SAG-AFTRA, the American labor union representing actors and? media professionals, has struck a deal with AI startup Narrativ. According to the union??, it's "setting a new standard for ethical AI use" through the partnership.

A report via Variety described Narrativ as a marketplace offering "tools to advertisers to create audio spots using AI tools." The agreement between the AI company and SAG-AFTRA facilitates the usage of voice replicas for purposes of digital advertising. The claim is that this deal allows members of SAG-AFTRA to enter the?? marketplace in a way that promises fair payment for lending their voic??e.

SAF-AFTRA claims that this deal sets a new standard for ethical use of AI in voice work, but many are naturally nonplussed. SAG-AFTRA's director? and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland seemingly understands how controversial this deal might prove, but asserts that this is a safer option for its members.

“Not all members will be interested in taking advantage of the opportunities that licensing their digital voice replicas might offer, and that’s understandable. But for those who do, you now have a safe option,�Duncan said. “Narrativ has agreed to our terms, and its platform is an excellent example of how A.I. can be ethically used, by putting compensation, informed consent and control in the hands of individual performers.�/p>

For professionals in games, reactions seem less than optimistic about Narrativ and SAG-AFTRA deal. Many fear that this could be the catalyst for a string of events that harm both voice actors and the quality of the voice work present in the medium in ge?neral.

This is likely not the anno?uncement anyone wanted after the union had gone on strike against the video game industry due to the lack of safeguards against AI.

That's because, no matter how great the deals purposed by AI companies might seem to be, reasons not to trust AI companies keep popping up on an almost daily basis.

The fight for rights over voice actors' rights has been a hard fought one for a while now, as even some big name voice actors seem to be blissfully u?naware of the deal with the devil that they might be making - and of the bus they're throwing all of their less-successful colleagues under. The fallout of this new de?al remains to be seen.

The post SAG-AFTRA strikes deal with AI company to ‘set a new standard for ethical AI use’ appeared first on Destructoid.

We've been seeing a lot more action from the Fallout franchise since the Amazon TV show started airing, which is not really surprising. Since the adaptation was released, Bethesda has announced the next-gen update for Fallout 4, and we're also seeing some of the games re-enter the Steam Top Seller's list; some of which are pretty high up as well.

What makes the series so beloved is its vast world and host of memorable characters, one of which is the hovering robotic butler Codsworth from the fo??urth game. Not just a throwaway NPC? we interact with at the start, Codsworth becomes a close friend to the Sole Survivor once we emerge from Vault 111.

His voice is very distinctive �authoritative yet friendly �turning him from a mindless drone into a charming, sentient being. None of that would have been possible without the tremendous work of the voice actor. If you've ever thought to yourself, "Hey, this person so??unds pretty familiar," there's a good reason for that.

Who is Stephen Russell?

I must admit, this one did pass me by at first. When I first ??read that Stephen Russell was the voice of Codsworth, there was a moment of "no way! That's awesome!" It's a name I've grown up?? with over the decades of being a gamer. If you're not familiar with him, you will almost certainly be familiar with his work.

Russell has been voicing characters in video games since the late 1990s. I �and others from an older generation �will probably know him best as Garrett, the gravelly and cynical stealth protagonist from the Thief games. His disdain for authority combined with a husky delivery made Garrett one of the best stealth characters of all time (in your face, Sam? Fisher).

Since then, Russell has become a prolific voice actor, and it would be pretty surprising if you hadn't come across his work before, es??pecially if you're a fan of Bethesda games. Playing a thief has sort of typecast him over the years, though.

While he didn't reprise his role as Garrett for the 2014 Thief reboot, he did voice Royal Protector Corvo Attano in Dishonored 2, a series that some would describe as a spiritual successor to the Thief games. It was also interesting that the first Dishonored didn't have a voiced protagonist. It's almo??st as if Arkane realized the potential when developing the follow-up.

Russell also crops up a decent amount in Skyrim. Perhaps his most famous role �and ?the one many players encounter early on �is the shopkeeper Belethor in Whiterun. You know t??he one: "Everything's for sale, my friend. Everything. If I had a sister, I'd sell her in a second." That guy. He also voices Mercer Frey from �you guessed it �the Thieves Guild.

Given his association with Bethesda, it's not surprising he's featured prominently in Fallout 4 (he's also the voi??ce of Nick Valentine and a whole host of other characters). His role as Codsworth may be something of a departure from his more throaty work, but it means he really gets to show his worth as a voice actor with that most precious of resources: range.

Having also voiced some of the other Mr. Handy robots from previous games, it's a shame Russell doesn't return for the Fallout TV show. Instead, the honor of taking on the role of one of the hovering droids goes to the velvety tones of Matt Berry (The I.T. Crowd, Toast of London). To be fair, that's a pretty good shout.

If you want to know Russell's thoughts on playing Codsworth, check out this Bethesda post, ?where he and some of the other team discuss bringing the character to life. He also talks about his favorite "rude" name he recorded for the character.

Other games he's featured in include:

• System Shock 2
• Neverwinter Nights
• Dota 2
• Fallout 76
• Prey (the Arkane one from 2017)
• Starfield

Honestly, as prolific voice acting goes, Russell is up there with the likes of Troy Baker, Nolan North, and ?Steve Blum. His work doesn't end at video games, either.

According to his website, he's also a director, producer, and playwright, with "some 200 stage productions to his credit." As if that wasn't enough, he's also a singer/songwriter who's toured places like Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and he hol?ds a Masters in Library Science. Wow. Way to make me feel like a talentless git, Russe??ll!

The post Fallout 4: Codsworth voice actor and wh?y he sounds so familiar appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're planning to dive into the world of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, don't expect Cliff to be with you. According to creator and game director Hideo Kojima, Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) will not be returning for the 2025 sequel.

For those who need a quick reminder, Mads Mikkelsen played Captain Cliff Unger, the secondary antagonist, in the original Death Stranding, released in 2019. Throughout the game, Cliff would bring Sam into his war-themed Beach and attack him with BTs. Mads' performance as the militant entity brought him critical acclaim, leading to several awards, including Best Performance at The Game Awards that year.

Why isn't Mads Mikkelsen in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach?

Despite the overwhelming praise for Mads' role in Death Stranding, Kojima explained both he and Mads believe that Cliff's story was told the be??st way possible and want to close that chapter on the character.

While I was a fan of Cliff in the original, I wholeheartedly agree that the character shouldn't come back. It feels wrong when any form of entertainment brings well-off characters back for nostalgia or shock value. I'm looking at you, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League with your Arkham Batman.

Regardless, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach looks like a wild ride. Its latest trailer at the recent State of Play was...interesting. Troy Baker's Higgs is alive and looking like Gene Simmons and The Joker had a baby, and we now have a sentient puppet moving at 10 fps. Oh, and Mad Max director George Miller is here. I'm sure it'll all make sense when the game releases in 2025, but it's still cra?zy to think it could get weirder.

For fans of Cliff, don't lose hope just yet. We may see the character done in live-action from the A24 adaptation of Kojima's 'Strand' genre game. I wouldn't put it past Kojima to cast everyone, eve?n Mads, as their characters aga??in. All we can do is wait and see.

The post Mads Mikkelsen not returning for Death Stranding 2: O??n the Beach appeared first on Destructoid.

He's still a-him

Years ago I met Charles Martinet at E3. We shot a quick video where I said "It's a-you?" and he shrieked "It's a-me!" in the voice. I was so taken aback that I said "Holy Sh*t!" - He immediately took me aside and asked me not to post the video, as it would be inappropriate for children. We ended up posting it anyway, with my swear bleeped out, and it was a cute, hopefully inoffensive bit of fun. But what I really took away from that moment is how much Charles Martinet cares about his fans. He wants to fill their hearts with hope and joy, and not whatever the opposite of those two things is. That may be why we still haven't heard exactly why he's no longer the voice of Mario in the games.

This video posted yesterday from Galaxy Con Austin is the closest we've come to getting an idea of what's actually going on here. The first thing to note is Charles Martinet can still do the voice. He effortlessly, and maybe even unconsciously, goes in and out of it throughout the interview. Also early on, he makes a point about how when acting, it's best not to think about if you're doing it "right" or not, or if the people you are auditioning for like what you're doing. It's better, he says, to just be in the moment and fully embody the character that you're playing, which for Mario, means being "silly and fantastic and?? having fun". You can see why he loves what he does (or did, depending on where things go from here.)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ZticrdoMA

What does a Mario Ambassador actually do?

Then at around 11:30 the topic of being a Mario Ambassador comes up. Martinet says:

"So I'm now, you may have seen the news, I'm a Mario Ambassador. I don't know what that is yet [laughs]. I'm not retired as it were,? as I don't know how... but I'm an ambassador, and as we step into the future, we'll learn, we'll all learn, what exactly that is. But in the meantime, I'll be ambassiding as I always am. I'm always an ambassador of Nintendo and Mario at all these events because I just cherish every moment of it. And I hope yo??ur love of the games continues and grows the way mine does, so [Mario Voice] Thank you so much![/Mario Voice]. Now lets ask a couple questions, go ahead, but don't ask me about the ambassadorship. I don't know anything about it! And don't ask me about the movie because I haven't seen it yet. Don't tell me what happens!"

To me, this does not sound like a guy who decided to stop playing the role of Mario. But knowing Charles, he wouldn't want to cast a shadow of negativity over Nintendo, Mario, or anything else by saying he was "forcibly retired" or outright fired from the role. And it's possible an NDA is holding him back from saying more as wel??l. To be frank, I'm not expecting to hear a lot more from Martinet or Nintendo on this. The time to explain what happened has come and gone. At this point, both Martinet and Nintendo are focused on "stepping into the future".

So all we can do is speculate. My guess is that Nintendo saw the Mario movie make over a bil??lion dollars without Martinet in the lead role, and took that as a sign that it's safe to move on to someone new. When Chris Pratt was cast as Mario in th??e film a?daptation, many scoffed. But his tap water, everyman style turned out to be exactly what a lot of people wanted. At times in the film when he imitated Martinet's voice; those moments elicited cheers from the crowd in my theater. For me, these moments drove home how the guy I saw on screen was not Mario. He was just another fan of Mario who loved imitating him,  just like everyone in the audience had at one point or another. In a meta sort of way, that made ??the movi??e Mario the most relatable version of the guy yet.

[caption id="attachment_402296" align="alignnone" width="640"] Phot Credit: Nintendo[/caption]

Some critics also said that Martinet's voice also wouldn't work for a movie with a lot of dialogue, and that the cartoonish-ly thick Italian accent and moments of extreme falsetto would become grating. I don't agree with that at all (and he could just tone it down if that were the case), but it could be that these critics are thinking what Nintendo's thinking too. In Super Mario Bros. Wonder, t?he yet-to-be-named new voice of Mario sounds a lot like he's doing a Martinet impression, not unlike the one Pratt did here and there in the movie. But it could be that in the future, Nintendo will want to make a game where Mario has a lot more dialogue. In that case, I'd expect this new actor will do more of a Chris Prat?t impression than a Charles Martinet impression for the job.

Unless the role in the games has gone to Pratt himself. That would be quite the last-minute marketing bombshell to drop on fans before Wonder goes on sale in October.

The post Charles Martinet still loves doing the Mario voice, doesn’t know what a Mario Ambassador is yet appeared first on Destructoid.

Voice acting controversy continues

The Bayonetta 3 pay dispute controversy has taken yet another turn, as aggrieved actor Hellena Taylor has confirmed that they were initially offered more than they originally claimed to reprise their role as the gun-totin?g, angel-slaying witch in her upcoming Nintendo Switch adventure.

Although Taylor originally claimed that she turned down the role after receiving an 'insulting' offer of just $4,000 USD to portray the sultry superhero, the voice actor has now confirmed that they were initially offered $10,000, with an additional $5,000 added after negotiation with producer Hideki Kamiya. This is a package in keeping with SAG/AFTRA guidelines, but Taylor suggests is unfair given the inevitable financial succes??s of the long-anticipated sequel.

After declini??ng this package, Taylor was replace??d by Jennifer Hale.

"I thought that as a creative, [Kamiya] would understand," said Taylor on Twitter. "[Kamiya] replied saying how ??much he valued my contribution to the game a??nd how much the fans wanted me to voice the game. I was then offered an extra [5,000]! So, I declined to voice the game."

//twitter.com/hellenataylor/status/1584415390171480066?s=20&t=e9WwYMYltUlikWr??fZRSG7g

Once Hale had accepted the role of Bayonetta for Bayonetta 3, PlatinumGames offered Taylor a paid cameo appearance in the game, which she refused. It is now believed that this cameo role is, in fact, the "$4,000" role referenced in Taylor's original complaint, though that was not made clear in Taylor's original video, which called for the Bayonetta community to boycott the new game. Taylor has also disputed reports that she had?? demanded "a six-figure sum, plus r?esiduals", to voice the character.

"Any other lies, such as 4,000 for five sessions are total fabric??ations," continues Taylor. "There were not ‘extensive negotiations.�I’ve also been informed o??f ridiculous fictions, such as I asked for 250,000 dollars. I am a team player �just asking for a fair, living wage in line with the value that I bring to this game."

"There are people who are attempting to throw shade and dis??credit what I say. The industry is powerful, they have powerful journalists too. They are trying to save their asset. Don’t fall for it!"

PlatinumGames acknowledged the controversy last week with a succinct and unemotional statement, supporting Hale in the role of Bayonetta and thanking past contributors for their work, (though Taylor was not credited by name). This controversy has s?hone fresh light on the long-running debate regarding voice actors, their work, value, and standard of pay when compared with on-screen talent and ot??her more visual forms of performance.

The post Bayonetta 3 actor confirms higher pay o??ffer t??han initially claimed appeared first on Destructoid.

A new report disputes initial info on the deal

Over the weekend, voice actor Hellena Taylor claimed she received an "insulting" offer to reprise her role and called on fans to boycott Bayonetta 3. Today, some new reports dispute some of these details, adding more wrinkles to ??the? story.

In Taylor's initial claim, the voice actor says PlatinumGames offered her a flat $4,000 fee for returning to voice Bayonetta in the third game. At the time, PlatinumGames' HIdeki Kamiya tweeted a vague post, saying "sad and d?eplorable about the attitude of untruth."

The situation has seen an uptick in discussion over compensation for voice actors, as many have shared their desire for more fair compensation. Jennifer Hale, who voices Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3, released a statement saying she is under NDA and unable?? to discuss the situation.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh6bwdYgbio

Disputes over the voice of Bayonetta

Today, Bloomberg reports on the dispute, but with new details. According to Bloomberg's sources, who are reportedly two people familiar with the negotiations and documents seen by the outlet, PlatinumGa?mes offer was for five sessions. These wou?ld have paid $3,000 to $4,000 for four hours in the session, totaling at least $15,000.

In response, Bloomberg reports, Taylor asked for a six-figure sum and residuals. Platinum reportedly declined and held auditions for a new voice actor following lengthy negotiations. Platinum also reportedly came back to offer Taylor a cameo in the game for the fee of one session, which she reportedly tu??rned down.

VGC corroborates Bloomberg's report t?hrough its own sources, though its sources say the number of Taylor's sessions could have been as few as four.

In response to Bloomberg, Taylor calls the account of the situation an "absolute lie" and sa??id Platinum is trying to "save?? their ass and the game."

"I w?ould like to put?? this whole bloody franchise behind me quite frankly get on with my life in the theatre," Taylor told Bloomberg. Representatives for Nintendo and PlatinumGames did not respond to requests for comment on Bloomberg's report.

The post New reports deepen Bayonetta 3 pay dispute appeared first on Destructoid.

Bayonetta's new voice actress speaks out

In case you missed it, there's been a whole lot of controversy this week surrounding the upcoming release of Bayonetta 3 this week.  The original Bayonetta voice actress, Hellena Taylor, who has voiced Cereza in both of the mainline games and the spin-offs, took to Twitter this week to ask players to boycott the series' third entry.  While the game's director, Yusuke Miyata, stated that "various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise h?er role," Taylor says that she turned down the role because she was offered a mere $4,000 in payment for her potential voice work on Bayonetta 3, which is negligible compared to the value she has brought to the series.  Instead, prolific voice actress Jennifer Hale, known for roles like Commander Shepard in Mass Effect and Rosalind Lutece in Bioshock Infinite, for example, has taken over voicing the role.

A??s per usual, the internet has exploded with people who have plenty to say about the situation, but the one person we were most interested to hear from was Jennifer Hale herself.  "I support every actor's right to be paid well and have advocated consistently for this for years," Hale said.  "Anyone who knows me, or has followed my career, will know that I have great respect for my peers, and I am an advocate for all members of the community."  Hale goes on to say that she is unable to say anything further due to her non-disclosure agreement.

//twitter.?com/jhaletweets/status/1582084319677644801?t=4-pN8YqhhwKyBM8X0PL27w&s=19

While everyone seems to be coming to their own conclusions about the situation, it's understandable why Taylor would be hurt under these circumstances.  She has brought so much value to not only the Bayonetta series, but to Nintendo as a whole over the years. It seems like the general consensus is that she deserves to be paid generously for the work that she's done, but as these things usually go?, it's a messy situation of which we will likely never know the full truth.  Whether or not a boycott happens or n?ot will come down to the individual consumers, but here's hoping that Taylor can somehow get justice for the situation in the coming weeks or months.

The post Jennif?er Hale responds to the Bayonetta voice acting controversy appeared first on Destructoid.

Is this thing on?

My roommate is a voice actress, which is insanely cool because it's a world I know nothing about. Now I'm surrounded by it all the time, and she gives me all kinds of cool insight into the auditioning, recording, and editing processes. I have a whole new appreciation, because it's an art form of its own, and it takes a ton of practice and dedication that I didn't know about besides already having a nice voice to begin with. Plus, it's fun to have?? someone around the house who can do a bunch of silly voices. I think so much more about voice acting now than I used to, and I've been noticing more conversations online about it, too.

For example, any time I see casting announcements for some new movie, it seems like it's always some A-list actor who is most likely there for the paycheck. In al?l fairness, a great actor is a great actor, and it's not like they couldn't do a great job when they really care to put their heart and soul into it. The thing that bothers me about it, though, is that a top-of-their-game voice actor knows how to transform a character into something truly extraordinary when they're behind the mic, and you can tell the difference when an actor has command over a voice role versus when they don't.

Let's consider one of the all-time-greats, Nolan North. He's arguably one of the most famous voice actors in games, and he's best known for his role as Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog's Uncharted series. He's been in the industry since 1997 after starting on TV, and moved to voice acting in 2003. He has dozens of credits in games alone, and has also worked in animation, film, and audiobooks. Why does North keep getting all this work? Because he's insanely freaking tal??ented, not just in his acting abilities, but in how he's able to fully transform his voi??ce to be unrecognizable.

Disappearing into the role

I've been playing through some of the old Ratchet & Clank games with a friend, and in the middle of playing A Crack in Time, he turned to me when one of the? goofy side characters was talking and said, "You know that's Nolan North, right?" I was shocked, honestly.

I thought I had gotten pretty good at being able to tell it was him, considering I played a ton of games he's been in, but I underestimated how much he's able to disappear into the role. Take North's creepy villain character, David, from The Last of Us. It's another role you wouldn't really recognize him in unless you're looking for it,?? it's something different than what he's known for, and he still crushes it.

For now, it seems that games have been able to avoid the whole "non-voice actors taking voice acting roles" for the most part, which I also love because it means we're exposed to a whole diff??erent group of actors than the already-famo??us bunch from TV and movies.

The thing about games is that a lot of the time, they require a unique type of performance that better suits the idea that the developers are going for, similar to how anime voice acting has its own style as well. When you have actors who specifically study and hone that type of acting, it means they can produce some magi?cal performances that actors in other media wouldn't be able to execute in the same way. It's a specialty like any other.

Some of my personal favorite voice-acting performances that come to mind are Logan Cunningham as Lord Hades, Poseidon, Achilles, and others in Hades, Mikee W. Goodman as the Ancient Reptilian voice in Disco Elysium, Karl Hanover as Atlas in BioShock, and Ellen McLain as GLaDOS in the Portal series, just to name a few.

Of all the great voice acting performances out there, we want to know what your favorite acting performance in a game is. Which game ch??aracters have stuck with you long after you've ??finished the game? Let us know in the comments below!

The post What is your favorite video game voice acting performan?ce? appeared first on Destructoid.

Any excuse to simp, am I right?

It's another Valentine's Day in quarantine, which means i?t's another Valentine's Day alone for a lot of us. What we do have, though, is access to plenty of video games, and that got me thinking about my sexiest video game characters, or more specifically, what I think are the sexiest video game voices. Anyone can create a hunky beefcake or a busty blonde of a character model, but for me, so much of what makes certain video game characters sexy is ??their voices.

I can't let the sultry tones of these standout perfo?rmances go ??unnoticed, so here's my list of the sexiest video game voices out there.

[caption id="attachment_308533" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: Twinfinite]}[/caption]

1. Meg from Hades

Hades is chalked full of sexy character designs and voices, but the standout for me was Megara. I have a thing for low, gravelly voices, what can I say? Plus there was the whole negging thing that I usually hate, but really got me in a tizzy when it comes to her. There were lots of fun romance options in this game, but th??ere was no contest when it came to my playthrough: it had to be Meg.

[caption id="attachment_308534" align="alignnone" width="1240"] _{[Image Source: Medium]}[/caption]

2. Booker from BioShock Infinite

Booker was one of my first video game crushes. Everything about his character design is appealing to me, with the obvious exception of him being a mass murderer. Gaming is packed to the brim with DILFs, but Booker is really top tier in my opinion. Infinite is a first-person game, so don't get to see much of him at all during its run time �that means his voice has to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to making him sexy, and as questionably as Troy Baker has been behav?ing recently, I can't discount the performance he gave when making t?his game.

3. Garrus from Mass Effect

I'm gonna level with you guys �the prospect of being able to smash some aliens in Mass Effect is like 70% of why I decided to play those games, and I do mean in a sexy way. As soon as I got to m?eet the cast, Garrus was at the top of my list. He's already got a leg up as being the least annoying squad member in my opinion, and there's something about the voice effects they pu??t on him that really does something for me. I was a bit disappointed to learn that I don't get to smash him until the second game, but it gives me something to look forward to.

[caption id="attachment_308535" align="alignnone" width="640"] _{[Image Source: Thunder Wave]}[/caption]

4. Chloe from Uncharted

The low, gravelly voice is back, and I can't get enough of it. Chloe was introduced to the Uncharted series as another potential love interest for Nate, and as much as I love Elena, I would have gone for Chloe every time. She's flirty, adventurous, and has?? one of the best voices in a series full of incredible voice talent. Like Booker, Chloe was one of my first video game crushes, so I'll always hold a special place in my heart for her.

[caption id="attachment_308536" align="alignnone" width="799"] _{[Image Source: Literary Hub]}[/caption]

5. Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2

You know what else I have a thing for? Cowboys. And Arthur Morgan is just about as sexy as they come, vocally speaking. I mean I guess that is how you talk, isn't it? Anyway, Arthur's got it all �the southern accent, the twang, the grit. He may not be reinventing the idea of how cowboys sound, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. He's giving us quintess?ential southern American country boy, and as someone who thinks this accent is criminally underrated in talks of supposed sexiness, I'm kind of obsessed with it.

6. Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village

Another entry on this list that's kind of a given. I think I'm in the minority of people who feel the height thing just doesn't do it for them, but I have to admit that her voice is among the sexier I've heard from a video game character. Lady D has a certain poshness to her voice, which is a nice contrast to some of the other more rugged characters I have on this list. Don't get me wrong, I'm still terrified of her and this game, but I have to admit that ?there's something about her voice that I'm really drawn to.

[caption id="attachment_308537" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: Art Abyss]}[/caption]

7. Boxer from Transistor

Boxer technically doesn't have a name within the world of Transistor, but it's what fans affectionately call him, so it's what I'm gonna go with, too. I made a point to talk about the amazing voicework Logan Cunningham did in this role in my column about Transistor, because it's one of my favorite vocal performa?nces in a game ever (and I also happen to think it's the sexiest).

It's ironic that Boxer is on this list, because in the game he's basically only a voice. There's also just something so romantic about his relationship with Red in the game, although whatever it is we don't really know. Either way, it's making me want to replay Transistor today, in the spirit of the holiday.

Well, that's my list for Valentine's Day. Do you agree with my picks? What do you thin??k are some of the sexiest voices in video games? Let's discuss in the comments!

The post Here are 7 sexy?? video game voices that m?ake me swoon appeared first on Destructoid.

Tributes for 'one of the nicest and most giving talents in the voiceover business'

Brad Venable, a voice over artist known for extensive work in TV and video games, passed away earlier this week at the age of 43. The news was broken on social media on January 8,?? with heartfelt tributes pouring in from many of his friends and ??colleagues within the industry.

Venable's talent has been showcased in popular anime, TV series, and video game franchises since the early '00s. While Venable's most prolific roles include that of V's familiar Griffon in Devil May Cry 5, and Kostas and Nader in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, his extensive work within the industry has also seen Venable cast in Final Fantasy VII Remake, World of Warcraft, and Shenmue III, as well as TV series such as Attack on Titan, Hero Mask, and Aggretsuko.

Speaking on Twitter, voice artist Terry Daniel remembered Venable as "One of the nicest and most giving? talents in the voice over business. [Brad] was a sweetheart of a man and would help you with anything you needed. Ridiculously talented and a real treasure."

Cristina Vee also paid tribute to Vena??ble, recalling that he "always had a smile and a kind word to say" and noting that he was "a foundation in our community and he left too?? soon."

Further eulogies were offered by actors, Darrel J. Delfin, Brian Olvera, Khoi Dao, and Erica Mendez, many of whom reflected on Venable's talents and skills in the field of voice acting, but all of whom spoke of his kindness, generosity, and helpful, high-spirited nature. Succinctly, Chris Hackney said "Brad was kindness. Brad was light. Brad was talented. Brad was humble??. Brad was everything and more."

W?e at Destructoid offer our sincere condolences to his friends and family.

The post Brad Venable, prolific TV and video game voice act??or, passes away appeared first on Destructoid.

Talk about a Herculean effort

Supergiant Games and memorable voice acting go hand-in-hand, and the same goes for Logan Cunningham, the actor behind Bastion's narrator, Transistor's Transistor, and Hades' stubborn dark lord. Just when I think I've got his iconic voice pinned down, the?re's a twist.

If you've been running laps in Hades like the rest of us lately, you've almost certainly recognized Cunningham's familiar voice here or there �but did you know that he plays six different named roles in the game? Not just Lord Hades, but also Poseidon, Achilles, Charon, Asterius, and The Storyteller. That's some fun ?trivia right there.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX56xOTAbiA

This tidbit is making the rounds again with a wholesome "special message" video posted today by Supergiant. The best part? Cunningham is far from the only one on the Hades cast pulling double duty as a voice actor. I had no idea! But it makes sense in retrospect??.

I'm trying to imagine what Hades would be like without voice acting in general, to say nothing of t?hese voice actors in particular??, and it's just not the same game. Not even close.

It'll be a sad day if Supergiant ever make??s a new gam??e without Cunningham.

The post Did you know Hades voice actor Logan Cun??ningham juggled six roles in the game? appeared first on Destructoid.

'Hey, it's up to us to take out Umbrella...'

Actor Paul Haddad, the original voice of Resident Evil hero Leon Kennedy, has passed away. He was 56. The sad news was broken by indie developer Invader Studios, who worked with Haddad on 2019 survival horror game Daymare: 1998.

British-born Haddad originally studied acting at McGill University in Montreal, before graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1988. Haddad would perform both on-screen and voice-acting roles in various films and TV shows, including Babar, MacGuyver, and X-Men: The Animated Series.

Among video game fans, Haddad will be forever remembered for his indelible performance as Leon S. Kennedy, the co-protagonist of 1998 PlayStation classic Resident Evil 2. Perhaps one of the most quotable characters in the entire Resident Evil franchise, Leon's dialogue has a wonderful blend of heroism??, frustration, and pathos. As a player, you absolutely have the rookie cop's back, but you also can't help but smile at his inability to take firm control of the adventure's cynical cast of characters.

"We've been truly honored to have the chance to meet and work with such a great man and a brilliant professional that he was," said Invader Studios on Twitter. "Rest in peace, Paul... you will live forever in our? hear?ts."

We at Destruc?toid offer our condolences to his friends and family.

Paul Haddad - In Memorium [Invader Studios]

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'You were good, son'

Actor Rick May, best remembered in the video game community for his roles in Star Fox 64 and Team Fortress 2, has passed away at the age of 79. The news was released by Seattle's Rekindle School, an initiative where May resided as a teacher of the p??erforming arts.

While May has featured in many video games, including Age of Empires II and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, his most enduring work saw him voicing the militant-minded, overtly-patriotic Soldier in Team Fortress 2, and as both Andross and Peppy Hare in Star Fox 64, ?where May coined the now-ic??onic phrase "Do a Barrel Roll!"

Outside of gaming, May was most often found on stage, having starred in and/or directed some 300 shows over a 50-year career. These included roles in classics such as Arsenic and Old Lace, Fiddler on the Roof, Death of a Salesman, and the award-winning one-man show Bully! An Evening with Teddy Roosevelt.

May had been undergoing rehabilitation at a?? nursing home after suffering from a stroke in February, but recently contracted coronavirus, from which he passed on Monday, April 13. We at Destructoid offer our condo??lences to his friends and family.

Rick May - In Memoriam [The Rekindle School]

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Order Flamin' Hot Cheetos from your toilet!

For today's contest, we're giving away the voice-controlled The 3% Challenge and an Amazon Echo or Google Home to play it on!

So, this one is a little bit different. And as s?omeone who's a little ??bit different, that sort of resonates with me. Variety is the spice of life, after all. So let's get spicy.

The 3% Challenge is a prequel narrative game to Netflix's cult series 3%. You can play it using smart speakers, which is some pretty next-level stuff. So, we're giving away some smar?t speakers so you can check out the game for yourself, a??nd do other things like ask a speaker the capital of Montana. Because nobody cares about Montana.

As I'm part of the 97%, it'd be totally inappropriate for me to give any sort of representation of The 3%. So rea??d about it be?low, instead.

Doppio Games, a leader in conversational games, shows the incredible potential of voice-controlled entertainment with its latest game release, The 3% Challenge, based on the critically acclaimed Netflix Original Series, “3%.” This free-to-play, multiplayer game is a prequel to the show;s dystopian drama, launching today on Amazon Alexa and later this week on Google Assistant. The 3% Challenge was produced in partnership with Rio Games, actress Bianca Comparato's production company. Comparato, who plays the lead character, Michele, in Netflix's 3% also lends her voice to the game.

The narrative created for the game is focused on a prequel storyline, with players experiencing what happened 20 years before the first season of the show. Fans of the series can join the process where candidates are challenged and vetted, just like in the Netflix sci-fi thriller. The 3% Challenge offers a unique gameplay experience, relying only on voice-control, with several custom-made voice-based challenges that test players' skills created specifically for the game. The game's prequel storyline was written in collaboration with serie??s writers including Pedro Aguilera and Cassio Koshikumo.

Yeah, this one is to??????????????????????????tally different. But that's cool.

Since the game is free-to-play for your smart speaker, we want to make sure you actually have one to play it on! So we're giving away one Amazon Echo speaker, and one Google Home to help you get into this off-the-wall experience. And also ask it inappropriate question??s. Whatever you wanna do, I gues?s.

To enter to win, use the contest widget below to leave your name and email address, and tell us which device you wanna wi?n. You can enter daily. For bonus entries, do some other stuff in the widget because that's how I roll now.

We have one device each to give away, split between Dtoid and Flixist. You must have a United States shipping address in order to win. Wi?nner will be drawn Thursday, November 28.

The 3% Challenge is available now, free to play. And check out 3% on? Netflix, since, you know, the??y kind of go together.

Contest: Win an Amazon ??Echo or Google Home, courtesy of? The 3% Challenge

The post Contest: Win an Amazon Echo or Google Home, courtesy ?of The 3% Challenge appeared first on Destructoid.

Reuben Langdon shot at in Guatemala

V?ideo game actor Reuben Langdon had a narrow escape last week after a terrifying incident where he was shot at multiple times during a suspected car theft attempt.

Langdon, alongside associate Steve Copeland, was working in Guatemala on a documentary about the country's indigenous people, Vision of the Ages. On the evening of February 15, an unknown assai?lant attempted to access the vehicle the pair were occupying. Details are understandably fuzzy, given the horror of the situation, but the attacker ultimately opened fire on the rear and side of ?the vehicle as the car sped from the scene.

At least six shots embedded themselves into the car's body, one of which lodged into the back of Langdon's seat, which thankfully stopped its progress. Both Langdon and Copeland escaped the scene without injury. A video posted to Copeland's Facebook page, filmed shortly after the incident, features the two ?friends inspecting the damage.

In the gaming world, Reuben Langdon is known as the voice of Dante from the Devil May Cry series, and also Ken Masters from the Street Fighter games. Langdon was also a motion capture model for Chris Redfield in Resident Evil's 5 & 6. Despite what must have been a ??very distressing event, Langdon seems in good s??pirits, joking on his twitter that he was glad he drank his "bulletproof coffee" that morning.

So glad I had my bulletproof coffee this morning! ☕️ pic.twitter.com/Ten18gvWQu

— 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐧 (@ReubenLangdon) February 16, 2019

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'Wha-Hoo!'

The eminently likeable voice actor Charles Martinet has entered the Guinness Book of World Records after having passed a milestone. Thanks for the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Martinet now hold??s the record for the? most recorded video games voice-overs for a single character.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sees Martinet pop the big 100 for his portrayal of Nintendo's most recognisable star, Mario. Of course, Martinet voices many characters in the Super Mario Bros. franchise, including Wario, Luigi, Waluigi and the baby incarnation of the f?amous digital brothers.

Martinet, released a??n image to his twitte??r account of him receiving the official World Record award.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.

With Craig receiving my record certificate @GWR for most video game voiceover performances as the same character – 100, as Mario – on 7 December 2018 upon the release of #SuperSmashBrosUltimate #woohoo! Many thanks to #Nintendo and #GWR pic.twitter.com/ICfKlK9hO1

— Charles Martinet (@CharlesMartinet) December 14, 2018

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Sir Daniel getting ready to roll

We recently heard how fans were to expect some new news regarding the remake of Sony's irreverent PS1 adventure, MediEvil. While that particular piece of juicy info is yet to? arrive, a new tweet has got fans of the cl?assic hack 'n' slasher in a tizzy.

Artist Jay Gunn, who was responsible for MediEvil's design, as well as voicing the lead character, Sir Daniel Fortesque, has recently put out a tweet including a photograph?? of him standing (in front of a pretty neat horror collection) with a bucket on his head. This is a reference to Gunn's previous stat??ement that he recorded his dialogue for the 1998 release through gritted teeth, with a bucket on his head.

Putting two and two together, this seems a pretty snug tease that Gunn (real name Jason Wilson) will be returning to the role of Sir Daniel in the upcoming remake, which should make fans very happy indeed. As for further news on MediEvil, we should hear something more concrete in an upcoming Sony BlogCast, to ?be exp?ected "in the next week or two".

The things that I do to prepare for some jobs. pic.twitter.com/380FICmMj2

— Jay Gunn (@GunnComics) October 23, 2018

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We hardly knew you, Tanimura

Yakuza 4's PS4 remaster will be hitting Japanese stores on January 17, 2019. The news came from the latest Famitsu magazine [Thanks, Gematsu] and also revealed a few details about changes to the game. The bigge?st shock is that prot?agonist Masayoshi Tanimura has been completely recast and will be sporting a new character model. Toshiki Masuda will now assume the role in lieu of the original actor, Hiroki Narimiya.

There is actually a lot of baggage associated with Tanimura's original actor. Allegat??ions of drug use essentially ruined his career in acting and even led him to retire altogether. He was cleared in 2016, but the damage had been done and most companies ceased associating with him. Recasting him for this remaster is likely being do??ne to avoid royalties owed for his performance.

It's the same thing that happened with Yakuza 3's remaster on PS4. The hostesses in the game had used the likeness of real-life actresses, so they were recast to avoid any conflicts. The bigger issue is that a lot of content went missing from Yakuza 3 on PS4, which could be the case w??ith?? this upcoming port as well. The cut stuff isn't that big of a deal, but it makes previous claims of no content being edited false.

That being said, there is still no confirmation of a Western release for these remasters. I would assume they are comin??g over, but probably as a single package instead of three releases. With these being a little more involved than simple ports, that i?s likely why Sega hasn't announced anything yet.

Yakuza 4 fo??r PS4 launches January 17, 2019 in Japan, Masayoshi Tanimura actor recast [Gematsu]

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Tidy!

Warning: contains spoilers for the modern Wolfenstein games and Final Fantasy XV

Decent voice acting is one of the crucial building blocks of a good game. It’s why so many people switch the voices to Japanese in JRPGs an??d the like, because if you’re having to read subtitles for a language you can’t understand, then you can’t really tell whether the voice acting is any good or not. And bad voice acting can be so jarring that it pulls you out of the experience entirely.

Hailing from the UK, the myriad accents and dialects on my small island of origin often get less airing in games than the mighty American accent, but they do make a few appearances now and then. Often, they fit particular stereotypes that Brits have played in the media since a time long before games were a primary form of entertainment, some of which are highly entertaining and tongue-in-cheek, and some that are a little grati?ng.

So, let’s di??ssect a handful of uses of the British accent in games that run the gamut of thoroughly bad voice acting, chewing the scener??y to the point of indigestion and speccy librarian types.

The Simply Off-putting

My biggest WTF moment with British accents in games has been the use of a sort of bog-standard, slightly RP accent in Forbidden Siren, the 2001 horror game created by a part of Team Silent. I believe that they deliberately tried to subvert the usual voice-acting expectations of making all the English voices sound like Hollywood actors, perhaps to give it some sort of attachment to Victorian horror (see, I sidestepped the dreaded word), b??ut there is no real reason for it ??in a game about Japanese mythology. Us Brits are used to all English voice acting being Americanised, so rather than being a nice addition, it comes across as a little strange.

It doesn’t help that the voice acting is l?aughable at parts, and the faces of the actors being superimposed on the character models lend it a very otherworldly sensation. Perhaps it was a good choice after all, given that it is a game built to make you feel on-edge?? and uncomfortable. Except that Tamon the professor sounds like someone doing a dodgy Patrick Stewart impression.

The Ladette

The Last Story finally received a Western release in 2012, built on the hype from the involvement of Final Fantasy stalwarts Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu (get well soon, sir). I was listening to my oft-collaborators Cane and Rinse’s episode on the game, since although I may have finite time to play actual games, thanks to my commute, I have plenty of time to listen to people talk about playing games. While the idea of doing a Medieval-looking JRPG?? with British accents doesn’t strike me as unusual, the choice of making the hard-drinking, rowdy mercenary Syrenne a broad Northern lass is a novel one.

Being from those parts of England myself, we get barely any representation in games – and for the most part, ??I am fine with that. Not all games are suited to comedy portrayals of the stereotypical working class, except perhaps the ye-olde fictionalised middle-England games that need a rollicking, drunken bard. Yet it’s quite nice to see wider representation of the huge range in accents on the British isles, particularly since developers on other shores are wont to ram them all together to create a posh mulch.

The Brainy Ones

I feel like Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a lot to answer for in popularising the "gentle bookworm type" through the character of Rupert Giles, portrayed masterfully by Anthony Head. I certainly saw streaks of Giles when I was playing Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood this week and spent some time with Shaun Hastings. As the Assassins’ tactician and covert yogurt-stealer, he is a nice bookend to the group – though I did have to Google whether it was Stephen Merchant doing the voice, as he sounded a little bit too much like Wheatley from Portal 2.

The difference between the wise guardian Giles and slightly annoying older brother Hastings is that the latter (voiced by comedian Danny Wallace) comes across as a little mean-spirited. I mean, Giles could be mildly sarcastic when the Scooby Gang were putting their lives on the line without a care in the world, much like most teenagers do. But Hastings complains a great deal, not missing a beat when it comes to find??ing an excuse to verbally snipe at his colleagues. Then again, we are a nation of passive-aggressive moaners, so it fits the stereotype, really.

The Evil Ones

You didn’t think I would leave out the evil cackling geniuses, did you? Games are absolutely chock full of baddies who’ve been brought up with a silver spoon in their mouth, or at least possess some sort of ambiguous Atlantic lilt to their voice. Think Albert Wesker of Resident Evil, Claudia Wolf of Silent Hill 3 and (spoiler alert!) Ardyn of Final Fantasy XV. Being a destroyer of worlds commands the best education money can buy, which is why even chara??cters brought up in a cult in the middle of smal??l-town America, like Claudia, somehow sound like they withstood hours upon hours of Saturday morning elocution lessons.

I have to admit, it is a little boring to see mock received pronunciation always associated with evildoing. From my experience, people who sound like that in real life spend their time driving their Range Rovers around unspoiled countryside and shooting grouse, not leading a cult to birth a God, or forging a beefed-up version of Darwin’s? survival of the fittest. So they’re evil, but not that evil.

The “We're British Too, You Idiot”

Before my many Scottish acquaint??ances in the gaming journalism world smash down my doors and give me a beating, it’s worth remembering that the UK is not jus?t the little nation of England. Scotland and Wales have been represented well in video game voice acting, though I can't think of many examples when it comes to Northern Ireland.

I have talked before about my favourite bit of Scottish voice acting: the park advisor in Theme Park World (only in PAL copies). I guess I fall into the category of the easily amused, and found his quips were made all the more entertaining by his brogue. Another notable inclusion of the Scottish accent is Fergus in Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, though the level of his presence is determined by whether or not you choose to give an automated lobotomy to him or to a wet-behind-the-ears?? college grad.

And when it comes to the Welsh accent, who could forget Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, wit?h Drippy, the loveable sock puppet who guides Oliver on his quest to save his mother? The idea to give such a cuddly character and his fellow fairies a great big booming Valleys accent was inspired, and nicely dodged using the usual high-pitched imp v??oices. Tidy!

In conclusion, aside from the odd Cockney accent used to comedic effect and period pieces, Brit voices are often reserved for the baddies and the nerds of video games. I can’t speak for all people of British heritage, but I’m quite alright with that. We might be a little typecast, but at least our vocal talents have cornered some part ??of the market. And video games always need their deviants and geeks, so we aren’t going anywhere.

Is your accent portrayed well in games? Can you think of other cool examples of how the British accent was used and abused in the medium? Let me know in the comments down below!

The post The good, the bad and the ug??ly of British voice acting in ?games appeared first on Destructoid.

Starting with Grievous at the end of the month

When EA promised that Star Wars Battlefront II would get Obi-Wan, General Grievous, and other Clone Wars content, my mind immediately got to work envisioning how everything would look and sound in the game. In particular, fans of the animated series The Clone Wars are going to feel right at home. Voice actors you associate with these characters are returning to lend their talents for Battlefront II.

The developers posted an article today outlining the cast and character release dates:

• Matthew Wood returns as General Grievous (October 30). 
• Obi-Wan Kenobi will once again be voiced by James Arnold Taylor (November).
• Another Clone Wars alumnus, Corey Burton, will play Count Dooku (January).
• Matt Lanter closes out the cast as Anakin Skywalker (February).

While?? it's a shame the schedule is as pushed-out as it is, I'm glad to see these names pop up again.

Announcing the Clone Wars Voices Making a Return in Star Wars Battlefront I?I [EA]

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No official announcement as to why

Fans of the Tales series are likely excited as hell about the upcoming Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition remaster. Widely considered as one of the best games in the series, it was also the first game in the series to be in HD and release on a Microsoft platform (which saw some crazy sales spikes for the Xbox 360 in Japan at the time). Sadly, not everything about this re?-release is good.

On Twitter yesterday, a fan had pointed out that it sounded like main character Yuri Lowell wasn't being voiced by his original English actor, Troy Baker, in Definitive Edition's newer scenes. While that could have been down to bad video compression or maybe just a placeholder actor while the new dub was being recorded, the worst possible news has turned out to be true. Baker, himself, responded to the fan and confirmed he wasn't called back for any additional l??ines.

Why would something like this even happen, though? Well in Japan, Vesperia eventually saw a release on the PS3 and that included a whole slew of new content. Since the US nev?er received this version, a dub wasn't recorded for any of the new scenes. Now that Bandai Namco is finally localizing the additional sce?narios, it seems no one thought to call up Baker and have him revoice Yuri (or even replace his original work).

At the time of its original release (2008), Baker wasn't as prominent of an actor. He had certainly been in titles before Vesperia, but that game was the first time I and many others took notice of him. Since then, he has starred in such mega titles as BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us, as well a?s basically every other game in your library. Having him not return is a huge loss.

What really makes this odd is that the Tales series is one of Bandai Namco's biggest franchises. Maybe Baker commands a higher rate now?adays, but why would they cut corners on what is always a high? seller for them? It just seems like an overall crappy situation that could have easily been rectified with a simple phone call.

Troy Baker [Twitter]

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We just cut up our franchise with a chainsaw. Does that sound, 'Fine?'

Despite having retired from the character of Ash after the recent cancellation of Ash vs. Evil Dead, it s??eems Bruce?? Campbell is going to be tightening his girdle once again to portray the indelible doofus -- but, finally, for a video game again.

Campbell will be lending his voice and possibly motion capturing for the unannounced game, for which there is basically no information. While the specifics are scant as of now, it's hard to imagine Bruce getting involved in so?mething that wouldn't do the character (of which he owns the rights) justice.

The news was confirmed by Bloody Disgusting, who got this juicy quote out of the 60-??year-old horror icon:

I have previous obliga??tions I have to fulfill. They are doing a video game. A whole immersive kind of dealio. I’ll be Ash for that, because I wouldn’t want someone else's voice hamming it up.

In the yet-to-be-published full interview, Campbell seems to hint at something VR-related. Hopefully this is a separate project from the recently-announced Evil Dead: VR Nightmare, which is seems to be based entirely on the fan-fuckin??g-tastic 2013 remake. I love Ash and all, but man Mia deserves to be an icon in this ?series, as well.

Either way, Fede needs to stop production on Don't Breathe 2, which is a bad idea for a sequel, and give us Evil Dead 2, which is a great idea for a sequel.

Exclusive - Bruce Campbell Will Be Voicing Ash Williams in an Upco?ming ‘Evil Dead’ Game! [Bloody Disgusting]

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New terms bring industrial action to an end

Actors union body SAG-AFTRA have announced that their members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new deal with?? video game companies, bringing the year-long strike to its conclusion.

The crux of SAG-AFTRA member's demands pertained to bonuses, with the actor's guild requesting bonuses for games that performed particularly well. This was deemed controversial by the studios?? who felt that performers would receive further payment after a game's release, whereas programmers, artists and other developing staff would not, causing morale issues and accusations of preferential treatment.

The union also requested more transparency in game context, allowing actors to better prepare for their upcoming roles, particularly where distressing themes are concerned. Other requests include a restrictio??n of time spent performing vocally-stressful roles in a single session, also for better stunt coordination, to prevent the likelihood of injury during motion-capture filming.

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris issued the following statement: "This agreement is the first step towards streamlining the work our members do in the video game industry. The deal includes significant improvements in the area of transparency and the payment structure ensures that our members are compensated fairly for their?? work. I am excited for what this means for our members moving forward."

Ten percent of some 7000+ affected union members voted, with 90% in favour of the new proposal, which replace??s the former Interactive ??Media Video Game Agreement. The terms of the new deal go into effect immediately and are valid until November 7, 2020.

SAG-AFTRA v?otes in favour of new voice artist deal [SAG-AFTRA]

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It's him, Charles...

Charles Martinet, the English voice of Nintendo's world renown hero Mario, will be in attendance at the GAME store in the Westfield centre, Stratford, London for the midnight launch of new title Super Mario Odyssey.

Martin?et will be expected to attend the meet and greet session on Thur?sday October 26 from 10:30pm until 00:30am, to celebrate the launch of the highly anticipated Switch title. Those hoping to meet the man himself would be advised to get to the store early. Neat.

Charles Martinet, a Nintendo employee since 1990, first voiced Mario in 1995 in the title Mario's FUNdamentals. Martinet's most recognisable work came the following year, as the voice of the long-running protagonist in Super Mario 64. The 62-year-old actor has also lent his vocal talents to games such as Skies of Arcadia, Skyrim and Super Punch Out!!

And there you go!

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KAMPAI!

The upcoming Fire Emblem Warriors looks like a real delight, but fans of Japanese audio were left scratching their heads. Nintendo has been vague as to whether or not the game would?? ship with the option and early review copies have only contained English on the cartridge. While Japanese audio won't be contained on any cartridge, a free day one update will add the option for everyone. Odd, but free is free.

Along with confirming that detail, this launch trailer also gives us a more firm idea of when each DLC pack in the game's season pass will be landing. The vague information of Winter 2017 and Spring 2018 has now been transformed into December for the Fates pack, February 2018 for the Shadow Dragon pack and March 2018 for the Awakening pack. We also now know that each pack will ??bring three new cha?racters and three new "History" scenarios as well as weapons, costumes and support conversations.

Finally, you can catch a quick glimpse of Lucina's bride outfit, which ??looks a little out of cha??racter for her (though is mostly a nod to the development process).

Its weird to admit, but I don't really have an affinity for the Fire Emblem series. I've not managed to play any of the localized entries, so my knowledge is mostly due to stories from colleagues and Marth's inclusion in Smash Bros. I do really dig the Warriors games, though, and Hyrule Warriors ??was surprisingly outstanding, so maybe this will finally get me into the series proper.

Fire Emblem Warriors Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch [YouTube]

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The proposed contract has pros and cons

For nearly a year now, SAG-affiliated video game voice actors have been on strike. Last September, 97% of members voted for a work stoppage if a new contract wasn't established. It wasn't, and the strike began in late October. Since then, members haven't done any voice work for 11 major companies (Activision, Electronic Arts, Take-Two/2K Game?s, WB Games, Insomniac Games, Di?sney Character Voices, Blindlight, Corps of Discovery Films, Formosa Interactive, Interactive Associate??s, Inc, and VoiceWorks Production??s, Inc).

Over the weekend, the two sides reached a tentati??ve agreement that should put an end to the strike. The new contract will be reviewed at the next SAG-AFTRA National Board meeting in October. If it passes, the voice actors will go back t??o work.

SAG-AFTRA came away with a handful of additional provisions, the most notable of which is a secondary pay structure. There will be a new bonus model in place th??at pays performers based on how many sessions they worked. It begins with a $75 bonus for one session and ends with ??a $2,100 bonus for ten sessions. This is a victory for the voice actors as a secondary payment model, either bonus- or royalty-based, was one of the main conditions that l??ed to the strike.

However, the union may have relented more than it wanted to. By most accounts, the biggest ask in the new contract (even more so than secondary pay) was more measures put in place to ensure the actors' safety. They sought hazard pay, shorter shifts for intense sessions, and guaranteed stunt coordinators at motion capture sessions. The wording in SAG-AFTRA's press release lacks any concrete details on the subject of safety, simply stating: "The deal also contains an employer commitment to continue working with SAG-AFTRA on the issue of vocal stress ??during the term of the agreement."

What the actors did come away with was the assurance that there will be disclosure if their gig requires any sort of pr?ofanity, slurs, sexual or violent content, etc. They're also guaranteed to be given the game's code name, genre, whether it's based on an existing property, and whether the actor is reprising a prior role. Additionally, the new contract dodges some provisions from the video game companies -- like fines for infractions by the actors, and required submissions to "low-paying atmospheric voice sessions."

It's armchair analysis, but it seems as if both sides made some concessions in forging this new agreement. The actors will be getting paid more, but there doesn't seem to be any elevated emphasis on their safety. Most of the perfor??mers probably wouldn't say that the new contract is perfect, but it seems to be good enough. If all goes according to plan, they should be back to work within a month or so.

SAG-AFTRA Reaches Tentative A?greement to End Vi??deo Game Strike [SAG-AFTRA]

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So, can you move? Uru, Karen.

Here I was starting to think people take game roles more seriously when this new Akiba's Beat story trailer came along and slapped me in the face. Its predecessor, Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed, also had a pathetic English du??b, but since it was dual-audio I just played with Japanese audio. Looks like that's what we'll have to do with this one as well.

Seriously, even kids could do a better job. It's so bad you'd think they're?? making it awful on purpose...Wait, is that the point? Are they banking on the fact that no one who plays these games would want to listen to an English dub anyway, or that they can't afford good voice actors and instead try to make it as inten??tionally awful as possible for extra publicity? Have I been swafferdonked?

No, they couldn't possibly think it's good publicity to show how bad the English voice acting is. But surely they are aware, especially after Akiba's Trip. Might as well not even have? the English track if its so bad you'll make everyone use the Japanese audio track.

The post Oh boy, Akiba’s Beat’s English dub is atrocious appeared first on Destructoid.

How to date Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer, of Game of Thrones fame, will be voicing the Asari doctor Lexi in the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda. She seems to be the only big name celebrity in the game, at least as far as reveals go. The previous titles had a few famous actors (Freddie Prince Jr., Keith David, Martin Sheen, Carrie-Anne Moss), but BioWare seems to be taking a different approach with Andromeda.

This developer interview is neat for showcasing some o?f the design philosophies that go into creating a character, but it seriously has a lack of Ms. Dormer. She almost comes off as an afterthought, which really bugs me. At least the second video goes more in-depth with how Natalie felt and what she brings to the table.

Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer voices Mass Effect Andromeda's doctor [Eurogamer]

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Voice actor's resume refers to 'Lost Secrets of Un'Goro'

Blizzard had a great 2016; Overwatch was our game of the year, and I heard almost nothing but positive things about World of Warcraft: Legion. With all that going on, it'd be easy to overlook HearthStone, which also put out a couple of great expansions themed around a magical party and mythical goblin gangsters. According to a voice actress's resumé, it look??s like the next expansion will take things in a prehistoric direction.

Lani Minella is a veteran voice actress who's provided voices for many of Blizzard's games in the past, including World of WarCraft, HearthStone, Diablo 1 & 2, and Starcraft. Her resumé was recently updated to show work on an unnanounced HearthStone expansion called Lost Secrets of Un'Goro. The resumé was later updated to remove reference to the expansion, but Reddit got a sc??reenshot before the information was changed.

In HearthStone, each card has a voice line that triggers when you play it, and another that plays when you attack with it. Minella's credits included several species of dinosaur, which is appropriate if the expansion is based on the zone from World of WarCraft. The Un'Goro Crater dates back to vanilla WoW, and had a "Land of the Lost" theme that included massive dinosaurs, a volcano crawling with Fire Elementals, and other prehistoric beasts. There were also quests involving collecting various colors of power crystals, and several references to classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. Although the NPC Linken was removed during the Cataclysm expansion, Lario??n and Muigin still have a place in the Crater. ;

Recent HearthStone expansions have gone back and forth between standalone story expansions like One Night in Karazhan and general expansions like The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. If Un'Goro is indeed the next update for HearthStone, it should be a story expansion, meaning all players will be able to g??et the same cards at the same time without relying on random drops from card packs. ??;

Hearthstone: Lost Secrets of Un’Goro could ??be the next expansion coming later this year [VG 24/7]

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Interview with his voice actor hints at a new video in the works

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Overwatch, and Lúcio is my favorite character of the bunch. His voice acting is a big part of that, so I was happy to see this interview with the voice of Lúcio, Jonny Cruz. If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and revisit the video of Cruz walking around Blizzcon and interacting with his fellow voice actors.

_{Lúcio by Sinclay on DeviantArt.}

In the interview, Cruz discusses several topics including how he got the part. "I looked at this picture they had, it was basically a Latino boy with a skateboard…just that and a few lines of description. I was like “Hey, you know what? I think all I have to do is go in and be me on this.” In some way, Lúcio is a part of who ??I am, and I think that’s why it rang so true in the audi?tion.”

Most of Overwatch's other heroes have had their backstory filled in with comics or short films like the one that gave us our first look at Sombra. When asked where the Lúcio short film is, Cruz deflected, saying “Apparently it’s coming! They’re working on something! I don’t know what though, they always keep me in the dark, so who knows? (laughing)” It's hardly confirmation, but Lúcio is one of the most picked characters in Overwatch, and his fans would probab??ly like to know a little more about him.

_{Lúcio by Raichiyo33 on DeviantArt.}

I got the impression that Cruz and the other voice actors don't have much inpu??t into the characters:

_{“They’ve got all this stuff planned way in advance, but they don’t tell me anything! (laughing) They just tell me “Hey, say these lines!” and I say “You’ve got it, baby!”. They know what they’re doing…I’m sure they’re going to be dropping more [heroes], too. I don’t quite know but I’ve heard talks of all kinds of things. This game is just going to constantly grow, y’know? They’re really putting a [lot] of time, effort and love into this thing.”}

Voice actors wanting to know more about the roles they'll be playing in games is one of the major sticking points that led to the SAG-AFTRA strike earlier this year. Cruz was asked what he thought of the negotiations. "I’m always thrilled to be behind a mic, voicing a character…it’s just that there’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of strain on the voice, it can be taxing. But yeah, we just need to find out what works. And y’know, I’m down, I’m easy to wor?k with. So let’s figure it out!”

The interview touched on several other topics, including Overwatch's remarkably diverse cast of characters. “I really love the way they’re going about it, by bringing in all these different ethnicities…and all these robots (laughing). You know, you can be anything! And that’s what I really just love about voice acting, that you can play anything, and that it doesn’t matter about your skin, as long as the voice matches... That’s so important for me, not just playing stereotypes. And that’s what I love about Overwatch.”

Interview: Overwatch'??s Jonny Cruz talks&nbs??p;Lú;cio, Fandom and Fair Pay [CulturedVultures]

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