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I can't stand Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Nolan North anymore
- Thread starter SonovaBeach
- Start date
its gotten to the point where it actually puts me off the game. so many talented people out there and we are constantly subjected to these.
Unfortunately it seem some publishers or casting people think these people help sell games like big budget actors in movies. I don't think I ever got a game because a certain voice actor played a part in it. I didn't even get MGS5, and Kiefer Sutherland was in it.
and Better Call Saul, one of the most prestige TV shows in recent history
I totally get this complaint, but the only actor of the three whose voice I can sometimes find "annoying" is Nolan North's because he just sounds like Drake at times. (And even that's a little unfair - I'd played The Last of Us twice before I knew North played David)
Troy Baker tends to mix his voice up enough that he doesn't bother me. Joel in The Last of Us and Booker in BioShock Infinite sound nothing alike to me, and his Ocelot felt like a nice middle point between Josh Keaton and Patric Zimmerman.
To this day I don't know what Laura Bailey looks like and I've never encountered "samey voice" issues with anyone she's played.
Troy Baker tends to mix his voice up enough that he doesn't bother me. Joel in The Last of Us and Booker in BioShock Infinite sound nothing alike to me, and his Ocelot felt like a nice middle point between Josh Keaton and Patric Zimmerman.
To this day I don't know what Laura Bailey looks like and I've never encountered "samey voice" issues with anyone she's played.
I kind of feel the opposite. Besides his Joel role, I feel like you can tell who Baker plays all the time.
I don't mind them too much though, they're still really good actors.
I am tired of Johnny YB though, definitely lacks range. After years of listening to him, mostly in anime with the occasional game, I'm just done. It's almost distracting when I hear him play a role.
Most gamers out there (not us here) do not own or have not played all those games. That's a lot of titles and money and having all of those is not common.
Many of those gamers probably don't pay attention to VO names and won't know it's the same people.
Plus these people are very talented and are getting paid for their work. I don't really see the problem.
Many of those gamers probably don't pay attention to VO names and won't know it's the same people.
Plus these people are very talented and are getting paid for their work. I don't really see the problem.
I never really notice them. I get so immersed into the story and characters, I'm not sure I've ever out right recognized a voice actor besides a few that are above and beyond gaming. Such as Keith David, for example. And I never get tired of hearing his voice and it's usually more distracting when some one besides him does a voice he's famous for...like the Arbiter in Killer Instinct.
This is the unfortunate but undeniable truth that applies not only to VO but work in general. If you deal with a huge project that have a very stick deadline or project's nature can change at any time you want to have a stable and flexible person, its a rare find which is why you get him/her/them over and over because with each time they prove themselves stable and easier to work on communication level. I would not be surprised if studios will hire same VO at a cost of higher pay just because they pay for quality. And again thats a problem which applies not only to VO.Ben Diskin explains why you hear so many of the same voice actors in animated media.
There is a youtube that does review and indepth analysis of Voice Acting called CdawgVA. He recorded a project where he made an online casting and directing for a Yaoi Manga VO its obviously not AAA game or famous anime DUB but a glimpse of how actually hard the process is.
Yeah and David in TLOU. Anyone saying he doesn't have range I can't agree with.
Not sure why this thread randomly popped up again, but I figure that this is as good a place as any to ask this...
Are Nolan North and Troy Baker beefing right now? I got this impression by random comments I've heard some stuff indicating that they might be and I have no idea if it's just trolling or not. I know they stopped doing their youtube show together, but I assumed that's because of COVID.
Are Nolan North and Troy Baker beefing right now? I got this impression by random comments I've heard some stuff indicating that they might be and I have no idea if it's just trolling or not. I know they stopped doing their youtube show together, but I assumed that's because of COVID.
They had a falling out. I don't think it has been announced over what though.
Creative differences. Troy put up a video explaining essentially that he just didn't want to do a structured "YouTube" show like that with the fluff and marketing and whatever. It came across a little pretentious to me (Troy's eccentric in that way) but at the same time I definitely understand why he would rather do his own thing free of structure.
Ah OK. It is strange though as he seemed to still be enjoying the show, judging by the last few episodes. I do remember an old episode where they had a pretty major falling out on camera (I think it was the modern warfare one?) and I can imagine both of them being spiky when it comes to an argument. It is a shame if their friendship has suffered though.
I mean, they're talented voice actors, with a shit ton of experience in motion capture at this point, so it's no surprise that they're going to get hired to voice a lot of characters in games. I also wouldn't put all the blame on them for "using their regular voices," when that's almost entirely up to the person in charge of voice direction. A lot of the time, Troy and Nolan are just told to "do the voice" because it worked for whatever character made them so popular in the first place, and considering that they're being paid to do a job, they "do the voice."
Is it problematic that they get offered a ton of roles? I don't think so. They're fortunate enough to be given that opportunity. If anything, I'd wish the industry would cast their nets larger and find a deeper, more diverse talent pool to bring these characters to life, but I'm not going to lay that at the hands of Troy or Nolan or Laura.
Is it problematic that they get offered a ton of roles? I don't think so. They're fortunate enough to be given that opportunity. If anything, I'd wish the industry would cast their nets larger and find a deeper, more diverse talent pool to bring these characters to life, but I'm not going to lay that at the hands of Troy or Nolan or Laura.
Sean's yelling has always sounded sillyBen Diskin explains why you hear so many of the same voice actors in animated media.
Damn I really enjoyed them together in Retro Replay :(
At least we still have Uncle Noly
VO directors know them, directors are used to working with them, so they hire them. Simple as that. Sad but simple.
North sounds like he's totally phoning it in as Iron Man tbh. I'm sick of hearing them too, especially Troy. It's to the point where it's immersion breaking for me. NN was PHENOMINAL as David in TLOU though, I'll give him that, and I couldn't imagine anyone but him as Drake. They're all great of course, but it's just overkill.
I've been playing through the Master Chief Collection after that small Halo Infinite teaser, and started Halo 3 tonight. My god, Nolan North is fucking everywhere in this game. Super distracting.
To be fair, in some ways, Square Enix feels like they're phoning it in with Avengers.
That said, I think the reason why these actors get so many roles, aside from name value, is the same reason why actors like Tom Cruise are hired. They're really good at what they do. They're effective, time efficient, and are able to learn and perform lines and actions quickly. When you hire Troy, Laura, Nolan, etc., you're ensuring that you won't have to repeat a bunch of takes. You're guaranteed a strong performance
Well Troy Bakers recent actions have annoyed me to the point where I'm good on hearing him on anymore games. There is a lot of starving voice artist our there. Let them get some work.
My favorite voice actor remains Lance Reddick. He is always popping up where you least expect him and immediately makes games good. Like when his voice popped up in Horizon Zero Dawn right when I was getting bored with the game. Made me push on.
My favorite voice actor remains Lance Reddick. He is always popping up where you least expect him and immediately makes games good. Like when his voice popped up in Horizon Zero Dawn right when I was getting bored with the game. Made me push on.
Not a fan of any of them in Avengers, but I gotta say... Troy & Laura are absolutely incredible in TLOU: Part 2.
I'm curious as to why the voice acting talent pool for video games feels so shallow. Is there a reluctance to work with newer talent? Are casting directors lazy? Is being a good reliable voice actor really, really hard? Is it geography based (not willing to hire any of the anime people from Texas or Canada)? Is it a pricing thing for big roles with a ton of lines, where they don't wanna pay the Hollywood prices for well known actors, but also don't wanna cheap out and get newbie voice actors, so it results in the same handful of people getting cast and re-cast?
Let's be real it's kind of weird that Laura Bailey and Troy Baker headline a game that also has Jeffrey Wright in it as a bit character.
Let's be real it's kind of weird that Laura Bailey and Troy Baker headline a game that also has Jeffrey Wright in it as a bit character.
Nolan to my mind still has more "wait, that's him?" roles, so I don't find him quite as jarring. But yeah, overall I agree. It's a huge part of why I dislike that Avengers game.
Troy's Joker is also *chef's kiss*. The more they sound like themselves the more I hate it.
Troy's Joker is also *chef's kiss*. The more they sound like themselves the more I hate it.
Funny you mention that as Nolan North voiced Romeo in Halo 3 ODST alongside Nathan Fillion as Buck.
More like Marine #3, 7, 12, 18, 22, 26, 31, 33, 39, 42, 49, 53, 54, 55, 56, 60, 64, 68, 74 and 83.
He's seriously the best part of the game, or at least the story. I hated how rude Aloy had to be to him.My favorite voice actor remains Lance Reddick. He is always popping up where you least expect him and immediately makes games good. Like when his voice popped up in Horizon Zero Dawn right when I was getting bored with the game. Made me push on.
