Voice Acting

[yun3]

English VA, it's classic. Don't know about you guys but I might go full Corey on my first playthrough.

Japanese VA is cool but I'd rather not read subtitles, I'm slow and I would rather understand what they are saying more easily, it's also funny and cheesy so I'll be kept entertained.

What VA will you use?

[GYO6161]

English for sure, it was my first exposure to Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2 aswell since i played the Xbox version first. It just wouldn't be the same imo without English voices. Corey, Kelso, Leisel, Lucas ect, without them it sort of meh imo. I tried the Undub and it wasn't for me. Hopefully the game will have dual audio for those that want JP voice

[elfshadowreaper]

Probably English first just because I'm used to it. Then Japanese. I really wish when they(and you know they will) release HD remasters for the first two they give the option of Japanese audio.

But I don't think Shenmue 3 will have as much spoken dialogue for the minor characters as the first two. But hopefully it will.

[kogami]

Japanese of course !!!!

[Testament]

Probably English first just because I'm used to it. Then Japanese. I really wish when they(and you know they will) release HD remasters for the first two they give the option of Japanese audio.

But I don't think Shenmue 3 will have as much spoken dialogue for the minor characters as the first two. But hopefully it will.

I will be very surprised if the voice acting is as robust as the previous two games. I'm assuming it will be more like Yakuza, with primary scenes being voiced, but regular NPC dialogue having little chortles here and there.

Hope I'm wrong, though!

[Batosai]

Personally I would prefer Japanese because they have a very large industry of voice acting talent in use for anime/game/visual novels which is very difficult to get into so consistently produce very high quality work. I do think the game needs both as in the western gaming environment it has always shown a large majority want English voice overs for Japanese content. Would probably play it in English the 2nd time for comedy if just hear Fuku-San if he can be called on the phone

I am currently learning how to read Japanese Kanji (need to know 1500-2000 symbols to be considered fluent...) and will probably be much further along by the time this game releases so if it is in English I will import it (Will end up having an extra Kickstarter copy ).

The problem is that to many fans of Japanese media including myself this often can be the difference between a purchase as there are quite a number of underlying issues which are left to a 3rd party who often do a poor job such as interpretation of the script (often add superfluous information to make it sound cool...), author's intent in how a character was envisaged to sound (if familiar with original content can be wildly different), voice actors sound and range (i won't even go here...). This may sound a bit obsessive but to those affected they are genuine issues that can significantly hinder getting immersed into the game which after waiting so long i wouldn't want to do.

[Hyo Razuki]

Well, if we get to choose the VA and subtitles freely, no matter what region we're in I'll go for English VA without subtitles on my first playthrough. That is the default setting of the PAL version of S1 and that's how I came into contact with Shenmue at first.

After that, my standard setting will be Japanese VA with subs for all subsequent playthroughs, probably. Just the PAL version of S2 on DC.

If we do not get Japanese VA in the western version, I'll just import the Japanese one and play it after finishing the western version. That way I can play the game without understanding Japanese just like I did with S1 and 2.

[SMDzero]

Japanese!

Shenmue 2 Dreamcast was the best game of all time and was 1000% better than the Xbox version there I said it.

[Tsubasa]

Japanese of course. I can't stand the awful english voice acting anymore, it is so bad.

[RyoHazuki84]

The English voice cast has even admitted what led to the wooden performances of the English version. But it is kind of funny that Suzuki admitted to liking the English version.

I am a hardcore purist so I am sticking with the Japanese version but will buy the English version as a novelty and to support this great legacy.

[Snakiest]

English. But I am a bit worried. I'm not 15 anymore and have developed quite a taste for voice acting quality of the years. Hm...

On the other hand, I will definitely not play in Japanese. I can't stand the exaggerated register of Japanese seiyu, either. You know, nobody in Japan speaks like that... Nobody. Only cheap TV drama actors...

[Spaghetti]

I'm hoping for dual language tracks, if the budget allows. Having played Shenmue in English, and Shenmue II in Japanese, I've got an affinity for both sets of VA.

I'm excited to hear what the English VA sounds like with better direction and localisation.

[Himuro]

Both but I voted for Japanese. I mostly want Japanese to be available as an option as well. I also worry about the English dubbing. Someone needs to tell Yu that the dub for I and II aren't good.

[Spaghetti]

Both but I voted for Japanese. I mostly want Japanese to be available as an option as well. I also worry about the English dubbing. Someone needs to tell Yu that the dub for I and II aren't good.

I think he likely knows.

Shenmue III has the benefit of native English speakers working directly on the project, and considering Ryan Payton brought it up as one of the bad things about the original games from a translation and localisation perspective, I think they'll be making a better effort this time.

[Pogogacy]

Japanese.

The English voice acting is objectively awful, but loads of fans seem to have a weird sentimental attachment to it for some reason. I've absolutely no idea why and this is coming from someone who played both games on the Dreamcast when they first came out. Unintentional comedy is not a good thing in a story driven game which takes itself as seriously as Shenmue. It's probably also the biggest hurdle that stops the series attracting more new fans. People who are used to the slick voice acting of Western AAA games laugh their ass off at Shenmue's dub.

Still, it's clear that the fanbase is divided on this issue and plenty of people disagree with me so it's important we do have the option for both (to each their own and all that).