(09-28-2013, 04:12 AM)Lament Wrote: I'd attribute it to SE not caring, really. In Japan the VA cast has a much bigger impact on a game than in other countries, so I doubt they paid much mind to their budget for localized voice acting.
This is 110% true on the Japanese cast. And out of curiosity I gave them a listen. Kan-E-Senna is great. Her lack of inflection feels organic, her voice is very smooth and flows elegantly. It's the serene, calm I expect of someone who professes to be one with nature.
Comparing to the English one made it seem all the worse, because she just sounds robotic. I suppose that's kind of ironic, in a way.
I'd disagree that Square doesn't care about localization though. Even though I'm quick to point out the laughably horribly moments in FFX and XII, the English voice crews were excellent. One could even argue that Balthier was Gideon Emery's break out role. And with people like John DiMaggio on the payroll for former games, you can't tell me they don't have their numbers lying around somewhere.