Would you like to see the protagonist talk?

Would you like to see the protagonist speak in the new Poke games? Or do you think it would take away from the game?

I personally think it could work well so long as the story and dialogue is good and they don't mess it up.

I would like it. It is weird how you are the only one who never is shown speaking.

I don't really mind. I do enjoy how not having it makes me think of the responses my character is saying in my own voice.

Pretty indifferent about this. And really, when you look at it, series with silent protagonists tend to do pretty well, wondering why that is. Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Jak and Daxter (at least for the first game), and several others have gotten pretty popular. So really, I think it'd ruin the sense of the games a bit, since you're supposed to be the protagonist after all, the choices are all yours, and I'm guessing that's kinda what they're aiming at here. I just don't think pre-scripted dialogue for your very own trainer kinda fits into it all, but yeah, that's just my opinion.

Nop. I wouldn't feel that I 'm the protagonist.

no, not in main series games at least.

It was kinda weird with the scripted PokeStar talking. I guess I'm just not used to having the protagonist talk. So I'm going to say no on this one.

The silent protagonist of the Pokemon series was specifically designed to be an avatar of the player, for them to name themselves and journey as themselves; this is eventually why they added the feminine option, so girl players could do likewise and not have a masculine character. Thus, based on this conclusion, having the protagonist speak would be a change too dramatic to be considered; it would remove the self-reflection of the game, the feeling that it is YOU who is doing that.

Having the protagonist talk wouldn't affect anything else, really, since the character development is how the Pokemon grow - it's different from a traditional JRPG - and for what? To develop a story that's already pretty basic, to add a central, already-named character that completely makes the franchise go against itself? How would that make sense?

In a word, the only answer is no.

Having the protagonist talk would completely pull me out of the immersive world. I've played terrible, awful games where the main character was supposed to be my avatar, and they also talked. For example, Digimon World DS: the character dialogue makes me want to cringe every time. "Say it isn't so!"

Pokemon could easily descend into awkward translations and bad jokes if you allowed the main character to talk. It takes away the personal attachment to the character too... I mean, sure, I can get attached to characters with back stories and personalities, but when these are supposed to be my Pokemon, and my decisions, it'd feel pretty impersonal when you take that away.

Definitely going to say no to this one. It's acceptable in other games but not for the main-series Pokemon games. In other video games you aren't the player character, but rather playing as them; in Pokemon, you are the protagonist. Forcing you into a backstory would damage that heavily. The only reason why it was acceptable in PokeStar Studios for the protagonist to speak was because they were reading off a script.

I would but since they haven't done this for 16 years now I don't think it would seem right.

Not at all. This isn't a sentiment I hold specific to Pocket Monsters either. I've seen it put it quite succinctly as the problem of 'I only have three lines and none of them is what I want to say' and it's a problem endemic to role-playing video games. And at the end of it the story is still the same anyway, more or less. If gameplay-based games' stories could branch like visual novels do, that would be quite exceptional; in any case I don't think Pokemon will be or should be that exception.

Oh and if this is just about straight-up fixed dialogue, that's plain worse; I would like to think that video games with the gall to call themselves RPGs are now beyond that.

I would only tolerate this if the main protagonist had witty things to say. Like smart-ass comebacks or something.

Don't mind me, I'm just a witty person like that. XD

Rivvon said:

Definitely going to say no to this one. It's acceptable in other games but not for the main-series Pokemon games. In other video games you aren't the player character, but rather playing as them; in Pokemon, you are the protagonist. Forcing you into a backstory would damage that heavily. The only reason why it was acceptable in PokeStar Studios for the protagonist to speak was because they were reading off a script.

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This, pretty much. I like to sort of add my own stories and feelings into it, like imagining how I'd react to things happening, instead of having it scripted into the game for me.

No. I'm perfectly comfortable with the protagonist not talking because he/she isn't supposed to. It's you who are playing and it's a personal avatar you name. I like to add in my own dialogue for the player sometimes and if the protagonist would actually talked, that would take out personality of the thing.

Not really.Yes and No are good enough for me.

I don't think the idea of the protagonist talking in the games is a good idea. First of all, it'll be a HUGE change from all those years of the protagonist Not talking throughout all these years. Such a change would be quite hard to adapt to and might make game play not as personalised and as real. Well, it IS You who are playing, not another character, so they should let you have your own personal 'dialogue' with the other characters in the game. :)

In my opinion, if they insert talking protagonists, I can foretell a huge decline in sales (correct me if I'm wrong). Game Freak wouldn't like that now, would they?

It would be good to see the protagonist actually talk in certain points of the game, a la Mystery Dungeon, or at least possibly see their thoughts. But I think GameFreak made them silent on purpose to leave it up to the player's imagination on what they'd say.

Winter's Dew said:

I would only tolerate this if the main protagonist had witty things to say. Like smart-ass comebacks or something.

Don't mind me, I'm just a witty person like that. XD

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I agree with this xD Sure, the silent protagonist is basically a "tradition" for Pokemon games, and people here have listed a lot of good reasons why. But a small change like the protagonist speaking from time to time (nothing important) wouldn't bother me at all, so I voted yes.

i would if you could choose what to say