Why was the silent protagonist so popular in older games? I hate

Voice acting is hard to put on a chip game.

harkens back to the wrpg idea of role playing, as in: playable characters are empty vessels for you to fill with life. never liked that. never liked it either when jrpgs were stuck with that concept.

Just play the game, who cares if the character speaks or not. I'd rather not, actually.

>>2886420
You can take your pick really.

Technological limitations, budget limitations, story reasons, desire for the player to identify as the protagonist and to increase immersion. Or even just a lack of reasons to have the protagonist speak, he's often the only friendly character in retro games. Would the Super Mario Bros really have been improved with Mario giving a speech at the end of each level?

>>2886474
?

Not him. But put forth an effort.

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>>2886420
Oh, is that so? I think I found the perfect game for you.

>>2886420
you remade this /v/ tier thread?

Everybody who's playing the game is going to have a different personality, so it's understandable that in certain situations game developers would not want a protagonist with a set personality because he might irritate or annoy players. I personally don't mind it as long as the main character doesn't act like a complete Fag like in FFX

Didn't we just have this exact same (failed) thread a few days ago?

>>2886520

Yes. /vr/ is repeating itself in an attempt to have legitimate discussion. But the autists and trolls have ever-so-much more patience and time, so it isn't going to work.

>>2886420
Play any game in the SaGa series, the lead will always talk while the rest of the party for the most part will remain silent except during events.

What's wrong with silent protagonists? I'm working on a game with one, and I'm curious about your take on it. You're not gonna change my mind but I'd like to hear what your problem is with them exactly.

>>2886420
Because it took until 6th gen for disc based storage to actually be a standard for consoles.

>>2886562
>You're not gonna change my mind
what's the point even. shit like that with nothing at stake is just idle sophistry.

>>2886420
...
>>2886562
...

>>2886575
>>2886581

Maybe just maybe there's something about the way silent protagonists have been done before that rubs you the wrong way that can be improved on? The only person that's said anything as to WHY they're so bad is >>2886441

>>2886596

>>2886441 and >>2886575 are both me. silent protagonists are narative foreign bodies. they produce inconsistencies in storytelling, inherently and structurally so. if you think you're smarter than that, fine, whatever.

>>2886562
My problem with them is that simply being silent doesn't make up for all the other stupid shit the protagonist has done or will do (is forced to do). I generally can't relate to protagonists and expecting me to insert my voice in them just makes the dissonance worse.

Oh how cute, more modern gaming kiddies trying to force their story-heavy modern gaming shit on REAL GODDAMN GAMES OF THE GOOD GAMING AGES.

Fuck off, children. Go watch movies and stop playing your pseudo-games.

>>2886460

But there was almost no dialogue in Super Mario Bros. The silent protagonist is more noticeable and annoying when everybody else talks like if it were normal.

>>2886767
That's a good point.
Like, I'm free to give my character any personality I want, but I'm still forced to help all those people I don't care about?
At this point, you might as well just go "ok, you're playing as a good guy, here's how we see the character"

Been playing FFX HD

Wishing for silent protagonist

>>2886802

Really wish some modern games would bring back the silent protag.

>>2886491
yo fuck off I love awesome possum

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>>2886420

OP is a faggot

Like holy shit, I haven't seen an OP this picky or stupid in a long ass time. How would Mario talking affect the game at all, dude?

Considering how often they still screw up on voice-acting (and don't provide options to turn it the fuck off), I'm thankful for silent protagonists. Holy fuck, shut the hell up nameless second-rate actor, you're worse than hiring out the Osborn family to do all the parts.

>>2886929
In most modern societies, that would be a inevitable declaration of a mental handicap.

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>>2886420

>I prefer cutscenes to gameplay

>>2886776

>le millenom meme

Because kids used to have imaginations back then and could make up their own voices

>>2886420
so the will of the character never contradicts the will of the player

>>2886460
This mostly.
Also don't fix what isn't broken, it's cheaper and saves space and developers can pass it off as 'muh immersion'. I personally like it but I get that others don't, I mostly played various fighting games plus Mario and legend of Zelda series as a kid, mostly silent protags.

Yabba dabba doo I like talking to you~

>>2886420
This is why I didn't revive Crono in my CT runs and always replaced him with Magus as lead.

Because the player is supposed to take the role of the protagonist. If the protagonist is basically a doll that you can implant yourself onto, it goes a lot more smoothly. It ensures that you never feel disconnected from the protagonist, they do as you say because they are you.
It has its place, but obviously there are some cases where a written character works best as the protagonist.

>>2886474
Yeah, it's not like anyone would seriously post an anime image on an anime website.

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>>2886776
>story-heavy modern gaming shit