Any AAA game is revealed
In all seriousness though, they're good VAs so I understand why they get so much work
In all seriousness though, they're good VAs so I understand why they get so much work
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I can't stand Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Nolan North anymore
- Thread starter SonovaBeach
- Start date
I love Laura's work so I'm fine with her being on a lot stuff. I can't fucking stand the other 2 guys tho.
I have this but with Troy Baker, Travis Willingham and Laura Bailey.
And it's not just because it's them, it's their voice performances that irritate me. I do like Troy as Joker's replacement in Arkham Origins and especially as Joel. I do like Travis as Knuckles in most recent Sonics. I don't really like Laura's performance and I struggle to think of a role that really felt good.
I had a moment before I realized it was Laura in Dragon Age Inquisition with this dwarf character that I just felt was overly touchy feely in her delivery despite the scene not calling for it, and it agitated me actually. It just irritated me so much that this character was flooding over the shores with her clobbering emotional range, for a character that wasn't even that familiar with the rest in the story, and I already knew there's this IRL thing where Travis is married to Laura and Troy tags along and they constnatly land gigs together playing the main duo or trio together (for example: Infamous Second Son).
And it got to a point where I just didn't like these actors anymore, because of the IRL connotation and because I think their performances are too performative and not immersed enough.
And it's not just because it's them, it's their voice performances that irritate me. I do like Troy as Joker's replacement in Arkham Origins and especially as Joel. I do like Travis as Knuckles in most recent Sonics. I don't really like Laura's performance and I struggle to think of a role that really felt good.
I had a moment before I realized it was Laura in Dragon Age Inquisition with this dwarf character that I just felt was overly touchy feely in her delivery despite the scene not calling for it, and it agitated me actually. It just irritated me so much that this character was flooding over the shores with her clobbering emotional range, for a character that wasn't even that familiar with the rest in the story, and I already knew there's this IRL thing where Travis is married to Laura and Troy tags along and they constnatly land gigs together playing the main duo or trio together (for example: Infamous Second Son).
And it got to a point where I just didn't like these actors anymore, because of the IRL connotation and because I think their performances are too performative and not immersed enough.
Honestly people complaining about Troy and Nolan need to understand why they have "same voice" in their games.
Nolan has voiced his opinion that he wishes he could do more varied performances, but directors just say "we want your Drake voice/normal voice". He talks about this constantly in regards to Prince of Persia 08.
Troy has range.The year he got really big 2013 he had 3 incredibly varied performances being Joel, Booker and Joker.
He does like when people just ask for his normal voice because he views it as confidence in the script and they aren't asking him to "dress it up or put a hat on it"
Directors want them.
Nolan has voiced his opinion that he wishes he could do more varied performances, but directors just say "we want your Drake voice/normal voice". He talks about this constantly in regards to Prince of Persia 08.
Troy has range.The year he got really big 2013 he had 3 incredibly varied performances being Joel, Booker and Joker.
He does like when people just ask for his normal voice because he views it as confidence in the script and they aren't asking him to "dress it up or put a hat on it"
Directors want them.
Don't blame them, blame the directors that ask them what to sound like. This thread is incredibly disrespectful and misinformed. You might as well stop watching movies.
Can't stand Troy unfortunately. Great as Joel but since then I feel he's shoe horned in every game. Very annoying as snow in ff23 trilogy as well.
I will not tolerate slander against Laura Bailey! >:(
j/k, it's all subjective, but as much as I love her, I do agree there should be greater diversity in voice acting. That is never a loss.
BTW, listen to Laura's character from the first campaign of Critical Role (Vex'ahlia) and compare it to her character in campaign 2 (Jester) - they're COMPLETELY different in tone, accent, personality and overall demeanor. It's fucking great.
j/k, it's all subjective, but as much as I love her, I do agree there should be greater diversity in voice acting. That is never a loss.
BTW, listen to Laura's character from the first campaign of Critical Role (Vex'ahlia) and compare it to her character in campaign 2 (Jester) - they're COMPLETELY different in tone, accent, personality and overall demeanor. It's fucking great.
Disagree, I love hearing those three. Always welcome. Jennifer Hale needs to get more work though.
They're great at their jobs. Besides, in videogames, they can't voice everyone in a game they are in so it's not like they are taking away everything.
I get a strong feeling a lot of people don't know that Troy Baker voiced the Joker in Arkham Origins
I don't mind Troy Baker being hired so much because he has such great range that I often don't even recognise it's him. Nolan and Laura still have good range but most of the time they do speak in their normal voice which is annoying. Especially whenever I hear Laura because I can't help but think Kaine from Nier is talking.
Like others have said, I have no problem with the three actors getting work, my issue is with casting directors and the direction they are given when on a project. They have range and versatility, if you cast them, let them use it.
They're fantastic at their craft, and no doubt directors and writers love to work with them due to their range, skill, work ethic, understanding of the work and adaptability.
I find threads like this somewhat disrespectful and obtuse. It's like some people can't see past face value audible similarities.
Do you share the same opinions for movies that have popular actors re-appearing in numerous roles where they sound alike? Because if this kind of thing bothers you, you might as well stop watching movies and TV shows as well, especially any you're interested that happened to feature popular actors.
I find threads like this somewhat disrespectful and obtuse. It's like some people can't see past face value audible similarities.
Do you share the same opinions for movies that have popular actors re-appearing in numerous roles where they sound alike? Because if this kind of thing bothers you, you might as well stop watching movies and TV shows as well, especially any you're interested that happened to feature popular actors.
I loved Troy Baker's appearance in Death Stranding because it was Troy fucking Baker, for once embodying his own skin which was a perfect fit for the game's aggressively meta stylings.
You're sick of them.... about 7 years after they stopped being featured in every major game release? You might as well say you are sick of slow PSN downloads and lack of cross game chat... on PS3.
Or complain about Jennifer Lawrence's abundance of movie roles.... like 7 years ago too. You see what I'm saying? Too much time has passed for it to still be a real complaint and its almost like this a Slowpoke joke thread that is revealed at the end of the text or something.
Or complain about Jennifer Lawrence's abundance of movie roles.... like 7 years ago too. You see what I'm saying? Too much time has passed for it to still be a real complaint and its almost like this a Slowpoke joke thread that is revealed at the end of the text or something.
I don't mind them except for TB in Death Stranding...that role was so overdone. Nolan is pretty versatile though.
He has the perfect pervy voice for Japanese characters. I love it.
As others have said, Baker, Bailey, and North have incredible ranges, they just don't always get to show it, because that isn't what directors want from them. I mean, Nolan North nearly became the replacement/back-up voice of Mickey Mouse after Wayne Allwine passed - North's Mickey is scary good. (I definitely prefer North's Mickey to Mickey's current new voice actor, who can still be really stilted at times.)
I'm also all for other actors getting voice work opportunities, as there are a lot of really talented actors that either predominantly do voice acting, or have a theater background that translates well to motion capture - but Baker, Bailey, and North are fantastic and experienced actors in a field that requires a more unique skill set, so it's not surprising they get as much work as they do.
Yes, this.
I'm also all for other actors getting voice work opportunities, as there are a lot of really talented actors that either predominantly do voice acting, or have a theater background that translates well to motion capture - but Baker, Bailey, and North are fantastic and experienced actors in a field that requires a more unique skill set, so it's not surprising they get as much work as they do.
Yes, this.
Yes they are in a lot of games but they are good at what they do so I don't mind hearing them in games.
I know they're great at their job, but I have never once swayed on my purchase decision because these top VA's were or weren't cast in the game. The only explanation I could think of is that because they're household names, they are more readily accessible, so developers instantly gravitate toward them as safe/easy picks instead of having to hold auditions.
You only really notice voice acting when it's bad. You have no reason to notice when it's good. The three names for this topic are all really good.
This entire topic of shitting on them is sad. It's one thing to voice criticism, but another to do whatever the hell this topic is trying to do.
I have to agree. Just because there are great VA's, doesn't mean that they exactly fit every role.
And Dual Audio is a must, especially within Japanese games.
And Dual Audio is a must, especially within Japanese games.
....Do you think these VA's don't audition because they're "famous"? Look we're still talking about Voice Actors here, this isn't hollywood yet.
99% of people also loved Cristina Vee as Velvet in Tales of Berseria but I couldn't stand her performance. I know I'm in the minority :p
I'm not about hating on Troy, Nolan and Laura but it's surprising to see some of these posts on Era when many of the same people are all about diversity casting in live action film and television.
I'm not about hating on Troy, Nolan and Laura but it's surprising to see some of these posts on Era when many of the same people are all about diversity casting in live action film and television.
Yeah, it's wack. I'm gonna expand my thoughts in a bit when I have time, but the quality argument is bullshit.
Joker, Joel, Ocelot, Yuri, Kanji Tatsumi, Sam Drake, Vincent, Pagan Min, Delson Rowe etc. To imply Troy Baker doesn't have range is utterly laughable.
Troy Baker is arguably one of the most talented and accomplished there is in gaming with respect to range and/or differences in performances, characters, accents etc.
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That's not really comparable and is instead somewhat of a strawman argument. Few people complain that Denzel and Samuel L Jackson get cast in so many black acting roles, they're incredible actors and pull off memorable performances, hence their volume of work is respected and appreciated. Instead the argument and point (a different one to what is being argued in the OP) is that there should be far more minority characters in movies and games in general, so that more minority actors can be cast alongside the top talent when possible.
So yes, of course games (and all media) should feature far more women and minority characters, but that has little to do with the most talented actors being more likely to be cast in works or major productions (something prevalent among all races and genders, eg certain actors, whether male, female, black or white, being more likely to be cast for certain roles due to their acting talent and star appeal).
In an ideal world it'd be a case of a healthy amount of both, eg the best actors continue to get the biggest roles, whilst simultaneously there is a greater diversity of minority and women characters for more acting roles, and thus more potential for up and coming talent too.
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While I have nothing against them as voice actors (they're good at what they do; that can't be denied), I do hate the casting culture that's been created around them. I've always been angry about how real voice actors are shoved aside in favor of celebrities in every animated film, prioritizing star power over actual actual acting ability. And now this is basically the same thing, except most people don't know them. So these studios are essentially spending extra money for... what exactly? Their names? Most people won't recognize them. Their acting ability? There are literally hundreds if not thousands of voice actors who are just as capable and more that are available for a fraction of the price you're paying. You just want to save time and not audition anybody? What does that say about you as a casting director? Who would want to work with someone who just throws money at everything to cut corners?
I don't see the issue here whatsoever. They all perform very well in the numerous roles they get, they're not the ones to throw shade at. Blame the system, it'd be great to have more diversity in the acting of AAA games.
I also don't see an issue if they're not doing accents or different voices. Do y'all get annoyed when a film or TV actor doesn't change their voice when they act? I think now that the actors are also basically stage acting with motion capture while also doing the voice work, it makes more sense to not try and change the voice too much.
I also don't see an issue if they're not doing accents or different voices. Do y'all get annoyed when a film or TV actor doesn't change their voice when they act? I think now that the actors are also basically stage acting with motion capture while also doing the voice work, it makes more sense to not try and change the voice too much.
I don't blame the actors. Gotta put food on the table.
All of them have pretty good range but sometimes they get hired and all the VA director wants is to have them use their normal voice.
All of them have pretty good range but sometimes they get hired and all the VA director wants is to have them use their normal voice.
At least I know when they're hired it's a god damned union job and the game devs/studio aren't trying to be cheap as fuck with VAs. Havent heard Laura in a while though with the exception of critical role.
I think their reputations give them more leverage. Don't know much about how that world works.
OP
OP
I edited the OP to add a good point stated by a lot of people that should have been the first thing I said in this thread.
It looked like I was blaming these actors as if they were the ones making the casting decisions which obviously isn't the case.
It looked like I was blaming these actors as if they were the ones making the casting decisions which obviously isn't the case.
same. I assume they are just easy to work with and have experience.