I don't think there's really a way know that until they start releasing some names (unless you're in the camp that believes that Japanese VA > all and you're just assuming the English cast will be bad no matter what). I didn't have a problem with most of 1.0's VA. I thought the opening cutscenes were great. In fact, I thought Yda and Papalymo were hilarious. So if they bring back many of the same voice actors, I most likely won't be disappointed. They've really got to nail the GC leaders, however.Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
As long as it's not as bad as some of Aion's voiceovers where you either got Bill Paxton monotone or overacting. It was pretty horrible sometimes. But I never saw any cutscenes in FFXIV 1.0 where it was that level of bad.
Lots of new info incoming from the NicoNico Chokaigi 2 event
Printable View
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05-01-2013, 05:19 AMRowyne
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05-01-2013, 06:10 AMAbriaelWhat I mean is that from what we've seen so far the Japanese cast is a star-level cast, and unless SE goes out of its way to get actors of the caliber of Christopher Lee and similar (which I seriously doubt), it won't be comparable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
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05-01-2013, 06:52 AMKaMuiSouZou
^ true. The Japanese VA cast is turning out to be very impressive indeed - many big names in the industry and a few who I've already been a fan of. However, I will also say that while the English actors in ver 1 were no names (to my knowledge), I thought they were done nicely considering English dubbing over Japanese is usually below par. Y'shtola and Thancred were done especially nice imo and I think SE does a pretty good job with English VA in general for their games.
In the end there's no right or wrong language to use. It's whatever floats your boat and I'm very grateful to SE for giving us the choice for which language/subtitle to use. I'm confident SE will do an excellent job in every language. -
05-01-2013, 07:39 AMRorn
Japanese voice actor known at this stage
中村悠一 yuuichi nakamura Thancred
喜多村英梨 eri kitamura
加藤英美里 emiri katou
豊崎愛生 aki toyosaki
茅野愛衣 ai kayano
KENN
真堂圭 kei shindou
立花慎之介 Shinnosuke Tachibana Alphinaud
小野友樹 tomoki ono
小林ゆう yuu kobayashi
鳥海浩輔 kousuke toriumi
伊瀬茉莉也 mariya ise
岡本信彦 nobuhiko okamoto
田中理恵 rie tanaka Kan-E-Senna Garuda
遠藤綾 aya endo
井上麻里奈 marina inoue
平田宏美 hiromi hirata
勝杏里 anri katsu
井上剛 gou inoue
日野聡 satoshi hino
安元洋貴 hiroki yasumoto
池田 秀一 syuiti ikeda
大原さやか sayaka ohara
菅谷 弥生 yayoi sugaya
小山 力也 rikiya koyama Cid nan Garlond
遠藤 大智 daiti endo
江口 拓也 tatsuya eguti
清水 秀光 hidemitsu simizu
西田 雅一 masakazu nisida
大塚 明夫 Ootsuka Akio Gaius van Baelsar
喜山 茂雄 sigeo kiyama
北沢 力 riki kitazawa
村川梨衣 rie murakawa
池田 昌子 masako ikeda
沢城 みゆき miyuki sawasiro Lady Minfilia
田中 敦子 atsuko tanaka
Like your voice actor Who is this?:D
I do not deny the VA for the English Ver
That we have attracted Japanese ver VA and popular ability high-cost
It is a manifestation of that SE that it is serious -
05-01-2013, 07:56 AMAbriaelWow, that's a star spangled cast.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rorn
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05-01-2013, 07:57 AMAndreas-LycaeusNow I really want Christopher Lee as Emperor Solus zos Galvus!Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
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05-01-2013, 08:23 AMMjollnir
Excuse my ignorance of Japanese pop-culture; are the VAs listed Japanese A-list movie stars or just Japanese A-list voice-actors? I don't quite have the context of the discussion. :)
Really? Check IMDB - if you don't recognise some of the names immediately, do clicky and I'm sure you will be aware of the characters they've played in various shows. Yeah, they're not A-list movie stars, but a large number of them have been in supporting cast roles in movies and TV (not just animations).Quote:
Originally Posted by KaMuiSouZou
I'm looking forward to the English language cast announcement (if there is one lol). -
05-01-2013, 08:47 AMAbriaelmany of them are both.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjollnir
It has to be said, though, that due to how Japanese media are, voice acting is often considered at the very least equal to movie acting.
Basically we're looking to a big chunk of the cream of the crop of what Japanese media can offer. -
05-01-2013, 08:49 AMAbriaelThis was just so good that I had to turn it into a news piece.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rorn
http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/04/...les-of-xillia/
Hope you don't mind (of course I gave due credit). I corrected a couple transliteration issues and added all the wikipedia/anime news network profile links for everyone in the list, so people can just click on each name and check what they did in the past :D -
05-01-2013, 08:58 AMPwnagraphicNah I think they'll be the "usual" and by usual there's Steve Blum, Kirk Thorton, Ali Hillis, Troy Baker, etc. Those people are on the "same level" as the Japanese crew. Hell maybe David Hayter can voice someone since they let him go from the MGS series. Which I am pissed about.Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
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05-01-2013, 09:11 AMAbriaelyeah, no, we're talking about a different level. The ones you mentioned are all great voice actors, and they're very popular especially between the game anime/crowd (the few that still watch anime in English at least), but the Japanese cast includes several star-level actors that can easily be compared to hollywood actors in terms of excellency in their trade.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pwnagraphic
There simply is a large cultural difference between voice acting in Japan and in the west. In Japan voice acting is part of the top tier of someone's acting career, so the best actors overall are also voice actors, or even exclusively voice actors.
That's because in Japan top Anime and Games are considered equally or even more prestigious roles than live action.
In the west the best actors simply don't work in voice acting, or do so as a very secondary part of their career. There are a couple countries that are an exception to this rule, but the US isn't one. -
05-01-2013, 09:50 AMRorn
thx Abriael
It is a honor to serve you!
This list something that was analyzed to sign on display
Let me show you the Source
Rather than the power of the only I, but also by the power of the VA fans in Japan
http://i.imgur.com/3LXTZok.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hpZg8aQ.png
http://i.imgur.com/yVwqC5Q.png
http://i.imgur.com/2l6cOml.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xR0RthT.jpg -
05-01-2013, 10:01 AMAbriaelWow, that's an awesome research right there. I'm gonna add a link to this post so that all my readers can see it :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Rorn
I'm absolutely amazed that you guys managed to identify ALL the autographs. I tried for a bit when we first saw them, but had to give up almost immediately. -
05-01-2013, 11:25 AMLlenCoramThank you for posting these again, I've been looking. I'm still shocked at some of the names in there, some of them are big names.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rorn
I'm going to make predictions right now!
Aki Toyosaki will play an airheaded girl who is a big clutz but always means well and has a big heart. Prolly a miqo'te.
Miyuki Sawashiro will play a straight talking seductive woman who can use her words to get what she wants. Prolly a hyur.
Eri Kitamura will play a short-tempered girl who has a hidden soft side.
Emiri Kato ditto.
Aya Endo will play the sweetest girl you've ever met.
EDIT: Sawashiro would probably be a good Admiral Bloefhiswyn actually :D.
EDIT2: A friend of mine pointed this out!
http://i.imgur.com/xR0RthT.jpg
Three signatures = Three city leaders. We already know Rie Tanaka is Kan-E-Senna. Sawashiro, in my mind, would be the best fit for Merlwyb, and Rikiya Koyama has the perfect voice for Raubahn. Prepare squealing! -
05-01-2013, 01:05 PMYrusamaI'd love to see Liam O'brien play some random Roegadyn or Elezen. He has that great deep voice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zetsumei_Tsunarashi
IMDB lists a lot of really big names in 1.0's cast list, like Nolan North. I wonder who he played. -
05-01-2013, 01:08 PMYrusama*mentioned in another post* Nolan North is best known for playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted games, voice and motion capture. Crispin Freeman is in the list, too, and he's all over the anime dubbing community. I know him for doing Haji in Blood+Quote:
Originally Posted by KaMuiSouZou
I don't know who these actors played in 1.0, but I know they're in the cast list. -
05-01-2013, 01:13 PMKaMuiSouZou
Wow thanks Rorn for putting that list of Japanese VA together (both the text list and photos)! And awesome catch here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by LlenCoram
First off, calling the English VA "no-names," was too harsh a term so I apologize for that. I didn't know who they are and that's why I wrote "to my knowledge" in my first post. I don't mean to put down their talent at all, but as you mentioned they're only well known in the American VA industry and are supporting roles in live action shows.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjollnir
In America we view actors in movies as "A-list" and view animation/video game voice actors as less glamorous and desirable ("B-list" if you will). Because of this, the best talent often goes to acting. Think of how big name actors here only VA for large animations by Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks. In Japan though it's different, where the VA industry is highly revered. This leads to a larger talent pool that is trained earlier and treated more in the limelight. The resulting cream of that crop is overall better talent that deals regularly in anime and video games.
*EDIT* A bit redundant, but Abriael explained what I was talking about very well here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
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05-01-2013, 02:04 PMAbriaelYeah, I wouldn't call most of the usual VAs SE uses "no-names", they're most definitely popular and very skilled in their niche. They're not star-level actors though.Quote:
Originally Posted by KaMuiSouZou
Way better than those used by Atlus, Xseed and others (for budget reasons, it's not really their fault), most definitely.
The new voice they used for Chie in persona made hair stand on my neck... -
05-02-2013, 01:12 AMfiniteHP
I too hope we get some really good English VAs since I will be playing with English voices no matter what. Personally I would prefer they spend the probably large amount of money they're paying these actors to make the whole game better instead. A fantastic game with no voice acting is better than a great game with voicing.
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05-02-2013, 01:42 AMMjollnirWe're lucky we're going to get a fantastic game with voicing then! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by finiteHP
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05-02-2013, 02:14 AMAbriaelConsidering that the first game didn't have almost any of it, I second this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjollnir
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05-02-2013, 04:24 AMfiniteHPTrue. I guess I should have said: "an extremely fantastic game without voicing is better than a fantastic game with it." My point is that there are better ways they could spend money than hiring voice actors. I won't be belabouring it any more though. It is all a matter of preference. Some people prefer voicing in their own language, others prefer a different language, and some prefer precious budget funds to be spent on more important things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjollnir
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05-02-2013, 05:49 AMRowyneVery true. I'm one of the people who prefer voicing in my own language. It helps me to better connect with the characters. If I heard them speaking in a language I can't understand, it would destroy the immersion for me. So, even if the Japanese voicing was supposedly amazing, it wouldn't matter since I can't understand a word that's being said.Quote:
Originally Posted by finiteHP
I have to be honest and say that I'm not familiar with Japanese actors so I don't recognize any of the names on the list. But if the comparison is correct, I guess I have to concede that VA is viewed differently in the west if the equivalent meant we would get superstar actors like Tom Cruise or Morgan Freeman (which just isn't going to happen). That doesn't mean talented and well known English actors don't ever do voicing outside of Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks. Take the cast of Batman: The Animated Series (which had some great voice acting). Bringing them into games like Batman: Arkham City was a stroke of genius. Mark Hamill has become iconic as The Joker. Sam Witwer, star of Syfy's 'Being Human' (who also played a supporting role in Smallville as Davis Bloome) has done some fantastic voice work in the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Claudia Black of Syfy's Farscape and Stargate: SG1 has voiced games such as Mass Effect 2 & 3, Dragon Age: Origins, TERA, Diablo III, and The Amazing Spider-Man, plus she was listed in the credits for Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 (surprise!).
Again, I realize these are actors who aren't A-list silver screen superstars (well, Mark Hamill was once a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away), but they are still well-known and very talented. I just think it's a bit unfair to assume the English voicing will automatically be subpar just because SE won't have the budget or sway to bring in people like, as Abriael mentioned, Christopher Lee, or role-picky actors like Christian Bale. That doesn't mean we still can't get some quality and even well-known actors.
I'm still trying to find out what Claudia Black voiced in 1.0. >.< -
05-02-2013, 06:35 AMCatapultI think it was Yda.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
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05-02-2013, 06:51 AMLaevetine
I personally hope for English VA they hire people who fit the role and not the most popular VA's.
Of course these people are popular for a reason, but there are a lot of talented people out there.
Most games recently seem they just go to IMDB and pick the people with the longest credentials and go with that.
I thank SE for their hard work, and I'm sure they will do their best. :) -
05-02-2013, 09:06 AMAbriaelThe fact they're popular also mean that they're more experienced. In voice acting experience often is even more important than talent.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laevetine
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05-02-2013, 09:38 AMSabi
I want to watch the cutscenes in ARR in japanese, but it will be kind of off-putting if one of the main characters has a brittish or welsh accent so i might watch the cutscenes in english.
For example Drippy from Ni no kuni http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsmgpjDoUY4 -
05-02-2013, 06:20 PMTonkra
im very sceptical about the german and frensh voices.. because it will be the first time of a final fantasy to receive german and frensh voices.
it was everytime with english voices and german / frensh subtitles..
its going to be strange... but well, lets see whats happening. -
05-02-2013, 11:51 PMAbriaelIf it's so bad there's always the JP track anyway :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Tonkra
And I have a feeling that that one won't be bad. -
05-03-2013, 12:25 AMmbncd
While I too generally (not always, there are a few good exceptions) prefer Japanese audio tracks, I can very easily understand why others would hate them.
Some want to be able to hear what's being said, rather than having to read it. If you can't understand the language fluently (and judging by the English NPC scripts, it may not even be modern Japanese but a modern/old-fashioned hybrid), you have to read what others tend to refer to as walls of text, which somewhat negates a major point in having voices at all. I personally read the full dialogue regardless and type in walls of text naturally so this doesn't bother me but I've had many people complain about it over my shoulder as they watched me play games or watch anime/dorama with subtitles.
Another thing some people dislike about Japanese audio seems to be the style of verbal sound effects. Little grunts and gasps can often be heard when someone comes on screen, or when they're watching or listening to someone/something, or when they're doing something ... It's pretty common LOL I don't know if it's just because Western voiced shows don't really have that so people aren't used to it or what, but it's kind of a running joke with anyone who's familiar with my anime.
Lastly, everyone has their own interpretations of what these mostly voiceless characters' personalities are like. Those personalities tend to be based on the ones they're familiar with, either personally or via Western media. Each voice has a personality that they bring to a character, regardless of the words spoken. A lot of personalities that are very common in Japan (usually the silly ones) are not as well received in the West by those who aren't used to them. If you're expecting a favourite character to be spoken one way but it turns out to be something very different, that can negatively affect your entire perception of that character, even if they're saying and doing the exact same things.
And I haven't even touched on disabilities such as vision impairment and dyslexia, things that would be much easier to deal with if you don't have to try to read what's being said all the time.
As I said before, I'm almost certainly going to use Japanese audio and English subtitles. I do however understand where others are coming from when they say they'd prefer to hear it in their own language. Japanese audio is great to those of us who love it, but that's a very subjective thing and it should not be assumed that it's great for everyone. -
05-03-2013, 12:45 AMArkhamNativeI understand and agree. Even for live action films, I enjoy seeing a good performance from talented (and well-directed) unknowns. I don't want to see Celebrity Actor "A" just repeating the same Celebrity Actor A character we see in every other film.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laevetine
Subtitles often rephrase and summarize, so unless the native language's culture is part of the story or setting, I'll usually choose the dub. There are exceptions of course. -
05-03-2013, 12:53 AMPwnagraphic
How cool would it be if Ian McKellan and Hugo Weaving did VO's? Ian McKellan would obviously have to be Louisoix.. Assuming we see him again.. maybe in a flash back?
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05-03-2013, 01:30 AMArkhamNativeOn her YouTube channel, she only features the "Hear... Feel... Think..." voice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
Another site doesn't mention the game at all. The site does have an audio page with a commercials v.o. audio sampler with different accents and ranges. (Australian, English, American). I know I've heard some of them on TV and never would have guessed it was she. -
05-03-2013, 03:10 AMRowyneIs it so hard to to believe that some people don't want to listen to the voicing in Japanese? Maybe we'd like the voicing in our native languages to be good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
I'm sorry if that sounds snappy, Abriael, but it's obvious your own personal preference lies with Japanese. However, you have to realize that's not the same for everyone. I don't normally like to speak for others, but I would be willing to bet a lot of new players would be put off if they started up the game and it was Japanese with subtitles. If that were the case, I'd rather have no voicing at all.
I saw that, actually (and it's kind of trippy once you realize that's her). It's hard to believe they only brought her in to say three words. Someone in this thread suggested that maybe she voiced Yda, but Claudia's voice is quite a bit lower than that (she's definitely an alto voice). Perhaps maybe she did if she's able to change her accent and range so much.Quote:
Originally Posted by ArkhamNative
As an aside, watching Dragon Age: Origins on her channel reminded me of another talented actor who's done some voicing. Kate Mulgrew (who played Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager and Jane Lattimer on Warehouse 13).
This is a very thoughtfully worded post, so much so that I could have quoted the entire thing. I personally don't care for the Japanese language, to me it sounds like a fast slew of mushy consonants and grunts (no offense intended to anyone, and I'm sure English is an ugly language to some, also). But that's really beside the point. I would prefer not to hear any foreign language with subtitles. I want to understand the nuances and inflections of what's being spoken, as it's being said. I want it to instantly create a response within me, which just doesn't happen otherwise. And when you are trying to immerse yourself in the game world (as I am, given that I am a RPer), hearing the characters speaking a foreign language only reminds you that you aren't part of that world. I prefer my native language, and if that's not possible, I'd rather have no voicing at all so at least I can imagine their voices in a way that is familiar.Quote:
Originally Posted by mbncd
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05-03-2013, 04:42 AMAbriaelWhere did I say that people aren't entitled to listen to whatever track they choose?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
I jut said that if their native track is bad there's always another option. If the other tracks are bad and hearing people speaking in Japanese hurts your ears so much (for some mysterious reason), you can just mute the speech.
Yay options. -
05-03-2013, 04:58 AMRowyneIt's just that you seem to be trying to push that preference onto people. If someone says they wonder who the English cast will be or that they hope the voicing will be good in their language, you respond with...Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
And then you say...Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
For some mysterious reason? You sound incredulous, like my personal dislike of something just isn't conceivable. That's like telling me I'm a freak if I don't like strawberry ice cream. You have to realize that not everyone has the same preferences.Quote:
Originally Posted by Abriael
I'm really not trying to be rude, so I apologize for having to point this out. But I think everyone here is already aware that Japanese voicing is an option. It doesn't bear anymore repeating. -
05-03-2013, 06:17 AMAndreas-Lycaeus
Let's just hope the English VA cast is good then! I am really happy for those who are anticipating the Japanese voiceovers and Square has obviously gone all out judging from the reactions, but, personally, it doesn't stir any emotions in me and I can't get excited just yet. I'm adamant that games do not need voice acting, and I would much rather have no voice acting at all than for it to be out of place and to break my immersion. I know that in this day and age it is expected that games have it, but as an avid reader and someone who loved the first 9 Final Fantasy games without it, I can gladly do without. As long as it enhances the experience and adds charm and character to the game, I'll be happy. If we get some truly theatrical performances too, then even better!
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05-03-2013, 06:36 AMPwnagraphicAbriael is known for the hard on he has over the Japanese culture. He likes to swing it around and make you choke on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
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05-03-2013, 07:20 AMVilhemI agree here. I'm sure it's an A-list class for them, but for me, they're just random names lol. I'm waiting to see what the NA side does with the English voice cast. Hopefully Crispin comes back to do Thancred +.+ lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Andreas-Lycaeus
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05-03-2013, 07:27 AMKiaraHi Rowyne and All,Quote:
Originally Posted by Rowyne
I definitely empathize with your RP angle, and just anyone who wants an option in their native language. That's why I hope Square and Yoshi P make good on their earlier promise to allow the players to *choose* what Language and Subtitles they want, whether it's Original Japanese Language with English Subtitles, or English Dub, or French, German, etc.
Options are good. Everyone's happy. :)
I've definitely heard and appreciate great English VAs (e.g., Cowboy Bebop Dub, Nolan North (Nathan Drake) and the rest of his Uncharted crew, etc.). But IMHO, Square-Enix USA has had a horrible track record of Dubbing Talent in recent years:
Who can forget the horrific / annoying English Dub of Hope and Vanille and Final Fantasy XIII? :( I also though the English Dub voice of the Lalafell "Scientist" in Gridania's opening was horrendous, sorry. :(
On a side note, how do you feel about English Dubs if they decide to incorporate a "Southern Texas" accent? Or have a stereotypical Brooklyn Thug accent? Or an Irish accent?
Wouldn't those accents draw one out of the immediate world, and make one think of the Deep South, "Y'all come back now, ya' hear?!" or pull one into New York and Brooklyn of the 1930's "Howz uh' you all, uh' doin'?!?"
That's one area I dislike with some English Dubs I've heard where the English Localization Team decides it'd be "cute" to turn a character into someone from New Orleans, or Texas, or New York or Ireland.
Ultimately, though, I just hope we all get Language and Subtitle Options to Mix and Match as we please! :)