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Black Ops 6has finally been released and early reactions from the gaming community and critics suggest that this year’s entry is a step up from the more recent titles. It was time for the developers to steer the franchise back in the right direction and out of the pit it fell into many years ago.
Despite having a great single-player story mode, combat mechanics like the human shield, and an omnidirectional movement system, there is one aspect the developers didn’t bother touching up on for this installment. Players would appreciate hearing Case talk rather than be a voiceless grunt.
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Although it makes sense to the plot, Case is another silent protagonist like Bell fromCall of DutyBlack Ops Cold War; unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of the main playable character being a voiceless grunt who is comparable to an avatar in an online game. Unlike Alex Mason and other older protagonists, players can feel they are in for a ride and that their character is human, and taking away their voice is the complete opposite.
The irony is that theBlack Opsseries broke the tradition of having silent protagonists. Earlier entries were much more enjoyable because players could identify with their playable characters and realize they were people with lives and stories to tell, and they were not empty avatars that could be puppeteered around.
Previous entries allowed the main character to talk. Treyarch even had the luxury of hiring impressive Hollywood talent like Sam Worthington to voice Alex Mason inBlack Ops 2years ago. Even the playable characters of the most recent entries from the rebootedModern Warfaretrilogy like Gaz, Soap, Ghost, and more would converse amongst themselves occasionally and keep each other in the loop.
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On the bright side, the more recent entries did manage toincrease the level of realism with the graphics, visuals, and physics, and it was another step closer to being the most realistic combat simulation ever made. What ticked the fans on the other hand is that the game developers were able to provide voices for these playable protagonists in earlier installments and the decision to undo years of progress in that department all of a sudden did not sit well with them.
The beauty of having a voice in a franchise likeCall of Dutyis for players to feel and understand the character’s mental state. Mason has gone through hell in his journey and players can feel that through his dialogue, especially with everything he, Woods, Hudson, and others have seen in their years of service is enough to scar a man for the remainder of their lives.
Bell is another story entirely and the reasoning behind his inability to speak made sense to the story being a brainwashed Soviet spy with no memory of his past. In the end, Adler had to eliminate the character since he was a loose end that needed to be dealt hence the lack of mention in the universally praised sequel; however, there is not much known about Case’s past and some players found it odd why the developers refused to give him any speaking lines.
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EarlierCall of Dutyentries did not have speaking protagonists, and could be easily blamed on the availability of the technology at the time; however, the game developers intentionally decided to take that approach to make these characters much more mysterious. Players are taking on the roles of highly-trained personnel and these characters wouldn’t drop the facade in active duty.
Characters like Ghost are somewhat of a legend in the franchise because of their iconic mask; however, the developers gave him a voice in the reboot trilogy and he would bounce off with Soap in conversations and silly banter building up that feeling of camaraderie and friendship. It would have been nice to see Case get the same treatment in this installment.
Fans want to hear and know what their characters are thinking about out loud; unfortunately, it can become too annoying whenever a character is too talkative but it builds personality. The developers have introduced a few compelling characters with distinct personalities like Woods and Adler, and they would evenpit them against each otherto see which character is favored by many.
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While there is nothing wrong with a mute character, it is a shame not being able to hear conversations between allies or the protagonist being unable to express their thoughts and will be a voiceless grunt throughout the game. The ability to speak is like a window to a character’s personality and players can understand where they are coming from instead of being told what to do.
It is worth noting that Case was a volunteer test subject for Project Cradle before he joined the ranks of Woods’ team inBlack Ops 6and the experiments could have triggered some unexpected side effects. Players can also look at it from a different point of view or Case is an obedient soldier who knows when to be silent and is more focused on completing their mission.
Perhaps Case can speak but chooses not to and is too committed to the role of being a special forces operative.Call of Dutyhas survived for years with silent protagonists and some fans grew attached to them even without a voice since their actions left a bigger impact; however, it is a shame to see years of progress in that department be completely ignored in what seems to be the best entry for quite some time.
Would you have preferred a speaking or a silent protagonist inBlack Ops 6? Let us know in the comments section below!
Rouvin Josef Quirimit
Content Writer
Articles Published :1209
Piqued by his interest in superheroes during the early days of Marvel movies, Rouvin fell in a rabbit hole of pop culture. His passion for movies led to video games and he fell in love with God of War, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Red Dead Redemption, and more great single-player games that paved the way for his career as a gaming writer.
