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PAX South 2015: The Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns experience
As MMO players surely know by now, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns is the first expansion ever for the ArenaNet MMORPG. In fact, most everyone suspected the announcement thanks to the leaked trademark information. But that didn't stop fans from being excited about it, nor did that bit of information satisfy their hunger. The emcee for the reveal event was none other than voice actor Jennifer Hale, whose voice players might recognize as Queen Jennah's. President and CEO of ArenaNet Mike O'Brien and game director Colin Johanson teased the PAX South crowd of over 1,500 fans waiting in the main theater. But the anticipation for the new expansion started well before anyone even came to the stage.
PAX South 2015: Jennifer Hale will host Guild Wars 2 panel, herald 75% off sale
So you already knew about Guild Wars 2's big event at PAX South this Saturday, the Point of No Return panel, which has players crossing their fingers for an expansion announcement. If you can't go in person, you can watch the whole shebang on Twitch for the low, low price of nothing. And that deal just got even sweeter, as ArenaNet has just declared this morning that gaming icon and voice actress Jennifer Hale, known to GW2 fans as the voice of Queen Jennah and to everyone else as the voice of approximately eight million other characters, will be hosting the livestream. Meanwhile, the studio has vowed to slash the price of the buy-to-play MMO to $9.99 on Saturday and Sunday in honor of the hoopla, marking the biggest sale for the game it's held to date. Characters in-game will be showered with sales on boosters and a free double-experience bonus that lasts all weekend. Massively GW2 expert Anatoli Ingram speculated about the possible expansion and analyzed the final season 2 episode in his most recent columns.
Meet the voice cast for The Elder Scrolls Online
Voice-overs can really bring MMOs to life, and Bethesda has just unveiled the star-studded cast that will bring depth to and immerse players in The Elder Scrolls Online. Game director Matt Firor stated, "This extraordinary group of actors helps bring the distinctive characters in The Elder Scrolls Online to life." John Cleese, known for his work in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, plays a cheerful and endearingly mad lost soul named Cadwell who is not afraid of anyone. Bill Nighy, who was in Pirates of the Caribbean, is the merchant prince High King Emeric. Kate Beckinsale, of The Aviator and Pearl Harbor fame, is leader of the Aldmeri Dominion and Queen of the High Elves, Queen Ayrenn. And Linda Carter, best known as Wonder Woman, returns to the Elder Scrolls series to reprise her role from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Other cast members include Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter), Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange), Peter Stormare (Fargo), Jim Ward (WALL·E, Despicable Me 2), Jennifer Hale, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Learn more about each actor's part in the official announcement. [Source: Bethesda press release]
David Hayter-voiced République sneaks to iOS on December 19
Camouflaj's stealthy crowdfunded game Republique will launch this Thursday, December 19 on iOS. Republique Director Ryan Payton noted in an interview with IGN that the game's PC and Mac versions will arrive next year. Republique earned $555,662 on Kickstarter in May 2012 and features both David Hayter and Jennifer Hale as voice actors. The indie action game, which resurfaced in February with new 3D backgrounds as opposed to its original pre-rendered ones, will cost $4.99 on the App Store. The game stars Hope, "a young woman trapped within a shadowy totalitarian state," drawing inspiration from George Orwell's classic novel 1984. Players take control of "Big Brother," protecting Hope and guiding her through the game by influencing the environment through unlocking doors, powering down lights and tapping phone calls.
Jennifer Hale to play 'pivotal role' in The Long Dark
Noted video game voice actress Jennifer Hale has signed on to lend her pipes to The Long Dark, Hinterland's survival sim currently chasing funding through Kickstarter. Hinterland hasn't announced exactly who Hale will play in The Long Dark, but promises it's a "pivotal role." Hale, one of the more well-known voice actresses in video games and animation today, has contributed her voice to over 130 video games. She has voiced characters in Mass Effect, Diablo 3, Metal Gear Solid, BioShock Infinite and many more. The Long Dark is four days away from concluding its Kickstarter pledge drive and has raised $180,000 CAD so far. The game, which tasks players with surviving in a cold and harsh wilderness after a bush pilot's plane malfunctions and crashes, will launch on PC, Mac and Linux.
Broken Age reunites Double Fine with Jack Black, Jennifer Hale
Remember when Double Fine got Hollywood superstar Jack Black to star in a video game? Well, it's happening again with Broken Age, the studio's Kickstarter-funded point-and-click adventure in which Black plays the excellently named Harm'ny Lightbeard, apparently the "lifter of clouds." If you've not heard of Jack Black, that means you've not seen School of Rock, and that in turn means we can't be friends - sorry. The other big-name returnee to Double Fine's recording booth is Jennifer Hale, gaming's equivalent of Hollywood talent as far as voice acting goes. Hale has appeared in all video games ever made, but she's probably best known for her role as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect games. If you have a minute, it's worth going through her game-ography and just gaping in awe at her career. After proving to be be more expensive than anticipated, Broken Age will arrive in halves. The first half is due in January, available via Early Access. Double Fine will use the income generated from the first half to sustain funds to make the rest of the game.
The Soapbox: MMOs waste millions on voice-over
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. A-list voice actors are not new to the video game genre. Over the last 20 years, video games have pulled from the same pool of talent as cartoons and commercials. But it really wasn't until last year with DC Universe Online that we started to see MMOs advertise the voice talent they had in the games. DCUO filmed multiple documentary-style videos to impress us with the level of voice-over work the game had. Although DCUO was the first fully voiced MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic made a point to tell us that it had over 200 different voice actors (300 if you believe IMDB) with over a thousand recording sessions for over 200,000 lines of dialogue. In the end, what's the pay-off? Six months after launch, the majority of players will threaten to leave a SWTOR pick-up group if the other players don't skip over the dialogue. Although a large portion of players did watch all the dialogue shortly after the game launched, all the players I spoke to said that the cutscenes started to grate on them before they'd even reached level 50. And even though DCUO was the first MMO to be fully voiced, SWTOR got away with advertising that it was first mainly because voice-overs were considered so insignificant by the MMO community that almost no one noticed the fib. And dare we even talk about the expense of recording 200,000 lines of dialogue? Is fan excitement over, say, Mark Hamill's Joker worth the cost of bringing him in on the project in the first place?
Republique gets vocal support from David Hayter and Jennifer Hale
Ambitious stealth game République has a long way to go before meeting its Kickstarter goal of $500,000 in its last eight days, but it hasn't stopped the folks at Camouflaj from adding some big names to the game's cast. Today's update reveals both David Hayter and Jennifer Hale will contribute their vocal talents."Hayter will play the role of the head revolutionary in the world of République, and Hale will voice the role of 'The Mentor' – a complex character who knows Hope better than anyone," the Kickstarter page reveals. Hayter is probably best known for voicing Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games, while Jennifer Hale was the voice behind the female Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and every other speaking female in video games ever.
Get face to face with Mass Effect 3's star-studded cast
Ever wondered what it's like to watch She's All That star Freddie Prinze Jr. shadowbox in a voice acting studio? BioWare's latest Mass Effect 3 voice actor video diary is here to answer your bizarre requests, Freddie Prinze Jr. fans.
SWTOR: So you want to play a Trooper
Whether you're attracted to Star Wars: The Old Republic's Trooper class because of the iconic Stormtrooper/Clone Wars trooper look, the ability to dish out massive damage without any pamby-namby "Force" crutches, or the chance to hop on board a sci-fi military saga, you're in for a treat. While it may lack the grace of the Jedi, the sophistication of the Imperial Agent, and the swagger of the Smuggler, the Trooper gets it done with heavy armor, heavy firepower, and heavy quips. The Trooper a strong contender for just about any role in the game except for melee combat (and even there it has a few moves). It can heal, deal ranged damage, and tank alike, so I'm not surprised to hear that there are all-Trooper guilds forming up for the game. If you like having wide-open possibilities for your character's future roles, the Trooper is the way to go. The Trooper begins his journey on the war-torn world of Ord Mantell (alongside the Smugglers), where he's been recently recruited by the elite Havoc squad to tackle the toughest missions out there. You may not feel elite at the beginning, with light armor, an aged blaster rifle, and only a small handful of skills backing you up, but trust me -- by the end of your journey on Ord Mantell, you'll be ready to rock with the big boys.
Hyperspace Beacon: Post-launch
Readers of this column have a lot of questions for me, and I do my best to answer all of them. However, the most frequent question I get is "what class are you playing?" followed by "which guild are you going to join?" Thankfully, I work from an office at home, and my time can be very dedicated to playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Many of the websites and podcasts fall off after a game is launched because, hey, the producers of these bits of entertainment have a game to play now. Fortunately for you, I really want to give my readers something to look forward to once TOR actually launches. Unlike others who lack either the time or dedication to their fans, I am going to be stepping up my game after launch -- literally. I have teased my post-launch plans a few times before, but I figured I should put it all down in writing. This way I have something to reference when the time comes, and I'm sure the readers here will hold me to my word. Most of all, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be an extraordinary experience for anyone who follows me. Hop past the break for the full details.
BioWare: 13% of Mass Effect players use default hero, 18% play female Shepard
We've already heard that the female Commander Shepard, voiced by the talented and busy Jennifer Hale, will be featured in Mass Effect 3's marketing, marking the first time in the series that BioWare has done so. But VG24/7 has more about the female version of the Commander, and just how many players have seen her and Hale's performance over the years. Turns out, according to BioWare, that 13 percent of Mass Effect players just use the default male Commander Shepard. 83 percent of players customize the hero in some way, and of those, only 18 percent use the female version. Director of Marketing David Silverman says BioWare doesn't have a "canon" version of the hero: "The beautiful thing about the Mass Effect series is the fact that the player gets to make choices that actually impact the game and make their entire game experience unique to them." For example, none of you have ever played with my Commander Michael Shepard, honorable Vanguard war hero, one of the coolest Paragons ever, and also incredibly handsome. Shame you've never gotten to meet him.
SWTOR Trooper video kicks some serious -- shut yo mouth!
Troopers aren't in it for glory. They are protecting the Republic. They are protecting freedom. And according to the newest trailer from Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Troopers' duty is to defend the people and the principles of the Republic no matter the sacrifice. Today, Gamespot posted the latest class video from SWTOR, this one highlighting the Republic Trooper. Videogame voice-over legend Jennifer Hale lends her talent to this exciting trailer, which briefly outlines the Trooper's role in the overarching Star Wars story. The video showcases the incredible weapons and devices the Troopers use to defeat their enemies, even ones as powerful as the Force-wielding Sith Warriors. If you weren't interested in playing a Trooper class in The Old Republic, you may be now. Take a look after the break for the full video and pop over the SWTOR website tomorrow for the official update from BioWare. For freedom; for the Republic!
From the VGAs Red Carpet: Jennifer Hale
Voice actress Jennifer Hale is a veteran of the industry, playing tons of memorable roles from Bastila in Knights of the Old Republic to Samus Aran in Metroid Prime and the female Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series. She stopped to chat with us for a bit as she walked down the red carpet at this weekend's VGAs, and shared a little bit about the characters she's played so far. Commander Sheperd was an interesting character to play, just because she can be so different from player to player. "I rely a lot on my director, Ginny McSwain," said Hale. Of course there are the various lines to be said for the Renegade and Paragon branches, but because players can vary Hale's character's appearance so much, does she have a default in mind when portraying the voice? "No," she said. "Think about it -- you don't go through your life thinking about your appearance from the outside, except for getting dressed in the morning. Neither does she. She goes out into the world and she is who she is in the middle of her, and that's how she goes through the world." Hale doesn't actually play many games ("I'm terrible at them," she laughs), but her favorite experiences are "when I have awesome directors and awesome scripts." Her favorite character in recent memory? Brutal Legend's Ophelia, opposite Jack Black. Because "it was Tim," she says. "It was Tim Schafer, and you cannot go wrong with Tim Schafer."
Hyperspace Beacon: Testing the SWTOR waters
If you didn't know already, just over a week ago three writers from Massively, including me, traveled to Seattle, Washington for PAX Prime. During that time, besides catching the flu, we were able to catch a glimpse of some of the games that have yet to be released. We were able to play games like TERA, The Force Unleashed II, Guild Wars 2, RIFT, End of Nations, and many, many others. Some were pretty good; others, not-so-much -- but most seemed very polished and perfect for presentation. Of course, you all know I was there to see Star Wars: The Old Republic. I caught a lot of it. There were six of the eight classes available for demo at the gorgeous LucasArts booth. (BioWare did have a booth there, too, but the team was displaying some small game it was trying to get off the ground called Dragon Age 2.) Visitors had a chance to try out the smuggler, trooper, agent, bounty hunter, and both Sith classes. Because of the enormous lines that constantly encircled the booth, I was only able to play three of the classes: smuggler, trooper, and Sith inquisitor. For this edition of the Hyperspace Beacon, I will give you my impressions of the gameplay for those classes. However, I want to take a slightly different look at them. At E3, Massively's editor Seraphina Brennan was able to give her impressions of the smuggler class -- she covered the mechanics and so on. Although I will touch on the combat mechanics, I have decided to focus on some of the features BioWare is famous for: cinematics, character development, and overall storytelling. Follow after the break, and I will give you an honest breakdown of how SWTOR measures up to its predecessors.
MGS4 cast has identity issues, holds group therapy session
How dedicated is the vocal cast of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots? So dedicated that they believe they are the characters to which they breathe sound and life into. Is it some form of hypnotic gene therapy which brings out such wondrous talent? Maybe ... it's the work of the Patriots? *Cue dramatic music* Whatever the reason be, they now meet up regularly to (jokingly) discern between what really is game and reality.Dr. Sadie, records one such session documenting how far our beloved actors have had one too many serums in the neck. Paul Eiding (aka Colonel Campbell) is on a junkie binge for some Scissors 61. While Christopher Randolph (aka Otacon) reveals he's been turning his cat "Mark" into Mark II ... by strapping a camera to its back. David Hayter (Old Snake), Jennifer Hale (Naomi), and Quinton Flynn (Raiden) are all there with their buddies with some hilarious consequences. See it all after the break. Thanks go out to Dr. Sadie for totally breaking doctor-patient confidentiality! [Thanks LAZoftheTamarinds!]
