Sonic Forces - Story Trailer (English and Japanese)

[Kuzu]

Voice direction for video games tends to be pretty poor compared to an animated product, usually because of the process. Japan takes voice acting much more seriously, so they go out of their way of putting way more effort into the project than what's generally required.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

4 minutes ago, Sonikko said:

No I don't, but I've had that happen to me countless times with English -> Italian dubs. Sometimes the voice actors are pretty good, their delivery is spot on, but the dialogue is bad, so hearing it in a languge that you don't understand/ is not your mother tongue, makes it sound better, simply because you don't actually "realize" what they're saying.

I'm not sure I explained it well, hope it's clear lol.

Crap, I think I had you mixed up with someone else. I think it was the username, I keep remembering it to be something like someone else's...

But yeah I get what you mean. Everything Sounds Sexier Better in French Foreign Language You Don't Understand a Word of But You Swear It's Better Because Your Native Language Dub Sucks basically.

[Gabz Girl]

The English voice acting is good, especially for Dr Eggman and Knuckles (though I'm SO glad Silver doesn't sound like a whiny little brat anymore!), but it's the dialogue I have a problem with. It sounds...off. If Graff is doing the English script for this it doesn't seem to have any of the usual flourish that he puts into it, which is both a good and bad thing. 

Oh God I really don't want to get a bad story on top of the mediocre looking gameplay. This was literally the only thing I was looking forward to in Sonic Forces! D:

[SonicWind]

6 minutes ago, Gabz Girl said:

Oh God I really don't want to get a bad story on top of the mediocre looking gameplay. This was literally the only thing I was looking forward to in Sonic Forces! D:

I hope this won't happen. This is one of the most intriguing Sonic plotlines yet, and I'd hate for it to fall apart.

[Ajavalo]

I don't care too much about the English voices since I'm going to set them to Spanish. Ever since Generations, the Spanish voice actors have done a really good job, IMO.

[Scar]

Over the top hammy acting in Japanese often feels better because you can't immediately understand how hammy it is. Other than that, its the same shit as the English version.

Tbh, this game as far bigger issues than voice direction, and even then it isn't half bad.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I think the biggest issue is as what was already said, outside of Silver, Knuckles, Eggman and perhaps Infinite, they feel like completely random lines taken out of context. The end result is some funny moments and genuinely nice character moments (I.E Knuckles' egging on the CaC), or awkward moments like Sonic calling the CaC his partner, or Silver saying they don't need strength in numbers only for the trailer to contradict him literally in the next scene. The trailer itself is pretty well constructed IMO, and I'm beginning to feel genuinely interested in Infinite. I really don't see the so called overblown edginess, just seems like your standard badass boast in this trailer, same way in DBZ when Cell or Frieza comes out with badass boasts about making their victims see fear before they meet their end.

I still don't like how the trailer shows the CaC though, I mentioned this earlier, but I hate when main/important characters call CaCs their partner or best friend or whatever. It just seems to be there to say "MY CHARACTER IS BFFs WITH SONIC". I really hope they give him lead-in to work with Sonic as opposed to him just being there. Also, it's said if you turn down the music settings in the game when playing the tag-team stages, you can hear Tails crying.

seriously did sega just forget that tails is meant to be sonic's best friend and partner in action

[MegasonicZX]

You guys really don't have to worry about the lines being off in game, most jpn's trailers that get dubbed over typically do feel pretty dry since most of the time the voices are just slapped in there at pivotal moments. The in game lines are going to fit much better in game than they do here so I don't think there is any need to worry, also i'm a scrubby English dub lover so I prefer our cast thank you very much D:<

[Shaddy Zaphod]

The problem with the dialogue is the awkward pauses in between the lines. It usually happens in Japanese games without re-animated lip-sync for western release, where a pause would make sense in the Japanese dialogue but not in English. Now of course, they should have done a better job with this trailer since A. I think Sonic games get their lip-sync animated to the English dialogue anyway and B. this trailer has tons of voice-over on footage without any lip-sync, but ya know.

[Balding Spider]

1 hour ago, Gabz Girl said:

Oh God I really don't want to get a bad story on top of the mediocre looking gameplay. This was literally the only thing I was looking forward to in Sonic Forces! D:

I don't think the story will deliver. I don't think it'll be terrible but not as good as most are hoping. Expecting a middling with two or three shining spots and the lame betray Eggman sequence at the very end.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Balding Spider

[Bowbowis]

I'm happy to see that they're letting Travis Willingham move away from a simply doing a Dan Green impression. It's nice to hear him doing his own take on the character, even if it doesn't reach Scott Dreier's level.

[Salamander]

The overall impression I get at this point is that the story trailer was never intended for English-language audiences, not least since it's otherwise unusual that the English equivalent took so long to arrive rather than appearing simultaneously; the marketing team merely responded to fan demand for it by cutting together a version with the English dub.  Since it's literally just the Japanese trailer with the English line equivalents dubbed over, it doesn't work so well because the Japanese-language timing and editing no longer fits with the length and rhythm of the English lines.  (With that said, the fact that the vast majority of us can't understand Japanese and thus can't gauge the original performance as well is a factor.  Even setting performance quality aside, it's easy to find media less cringey when you can't tell how stupid the dialogue is.)

[I do not acknowledge.]

ah, i forgot how cheesy sonic games were. The terrible voice acting and cheese-ridden lines is actually somewhat nostalgiac for me. Some things never change in Sonic games lol

Still hope for a darker storyline then

[Dr. Detective]

The voices themselves are fine. I was actually worried about how well Roger was going to pull off calling the avatar his partner and it sounded fine thankfully. Knuckles sounds like he's got that Portgas D. Ace voice taking the helm for his more serious take, which is great. Ironically I found Eggman's lines to be the underwhelming part here. 

Watching and re-watching the Japanese trailer prepared me for a more serious Mike Pollock voice projection. I didn't expect anything on the level of Sonic 06 because thankfully this game is making it clear that he's still eccentric, fun Eggman despite his newfound dominance. However, the strangeness of the line he was given at the beginning undersold the moment. It wasn't as straight forward as the original line, instead opting for something more dynamic when it didn't really need to be.

That and the line Silver had disrupted the flow of the trailer. Not only was it made to be much longer than the other one so that it cut into Knuckles saying "Let's go!" but the line they re-wrote had him specifically mention that they could rely on more than numbers followed by a scene showing their army. Sure, they have significantly less people both there and probably even less at the point in the story where he says it, so it could still carry through fine in context but why mix the trailer that way regardless? Just use another motivational speech line. I'm sure he must have said something else at least reminiscent of the original line somewhere else in the game.

This might be one of those games where I seek out what was originally written if the context actually doesn't make these issues go away. I'm sure it'll be mostly fine since the other lines I've heard in the stages are alright. I worry about Warren writing for Tails again though. He can't even get a serious render of him without someone immediately thinking he's all bitchy.

Also, Fist Bump is still sung terribly. I've gotten used to it by now but its still not right. Still love Infinite's theme though.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

I really hope translation problems fucking up the meaning of lines doesn't need to be a problem for the series again. With how much Japanese shit gets brought over, we should have a handle on accurate scripts by this point.

I think in that regard Forces will be okay, but we don't need GUN being apologetic over Gerald instead of Shadow again.

[Ratcicle King]

I guess the problem we're all having here is how because they took the localized voice work, context of some of the lines chances, plus, the deliveries were different, meaning lipsynch would be fucked here.

Tho' if people are worried about Silver's lines and some of the other lines, just remember, the scenes they were taken from were quiet exposition scenes, not action bombastic ones, the japanese voice actor did put a lot more emotion in his delivery,  but the direction here isn't exactly wrong for a quiet scene which seems to be more focused on them planning their next move.

[TargetWatch]

Member when Sonic Team and PR told us it was not Green Hill Zone? I member. 

[septimus01]

ehh, not as good as the JP version but i've heard much worse. Both elsewhere and in the Sonic series.

I didn't mind Eggman, Knuckles, Infinities and Silvers delivery , but Sonic is actually annoying me in this game, which is something that's never happened in the main series since 06 but that was more the writing. Speaking of the writing that's something I've not been liking about the game at all in the English version.

Also, anyone know who is Infinites English and Japanese voice actors are?

[Dizcrybe]

Infinite's EN VA is Liam O'Brien. I dunno who Infinite's is; out of all the VAs in Japan I can probably recognize a grand total of two of them.

[Ultimate Victory 64]

You know watching the English Version of Sonic Forces, I realized something about the voice actors for the characters. They just suffer what Sonic Adventure had to suffer which was bad voice direction. I mean look at Sonic Boom the Cartoon. They all have natural voices for the characters.

[Jango]

Guess I'll play this one in japanese first. Wish there was an option to keep only Eggman in english

Knuckles sounds good, tho'.

[The Deleter]

My thoughts on it:

• Guys I don't think I prefer Mike Pollock anymore AAAAAND WE'RE OFF TO A ROLLING START don't kill me please
• Tails' cry sounds just as bad here as it did in the original. The sound editing makes it seem worse at first listen, though
• Knuckles' line doesn't really sound any different. It's just exposition. Eh.
• Silver sounds a lot more like he's giving reasons for a plan, rather than the JP Silver sounding more concerned, due to his emphasis on "everyone" and lack of... general concern in his voice, lol. Don't prefer it.
• Alright I think that I prefer the JP version due to more energy and sentiment being put into the deliveries, but this is WAAAAAAAY too much enthusiasm for this line, Sonic, calm down. Also what's with the country accent? Is he going to use that every time he uses the word Partner? >:V ... The Japanese version sounded more sentimental, which made it seem more heartfelt to me. Though, the line is basically the same in both versions, so dunno if that's appropriate for that situation tbh.
• This line is much better for Knuckles. The original was just him saying "Do your best, Rookie!" while knocking him over, while this one actually uses a cheeky poke at the fact that he's a rookie, adding to the levity. The Japanese word for Rookie probably has the same effect in the native language, but I prefer the extra layer of context honestly. They're both good deliveries.
• This line for Eggman is the perfect example of why I now prefer the JP voice for him over this, tbh. It's the exact same direction, the exact same words, but whereas Pollock can't seem to escape his "hearty jolly Eggman" voice, the JP voice is tinted with a sense of seriousness to it, while ending on a tone of the same "hearty jolly Eggman" variety, making that aspect feel a lot more... potent, I guess? Like one of my biggest issues with Pollock's Eggman is that he always sounds jolly, for the most part, even when grumbling sometimes. It should definitely be a part of his character, but to hear it all the time kind of takes the fact that "he's jolly" away, and replaces it with "he sounds jolly". If that makes sense? Feels more like it's a part of his character than a side product of a certain voice actor's voice.
• "Idaro" sounds so much cooler than "fine" you guys, I can't help it, lmao
• This entire line from Infinite basically comes down to "foreign language sounds cooler than mine" syndrome, though there is a difference between, "I will bring you and this world pain" and, "First I will teach you fear, and then pain..." though it's not that different. What really kills this for me in the EG version, is how similar this delivery is to Zavok's lines from SLW. The lines aren't that different between versions, and it may be just as cheesy in a native tongue, but I've always felt Zavok's threats were overly clunky and lamely delivered. Like a villain making stuff up as he goes along. Like a poser. The JP line and delivery at least sounds like he's 100% behind what he's going to say from the start. He also has the "smooth confident" voice for his threat leadup in the JP version, which to be fair Zavok also had (it sucked :V) but he's able to sell it a lot better with how silky his voice is in the first place.
• This line is doofy and lame in near every regard. The JP line may be cliche, again, but boy can you get behind it and it's energy a lot better than how Silver sounds and what he says in the EG version, good gravy, lmao. An earnest "There is hope, do not get discouraged!" compared to the monotone "We need to show them.. that strength doesn't come from numbers!" It's night and day, wow.
• jump cut to the resistance's massive numbers :V
• This line is about as good as Knuckles' EG voice actor can pull off, not gonna fault him for that, but I prefer the JP "Osha, ikuzo!!" just for how flat out over the top it goes, and it's energy as a war cry, lol; sorry Travis. :[
• The trailer doesn't have the same lines for the rest of it, and the "When we join forces, the sky's the limit!" line is probably from a double boost section. Just for the sake of it, though, I do predict that the "I'll push past everything you throw at me, no matter what!" line is going to be a snarky Roger line in comparison, and I miss the "See ya, partner!" sentimental tone that the EG version will probably miss, for a country accent or something >:V The line that was in the trailer could have been better placed, though, since if it played when the double boost QTE appeared, it'd fit with the trailer a lot better.

 

It's not terrible, and the editing does do it a disservice, but I think I'll go with the JP voice overs at the end of the day, if only due to how much more energetic, sentimental, passionate, or fitting it tends to be. The english dub has it's merits, such as Knuckles' personality, or Pollock's voice if you prefer that (His "Niccccce!" line will never get old) but at the end of the day, I do kinda sorta want to have a good, energetic action story for my energetic action adventure. It's just that lack of passion and generally clumsy writing that holds it back, which is a shame since this seemed too be the Sonic story that escaped from a lot of it's problems in the past. It all came down to the localization team, and they didn't do the best job at translating it tbh. Definitely not the worst, it'll be serviceable for many, for sure. It just doesn't do anything different to enhance the adventure, like the JP dub does in the first place.

[Dr. Detective]

I'm definitely not going to come down on the localization team just yet. The fact that I didn't have a problem with the way they all sounded in this game before this trailer came out is keeping me on the level. I didn't really have something to compare it to before.

The fact that the lines are out of context is way more apparent now. And the sound mixing isn't that good either, which makes me lean more towards this just being the same trailer but with some of the English lines duct-taped to it.

I'm really not worried about the voices the more I think about it. The localization, definitely, but I don't feel I have too much evidence to judge just yet.

 I love the way Roger delivered that line though. God, I was so worried he'd make it sound cheesy rather than just a normal thing he'd say.

[Zippo]

Reminder that the TGS stream should be starting soon.

 

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Oh boy, I can't wait for them to show off Classic Park Avenue and Modern Green hill.

Oh who am I kidding, that'd be a godsend at this point.