“An Epic Third Person Sci-Fi Action Shooter from the Critically Acclaimed Game Director Shinji Mikami”
Vanquish
Developer: Platinum Games, Inc. | Platform: Xbox 360 | Released: October 19, 2010 | Publisher: Sega | Originally Played From: July 10, 2012 – September 14, 2012
Bad acting in video games! It’s funny, but if we dig a little deeper, what else can we find? The simple reasons why so much of the acting in early games was so bad, whether or not some of these actors went on to do any more acting, and some of the technical reasons why it was so poor. Let’s jump in!
This YouTube video has the answers to the basic question of why acting in early games was so bad:
If you can’t or don’t want to watch the video (which I highly recommend), to sum up the most common reasons: No one had any idea what they were doing back then, the people involved usually didn’t really care about what they were doing, most of the budget went to other aspects of development (leading to members of the dev teams having to attempt to act; I don’t envy being in this position), actors usually performed alone and with little knowledge of context or character relationships (which a good director would provide), and their equipment sometimes wasn’t quite up to snuff, either, with bad microphones. I would posit a few other factors: Some of the people involved with acting and direction didn’t take games seriously, no one really had many connections to experienced actors and directors, and let’s be honest – game writing usually wasn’t that great back in the day. Games were frequently content to regurgitate fantasy/science fiction tropes to justify basic plots. Another aspect to this is how abysmal some of the Japanese-to-English localizations were at the time, as we’ll see in many examples.
The Xeod Moors is one tedious battleground, thanks to its swampy terrain.
Gearing Up
If I may, the inability to see how new equipment affects your units when you’re shopping is a travesty.
Apparently, in the PS1 version’s translation, Arycelle’s name was… Alocer/Aloser. Her “proper” name sounds like the name of a battery brand, but damn.
I read about the Alocer/Aloser thing before, but actually knowing Arycelle now puts it in a whole new context.
Galgastani Grudgematch
Sir Xaebos is ugly.
Enchantresses can learn Quench, a healing spell, but it’s pretty weak.
When units have been hastened, they look twitchy.
I love this game, but a few things about it annoy me. Like how Golems can’t really be hurt by anything other than magic.
The Order of Toni takes Cortinae, but Xaebos flees to Brigantys. A willing prisoner tells Michael this, and also that Xeabos will make an example of the Galgastani incarcerated there. Michael says he’ll depart for Brigantys, and the prisoner tells him he has a noble heart.
Michael: “Noble…”
Prisoner: “There’s more to nobility than blood, my lord.” Indeed.
At Cortinae Keep, Michael finds Catiua preparing to leave, and tries to keep her from doing so.
“So you’re just going to leave me?”
>>”You’re being selfish, sister.”
Not sure what the best option is here, but the first choice seems… needy. Figured I’d challenge her instead.
Michael: “Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?”
Catiua: “Oh, that’s very good, coming from you!”
“Sister, I would never.”
“…I’ve always been terrified of being alone…” Who isn’t?
“Avenging our father – is that not why you fight?”
“Why should I care to avenge him? He is no true father to us.”
“What?”
“I mean we are orphans, brother. He is not our father. Not by blood, at any rate.”
“No… Who told you this? It’s a lie! It must be!”
“It is no lie. I overheard him talking about it once, long ago. In all the world, you’re the only family I have.”
“Why tell me this only now?”
Catiua turns away from him. “Because you’re leaving me.”
“Leaving you?! Scarce a moment goes by we are not at each other’s side! And so it shall remain. I will never leave you.”
“There is the lie! You have chosen your war over your sister! How long until you cast me aside? Until you forget me altogether?”
“Never, sister.”
“…I’m alone without you…”
She leaves the Keep.
“Catiua!”
Title Unlocked: Man of Deeds
It must have been hard for Cat to keep that secret.
Perhaps she didn’t want to believe it.
Separation Anxiety
Wow, a spell can pierce right through an enemy who has used Evade on itself! Evade prevents any attack from affecting a unit – any, that is, except for magic.
I recruited my first monster and killed an annoyingly strong knight that was the husband of Nybeth’s daughter, Cressida.
Nybeth, Cressida, and Xaebos may be evil, but they are also Galgastani patriots.
Two Devil cards wound up in adjacent sqaures. What are the chances? They screwed with my mobilization.
‘Twas a struggle, but we finally spilled Xaebos’ guts. It felt fruitless for a while.
Title Unlocked: Untarnished Hero
Xaebos said that any “ditch-born” Galgastani can look at any Walister and feel better about their lot. No Walister needs your pity, you fat son of a whore.
“Son of a whore” somehow feels like a classier insult than more R-rated words that you could use instead.
I need to decide how to evolve my characters’ classes, but we are not ready to start changing our classes just yet.
We found ourselves saving a blind swordsman, Hobyrim, from Modiliani, one of Duke Ronwey’s lapdogs. Hobyrim offered to lend us his sword after the battle.
>>”You would be welcome.”
“I cannot accept your offer.”
Like I’m giving up a kickass blind swordsman!
Title Unlocked: The Unflinching
Hobyrim’s level is reset after the battle – or, rather, given how units level up in the game, the Swordmaster class starts at level one.
Cortinae Keep AGAIN?
Battles there always have you going after a target way up high near the Keep’s gates. You should always go after this target because the game just makes more reinforcements come after you if you kill the other units.
Some magic, like fire and ice, don’t seem as useful as others, such as earth, water, and darkness.
Inside the Keep, Leonar asks Michael for a duel. Do we slay him now, or give him a chance to live long enough to see the err of his ways?
“A duel, then.”
>>”This fight is not ours alone.”
Apparently, your choice here only determines if you fight him alone or against his own squad. Whoops!
When Arycelle challenges him, he says, “There’s naught to explain. I am a cruel, heartless man. Do you think we did not understand what it was we did? What it would mean? It was a vile plot from the start, but it had to be done. For our people – our future!” They didn’t ask you to do that for them. “Galgastan hunted us. We had no other card left to play. So I did it – did it gladly! And if I had to do it again, I would.”
Arycelle: “Leonar… I don’t understand. You were a good man once. A kind man, and just. I… I loved you. How did you fall so low?” Wow, a shocking confession. Did he know of her feelings before then? And yet, he still did what he did. Some patriot.
After defeating him, he tells Michael that he has grown strong, and that he was right. “Please, Michael. Go… to Rhime. You must… stop the Duke. In you I still see… hope…
Arycelle… my love.”
The “safest” path through Rhime is through a volcanic mountain where monsters and demons lie.
Title Unlocked: Arbitrator of the Game
Dragons’ Resonance skills look really cool!
Trying to level up weaker classes is like ice skating uphill because if you take characters with higher level classes along, the game will adjust the strength of enemies in accordance with the higher level characters.
Beasts are annoying to fight because they’re strong to direct physical attacks.
Video Game Journals 
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