Before any other part of the new Fallout had officially been announced, Bethesda had already caused quite the stir with the suggestion that the player character would actually talk. The series has attracted some star vocal talent in the past Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman, to name two but they were always portraying NPCs. Fallout 4 will be the first time in the franchise that you'll actually hear your character talk, speaking aloud the dialogue choices you make during interactions (as well as nattering on in other scenes). That could really go either way. For one thing, if you don't like the sound of the guy or girl you're controlling? Too bad, you'll be hearing it for forty hours. For another, the use of a talking protagonist could have an effect on immersion. People get so into the Bethesda Fallout games because of the roleplaying aspect, of creating a character and feeling like you are them. It's helped for decades for characters as varied as Link and Doom Guy. Having a voice other than your own might throw that off.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
