American accent in CRPGs. Yes or No?

[Amigo345]

I think the first time I heard it was Tyranny. It was Verse, was it? It didn't feel particularly out of place but it didn't feel perfect either. Then they used it for barbarian in White March. Man that woman sounded like a texas ranger. Kinda fun but you know, a bit out of context maybe? I get the idea they wanted to try new stuff, get away from cliches, etc. Or maybe they decided to go with american actress due to budget/whatever.

 

The problem with american accent is that it can be associated with something new, modern, post medieval. And CRPGs are usually medieval european fantasy themed. So what's your opinion on this? Yes or No? Or a corporate compromise - yes but to an extent (like one or characters in a game)?

[injurai]

Clearly it works with Fallout and other wasteland games. Pillars had some too, notably the settlers in the Dyrwood. Like Eder.

 

I agree with the connotations, but I think things are changing. The accent is well suited toward settings of immigration, exploration, or colonialism.

[bonarbill]

The American accents make sense for the people of Dyrwood and Readceras.  They're both former colonies of Aedyr, just like how US was a former colony that belonged to England.

Edited February 10, 2018 by bonarbill

[the_dog_days]

The American accents make sense for the people of Dyrwood and Readceras.  They're both former colonies of Aedyr, just like how US was a former colony that belonged to England.

 

I've been saying this for almost three years and yet most people just ignore it. *grumble*

[algroth]

Pillars was full of thick American accents, which is not too surprising considering the Dyrwood seems to mirror USA in several ways too. But I do agree that it was often jarring, and took me right off the setting and world. I also feel like the whole "Dyrwood = USA" excuse runs a little thin when the likes of Maneha, who's meant to be from Rauatai and who arguably spent most of her life in Old Vailia and the Deadfire, has such a thick southern drawl - the voice acting feels a bit half-assed and lazy in turn (in all fairness, her whole character's a bit of a mess, like she's being pulled in too many directions at once). And she's not the only non-Dyrwood American either - amidst our companions we can also take a look at Sagani, but unlike Maneha her accent seems a tad more neutral and thus I don't mind it as much.

 

Then again, I do have a general prejudice against American accents, so I see how that feeds into my distaste for their presence in Pillars.

Edited February 10, 2018 by algroth

[injurai]

Sagani felt like she was out of a hipster coffee shop.

[Sedrefilos]

No problem with american accents as long as I can understand what they're saying. That means plain city accents are mostly ok with me. I disagree about the heavy accents in Tyranny. Didn't felt like that. They sounded like in Pillars.

 

That said, british accents > american ones (in general )

[the_dog_days]

No problem with american accents as long as I can understand what they're saying. That means plain city accents are mostly ok with me. I disagree about the heavy accents in Tyranny. Didn't felt like that. They sounded like in Pillars.

 

That said, british accents > american ones (in general )

 

I don't know how much you know about American accents, but city accents are some of the worst. New Jersey, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, and 'valleyspeak' (from the Los Angeles and Hollywood areas of California) are nearly unintelligible.

[Amigo345]

I wouldn't want characters talking like ladies and gentlemen from the Victorian era like they do in DOS2. It may be even worse. Something neutral - sure. Can't actors actually imitate or surpress their accents? Hugh Laurie was imitating americna accent in House TV show. And there were some american actors who imitated british accents.  Why not roll with this?

[Sedrefilos]

 

No problem with american accents as long as I can understand what they're saying. That means plain city accents are mostly ok with me. I disagree about the heavy accents in Tyranny. Didn't felt like that. They sounded like in Pillars.

 

That said, british accents > american ones (in general )

 

I don't know how much you know about American accents, but city accents are some of the worst. New Jersey, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, and 'valleyspeak' (from the Los Angeles and Hollywood areas of California) are nearly unintelligible.

 

Yes I know, as in the rest of the world, but there's always a "common" accent that many, if not most, people usually use (or at least a close to that one). I think I've seen a well ammount of american movies, tv series, games, cartoons etc in my life as well as talking with my relatives in Boston to recognise the one and I'm pretty sure you get what I mean.

 

To make it even more clear: I'm totally ok with the american accents most games use. There.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

If it was up to me everyone would sound like a Texas ranger.

[Sedrefilos]

The worst is pretend accents. For example, I tried to play Assassin's Creed 2, the one starting in Venice, and everyone talked english with pretend italian accent :D

Ok that was so rediculus I quit the game. Either use proper english or use italian and put subs :D

[ShadySands]

I have no problem with any accents as long as it is consistent.

 

I don't think I've every seen a movie or show or game set in medieval times (or medieval fantasy) with accurate or even approximate Middle English. It's always modern British accents... which is understandable, I guess, if they want it to be easily understood without subtitles but it's not at all accurate.

 

Can't really speak to foreign language stuff.

Edited February 10, 2018 by ShadySands

[Messier-31]

Less murican, man.

Moar strine, mate.

[Daled]

The worst is pretend accents. For example, I tried to play Assassin's Creed 2, the one starting in Venice, and everyone talked english with pretend italian accent :D

Ok that was so rediculus I quit the game. Either use proper english or use italian and put subs :D

 

Oh god, I almost forgot how cringy was the AC2 pretended italian.

[Sedrefilos]

When you create something taking place in a particular time period and place of the old, it is ok to use your current native language for the entirety.

I don't believe anyone that watched Aguirre (a movie about conquistadores in the new world) bothered by them speaking german. It was a German movie.

 

Vikings, the tv series, did something very clever, imo. Everybody spoke american english to eachother when speaking the same language and hearing others talk in native. When focus switched to other, they were speaking american english and the former speaking in native. I thought it was brilliant.

Example: Danish meeting Anglosaxons on the shore of England. Focus on vikings, they speak american english - they hear the Anglosaxons speak old english (can't understand eachother). Focus changes to Anglo-saxons; they speak american english - they listen the vikings speak Danish.

They used american english as an auto-translation to work for the audience.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Sedrefilos

[the_dog_days]

I have no problem with any accents as long as it is consistent.

 

Fair point.

[drgonzo]

I think the voice acting in poe1 was a mixed bag. The accents were many times too exagerated. I didn’t even use the devil and maneha because their voices were so annoying. Sagani was pretto bad too. However i did like durance, thaos and the narrator.

[AndreaColombo]

No problem with any accents so long as they are genuine (e.g. you want an Italian accent? Hire an Italian actor.) Fake accents sound cringy 99% of the time.

[Wormerine]

Oh god, I almost forgot how cringy was the AC2 pretended italian.

Yeah. “Why is Adam Jensen doing Italian accent?”

[Gromnir]

the hobbit did a fantastic job using accents.  there will always be a singular gandalf, with others being mere pretenders to the role. the king o' the elves and smaug also most impressive in their hobbit incarnations. the orcs in return of the king were also punishing memorable.  try and forget the orcs.  dare you. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Diogenes]

The American accents in Pillars one were generally good because it helped with the ideas of most characters just generally being regular people and not epic heroes with exaggerated stage accents.

[injurai]

American accents are also closer to 18th century English, so using modern British English is actually a bit of an anachronism in itself.

[Wormerine]

How about we use a more historically informed pronaunciation?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qYiYd9RcK5M

 

the hobbit did a fantastic job using accents.  there will always be a singular gandalf, with others being mere pretenders to the role.

Whenever director or an actor you can’t go wrong with John Huston.

[Fardragon]

the hobbit did a fantastic job using accents.  there will always be a singular gandalf, with others being mere pretenders to the role. the king o' the elves and smaug also most impressive in their hobbit incarnations. the orcs in return of the king were also punishing memorable.  try and forget the orcs.  dare you. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

The Hobbit is a very English novel. The characters use very (early 20th century) English phrasing, it would be practically impossible to give those characters any other accent and still retain any of the original text. But the non-English varieties of birds and butterflies still jarred with me. And the accents of the dwarves where inconstantly Scottish (Ken Stott, Balin) and Irish (James Nesbitt, Bofur).

 

As for me, I like to hear American accents in American games. To my English ears Eder and Sagani sound quite exotic.

 

 

NB, There is no such thing as speaking with "no" accent. Everyone has an accent.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Fardragon