium, Chief.
Wiggum: Do they still sell those frozen bananas?
Lou: I think so.
Wiggum: Let's roll.

In general, I'd definitely prefer a protagonist who speaks his mind, as opposed to a completely silent one.  Adding dialogue is a crucial part of a character's development, especially in an RPG.  Without it, you really don't have much of an idea as to what the character is like, or how his/her personality works out.

However, there are rare exceptions to this.  I don't think Crono from Chrono Trigger would've been the same if he was speaking, the same goes for Serge from Chrono Cross.  Link, from the Legend of Zelda, was also a proficient mute hero.

Other than these rare gems, however, I really don't think a mute hero or heroine is a good thing for an RPG.

[EDIT: Quite right, JLombardi.  Sorry about that little mix-up!   ]

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"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."
~Dorothy L. Sayers

"The truly remarkable thing about television is that it allows several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely."
~T.S. Eliot

"Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as reality - in your own mind!"
~ Bruce Lee

it totally depends on the game...

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Why do kamakazi pilots wear helmets?

Silent death... I like the mute myself. It makes me think of Nick Andros from The Stand. Now he kicked ass, even if he isn't a rpg character.

Quote (Super Moogle @ 1 Aug. 2002, 15:36)

...the same goes for Squall from Chrono Cross.

Shouldn't that be Serge from Chrono Cross?

There's also the Secret of Mana and Legend of Mana main characters. If I remember correctly, they were also mute.

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Lou: There's a couple of guys fighting down at the aquarium, Chief.
Wiggum: Do they still sell those frozen bananas?
Lou: I think so.
Wiggum: Let's roll.

Quote (Jlombardi13 @ 1 Aug. 2002, 13:03)

There's also the Secret of Mana and Legend of Mana main characters. If I remember correctly, they were also mute.

Of course, Legend of Mana was different. It was more customizable, and I found it easier to get into the character's head, because, you are essentially the character.  If only more games with non-speaking characters were like that...

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"So in the end
I will be-what I will be
No loyal friend
Was ever there for me"
-Gollum's Song, Emiliana Torrini

No way, I would have a character wo speaks first...Unless the game mentioned them as mute. I mean sure, I'm some cases there is an exeption. I have an idea, why not base the characters attitude on a horoscope, that way the character might act somwhat like the player?...if you believe that sort of thing...

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At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

I forgot about Mario RPG. Now that game was funny with Mario not saying a word.

Quote (AnarchistDream @ 2 Aug. 2002, 03:44)

No way, I would have a character wo speaks first...Unless the game mentioned them as mute. I mean sure, I'm some cases there is an exeption. I have an idea, why not base the characters attitude on a horoscope, that way the character might act somwhat like the player?...if you believe that sort of thing...

Nahh.  Even if horoscopes were  true (which I vehemently believe they aren't), there are just too many inconsistencies.  I'm personally a Taurus (May 1), but I'm little like the personality it describes.

Still, it would be cool to have a main character who's tailored to your personality.  But I guess that would be way too hard for developers to create.

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"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."
~Dorothy L. Sayers

"The truly remarkable thing about television is that it allows several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely."
~T.S. Eliot

"Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as reality - in your own mind!"
~ Bruce Lee

Quote (Sylphid @ 2 Aug. 2002, 13:32)

I forgot about Mario RPG. Now that game was funny with Mario not saying a word.

There's a game that has a great mute character. In fact, I think Mario shouldn't speak, even in his new games. A grunt or a scream (when he falls in SM64 ) would be fine, but talking? Anyways, in Mario RPG, Mario would have to resort to actions to get his point across, and it caused for some hilarious moments.

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Lou: There's a couple of guys fighting down at the aquarium, Chief.
Wiggum: Do they still sell those frozen bananas?
Lou: I think so.
Wiggum: Let's roll.

Mute heroes drive me crazy.  The only personality they have is the one you give them, but for the most part, your choices don't affect the game at all.  So you can make your hero incredibly mean at some parts, but annoyingly nice at others, which is confusing, yet everyone still goes through the game with a smile on their pixelated faces.

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Overall, I'd like for my character to speak.  He/She would just seem more interesting that way.  I mean, Crono ownz and all, but if the main talks, it helps to develop the character, not to mention the story.  Certainly lessens the confusion, and the mocking too.  You can't imagine how many stories and flash stuff I've seen that bash on Crono because he can't say anything.

Although if the character is inhumanly annoying, I would just like them to shut up.  Yeah.  I also can't figure out what this smiley is for, so I'm going to use it right now   .

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

The problem with speaking characters is that Square often sucks at making the correct personalities for their main character, instead of them usually sucking (*coughSquallcough*). FFVI is an exception, but for the most part, I liked Crono a lot more than Cloud, Zidane, and Tidus.

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Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

It just really depends on the game. Final Fantasy games wouldn't work well (hence FFVIII, haha) with a mute lead character, but other games like Super Mario RPG would, because he "talks" humorously, and that whole game is pretty funny in a strange sorta way.

again, squall is not a mute char.

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"Number One, I order you to go take a number two."

Squall just thought alot, stupid malenutrished moron he was.

Silent all the way, SMRPG being a good example.  Besides, LoZ:OoT(Legend of Zelda:Orcaria of Time) was funny, remember all the times when he was subjected to overly commanding females, Zelda, The zora queen, Zelda's guard...
It's been to long.

Also, I personally have made some game scripts that poke fun at mute leads, in one episode, I've had a character sock the lead because they won't answer "Yes or No."

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My worst nightmare?

SQUARESOFT SURVIVOR!
OUTLIVE!
OUTSKILL!
OUTPLAY!

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Note*  This sig. is meant as it sounds, because who in there right mind would want this?

I like the idea of the Muted characters in RPG games or any game for that matter. Cuz i like to be in control of the thoughts that ur player has instead of having to read his thoughts or words on teh screen... after all you are controlling him so you should be able to think what you think he's thinking about.

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You were in my arms, clutching me tight
We were in the darkness, searching for light
Then you left me, all alone
To walk this world, all on my own!
--Rob--Zealous Apathy

Usually, I enjoy having the main character speak his/her mind, but then, there's always Super Mario RPG.

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Visit my useless site!
http://areldyb.tripod.com

Mute, hands down.  When they talk, we end up with abominations such as Squall and Cloud.

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"For consumption by the masses the political process must be colored like gingerbread figures at a fair."

Quote

Posted on 3 Oct. 2002, 15:28 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mute, hands down.  When they talk, we end up with abominations such as Squall and Cloud.

Or ones such as Cecil, Terra, Locke, and Celes, either?  </retard joke>

I usually prefer the hero to talk vs. him being ,me. That's just how I am.

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Dead Winter. A nice comic.

Really depends on how the game is written. Sometimes expressions speak louder than words and Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger are great examples of this. But if you tried to make Cecil mute, FFIV wouldn't have worked...

It all really depends on the game.

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"That Light has bestowed upon me the greatest black magic!"

Actually, the likes of Crono and Serge annoyed me partly because I couldn't imagine a voice to go with their personalities (weird, huh?) Mario's the only who worked for me.

This post has been edited by Galsic on 27th October 2005 15:21

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Console RPG Cliches

I think it depends on the game. I couldn't imagine a game like FFIV without Cecil speaking, but I didn't even notice that Chrono never talked until I was just about done with the game. It depends entirely on how well it's pulled off. Chances are, if it's really obvious that the guy doesn't talk, it's going to be annoying rather than cool. (Most gimmicks are like that--like how you never know the protagonist's name in "Rebecca", or Miss Parker's first name in "The Pretender"--if it isn't immediately obvious that you're being denied something, it's way cooler when you realize it.)

The Suikoden series is a good example of this. In Suikoden 1 and 2, the hero not talking works out okay. Either you control really key dialogue, or...it just isn't necessary to hear what they say. But in Suikoden 4, the main guy not talking is just stupid. He stands there with a dumb, uncomprehending look on his face, and people either talk around him or ignore him, and in every case, the conversation ends up being stupid because of it.

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Maybe it's because I seem to slightly prefer unfocused protagonist design--that is, no single or few main characters but all are about as important--but I prefer that the lead character have a speaking role. Or, at least an effective way of communication (a la Mario of SMRPG, as opposed to Crono of Chrono Trigger).

However, if the game is well-designed and well-scripted, whichever it is does not seem to matter much.

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Paper Mario's Mario being mute does provide for some amusing moments, and Chrono's absence of words does work. But I still like talking better.

Edit

150 post

This post has been edited by Barrylocke on 27th October 2005 17:49

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Dead Winter. A nice comic.