Speculation Should future mainline games have voice acting?

[Juliyet]

This got brought up in an unrelated thread, so I figured I give this topic its own thread, cuz I think there's a lot to discuss here.

Soooo voice acting. That's a thing a lot of people seem to want to see in future gens. Others are very much against it. What do you think about it?

I could go either way. Like it would be jarring after all this time and, but it could help the games feel more alive in places. That being said, I don't see it realistically happening with the timeframe they like to churn the games out.

 

[Queen Of Space]

I feel like if they keep with the pseudo pre-rendered cutscenes voice acting may benefit the games but I only really think it be good for the pre-rendered cutscenes and nothing more

 

[mastermind lissi]

Unpopular opinion, but I don’t really want voice acting. If it does get it, it’s not gonna stop me from playing a game, it’s just gonna feel weird to me. I like making my own voices, too!

 

[carpology]

i'm also not too keen on voice acting, i think... i definitely understand why people want it, and if they added it i wouldn't be upset. i don't think it'd be that strange for them to add it eventually, either, considering the fact that we already get voices for so many characters with the various anime they do and with pokemas. but despite that it's not something i actively want to see. it would just feel strange to have it in the games after all of this time, and unlike for others, i feel like it wouldn't add much for me? i'm fine with the silences of the cutscenes, it doesn't really feel awkward to me. and maybe it's an irrational fear, but i kind of worry it would be a pipeline to having the anime cries for the pokémon in the games, which would be nightmarish...

 

[Bolt Strike]

It'd be nice to have, but not a priority. I'd rather they focus on the gameplay before upping the presentation.

 

[Stratelier]

I personally think that partial voice acting could work very well for Pokemon -- by which I don't mean recorded voice lines, but instead generic "voice samples" like we had in most 3D Zelda games (or for a current example, Cassette Beasts). This conveys a sense of what the character's canonical voice is, but leaves the player free to fill in the rest of the dialogue on their own.

Even in games with no attempts at any voice acting, sometimes there will still be a signature sound effect when the game types a specific character's dialogue (e.g. Undertale).

 

[Bolt Strike]

I personally think that partial voice acting could work very well for Pokemon -- by which I don't mean recorded voice lines, but instead generic "voice samples" like we had in most 3D Zelda games (or for a current example, Cassette Beasts). This conveys a sense of what the character's canonical voice is, but leaves the player free to fill in the rest of the dialogue on their own.

Even in games with no attempts at any voice acting, sometimes there will still be a signature sound effect when the game types a specific character's dialogue (e.g. Undertale).

Masters EX already does this actually. That would be a nice budget option, but I'm not even sure they should carry that much over to the main series. Feels like it would just take time and money away from more immediate concerns such as game design, content, and bug testing.

 

[colours]

i'm really not looking forward to the fanbase having one more thing to argue about in the form of quality of voice actors as well as whether x voice actors should've or should not have been selected for y character, so as much as i personally would like such as thing as well, we can probably do without.

 

[Eitarou]

I've seen certain spin-off games with voice acting like Pokken.

If that's the quality we're working with here. I'd like it to stay far away until we hire some decent voice directors, please.

Limited voice acting like Masters could work, I suppose.

 

[lisianthus]

@Sheeer do you think it'd be good to edit a poll onto here? your choice LOL

I think it'd be really cool to have, kind of like what Masters does, but at the same time... I guess guessing what characters sound like in your head is also part of the fun, too? Not to mention giving people more to argue about isn't fun, but I think that maaaaybe if done well it'd be neat! I guess I'm not fully opposed to it, basically.

 

[Anomolicaris]

No since I'm so used to reading all the dialogue that having to listen would throw me off and make me feel like I'm playing a different game.

 

[Salmancer]

I wouldn't mind the addition of voice acting, but I'd be slightly sad. I happen to like pretending to be a voice actor and reading dialogue aloud, so this would reduce my enjoyment of a game. I ultimately wound't mind too much either way though.

If it's fandom arguing we're worried about, the games should use Banjo-Kazooie style assorted grunts/sound effects for all voiceover. This would appease people who want to know what characters sound like and unite the fanbase in saying,"that's a poor fit for Pokemon".

 

[mastermind lissi]

Also, there will probably be a conflict between the anime and game voice actors, because they probably won’t hire the same people for them bot. That’s probably gonna throw me off in terms of their voices.

 

[Juliyet]

@Sheeer do you think it'd be good to edit a poll onto here? your choice LOL

Ya know what? Good call. Went ahead and added one

 

[mastermind lissi]

I voted no cause I don’t want it, but if voice acting does end up in the games, I’m still gonna play them.

 

[Greninjaman]

I voted either way because I don't care too much as long as it's not overly annoying.
I know some games where you can turn off the voice acting. Octopath Traveler has a volume slider for the voice acting, meaning you can turn it off by bringing the slider all the way down to zero.

 

[Princess Viola]

I feel they should at least for cutscenes but I doubt they ever will even give them the budget for voice-acting in the mainline games. But I also personally don't care if they do or not, I just feel they kind of want to use voice acting at times but they just can't do it.

I know some games where you can turn off the voice acting. Octopath Traveler has a volume slider for the voice acting, meaning you can turn it off by bringing the slider all the way down to zero.

All games with voice acting need to have that. If your only option for adjusting volume is all of them at once and not being able to adjust the volume of the music, sound effects, and voice acting individually, then you've failed from an accessibility POV, if you ask me.

 

[Norzan]

Also, there will probably be a conflict between the anime and game voice actors, because they probably won’t hire the same people for them bot. That’s probably gonna throw me off in terms of their voices.

Which is a non-issue because many games made out of anime have different voice actors. Not to mention many people that play the games don't watch the anime to begin with.

Voice acting can greatly enhance the experience because i can't think games like Xenoblade Chronicles or The Witcher 3 without their fantastic voice acting because those games's voice acting make a lot of scenes far better than if it didn't had voice acting.

The problem specific to pokemon is that for several years now the games are clearly rushed out the door to meet the holiday deadline that i can't see the games ever having voice acting. They can barely do bare minimum because how little time and budget the games are clearly given (just look at the state of Scarlet and Violet at release and even now) that there would be no time to hire voice actors and give them directions on the voice acting. Not to mention having to do it for multiple languages because it would be kind of weird to just have voice acting for English and Japanese.

 

[Poke Trey]

Yes to having va's, though I would like to have more than JP and ENG ones cause I find it quite limiting with some games that only give you few options. Like I want to experience the thing other languages like I have on streaming services. Just hope the games can do the same.

 

[Stratelier]

Feels like it would just take time and money away from more immediate concerns such as game design, content, and bug testing.

Money? Yes, of course. But time? No. You're (hopefully) not pulling anyone off the coding team, asset artists, etc. to moonlight some VA work.