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Not in an RPG, where character development is an integral and defining part of the genre. While it makes for some humourous moments in games like Crash Bandicoot, if I'm gonna take a modern RPG seriously then the character better do something - the only game where I can stand it is Chrono Trigger, because it was executed well and didn't get in the way of conversations.

Edit

I think I was slightly more RPG-focused than this thread was intended to be, so I'll mention that I'm indifferent to it in games of practically any other genre and ever somewhat for it in platformers.

This post has been edited by Mimic on 27th October 2005 19:45

I think maybe you should've added a "I don't care" choice; which is what I do. A speaking character is nice, but when the main character is silent, I don't mind. (ie. Link, Chrono, Serge). I won't not play a game just because the main character doesn't say anything. Silence obviously didn't stop Mario from becoming a mega hit (I understand that's a slightly different circumstance, but I'm making a point here)

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"It is a part of human nature to be evil, and it is a part of human nature to destroy evil, therefore, when evil is destroyed, so will be the human race..."
- Atma

As they say-

It is better to remain silent and let others think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
(Squall...Zidane....(Insert other irritating character))

Then again- Sometimes a character can speak and be well done. It doesn't matter to me so long as the character is done well and so is the game. Chrono, Link, and Kirby are all examples of a character that needs no words to be cool.

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If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

I suppose it does depend on the game, but in general I would probably prefer the speaking lead. I like knowing more about the motivations of my leads and often that is best achieved through lots of dialog.

to me it doesn't really matter, i like both, but between the two i'd have to say talking

it adds to the fact that it's an rpg and that you are playing as the hero

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"Have you ever seen a baby do that before?"

I hate it when the heros don't talk. I don't even know why. It just bugs me.

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eh?

When it comes to RPGs, I'm not partial to silence or speech--each can be pulled off gracefully as the examples given show. When it comes to platformers or action/adventure games that repeat the same phrases over and over when you jump or side-flip (etc.), I'd much prefer that they were also silent.

Like Tiddles referenced to three years ago, Baldur's Gate games give the player some freedom as far as what to inquire about to NPCs, and that's a great medium, I'd say.

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It's gonna be a glorious day
I feel my luck can change

I guess I prefer speaking main characters, as it gives more room for character development and character interaction, but like basically everyone's already said, sometimes muteness can be done quite well (Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and most of the Dragon Warrior/Quest series comes to mind). What I'm really interseted to see is how it turns out in Dragon Quest VIII, but I think it's the only game I've ever heard of with a mute main character and not only speaking, but voice-acted supporting characters. Now there's a game that I'm interested to see how it turns out.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

It really does depend on the game. If i had a choice i'd go the with mute hero becouse you can kind of make your own character and can think what he might say. And if it's voice acting i'd so go with the mute hero. But in games where you can play more than one character like FF6 a Speaking hero is pretty cool. (Still i made a spur of the moment choice and voted mute)

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"You know that feeling you get when you're on a merry go 'round, and you want to jump off to make the spinning stop, but you know it'll suck when you land? I feel like that all the time"- Keno

"I stab my girl until I fall down"
-Yukari
Do you like Horny Bunnies?

Personally, I like the Idea of the characters being able to talk, but not have a voice (actor).

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Neneko is Neneko because Neneko couldn't be Neneko if Neneko wasn't Neneko!
--as quoted from Neneko, Mahoraba {Heartful Days}

I can stab a man with a thick paperback book thru the ribcage.

Tidus should've been a mute. Other than that, I trust the developers.

I just don't trust English/American voice casters.

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Whether you take the doughnut hole as a blank space or as an entity unto itself is a purely metaphysical question and does not affect the taste of the doughnut one bit.

http://slightly-bitter.blog.co.uk

Well, as an example, if Link spoke I think I'd hate him. Not really, he just wouldn't be as lovable. I like him seeming clueless yet determined, speaking would ruin the character he has.

And on the defensive, Squall was perfect the way he was. I've known people jsut like that, and they are much more interesting people than those like Tidus!

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The first duty in life is to assume a pose,
and the second duty is...well, no one's found out yet.

Quote (Tiddles @ 1st August 2002 06:05)

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 completely agree with what Tiddles said (over three years ago). The Baldur's Gate series (or any Black Isle series, for that matter) captured exactly what I wanted to be able to do the most: Choose what I want to say, to give the hero a personality rather than use what was given in the game. Therefore, I could go one playthrough as a benevolent hero that does what is good for the world, or a maniacal murdering psycho bent on destruction.

But given the choice, I'll take a character with personality (speech) over one that has none to speak of, quite literally. While a mute hero can be interesting in the sense that you can assume yourself in that character's role, I find it just too odd that they simply don't interact with the game that they are the essential part of. Characters with a personality can give you a good backstory, as well as an excellent conflict with the antagonist of the story. Mute heroes must rely on outside narration, rather than telling the story in their own words, which is not my favorite style.

For the most part I think it depends on how they pulled it off. Crono was done really well, but it wouldn't work if a main character from FFVI didn't speak.
What I don't agree with is that the assumption that "he/she doesn't speak therefore he/she has no personality." There are plenty of mute characters with personality.

I'd have to go with mute for this reason: It's fun to insert your own dialogue for the main character.
Goron: "Am I free? Have you let me go?"
Link: "No."
Goron: "Thank you!"
Link: "Weren't you listening? I said no."
Goron: *walks away happy*
Link: ~sighs~"You are what you eat." *takes small key, then continues with quest*

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When life gives you lemons... SQUIRT THEM IN PEOPLES EYES! Mwahahahahaha! *Squirt* Ow! Hey, that was my job! *Squirt* Knock it off! *Squirt* I want my mommy! Waaah! *runs off*

The moral of this story is *Squirt* Ow! *Squirt* Okay, okay, no morals.

Hmmm, there are lots of people saying Crono worked, and quite frankly, I can't figure out why. I can't agree with most of ye because, from what I can remember, Crono doesn't really do much of anything. He nods his head here, shakes his head there, and once or twice he pumps his fist in the air (outside his victory animation, that is). Mario, on the other hand, pantomined everything and generally bounced all over the place. That shouts "spunk" to me, which is why it worked. Crono making some general gestures that everyone else does (and probably more than he does)? Where's the personality or development there ?

Even Baldur's Gate was limited in the way it handled dialogue, but at least the response choices there were much more imaginative than the usual yes/no in Chrono Trigger.

Basically, I ain't truly happy unless the character has a realized personality (be it through actual dialogue or Mario-style antics) or I have full control of that character (as per true RPGs like DnD).

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Console RPG Cliches

Even without too many nods, arm pumps, and other animations you can still tell how Chrono feels for the most part. I disagree with Squall being a mute as I think his character was interresting enough, plus I liked the darker story in the first few discs. Tidus should have been mute, it may have hindered the story some but it turned a mediocre game into a bad game. Every time he spoke I died a little. The combination of his obnoxious voice and sheer stupidity were worse then 8's poor combat system.

I don't really care that much. If they can pull it off without a speaking main character, go ahead, less work.

Some protagonist that don't talk are awesome, like Crono, who has a personallity, he defines awesomeness. If he had a voice, he wouldn't be as cool. Besides, the other characters in CT were well written, they didn't need Crono to talk.

But having a voice doesn't mean personality or cool, like Squall, who was so much like me that I don't almost despisehim. Or Cloud (an real a**hole if there ever was one), who tends to say dumb and mean stuff to my favorite ninja babe Yuffie.

Curious thought: If there was a game based on me, the hero would have to be mute.

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Really Random Quote of the Day: "Short of changing human nature, therefore, the only way to achieve a practical, livable peace in a world of competing nations is to take the profit out of war." - Richard M. Nixon

So if you're done reading this, you know I have nothing to say and you've wasted your time. Thank you come again.

Depends on the game
But id prefer speaking heroes
altough the ones who speak not(link) or rarely are nice too

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It takes 2 people and a weapon
to commit a murder

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is mystery,
today is a gift, thats why we call it the present.

I think it's kinda cool to have a mute character, but only if you get more personal options about your own character such as to make choices that affect your personality and what happens to you in the future.

If it's that kind of game, then sure, why not have a character that doesn't say anything that bluntly dodges anything you might have had them say, given the choice of the kind of person you wanted them to be.

If it is a game that is like a train, and follows a very set line of tracks until you get to the end of it, with little options to change the storyline or the little things, then a Speaking character would be best suited to give personality to him.

Cloud (FF7)-- He is a good character to have lines, because in the storyline, his personality is his whole background that you have to go through in the game, to find out about what happened to him and what he was like and went through and all. He Needs dialouge (Am I spelling that right?), so making him Mute would just be wrong entirely.

Serge (Chrono Cross)-- He is a good character to have mute, because in the storyline, there are multiple (And I mean multiple) choices that you have to pick throughout the game that affect you in-game. What you choose makes what happens. To quote Legend of Mana-- The world is shaped by your imagination.
So it's okay to have him as a muted character, because he is who You want him to be as the hero.

Cloud (FFT)-- (Yes, I know he's the same guy.) Seeing as how he doesn't relate directly to the story of this game, it would not be unreasonable (I mean, if he wasn't already used in a game.) to have him as a mute character. To the rest of the characters in the game, they have no idea who this mysterious young man is anyway, and he doesn't change that in the game at all.
So if he wasn't already in FF7, he would make a good Mute character as well.

Speaking for me, chrono trigger was great, even though Chrono didn't speak, it didn't bother me, if the game had voice acting in it, definetly speaking, i would hate havinga silent character where everyone else talked.