Was the english voice acting necessary ?

[24Nathan]

Fine. Every NPC over every game. Better now? I don't have to blindly like everything in the series you know. Kids sound like nails on a chalkboard, old people sound hilariously bad and certain characters (lets take Noriko for example) sound bored out of their mind. Wang in Shenmue 1 sounds slow (as in, he's speaking at half speed) and Ine San ain't much better. Only characters I can stand in 1 are probably Tom, Chai and maybe Lan Di. The rest either crack me up or do my head in. For 2, I only played in English once and my same points stand, except for maybe Ren who I seem to recall was at least half decent.
For 3 - same thing especially with old people and kids.
Also - "false" is definitely an opinion, I don't have to like the voice overs, and in all three games I'd find it hard playing them in English ever again, certainly don't want 4 to ignore a Japanese dub as it'd hurt my enjoyment noticeably. But hey, I also don't ask them to remove English VA either, because I get for whatever reason some people actually like the "charm" of it.

You can whine about actually having to explain a point all you want, but if you're going to make such a hyperbolic, broad generalization, be ready to defend it, or go somewhere else. I'll sleep like a baby regardless.

Seems like you are free to call my "false" an opinion, as if I don't recognize what one is, when:

Unless they plan on actually paying for decent performances for the English dub... Because 1-3's are terrible.

Again, have all of the preferences you want, I don't care what language you speak or care to hear or read. But don't come in here patronizingly insulting someone else's preferences. I quite like how Ine - san sounds. Am I less of an English speaker? No. Get over yourself.

 

[Dehone]

No, but I grew up on the dub so I want it in there even if it isn't the best. But it does need to improve on some level, especially after 3. And it wasn't really the voices itself as much as it was the unnatural flow of conversations. The forgetting of shit that just happened: Ryo being surprised Shenhua doesn't like carrots when she told him 45 seconds earlier, forgetting important shit Yuanda Zhu told him like 3 weeks earlier, etc.). I think of Ryos interactions with people as being similar to when you order food and the server tells you to enjoy your meal and you say "you too".

Also, damn if Ryo demanding Lan Di fight him didnt sound completely underwhelming in Japanese in S3. Like damn, he sounded lounge he was confronting Enoki or Charlie or some other scrub

 

[Ruffles]

I thought A Plague Tale was better in French as well, but as has been mentioned, some people don't like reading subtitles.

For example, not to pick on Italians, but in Italy, the majority of foreign TV programmes are dubbed, rather than subtitled. In the UK, we tend to favour keeping the original language and adding subtitles. (In the US, they usually make the programme again themselves from scratch, e.g. Forbrydelsen/The Killing).

For the Shenmue series, the ideal would be each character speaking their natural language, but this would be more time consuming to implement. Having everyone speak either Japanese or English also glosses over the fact that in real life, these people might not understand each other. In reality, Ryo would have been walking with Shenhua back to Bailu village not having a clue what she was rabbiting on about.

A more realistic game would have had Ryo meeting with a translator upon his arrival in Hong Kong, who travels with him throughout the rest of the series, maybe even double-crossing him at a pivotal point in the story

I know. I'm a Swede so everything here is subtitled. But of course they should all speak Chinese when in China. There could be mini games where Ryo is learning 汉语.

 

[shadowman16]

Wait what, Tom doesn't crack you up?

A couple of his line deliveries crack me up like "I can't afford to drink" and "You looking for Chinese people AGAIN?!" but I much preferred his English voice to his Japanese voice. Likewise, Mario sounded much more natural in English than he does in Japanese.

You can whine about actually having to explain a point all you want, but if you're going to make such a hyperbolic, broad generalization, be ready to defend it, or go somewhere else. I'll sleep like a baby regardless.

Seems like you are free to call my "false" an opinion, as if I don't recognize what one is, when:



Again, have all of the preferences you want, I don't care what language you speak or care to hear or read. But don't come in here patronizingly insulting someone else's preferences. I quite like how Ine - san sounds. Am I less of an English speaker? No. Get over yourself.

Oh boo hoo. How dare I not like objectively terrible dialogue, should I have listed out each and every character who was badly voiced? Because Shenmue 1-3 has hundreds of characters, I'd be here all day, it'd be easier to list the ones that don't sound bored, high or barely able to read the lines they were given. But hey, that's all part of the "charm" right? Thankfully those in charge at least have a brain (unlike you) and realised that giving a serviceable Japanese dub might have been a good idea. But don't worry, as long as they continue to dub them in English the series will be justifiably laughed at thanks to its well earned reputation with awful dubbing (and don't get me started on the voice over direction, translations and dialogue in the games...)
So yeah, Fuck you you whiny little prick

 

[Dg1995]

It's kinda amazing how some people here consider this thing(Removing the english dub) as an insult.

Those were bad at their time and haven't aged well.

If they don't want to remove the english dub , they better make it good at least. Otherwise it is just bad for the franchise.
When at this age some hilarious looking faces in Mass Effect Andromeda can make the game flop, imagine how much the bad voice acting damages the franchise.

 

[Bule]

A couple of his line deliveries crack me up like "I can't afford to drink" and "You looking for Chinese people AGAIN?!" but I much preferred his English voice to his Japanese voice. Likewise, Mario sounded much more natural in English than he does in Japanese.

Ryan Drees will be delighted.

I think he is somewhere in Japan right now, making money as a clapping gaijin.

 

[24Nathan]

A couple of his line deliveries crack me up like "I can't afford to drink" and "You looking for Chinese people AGAIN?!" but I much preferred his English voice to his Japanese voice. Likewise, Mario sounded much more natural in English than he does in Japanese.


Oh boo hoo. How dare I not like objectively terrible dialogue, should I have listed out each and every character who was badly voiced? Because Shenmue 1-3 has hundreds of characters, I'd be here all day, it'd be easier to list the ones that don't sound bored, high or barely able to read the lines they were given. But hey, that's all part of the "charm" right? Thankfully those in charge at least have a brain (unlike you) and realised that giving a serviceable Japanese dub might have been a good idea. But don't worry, as long as they continue to dub them in English the series will be justifiably laughed at thanks to its well earned reputation with awful dubbing (and don't get me started on the voice over direction, translations and dialogue in the games...)
So yeah, Fuck you you whiny little prick

See? Now we're having some fun.

I'd continue to have a conversation, but it seems you're not capable. Warning issued. Just because your opinion is not deemed as fact by us lowly folk, doesn't give you the right to act like a toddler.

 

[spud1897]

A couple of his line deliveries crack me up like "I can't afford to drink" and "You looking for Chinese people AGAIN?!" but I much preferred his English voice to his Japanese voice. Likewise, Mario sounded much more natural in English than he does in Japanese.


Oh boo hoo. How dare I not like objectively terrible dialogue, should I have listed out each and every character who was badly voiced? Because Shenmue 1-3 has hundreds of characters, I'd be here all day, it'd be easier to list the ones that don't sound bored, high or barely able to read the lines they were given. But hey, that's all part of the "charm" right? Thankfully those in charge at least have a brain (unlike you) and realised that giving a serviceable Japanese dub might have been a good idea. But don't worry, as long as they continue to dub them in English the series will be justifiably laughed at thanks to its well earned reputation with awful dubbing (and don't get me started on the voice over direction, translations and dialogue in the games...)
So yeah, Fuck you you whiny little prick

Stepping in on this. You were asked to quantify your point, which you did. No one is forcing you to like anything it's all subjective. However going on to say "fuck you, you whiny little prick" isn't happening. Warning is justified, move away from the topic and calm down.

 

[Revan]

When at this age some hilarious looking faces oin Mass Effect Andromeda can make the game flop, imagine how much the bad voice acting damages the franchise.

It's not like Shenmue 1 & 2 HD adding the Japanese dub suddenly raised people's respect for this series. People still largely think Shenmue is garbage for a plethora of other reasons: it's 'boring', slow-paced, has QTEs, janky animations, eccentric character designs, too retro-styled etc.

 

[scooterusa]

English dub all the way for me. The npcs have so much more personality in the eng dub, even if it does sound odd at times. Its part of the shenmue charm for me.

Corey will always be ryo.

Exactly. Corey will always be Ryo. The Japanese acting doesn't capture it to me. However in a game like Yakuza. The Japanese language will always be king. Majima can't be Majima without "kiryyuuuuuu-chan" in the same way Ryo can't be Ryo without "I see".

 

[Araviel]

If that money could be spent on having someone research and maintain consistency in story and plot writing, well, sure. As a personal preference I do JPN, I'm used to subtitles and just like the sound and find it helps me immerse myself more into the game. I'd play it in Chinese in a heart beat for much of the same reasons.

All that said I don't think there's any way they could have or indeed should have dropped an ENG dub for III. Too many fans wanting it in the end and this was for the fans by the fans. Also Corey have been a great ambassador and to be fair he has improved a lot. For future games though, if it's a question of funding, well...

 

[titanium3819]

I frankly hope they'll never ditch the english VO. If it were the case I'm not even sure I'd want to play the next Shenmue.

I grew up watching my older brother play Shenmue I & II on Dreamcast, then played them myself on Dreamcast (I) & Xbox (II) and I was very amazed when I discovered that Shenmue II was only dubbed in japanese on the Dreamcast, as during my playthrough on Xbox it seemed obvious to me that the game was exactly how I remembered it from my brother's experience on Dreamcast - including the VO.

And now that I've been through all 3 games with the english dub, it is part of the DNA I like about Shenmue. It's not even a matter of "so bad it's good" even though it is indeed quirky, it's just that Ryo and the gang would not feel the same with another voice (yet another language).

Plus:
Even though English is not my native language, it is at least a language I am familiar with and that uses tones and accents that sound "natural" to my western ear. Japanese is too different from what I am used to ; every time I watch a movie or anything that has japanese VO it sounds strange to me and I have a hard time immerging myself in the story. Just a matter of habit of course.

 

[Dehone]

If that money could be spent on having someone research and maintain consistency in story and plot writing, well, sure. As a personal preference I do JPN, I'm used to subtitles and just like the sound and find it helps me immerse myself more into the game. I'd play it in Chinese in a heart beat for much of the same reasons.

All that said I don't think there's any way they could have or indeed should have dropped an ENG dub for III. Too many fans wanting it in the end and this was for the fans by the fans. Also Corey have been a great ambassador and to be fair he has improved a lot. For future games though, if it's a question of funding, well...

In this time, research can be done over a few days watching let's plays. It suprises me when people who work on a game dont know the backstory of the product they are working on when they can literally type it in on YouTube

 

[Revan]

If fans of the Japanese dub are encouraging the English dub to be removed, then fans of the English dub should have the same right to demand the Japanese dub be removed. It works both ways.

 

[B-Man]

Wait what, Tom doesn't crack you up?

First, da muuusic!

*gyrates hips*

Wang in Shenmue 1 sounds slow (as in, he's speaking at half speed) and Ine San ain't much better.

I've always found Ine-san to have excellent voice acting in the English dub. Like, literally one of my favorite characters in terms of acting. I haven't seen many people talk about this throughout the years, nor have I myself. But the last couple of times I played Shenmue I, I realized how perfectly Ine-san's voice actor plays the role and how I get emotionally attached to both her and Fuku-san when I play largely because of their acting performances.

For example, I always try to get home on time because I don't want to worry her. I don't think I would care so much if it wasn't for her realistic portrayal of the mother figure who is worried sick about Ryo and also grieving over Iwao's death, while still tending to her duties at the house.

If you're trying to say that she speaks slowly, well that's just part of her character and reflects the difficult time that she is currently going through in her life.

If that money could be spent on having someone research and maintain consistency in story and plot writing, well, sure.

Obviously I don't know the logistics of the situation, but I feel that Ys Net should have tried to get more actual Shenmue fans to help with the game (similar to how they hired Kid Nocon). I feel like they easily could have found some hardcore fans who would have been happy to proofread and edit the script, probably for free. They just would have needed to find people who didn't care about the story being spoiled (or cared more about being a part of Shenmue III's development).

 

[shenhaZ]

Having a voice over recorded in LA is an unprecedented luxurious thing for an indie game.

 

[mjqjazzbar]

Like it or not, but this is part of why a large number of people are fond of Shenmue. The memes, the jokes, the forklift T-Shirts, Koch Media tweeting "I see", Corey Marshall pranking people with "Excuse me. Where can I find some sailors?" - this has all added to Shenmue's charm and likeability. Just casually peruse Shenmue 500k, perhaps the largest worldwide Shenmue following, and you'll see an endless appreciation of this type of content.

I'll never understand this "I don't like this particular thing so it must be vaporised from existence even though a sizeable amount of other people enjoy it" mentality on the Internet. I mean sure, let's actively incite for all this to be abandoned and ignore those who celebrate Shenmue's retro-style charm in an already very niche fandom. I'm sure that won't hurt our numbers or anything.

It’s not about that. It’s about wanting the team to focus on making a quality game before burdening the project with extras. They don’t have a bottomless budget like they did in the Dreamcast days. Every dollar counts, and spending a good portion of the budget on two fully acted dubs seems irresponsible to many of us, especially when the director himself admits the animations were subpar because of the budget, etc.

Maybe $500K (if that’s true) didn’t mean the difference between Baisha and no Baisha, but it certainly makes me wonder... and I’d happily sacrifice the English dub for a fuller gameplay experience or better graphics/animations. I think those would benefit the series more than committing to fan service that might appeal to a segment of a small fan base.

I also really haven’t seen much love for the English VA in Shenmue 3, even around here... and I regularly see you guys saying the VA in Shenmue 2 is even worse.

Anyway, I’m sure the issues with Shenmue 3 extend far beyond the dub.

 

[Revan]

It’s not about that. It’s about wanting the team to focus on making a quality game before burdening the project with extras. They don’t have a bottomless budget like they did in the Dreamcast days. Every dollar counts, and spending a good portion of the budget on two fully acted dubs seems irresponsible to many of us, especially when the director himself admits the animations were subpar because of the budget, etc.

Maybe $500K (if that’s true) didn’t mean the difference between Baisha and no Baisha, but it certainly makes me wonder... and I’d happily sacrifice the English dub for a fuller gameplay experience or better graphics/animations. I think those would benefit the series more than committing to fan service that might appeal to a segment of a small fan base.

I also really haven’t seen much love for the English VA in Shenmue 3, even around here... and I regularly see you guys saying the VA in Shenmue 2 is even worse.

Anyway, I’m sure the issues with Shenmue 3 extend far beyond the dub.

I mean sure, let's cancel the English dub and secure an extra $500K if that. That should go a long way into turning Shenmue 4 into a masterpiece when about over $10 million + the EPIC deal wasn’t even enough to ensure perfect animation polish in Shenmue 3.

What was one of the first things YS Net did after E3 2015? They got Corey back. Yu knows how much fans like him. They said requests for his return were "overwhelming". This isn’t some inconsequential “extra”. Corey has defined Ryo and is a big reason why a lot of fans love the character. His inclusion was one of the first things Yu thought necessary for the project, even more necessary than Baisha. It’s ironic that we’re now concerned about funding when people were also imploring Yu to include the Japanese dub in the Western release of Shenmue 3 late into the project which he said would also cost money (Oh I forgot, we like that dub so it doesn’t matter). And if we’re worried about fan service in a series "made for the fans" with fans being the only people that will ever actively support this series because these games will never gain mainstream appeal, might I suggest that we also start worrying about removing the following: Lucky Hit, Ryo's journal, forklifts, 'FREE' style exploration, telephone cards, fan favourite characters, Tomato Mart & shops, arcade games etc.

If we're now suddenly concerned about Shenmue having two dubs, let's flip this: Is the Japanese dub even necessary at this point? Regardless of its quality, we know that Yu himself has stated that he prefers the English voice acting, going so far as to release US Shenmue in Japan. Shenmue tends to get a lot more interest in Western countries with the largest fan followings all being English speaking (Shenmue 500K, Team Yu, Shenmue Dojo). Plus, the English dub has more significance among gamers (e.g. “I see”). Corey has become iconic to this franchise for defining the character of Ryo and is a beloved fan favourite. It’s also a bonus that he constantly promotes and represents the franchise both on his social media 24/7 and at game industry events. The English dub clearly has more perks going for it. So, what about that option?

 

[mjqjazzbar]

It's a Japanese game developed in Japan. I think it's a matter of utility that they record in Japanese. If they ditched the Japanese dub, I wouldn't mind that much, but I think it's pretty well accepted (for most people) that the Japanese VA is superior to the English VA.

I also have trouble believing anyone who enjoys the series enough three games in would abandon it over the lack of the unintentionally campy performance from Corey in Shenmue 4. Many of you are European and played Shenmue 2 without Corey's performance. I don't know what $500,000 would do for the game, but I think every dollar counts for a production this small. I think it's kind of silly to downplay that kind of money for a $6million production.

 

[Dg1995]

IDK, I'm beginning to think that even if they ditch english voices for Shenmue 4, then us fans will complain that Shenmue 4 isn't still great.

-Then we will ask to remove fully voiced NPCs.
-After that we will ask to remove arcade mini games.Since arcades were never important to the story.
-Then the day/night cycles.
-Then the gambling mini games
-Then the currency and side jobs
-And finally we will say to completely ditch the open world since we just care about the story and don't care about getting a open world game.

So, my opinion has been changed since I think that Yu Suzuki knows much better than all of us on how to spent the limited budget that he has.
Hell even if Shenmue 3 removed the english voices then the controversy of Shenmue 3 would have been even bigger than the way it became.

And now if they remove the english voices for Shenmue 4, that project will face a controversy similar to 3.(But maybe even bigger.)