Was the english voice acting necessary ?

Dual audio in Shenmue 3 was very expensive for the team. Back then, there was even a kickstarter update to warn fans that dual audio was very hard to implement and so they couldn't confirm its implementation in the final version.
Ironic that people implored for that to happen so they could have Japanese VA in the Western release irrespective of the additional cost, but now we suddenly have budgetary fears which concerns the removal of English VA specifically.
 
I’m speaking for myself, but every single review I’ve read of Shenmue 3 has criticized the voice acting. It’s a cult favorite for some fans, but in my mind it does more harm than good, especially with the horrible localization. I don’t really see how something that gets mocked everywhere benefits the future of this series. I personally couldn’t handle the English VA this time around and it potentially could’ve affected my enjoyment of the game.
 
I’m speaking for myself, but every single review I’ve read of Shenmue 3 has criticized the voice acting. It’s a cult favorite for some fans, but in my mind it does more harm than good, especially with the horrible localization. I don’t really see how something that gets mocked everywhere benefits the future of this series. I personally couldn’t handle the English VA this time around and it potentially could’ve affected my enjoyment of the game.
But Shenmue gets mocked for more reasons than just the English VA (slow pace, 'boring' gameplay, characters, QTEs) . Getting rid of English VA won't suddenly fool people into liking Shenmue more. It didn't work when Shenmue 1 & 2 HD included Japanese VA as an option.
 
When you discuss this sort of topics you only need to answer one question:

You lived a lot of stuff in your life. Some stuff cool, some not so cool, you have experience in this shit, you know world it's crazy and there is a lot of bad people out there. Really bad people. So, knowing all this: would you...

trust in somebody who likes Shenmue's English dub?
Exactly. Me neither mate. Me fucking neither.
 
🙄

So when you cut through all the bullshit, this thread basically amounts to “I don’t like the English VA, ergo it must be removed even though others like it.” Talk about entitlement.

Can a mod explain the fuck to me why it’s acceptable for fans of the English VA to be mocked all the time in threads such as these? Modern Shenmue games don’t sell well, are considered shite to mainstream gamers, and receive mediocre reviews. Perhaps we should get off our high horses and accept any support this franchise can get. Just a thought.
 
No one says it must be removed and no one's mocking anyone. People are discussing whether or not two fully voiced language tracks is a good use of a limited budget. I played the first two games in English and loved them. I still think the English VA was subpar and I think it's subpar in the new one when I compare it to other games with an English dub. If I were weighing which dub to keep, I'd choose the Japanese VA since it sounds more professional than the English VA. That's MY opinion. I would happily play the next one exclusively in English, though I'd still prefer to play it in Japanese. I don't work for Ys Net or Deep Silver, so I doubt anything I say here will change the next game.
 
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@mjqjazzbar I totally get you. I never questioned your opinion about the Japanese VA sounding more professional, as can be seen in my posts. I'm more fed up with the contempt that gets directed towards English VA fans when this franchise needs all the support it can get. I mean...
no one's mocking anyone.

...there is literally a swipe at English VA fans three posts up from here.

I still think this thread singling out the English VA from the get-go is a bit biased from the outset if we're truly having an objective discussion about whether two dubs are needed. And I still think it's weird that we're now concerned about the budget after people implored YS Net to implement a costly dual language option into Shenmue 3's Western release so they could play the game in Japanese. But whatever.
 
@mjqjazzbar I totally get you. I never questioned your opinion about the Japanese VA sounding more professional, as can be seen in my posts. I'm more fed up with the contempt that gets directed towards English VA fans when this franchise needs all the support it can get. I mean...


...there is literally a swipe at English VA fans three posts up from here.

I still think this thread singling out the English VA from the get-go is a bit biased from the outset if we're truly having an objective discussion about whether two dubs are needed. And I still think it's weird that we're now concerned about the budget after people implored YS Net to implement a costly dual language option into Shenmue 3's Western release so they could play the game in Japanese. But whatever.
I didn't read any of the thread but this page. If people feel the English dub and translation is that bad, then in retrospect they think the funds would've been better spent elsewhere. Taking into account the game is not perfect, you kill two birds with one stone by cutting out what some consider is bad, and fix other parts of the game that perhaps are considered equally as bad. Makes sense to me.

As far as "swiping" it's banter. Who cares.
 
A thread argues for something many enjoy to be removed coupled with provocative remarks (e.g. "Oh boo hoo. How dare I not like objectively terrible dialogue", "Fuck you you whiny little prick", "Would you trust in somebody who likes Shenmue's English dub?" etc) and then when there's some inevitable pushback against this, I'm told to just calm down. Huh?
It's extremely tiring. I am so sick of hearing these comments about the dubs.
My thoughts exactly. EGS, Ryo's pupils, Ryo's jeans, Shenmue 3 being too small in 2015 but too bloated in 2020 (?) to now the dub - it's exhausting. I'm done.

That's the last thing I'll post on this site.
 
@mjqjazzbar

after people implored YS Net to implement a costly dual language option into Shenmue 3's Western release so they could play the game in Japanese. But whatever.



Don’t want to weigh in on the main topic seeing as it’s all been said and people are clearly sensitive about it.

But, I’m pretty sure implementing the Japanese VO in western versions wasn’t the expensive part. Recording it was. Which was always going to happen if I’m not mistaken. I’m absolutely open to being corrected but when I read that statement it didn’t make sense to me.
 
Sorry for having a different opinion than you, Revan.
Let's not push the issue with unnecessary comments. Nothing is to be gained from pushing someone's buttons.

As far as the dub goes, I think it is fair to say that it's a fairly divisive issue. It's certainly not as a simple as cutting it for a quick half a million dollar paycheck.
 
Every youtuber I have seen played Shenmue 3 with english dub.

So I'm pretty sure that majority of fans played it with this dub so it should not be removed.(Since Shenmue is a more popular franchise in west compare to Japan)
 
Every youtuber I have seen played Shenmue 3 with english dub.

So I'm pretty sure that majority of fans played it with this dub so it should not be removed.(Since Shenmue is a more popular franchise in west compare to Japan)

was it not you who started this topic saying that the English dub should be removed?
 
And I have said that my opinion has been changed. I talked about it in the edit section of the first post.

For what it’s worth I agree with you. It obviously means a great deal to lots of people, many of who see the English dub as part of Shenmue’s DNA. Taking this into account I would say it’s more than worthwhile keeping it. Regardless of what language I prefer.
 
Having finally played Shenmue 2 with English dub on the PS4 collection, it's infinitely better not having to read the story and just enjoying the scenes. I'd be angry if they removed English from any sequels.
 
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