(Fallout 3) Liam Neeson: I am your father

[Anders Hallin]

http://www.bethsoft.com/news/news_2007.html
Okay, the link to the press release doesn't work.
Slightly more info here:
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/46845
We received a press release from Bethesda, announcing that actor Liam Neeson will provide voice work for the upcoming Fallout 3. Neeson will play the father of the player character, appearing throughout the game.

The player character has an identity! NMA RIOT!
Probably no big whoop, really. I hear Patrick Stewart was in Oblivion?

[AndrewM]

Does hiring celebrities really lead to higher sales?

[Ben Sones]

Huh? I don't get it. You had a predetermined identity in both of the past Fallout games, too. In the first one, you were the member of vault 13 who was selected by the elder to go looking for the water chip. In Fallout 2, you were the Chosen One, a direct descendant of the original Vault dweller. The Fallout games have an established history of predetermining some of your backstory; I don't see how this is any different. Nothing to see here, move along.

[AaronSofaer]

It was Planescape: Torment that had no identity, right?

[Gordon Cameron]

Not really... in PS Torment your character has amnesia but he also has a complex past that forms a centerpiece of the story. He very much has an identity compared to other CRPGS in which you are really just some Random Dude With No Past dropped into the gameworld (a la the Elders Scrolls approach).

[roguefrog]

As long as I can kill my father/Liam Nesson at the beginning since I don't like the idea of him cropping up throughout the game. That witch doctor dude in Fallout 2 was bad enough.

[Rob_Merritt]

Not a bad choice but not one that I would of picked.

[roguefrog]

Still waiting on Ron Perlman for narrator.

[ashileedo]

There is a new concept piece as well at fallout.bethsoft.com

[Ben Sones]

East coast setting confirmed? I guess Bethesda is in Maryland, so that makes sense. Another nice piece of concept art.

[MikeSolita]

Liam Neeson owns -- and Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean showed how nicely good voice-acting spruces up the game experience in Oblivion.

the trouble is most voice-acting only shows you how mediocre most big-name Hollywood celebrities are, even if they're aren't just dialing it in for a paycheck.

[Al]

Oh please. Everyone knows that in a nuclear war the capitol would be totally vaporized. WAY TO SELL OUT BETHSOFT!

[Pishtaco]

Now they just need to hire a guy to do all of the other voices.

[noun]

No kidding. Bethsoft, if you're reading this, spend the money on hiring 20+ voice actors, please. Or at least get Jim Cummings.

[Alan Dunkin]

Further irrefutable proof that Fallout 3, still years away from release and without knowing anything about it, is heading towards the precipice of disaster.

--- Alan

[Kunikos]

I think my sarcastic irony meter is broken.

[AndrewM]

I don't think this means disaster, I'm just curious as to the reasoning behind these kinds of decisions.

[Bill Dungsroman]

Does hiring celebrities really lead to higher sales?
I look at it this way: does having proven acting talent lead to customer satisfaction during gameplay?

[Kunikos]

I like people who already do good voice-over work, and I'm always apprehensive about actors who are giving their first stab at it. Video games hardly have the same kind of budget as an animated feature film and don't have the luxury to have the actors do a bunch of extra takes or be around to rescript something.

I'd rather have a VO cast of Michael Dorn, Mark Hamill, Phil Lamarr, Bruce Campbell, Rob Paulsen, Mitch Pileggi, John de Lancie, Michael T. Weiss, David Warner, Jim Cummings, Maurice LaMarche, Kevin Michael Richardson. (In case you didn't notice I listed most of the people from Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate II)

[Cold Blooded]

First, this means no playable female character.

Second, lead of Fallout 3 will be Darkman? Better choices could definitely have been made.

Perlman will probably reprise role as narrator. Madness not to bring him back, besides, what's he doing career-wise that would keep him too busy to do this?

[Kunikos]

Neeson will play the father of the player character, appearing throughout the game.

First, this means no playable female character.

Say what now? How do you figure?

Perlman will probably reprise role as narrator. Madness not to bring him back, besides, what's he doing career-wise that would keep him too busy to do this?

Hellboy 2.

[Bill Dungsroman]

First, this means no playable female character.

Second, lead of Fallout 3 will be Darkman? Better choices could definitely have been made.

Perlman will probably reprise role as narrator. Madness not to bring him back, besides, what's he doing career-wise that would keep him too busy to do this?
Neeson does the voice of the character's father, ColdBlooded.

[Moore]

But Bill, then what can we bitch about?

[AndrewM]

Say what now? How do you figure?

Because in Fallout, people only reproduce by cloning. So fathers can only have sons. Duh.

[Charles]

Neeson does the voice of the character's father, ColdBlooded.


pffffffft reading is overrated, bitch

[awdougherty]

I think this is a great choice. If you need a voice with real presence that's attached to someone who can actually act, Neeson fits the bill. I thought using Stewart and Bean really helped with Oblivion. Sure, it could be a little distracting when you recognize the voice, but Stewart and Bean both did great jobs and after a bit of listening, I stopped putting their face with the voice and got sucked into the game.

Here's hoping Neeson has the same effect on Fallout 3. Really looking forward to this one, curious to see where Bethsoft takes this one.

[Kid Socrates]

I like Liam Neeson. I like Fallout. I think it'll go well, because nothing about Liam Neeson makes me think he's going to kill Fallout.

And hey, as long as he doesn't squeak out "Chosen One" over and over again, he'll be less annoying than the elder from Fallout 2.

[Jaws_au]

Just as an aside... I think my most perfect voice acting match-up was Robert Loggia (the General in Independence Day) doing Admiral Petrach in Freespace 2.

[Kunikos]

I think it'll go well, because nothing about Liam Neeson makes me think he's going to kill Fallout.

THERE ARE NO IRISH PEOPLE IN THE WASTELANDS

Don't you know you're suppose to believe the sky is falling all the time?

[Draikin]

Todd Howard, Todd Howard never changes.

[Desslock]

Just as an aside... I think my most perfect voice acting match-up was Robert Loggia (the General in Independence Day) doing Admiral Petrach in Freespace 2.

Nice call. The voice-acting in that game was all excellent.

[Unicorn McGriddle]

Much agreed. Even the Vasudans sounded... RIGHT. That IS how a plausible alien race would boil down its fantastically complex and poetic language for servicable military translation.

[spiffy]

They need Julia Roberts for the Deathclaws. Mostly because she has a mouth just as toothy, and I want to hear her die again and again to the tune of 900xp.

[Mordrak]

Oblivion could have done without Bean and Stewart. They were both too earnest in their readings. That didn't ruin it for me, but in general, I think cheaper voice actors would have worked just as well.

I don't know if expensive voice actors sell more copies, but I'm sure the developers like the idea of getting famous people to read their stuff. Since they have the money, they do it.

Edit: Thanks Bill. :)

[Bill Dungsroman]

Oblivion could have done with Bean on Stewart.
PARSING FAILURE RETRY Y/N?

[Mordrak]

PARSING FAILURE RETRY Y/N?

Freudian slip, what can I do? Heh.

[Moore]

I agree with.. I think.. your basic point Mordrak, if only so the $$$ put towards stewart/bean could have been used to hire more than 4 other voice actors so everyone didnt sound indentical. It's easily (along with scaling, and load times for console versions) one of the biggest problems oblivion has.

[AaronSofaer]

A good professional actor can change his voice enough to sound like two or three different people. And that's before you bring accents and computer-based voice changing into play.

[Bill Dungsroman]

Oblivion could have done without Bean and Stewart. They were both too earnest in their readings. That didn't ruin it for me, but in general, I think cheaper voice actors would have worked just as well.

I don't know if expensive voice actors sell more copies, but I'm sure the developers like the idea of getting famous people to read their stuff. Since they have the money, they do it.

Edit: Thanks Bill. :)
Hee hee. But seriously, I do agree with you, really. The list of B actors who do excellent VO work, like Keith David, Dorn, etc. is extensive to the point where you could fill a game with them for the same money you paid for just Stewart and Bean, say.

Still, Neeson beats, you know, one of the programmers doing the VO work.

[Hawkeye Fierce]

Celebrity voice actors in games kind of annoy me. Sean Bean was ok in Oblivion, I guess, but Patrick Stewart really seemed to have a "Hey kids! It's Picard! Buy our game!" feel to it.

It always seems like these celebrity voices are examples of game design being changed to suit the marketing, when it should really always be the other way around.

[Troy S Goodfellow]

Celebrity voice actors in games kind of annoy me. Sean Bean was ok in Oblivion, I guess, but Patrick Stewart really seemed to have a "Hey kids! It's Picard! Buy our game!" feel to it.

It always seems like these celebrity voices are examples of game design being changed to suit the marketing, when it should really always be the other way around.

Generally, I agree, but then you hear Leonard Nimoy go "Beep. Beep. Beep." when you discover Satellites and can't imagine it any other way.

Troy

[Kunikos]

They need Julia Roberts for the Deathclaws. Mostly because she has a mouth just as toothy, and I want to hear her die again and again to the tune of 900xp.

I LOL'd.

[Desslock]

I liked Bean a lot in Oblivion, but felt Picard was a waste given his minimal contribution. Terrence Stamp was pretty damn cool though.

Jury's out on Neesan -- I think he added credibility and was one of the only good things in Phantom Menace, but think recognizable voices are generally a distraction in games (although less so than in animated movies).

It generally comes down to how committed they are to the project - if they really invest themselves in a role, it usually works out really well - like Vin in Riddick, or most of the celebs in the GTA games. When they seem to mail it in, it's distracting and annoying, since you can almost feel the disdain in their line reading. I think Neesan's the kind of guy who will take it seriously and do a good job (mainly because that's what he did in a piece of crap like Phantom Menace). And he's a cool guy -- let's face it, nobody wants the cast of Friends voicing characters in video games, but it's kind of cool to have guys like Zod and Boromir and Schindler.

[Bill Dungsroman]

I liked Bean a lot in Oblivion, but felt Picard was a waste given his minimal contribution. Terrence Stamp was pretty damn cool though.

Jury's out on Neesan -- I think he added credibility and was one of the only good things in Phantom Menace, but think recognizable voices are generally a distraction in games (although less so than in animated movies).

It generally comes down to how committed they are to the project - if they really invest themselves in a role, it usually works out really well - like Vin in Riddick, or most of the celebs in the GTA games. When they seem to mail it in, it's distracting and annoying, since you can almost feel the disdain in their line reading. I think Neesan's the kind of guy who will take it seriously and do a good job (mainly because that's what he did in a piece of crap like Phantom Menace). And he's a cool guy -- let's face it, nobody wants the cast of Friends voicing characters in video games, but it's kind of cool to have guys like Zod and Boromir and Schindler.
And, my personal favorite, Sark! (David Warner, in BG2 specifically)

[Moore]

A good professional actor can change his voice enough to sound like two or three different people. And that's before you bring accents and computer-based voice changing into play.

Whatever, do that then. That isnt what happened with oblivion, if it was, I couldnt tell it was the same 2 people or whatever doing 120000 characters voices, all exactly alike.

[SwampIrish]

Generally, I agree, but then you hear Leonard Nimoy go "Beep. Beep. Beep." when you discover Satellites and can't imagine it any other way.


Or reading off scripture...you can just sense Roddenberry rolling over in his grave (or his vacuum).

[SwampIrish]

and Schindler.

Rob Roy or Qui-Gon either one would kick Schindler's ass.

[Kunikos]

And he's a cool guy -- let's face it, nobody wants the cast of Friends voicing characters in video games, but it's kind of cool to have guys like Zod and Boromir and Schindler.

I'd rather have someone like Phil LaMarr or Rob Paulsen, who can voice one distinctive main character and a handful more interesting and uniquely voiced assorted second string characters.

[spiffy]

I bet the original cast of the GIJOE animated series could be called up from their cardboard boxes in the alleys of hollywood for a buck and bottle of booze apiece to set this series straight. I mean really, how much do saturday morning 'toon voice-over people demand? You think the guys who voiced Gung Ho, Roadblock, Duke, Shipwreck and Zartan are disciminating in their contracts? Why is this so hard to find people who can read?

[Bill Dungsroman]

Yeah spiffy, we know you hate Obsidian. Thanks for the reminder, though!

[spiffy]

I also hate moustaches. They tickle.

[Kunikos]

Stop riding them then!

I bet the original cast of the GIJOE animated series could be called up from their cardboard boxes in the alleys of hollywood for a buck and bottle of booze apiece to set this series straight.

You sure they're still alive?

[Moore]

Zartan had a cool voice.

[Taranis]

EDIT: Never mind

[Schazzwozzer]

Count me as another dude who rolls his eyes at this celebrity VO nonsense. Just get a bunch of career VO artists, dammit, people who actually WANT the job. Those people know what they're doing. Like, remember the Lucasarts adventure games from the late '90s or so, stuff like Grim Fandango and Monkey Island? They had great voice work, and I'm betting they didn't exactly break the bank on it.

Incidentally, I felt some of the worst VO in Oblivion was that of Linda Carter / Wonderwoman. She did a lot of the Nord females. I constantly got this vibe from her lines that she didn't care and didn't wanna be there recording that crap.

[Alan Dunkin]

I'm not sure they're breaking the bank as it is. I don't find anything particularly wrong with this (after all, it's just another brick in the eventual doom that will be Fallout 3), Neeson is a perfectly good narrator (who's done a lot of work in that area). Frankly I'd rather get some of that stuff out of the way now rather than do it later when it may seem rushed.

From a PR perspective, it's a perfectly good way of getting your name on the traditional radar without having a product to show or really to talk about.

--- Alan

[Alan Au]

Incidentally, I felt some of the worst VO in Oblivion was that of Linda Carter / Wonderwoman. She did a lot of the Nord females. I constantly got this vibe from her lines that she didn't care and didn't wanna be there recording that crap.
Uh, you do realize that her husband runs Bethesda Softworks...

I'm all in favor of professional voicework, since good voicework is an important part of a game's production value. Well-known actors are fine, as long as they aren't getting paid disproportionately more money.

- Alan

[Alan Dunkin]

Take a look at the Zenimax's management and board of directors (not to mention advisors) one day. Lot of interesting names there.

--- Alan

[Kunikos]

Robert Altman is the CEO of Zenimax, so that would explain going to the movie actor talent for VO and PR blurbs.

[Desslock]

Robert Altman is the CEO of Zenimax, so that would explain going to the movie actor talent for VO and PR blurbs.

Uh, the Robert Altman you're thinking of is dead.

[Kunikos]

Uh, the Robert Altman you're thinking of is dead.

Dead like Elvis or like Larry King?

[Incendiary Lemon]

Dead like Elvis.

Lot of interesting names there.

Just few that I recognized. I'd guess day to day involvement is probably nil.

Tony Coelho
Terence R. McAuliffe
George J. Mitchell

[Desslock]

There's another piece of artwork at the Fallout 3 website, if anyone is curious: http://fallout.bethsoft.com/index.html

The new shot is one of the first pieces I snuck a peek at last year when I was at Bethesda's offices - love the use of the carrier.

[Talisker]

The capitol building on http://fallout.bethsoft.com/index2.html is pretty sweet too. And, for completeness, there's also http://fallout.bethsoft.com/index3.html.

Amazing how stoked I can get from a couple still shots and a good soundtrack :)

[Desslock]

You can flip to the different shots using the buttons on the front page as well.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing the game in action and having so many questions answered.

The soundtrack piece is also really growing on me. I think Jeremy Soule has done some amazing stuff - his first few soundtracks are almost universally stocked with great tunes (Icewind Dale, Total Annihilation), but the creative pressure of having to come up with so much new music for so many games has clearly diluted some his work for more recent games (like Guild Wars, etc.). But there's still always at least one great piece in each game he does - he really is an amazing talent, even if overexposure and creative demands has made some of his more recent work suffer from "sameness".

[Kunikos]

You ever see the concept art for Guild Wars: Nightfall? Fucking awesome. The game? It looks stupid.

Don't get too excited over concept art; 3D/level artists rarely can hit that target.

BTW: concept art for WAR: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=88165

[Talisker]

You ever see the concept art for Guild Wars: Nightfall? Fucking awesome. The game? It looks stupid.

Don't get too excited over concept art; 3D/level artists rarely can hit that target.
Yeah, I know what you're saying -- I'm not new to the hobby :) That said, it's definitely not making me anticipate Fallout 3 any less; but then, I'm not an NMA type, and I really, really enjoyed Oblivion, etc etc etc.

[André Costa]

You ever see the concept art for Guild Wars: Nightfall? Fucking awesome. The game? It looks stupid.

The ArenaNet concept artist is TEH AWESOME. Not only Nightfall, but Factions & Prophecies were listed on conceptart.org (And i don't think the GW models were that bad, in relation to the concept work)

These shots are nice, but where's my Oblivion with Guns screenshot ? I want to see "mass" NMA suicides :]

[Bill Dungsroman]

Yeah, I know what you're saying -- I'm not new to the hobby :) That said, it's definitely not making me anticipate Fallout 3 any less; but then, I'm not an NMA type, and I really, really enjoyed Oblivion, etc etc etc.
CLEARLY SIR. roguefrog sent me a PM, he says you aren't allowed to come to his birthday party no more.

[Kunikos]

These shots are nice, but where's my Oblivion with Guns screenshot ? I want to see "mass" NMA suicides :]

I'm surprised there is no Photoshop out yet. Hell, just scrawl Fallout 3 over a STALKER box and mission accomplished.

[Thierry Nguyen]

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8899/fallout3pk9.th.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fallout3pk9.jpg)

[xahlt]

Ok, yeah, that was undeniably awesome.

[Kunikos]

I'm hoping that we can lose the ancient interface which takes up approximately 25% of the screen with useless frill textures. Also, why is the log like WoW? LOL

http://www.duckandcover.cx/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_Propaganda_Poster.jpg

http://www.duckandcover.cx/gallery/albums/userpics/10004/61ltpoy.jpg

http://www.duckandcover.cx/gallery/albums/userpics/10004/obwithgunzzz2gu6.png

[curst]

Ha! What's I love about those is that, were the NMA folks capable of paying any attention anything ever, they would have noticed that Morrowind on the XBox had an identical interface to the PC version, and it worked so much better than Oblivion's.

Oblivion's wack-ass inventory interface wasn't the result of consolization screwing everything up. It was the result of Bethesda trying to "fix" something that didn't need fixing. Plain and simple.

[Midnight Son]

First, this means no playable female character.


Females have no father? You mean to tell me that the actor can't just say "you" which is not gender specific?