How Vital Are Subtitles ??

Hi

Occasionally a game comes along without subtitles and I always feel something is really missing !!

[And, in some cases, I can even miss out on a vital dialogue "clue" if the speech happens to be indistinct for a second or so ]

Other people though find subtitles distracting and, if they have the option, will turn them off.

Be interesting to hear opinions from Gameboomers

Cheers.

Mad

I really need subtitles. Without, I would miss many of the things that are said.

Ana

I find reading the subtitles means I'm not watching the faces - expressions of the characters, so if the speech is clear I usually turn them off.

I like it when you can click through the speech quickly and read the subtitles. Particularly when the charachter is repeating the same old hackneyed phrase whenever I( inevitably) do something stoooopid again!

If the dialogue is long and dreary then I really appreciate being able to speed read the subtitles and fast-click through them. For example, in Tree of Life there were quite a few long-winded conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with the main storyline, and without fast-click I think I might have torn my hair out. So - subtitles + fast-click = yes please & thank you.

Occasionally dialogues can be muffled, so subtitles are critical for me then too.

Much better with than without.

Yes to subtitles!

If the voice is clear- I do not use the subtitles. If they aren't then I do. I also like to be able to click, click when they go on talking just to talk. And if I have to replay for any reason (like dying) a click thru is absolutely necessary!

Subtitles are sometimes absolutely necessary, especially when music is loud and can't be turned down.

I will not buy a game without subtitles

absolutely , i want the option of subtitles . i have played games where the voices were so annoying (tony tough comes to mind ) and the music was so loud , that it was hard to enjoy the game. so yes,subtitles !

For most games I would have to say they are "must haves." If you do kind that you don't actually need them in a game just shut them off, but at least its nice to have the choice.

The very first thing I do when I start up a new game (every game, doesn't matter if it's adventure, fps or rpg), is look for the subtitle option. While I do consider myself pretty much fluent in English, I always feel like I comprehend the story better when I can read the subtitles. Besides, some games have explosions or other noises even when you're speaking to people, so it's a must have option for me.

For me subtitles are absolutely VITAL: english is not my first language and I would be lost without subtitling.I think developers and publishers must be aware that lots of games are not going to be localized in other languages but english, hence subtitling is absolutely essential for understanding the game properly.

I think subtitles are vital, as most gamers prefer and even need them. However, I don't like it when subtitles are mandatory. For me personally, they are a distraction, and I like having the option to turn them off.

That said, there are times when I have needed them in scenes where I couldn't understand certain characters or conversations. In cases like these, I'm glad I'm able to toggle them on if I need to. A certain alien scene in Runaway 2 comes to mind.

I like subtitles...

In most of the games if you look to what they are saying the lip motion is never in sync to what is being said...So...I rather like to read what they are saying..

I sometimes turn off the sound, but I never turn off the subtitles. Obviously they are a *must* for my enjoyment of a game!

I use the subtitles all the time. Usually I read faster than they speak, so I can still look up and see any facial smiles, frowns, etc.
It is good to the have option to choose to use them or not.

Subtitles are a must, sometimes I miss the words being said but I can read them and not miss or lose a clue. Yes, I like some voices and I might turn them up on a replay, but I want the choice. Broken Sword 2.5 I couldn't have played without the subtitles.
Charllotte

So definitely more "for" than "against"

I agree with Becky, I always miss something important if I don't turn on the subtitles.

I for one can't play without them - it was my biggest complaint with Culpa Innata (I just have to have them).

Inland, the uncensored version of Culpa from The Adventure Shop is fully subtitled, right down to Phoenix's thoughts.

Guess I'm in the minority for finding subtitles mostly a distraction.

I too, prefer sub-titles.
My hearing/comprehension of what I hear
isn't always that good, so they are a help.
What I Do reach for right away, is the Music Volume control.
There are many games where it will totally drown out
dialog or important sounds.
ex: Some of the Sherlock Holmes
the violin, while I enjoy it very much,
I almost have to turn it totally off because of that.

Wasn't aware of that - I'd already tried to play through it 3 times before the uncensored version was released.

Maybe I'll give it another shot

I absolutely NEED subtitles. It would be really nice if they existed in cut scenes, too. In games where ghosts speak, like the Last Half of Darkness series, the Darkfall series or The Lost Crown, in an attempt to make them sound....well, ghostly....the developers resort to reverb, echos or some other sort of distortion. Since those are usually the times when the plots are explained/expanded I feel like I miss a lot because I can't understand what is being said.

Barb

Yes to having subtitles for me too.
I always use them.

Almost everybody before me has given a thumbs up for subtitles.
I give two thumbs up - and would give more if I had more than two thumbs!

I've claimed for years that they are almost essential -

***** For many people whose hearing is faulty - particularly maybe the not so young whose hearing has dropped off with age.

*(*** For the many players for whom English is not their first language.

**** For the many games where the speech is not 100% clear - e.g muffled; loud music interfering; local difficult dialects; etc.
This is particularly essential when unclear speech contains vital clues for game progress.

I'm a bit late with this thread, but definitley YES to subtitles, especially when the music is loud or the speech is muffled.

Hope you like the Adventure Shop version if you decide to get it, Inland! I think it's a great game.

Cappy, you're right about The Lost Crown! Though subtitles tend to be a distraction for me, I certainly need them for this game! The background sounds are so loud, they overpower the voice actors most of the time.

I am clearly in a minority.
I find them distracting, and find myself reading along to them which is inevitably faster than the spoken word. I then click ahead which breaks the rhythm of the dialogue.
I turn them off whenever possible (and also turn down the soundtrack!!).

Yay, I'm not alone.

Sometimes i need them because I can't always turn up the sound to the required level (I live in an apartment). I work at a lab and the ambient sound level there (while within legal limits) has had a negative impact on my hearing.

I'll have to agree with venus and flotsam. Very rarely when I can't make something out I turn them on to find out maybe one or two words, usually the name of something specific. But otherwise I really don't like or need them, and find them distracting. I don't like games where you don't have the option to turn them off.

When a game world is artfully drawn or created I think it is just awful to see words messing up the scenery. And when I'm into the characters or story, I want to watch them talk and not miss expressions or other things going on by reading.

I love them, have to have them, but I do like to have the option to turn them off/on. That way we each get to play the way we prefer

Hear hear

I need subtitles especially when a character is talking too fast. My ears can't catch up but my eyes can.

I wish that teenagers came with subtitles... and thought bubbles

Thank goodness teenagers don't come with thought bubbles! Though subtitles is a very good idea.

Oh my goodness! I think if I came with thought bubbles, I'd be jobless, divorced and living in a cave somewhere by now.

Ana

Thought bubbles for teenagers would be absolutely horrible. As a former teenage boy, I can tell you that it's not exactly the mysteries of the universe that weighs heavily on our minds