Lost in Translation?

[Devias]

First and foremost, I am enjoying the actual game play. It really scratches that same itch that the previous Ace Combat games did back on the PS2 and PS3.

But.. holy cow is this game's dialog, voice acting, and story atrocious. I recall the previous games and been amused at how cheesy they were, but I guess now that I'm older I find this new game to be downright hilarious. It's like it's just begging for the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 to roast it.

It takes itself so seriously and the dialog is so stilted. The voice actors sound like they were hired right out of a small town community theater. They're so earnest it's kind of endearing at how bad they are.

I feel no connection to any of the characters. The cutscenes almost always make me laugh out loud. "So I escaped. Then.. they sent.. the DOGS after me!" - DRAMATIC pause, CLOSE UP on the eyes, as you hear howling in the background. A masterpiece of directing there.

The story of the war is filled with so much fluff and names and locations and references that it's just a silly blur of random sounding technobabble.

When the Princess talks about the horrors of war it's like she's breathlessly reading a bedtime story to a group of toddlers. Your wingmen have nothing useful to say to you and repeat their lines endlessly. The Breaking News clips play out like the director has heard of television news broadcasts, but has never actually seen one.

Maybe years ago I had more of a tolerance for the cringe that counts as conversations in this series, but in this day and age of AAA games delivering great gameplay AND great storytelling, Ace Combat is like a dinosaur.

So yeah, decent game play but I'm to the point I'm just going to skip past every cutscene and mission briefing because it sure ain't getting any better.

[Young Erusean Officer]

The Cutscenes are bad yes but the briefings and in-game dialog are top notch. Best in the series IMO.

[Sevicler]

I think some dialogue during gameplay are recycled.

One time, I played the final mission and count suddenly said "I'm getting tired of this arrogant guy" but that dialogue already played in the last level when Sol Squadron showed up to help you. It's a little jarring detail in an otherwise good game

[TheJournier]

Whoever casted Cossette aught to be shot.
That quiet breathy voice just feels so out of place. I like her character, but hate her voice for that role, she is a leader... not a meek kid.

Yes the lines are awkward sometimes...
>>>... You two aces, it's time to show us what you've got.

The way that line is delivered and wording is awkward.

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by TheJournier:

Whoever casted Cossette aught to be shot.
That quiet breathy voice just feels so out of place. I like her character, but hate her voice for that role, she is a leader... not a meek kid.

Yes the lines are awkward sometimes...
>>>... You two aces, it's time to show us what you've got.

The way that line is delivered and wording is awkward.

She's a member of a royal family, that she sounds like little more than a meek kid is kinda of the point (they even mention she's been plagiarized into sustaining the war propaganda by radicals in the army and that her father was too weak to do anything about it) she's there because she's the young new face pf the dinasty not because she's a natural leader. I guess Japanese pop culture might have been an influence since also the japanese emperor during WWII was exactly the reverse of what you would think as a "leader" and mostly did what the imperial japanese government told him to. It's not 1:1 obviously but there are shades of this to her character.

[TheJournier]

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

She's a member of a royal family, that she sounds like little more than a meek kid is kinda of the point (they even mention she's been plagiarized into sustaining the war propaganda by radicals in the army and that her father was too weak to do anything about it) she's there because she's the young new face pf the dinasty not because she's a natural leader. I guess Japanese pop culture might have been an influence since also the japanese emperor during WWII was exactly the reverse of what you would think as a "leader" and mostly did what the imperial japanese government told him to. It's not 1:1 obviously but there are shades of this to her character.

There are I just don't care for her voice. It doesn't exactly match or sound realistic (even for a really shy person to me). She is a natural leader by the way (and she criticized her far her father for having poor leader qualities). Yes she doesn't have to be brash and harsh sound like the other "strong leader", the "scrap queen"
^ but they both exhibit strong leader qualities.
- She is a public speaker... not a stutter, no impediment there. Someone who spends a lot of time speaking will have a more commanding voice usually than one who doesn't.
~ Also, she is also quite brave. No sorry... I don't get it.

[DarkFenix]

I do kinda think the script was lost in translation, because about half of it sounds like it was never so much as checked by a native English speaker before being recorded. In half the cut scenes I was cringing so hard, people just don't speak like that. Ever.

And the storyline is so bad it wouldn't even compare well to fan fiction.

[Metal]

Yea, I forget what mission I was flying, but I basically shot everything down,and someone called me a 'dumb a$s'.

The AI wingmen are useless chattering teenagers.

Still fun arcade shooty flying stuff

[TheJournier]

Originally posted by quicKmEtaL:

Yea, I forget what mission I was flying, but I basically shot everything down,and someone called me a 'dumb a$s'.

The AI wingmen are useless chattering teenagers.

Still fun arcade shooty flying stuff

Agreed it is a good game...
It's the little things that makes this game miss god tier AAA title game.

I think it could've been better, but it's still a step up from precious titles even ps2 era stuff. The parts thing is a wonderful addition.

[Young Erusean Officer]

Originally posted by quicKmEtaL:

Yea, I forget what mission I was flying, but I basically shot everything down,and someone called me a 'dumb a$s'.

Someone got Bandog'ed.

[Det.Bullock]

Originally posted by TheJournier:

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

She's a member of a royal family, that she sounds like little more than a meek kid is kinda of the point (they even mention she's been plagiarized into sustaining the war propaganda by radicals in the army and that her father was too weak to do anything about it) she's there because she's the young new face pf the dinasty not because she's a natural leader. I guess Japanese pop culture might have been an influence since also the japanese emperor during WWII was exactly the reverse of what you would think as a "leader" and mostly did what the imperial japanese government told him to. It's not 1:1 obviously but there are shades of this to her character.

There are I just don't care for her voice. It doesn't exactly match or sound realistic (even for a really shy person to me). She is a natural leader by the way (and she criticized her far her father for having poor leader qualities). Yes she doesn't have to be brash and harsh sound like the other "strong leader", the "scrap queen"
^ but they both exhibit strong leader qualities.
- She is a public speaker... not a stutter, no impediment there. Someone who spends a lot of time speaking will have a more commanding voice usually than one who doesn't.
~ Also, she is also quite brave. No sorry... I don't get it.

That's kinds the point, she's not meant to sound commading but the relatable face of the regime.
I don't think the "scrap queen" is meant as a leader, she's very much a film noir character mostly out for herself.

[TheJournier]

Originally posted by Det.Bullock:

I don't think the "scrap queen" is meant as a leader, she's very much a film noir character mostly out for herself.

Right, some people have a "quiet confidence" about them. They aren't loud exuberant characters but they feel like leaders.
She goes from a somewhat decent public speaker (she addresses the people sometimes and you see a fairly clear commanding voice). Then she goes to... this eh... breathy barely audible voice whispers "let's open the door for the refugees."
They are both meant to be relatable characters.

Avril on the other hand sort of grows into this role. She is sort of a "coleader" of the refugees with the princess, at times even bossing her around.
-Towards the end she speaks for the refugees at the Lighthouse elevator.
-Leads the princess through stopping the Elevator.

She may have started out that way and I see where you get that.
Builds plane on her own when she gets shot down. Seen as grumpy and unlikable by the Spare squadron. And tries to talk herself into the transport wit the commander so she could get out of the frontlines (but feels guilty?)

[⚡Snake⚡Plissken⚡]

Originally posted by Devias:

First and foremost, I am enjoying the actual game play. It really scratches that same itch that the previous Ace Combat games did back on the PS2 and PS3.

But.. holy cow is this game's dialog, voice acting, and story atrocious. I recall the previous games and been amused at how cheesy they were, but I guess now that I'm older I find this new game to be downright hilarious. It's like it's just begging for the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 to roast it.

It takes itself so seriously and the dialog is so stilted. The voice actors sound like they were hired right out of a small town community theater. They're so earnest it's kind of endearing at how bad they are.

I feel no connection to any of the characters. The cutscenes almost always make me laugh out loud. "So I escaped. Then.. they sent.. the DOGS after me!" - DRAMATIC pause, CLOSE UP on the eyes, as you hear howling in the background. A masterpiece of directing there.

The story of the war is filled with so much fluff and names and locations and references that it's just a silly blur of random sounding technobabble.

When the Princess talks about the horrors of war it's like she's breathlessly reading a bedtime story to a group of toddlers. Your wingmen have nothing useful to say to you and repeat their lines endlessly. The Breaking News clips play out like the director has heard of television news broadcasts, but has never actually seen one.

Maybe years ago I had more of a tolerance for the cringe that counts as conversations in this series, but in this day and age of AAA games delivering great gameplay AND great storytelling, Ace Combat is like a dinosaur.

So yeah, decent game play but I'm to the point I'm just going to skip past every cutscene and mission briefing because it sure ain't getting any better.

MST3K would be hilarious, I never listened to the story, ie as least as I could but hitting the A button to pass any cut scenes, all I knew was my name was Strider, I was a murderer and something something lol.

[Vedli]

From what I've heard the voice actors where given no direction or context for there lines. So they just had to kind of guess at tone and delivery.

Also the script reeks of been translated but not localised like it's an OVA from the 90's. So the conversations while technically correct just aren't accurate to how people talk, like an audio uncanny valley.