Not always about what we “see.”

I've always been against mute characters. I hate the "!" *turns around* *guy starts talking about life* sort of thing. Dark clouds Toan does that, and that's what I'm playing so bleh. but on the same level, Nintendo likes to contradict that whole ordeal of dialogue in gaming. When I played twilight princess, I rmred being furious that link wouldn't talk; remembering this article I'm reading right now that Nintendo wants you to be immersed in the characters and you think about their decisions. What if you didn't want to save Timmy from the boar monster? you're not GIVEN that choice, it's not a "choose the good or evil side" thing other games have, you're the hero, and in turn you do heroic things. no matter how trivial. Thats why I love playing ff7, Cloud didn't go "a dress? I guess for the HEROIC DEEDS OF TOMORROW! I SHALL WEAR THIS DRESS! YOUTHH". no XD he went "wtf. no." and Aerith goes "um UHUH do it or I won't be your girlfriend." "your not my girlfri- *shoves dress on him* ....." XD

As cloud, the dude whom we know has a good heart and would be just as heroic as Link, he adds the sarcasm and, yknow, a personality of his own to deal with.

Some people think that we JUST COULDNT LISTEN TO LINK TALK OMG NO RMR THEM CDI DAYS. And because people are narrow minded, Nintendo feeds off this. you do realize that makes it easier for them to produce games is without dialogue right? ahur hur voice actors cost monay. why do you think they have so much of it? As a firm dub believer, I think that they could do it dammit. And I think this is a horrible reason not to. Tidus, whom is voice by Jonathan blah blah Taylor, voice actor of ratchet as well, I never had a problem with until I had heard from others he was whiny. but even if he was "whiny", his travels with Yuna made for a great story. without dialogue, I think people would have seen Tidus I guess as the great hero, when in fact he only grew as a person into the hero that most protagonists are.

Not to say I haven't had my share of non-talking fun. Many of Nintendo's games include zero dialogue, where other games, such as dragon quest 8, really have a "mute protagonist." this, isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Hero allies himself with very chattery people who all interact in interesting ways, where he ends up not being seen as you, but more as a kid who likes seeing his friends strike up conversations. he's there, somewhat as you, but also as hero. I think it's a nice mix.

If I was "link" in playing twilight princess, for the life of me I don't remember what Midna said that one time, my first interaction with Zelda, no, my nostalgia of playing it goes to how hella difficult parts of the dungeons are, or your first time using a new weapon. Is that how I'm supposed to be remembering a plot-heavy ridden story? it is an RPG, after all, I can't remember for shit what happened in the plains of ff10.

A great example of the mute turned dialogue ridden is the Jak and Daxter series. Jak, in the first one, was good friends with Daxter as we can see, proclaimed the hero and rolled with it. But as his life took for a much darker turn in Jak 2, he indulged himself in not saving haven city; but defeating the baron Praxis for the dark eco he pumped into Jak. Only dialogue could give you this sense that he changed, I mean you can make as many D:< faces as you want, but nothing stands out like " Jak? you ok? for once in your life saaay somethinnnngg aaAHH" "IM GONNA KILL BARON PRAXIS!" and see he's not the goody too shoes hero he once was. But as he moves toward the end of the game, Jak begins to cherish his friends and protect them from the metal heads. into 3 he once again grew, thinking his friends had abandoned him as one of the chancellors of haven city threw him out of the city, but eventually protects his new home as the hero he was as a child. pretty touching eh?

Either way, I think what matters is good storytelling. Level 5, the group that made dark cloud that I'm currently playing, came to grow as a developer, making DC in 2000, dragon quest 8 in '04, rogue galaxy in '06 (another rpg on my list), and even came to create the professor kayton montage with their line of Professor Layton games in 07; now working with studio Ghibli to combine their storytelling with Miyazaki's artistic form of such. Shows how much they can grow, like many talking, and mute, protagonists. :D

Lastly, your opinion please? What do you consider to be an ideal workings of your main character and universe. Should they talk, or should their words be in your mind?