This is why we need Dual Track games...
 

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/536/536515p1.html

See, its been 5 years since the release of Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Timer in Japan and even through 2 re-releases over there, it still hasn't come to our shores. But as we all know, it is coming soon. IGN now has a review of it and dispite your views of IGN, I wanted to note that they made special care to say one thing I've been fearing for the whole 5 years I've known of this game....that the voices would be so bad it would actually ruin the game.

And dispite your views on Dubs vs Subs, even the people at IGN which watch primarily Dubbed Anime took special notice to express how there is little excuse with 5 years of waiting and an original voice cast of some of Japans most famous Seiyuu (Japanese Anime/Game voice actors), there's no excuse for why the game should have such bad voices.

So I say, with this title and many others being plagued with what many say to be bad or annoying voices, when are we finally going to start getting Japanese RPG's with Dual Audio Tracks and Subtitles? Now I don't feel like getting Star Ocean 3....and I fear more games will have the same fate.

Why would you not get Star Ocean 3 because of some voices? If it really bothers you, just put it on mute whenever talking starts and read the subtitles.

Because when good RPGs use voices in the game, they make special emphasis on making those parts of the story with the voices supported on not only the written part of the script, but the voice that holds it up. I don't want to buy a game so that I can just mute it everytime someone talks, I've done that too many times in the past with games such as Lunar 2, Valkarie Profile and Star Ocean 2. And I don't want to play a game that puts so much into trying to make the parts where the voices talk important and then really get annoyed or begin to loathe those parts of the game. That's why I am also hesitent on buying Tales of Symphonia, although almost everyone I have heard from, both reviewers and friends alike, say the voices are pretty good so I'll look into it.

Its a personal preference and I don't see why they cannot simply put the original Japanese track on at least some (not even all although I wish) of these games. If they're already putting Subtitles on them for the hearing impared, they should be able to spend the extra day (if even that)( to program the original voices back onto the game. And I'm not alone in this view. I have met many who feel the same way I do, from my friends to people on these boards to just random store clerks at GameStop or EB Games.

If any of you feel the same, I just wanted to see.

Chances are I will find the voice acting horrid and annoying.

I'm used to that.

That said, I'll still probably end up getting this game. It's been getting fairly good reviews all around and I'm a fan of the PS1 Star Ocean title. Voice acting has just never been a big enough factor for me to skip a game.

I put up... with the voice acting... of Yuna in... FFX... so I doubt... that anything... could be worse... than that.

I'll guy SO3, just because its an RPG with real-time combat. I always enjoy those games, from Kingdom Hearts to the GBA Castlevanias. And the voice acting in Tales of Symphonia seems good. I mean, the main character has the same actor as Robin in Teen Titans!

Well, I think that the reason that the developers didn't put the japanese voices in is that not everyone is an anime loving otaku. Many people will pick up the game just because it gets good reviews. These type of people probably don't want to hear all the voices in japanese. Besides, I can't stand japanese voices in video games. To me, all the guys sound the same (and way too gruff) and the girls are all squeaky voiced.

Aw... I don't get it. Front Mission 4 was probably a very low priority release in America, and it had some pretty good voice acting overall... yet Star Ocean 3 got the shitty VA's?

It's embarassing when the VA's from the SNES version (yes, the SNES Star Ocean has voice acting. In English no less) are better than the VA's from the PS2 release.

You missed the point entirely. Its not that everyone wants to hear Japanese its that the Japanese voices are really well done, while the english voices make your ears bleed and are completely horrible. So we want the original Japanese voice hey we may not understand them but if I did I'd think they were the best voice acting ever instead..... of..... talk-ing.... like... WIl-liam.... Shat-ner.

uh, i assume you're not reffering to the Italian pilot, who doesn't talk at all like a normal Italian person; but instead like some kind of spagetti eating characature of an Italian?

Voice acting pretty much ruined my FFX experience. yeah, i could have just muted it, or turned up my music, but doing so ruins the immersion the developers have tried to create.

In .Hack they had the option of turning on dubed voices, or subtitles. i chose subtitles, because i knew i wouldn't be able to stand the english voices for too long before i started jabbing at my ears with sharp objects. i forget mine, or the original poster's point, but alls i know is that english voice actors suck.

Soo...a few bad voices is all it takes to completly destroy the gaming experience?

Yeesh...

Also, I liked Lunar 2, voices and all.