Baldur's Gate 2 Italian Voice Acting - Please save me
I post here 'cos I am not sure developer reply on Italian board.
Please, dudes, you did a great job in adapting Bg on console (not so good for new content that causes a lot of crash and bugs... occasional on SoD and an awful lot on SoA), but there's a problem you probably are not aware of about Italian voice acting. Or maybe you are well aware, but I have to say it anyway.
It's embarassing. Really.
Voice actors are three. Maybe four. Maybe two?
They dub every char in the game, including charname's variants.
They do a lot "voices" and overacting, in way that probably they tought was funny but it's, I repeat my self, embarassing.
It's annoyng but, well, something you can deal with until you don't reach elven community such as the Drow one in underdark. At that point they decide that making funny "voices" wasn't enough. So elves speak with foreign accent. Drow, apparently, are related to German... and not real German, but the one you can find only in 80's Italian b-movie comedy. Other elves had English accent. It is not supposed to be funny and it's not funny anyway.
Plus... the occasional "You are under attack..." and "You must gather your group..." voice is embarassing too. This time you can hear accent because the speaker is clearly not italian. According to my telemarketing calls experience, she's an east europe one. I suspect you added this on EE. Well, in this case, wasn't a good idea.
Plus... new content character speak english.
Plus.. I had to drop Bashyr because games crashed every time after the first meeting with new cultist in the forest. I tell you that because, one of the many bugs with new content dealing with Bashyr is that my charname begun to speak english (I mean the "I'll do it" kind of lines).
So, to recap:
1) Over-acting, fake and paradoxal voices, includinf fake foreign accent in italian original acting;
2) Real foreign accent in the few "service" messages;
3) Foreign language for new character;
4) Charname too sometimes bugs back to english.
Now... I don't ask for a new voice acting.
But... is it possible to switch it back to English?
Pretty please?
Playing on PS4, no way to mod it.
Please, dudes, you did a great job in adapting Bg on console (not so good for new content that causes a lot of crash and bugs... occasional on SoD and an awful lot on SoA), but there's a problem you probably are not aware of about Italian voice acting. Or maybe you are well aware, but I have to say it anyway.
It's embarassing. Really.
Voice actors are three. Maybe four. Maybe two?
They dub every char in the game, including charname's variants.
They do a lot "voices" and overacting, in way that probably they tought was funny but it's, I repeat my self, embarassing.
It's annoyng but, well, something you can deal with until you don't reach elven community such as the Drow one in underdark. At that point they decide that making funny "voices" wasn't enough. So elves speak with foreign accent. Drow, apparently, are related to German... and not real German, but the one you can find only in 80's Italian b-movie comedy. Other elves had English accent. It is not supposed to be funny and it's not funny anyway.
Plus... the occasional "You are under attack..." and "You must gather your group..." voice is embarassing too. This time you can hear accent because the speaker is clearly not italian. According to my telemarketing calls experience, she's an east europe one. I suspect you added this on EE. Well, in this case, wasn't a good idea.
Plus... new content character speak english.
Plus.. I had to drop Bashyr because games crashed every time after the first meeting with new cultist in the forest. I tell you that because, one of the many bugs with new content dealing with Bashyr is that my charname begun to speak english (I mean the "I'll do it" kind of lines).
So, to recap:
1) Over-acting, fake and paradoxal voices, includinf fake foreign accent in italian original acting;
2) Real foreign accent in the few "service" messages;
3) Foreign language for new character;
4) Charname too sometimes bugs back to english.
Now... I don't ask for a new voice acting.
But... is it possible to switch it back to English?
Pretty please?
Playing on PS4, no way to mod it.
1
Comments
you should try before coming to false conclusions.
i want also to tell that the whole italian localization is an effort completely based on voluntary labor, people had worked for free to translate the games and if i am not wrong they did rise funds to pay voice actors, maybe the work is not perfect, i can not judge as i use an english localization, but reading your harsh evaluation of their work makes me not happy.
because it was an hard not payed voluntary effort, people devoted their time and sometime their money to make possible to italians that don't speak english to play those games.
probably the issues that you are talking about are somehow true, but feel free to drop into the italian board and give a helpful hand. do you feel that you can be a good voice actor or that you can do a better work translating the games. i am sure that they will be happy to use your skills.
also many modders will be happy if you can help for an italian localization of their mods.
usually voluntary not payed labor is always welcome, and if we are not willing to do it the only thing we can do is to say "thank you" to those who did it, being the result of outstanding professional level or not.
but probably you did not know all this, even i was surprised when i did know that the whole italian localization was based on not payed voluntary work, and i can not blame beamdog for it as those are enhanced editions of old games that share only a niche in the games market.
probably you did not know it, but just dropping in the italian board and scrolling the thread titles you would surely had discover it. as i did.
i wish you all the luck and satisfaction playing those old but still fantastic games, in english or in italian with a voicing that you don't like much, as you did chose to do it on a platform that gives few options to customize the game and tailor it to your needs.
i apologize if i can sound harsh, but really i don't judge you and i am convinced that you did not know how effort, will to be helpful to other players and not payed time there is beyond the italian localization, being it perfect or not.
as i want that you and the english speaking community know it, as your post alone could give a very partial impression on the italian localization and on who worked at it, i have to tell what i tell here.
without being judgmental towards you or any other person, just to thank the people that worked so hard to have it done.
I will do a shorter version...
@JuliusBorisov Is it possibile to play it fully in English? How? It's good enough for me.
@gorgonzola
Really, trust me.
Max respect for fan if it is fanmade, but it doesn't sound fan made to me. A fan should know better. A fan of Salvatore's works should not make male drow speak in fake german. Really? Drow equal Evil equal nazi is what a fan of BG should think? A fan of salvatore's works should not make Viconia speak as a comedy pompous noblewoman while confessing you she has been raped and buried alive... again, really? Who could think that it was a good idea? Not a fan.
On the contrary, my assumption (maybe false) is that voice actors were pro (probably sub-par paid, but in Italy it's common even for famous voice actors) that have no idea of what they were acting for or, worse, that the director entered in the room and said: "Dude, today's job is easy. It's just a stupid videogame".
Really, it is what you feel listening at the game. I wish it was possibile to lend you my ears to make you understand that your polically correct point of view, that I can understand, doesn't fit with the cruel demolition of the Forgotten Realm epicity.
Mind you, translation's good. Voice acting is not bad itself... it's just abysmally out of context. If it's too judgmental for you it's because you can't hear it with my italian ears.
Again, if it's fan made, max respect for their huge and free work. But I payed for it, and on PS4 isn't cheap. I paid the right to say it sucks. If it's fan made, I will change my "it sucks" in a pat on the shoulder and in a "nice try, dude". I can add a pizza too.
Meanwhile I still want original voice acting, if you don't mind.
P.s.: I bought one year ago BG2 on playstore for android. I don't lie to you: I bought it again not only because I wanted a pad experience on biggest screen but also because it was labeled on ps store as "Language: English". When I ended my BG run and picked BG2 my reaction was, literrally: "NOOOOU! NOT AGAIN, PLEASE!". My wife came from kitchen to see what was wrong.
Or, even better, let's say... you are too polite and I over-reacted to over-acting and the truth is in the middle?
Call it an even.
If not, then uninstall the game (just back up the saves) and reinstall it anew. On the first launch, it should prompt you to pick the language.
I will give it a try, because I don't remember if I actually was asked for choosing a language the first time... but first I want to end this run, you know, just in case I mess up something.
If it will work, my sincere thanks since now.
If not, that's ok, it sucks but I will survive.
Thanks!
and feel free to don't like the italian voicing, tastes are tastes, i only wanted to let you know how much work and dedication was behind it, form a bunch of volunteers.
i maybe have to try it someday, in the old times i did run bg2 (original) with italian voicing, with completely different voice actors, and did not like some of them, like the one of jaheira.
now i stick to the EE english voicing that i like very much. also playing mods i find odd to have the characters talking in 2 different languages.
There is a full cast of different voice actors - more or less, 15.
I disagree with your opinion - you may or may not like the dubbing, that is a matter of taste - but I do think that people should be objective when it comes to review. And that statement is not.
Enjoy your game