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Quantum Conundrum gets an extra Q
Square Enix is moving away from the paltry world of dimension-based reveals, announcing actor John De Lancie as one of Quantum Conundrum's main actors. De Lancie is, of course, known for his part as "Q" in the James Bond series, aiding Bond in his interstellar travels of exploration and diplomacy. Or he was a popular Star Trek character -- one of the two.Anyway, De Lancie is playing the part of Professor Fitz Quadrangle, advising the main character on gameplay and ushering story points forward (he is, after all, stuck in an alternate dimension, anxiously awaiting your help). De Lancie details his role and offers a taste of his voice work in the latest teaser, seen above.
How Tim Schafer ended up as a main voice in upcoming Kinect XBLA game Haunt
In Haunt, Parappa the Rapper developer Nana-OnSha's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game, players will use Kinect to direct a main NPC voiced by Tim Schafer around a spooky, and somewhat goofy, haunted house -- that much we knew. And in a recent interview with Gamasutra, executive producer Masaya Matsuura and producer Dewi Tanner revealed how the main character came to be voiced by the Double Fine head and well-known goofy gentleman. "He's very, very interesting for it," Masaya said when asked about Schafer's participation. Apparently the main character's voice had already been recorded, but after hearing Schafer's speech at a GDC "Choice Awards" ceremony, the Nana-OnSha folks reconsidered. "We talked about 'maybe something is missed,' still," Matsuura said. "And one day you told me about how Tim would be a good voiceover actor," he added to Tanner. Tanner said that Tim's time was understandably constrained, being the head of another game studio and all, but the team "managed to squeeze him in nonetheless ... a couple of afternoons and we were pretty much done." Tanner also pointed out that Haunt isn't exactly a serious endeavor, and Schafer's "passé humor" was perfect for the role. The game is still absent a solid launch date, but it's probably safe to say it's gonna miss its previously scheduled 2011 release window. Tanner teased in the interview that, "We're just winding up the game right now; things are looking clean right now, so it should be a smooth submission." So, uh, soon-ish! Update: This piece originally listed Tim Schafer as the main character in Haunt, rather than the main NPC. It also listed Masaya Matsuura as the creative lead, rather than executive producer. Our apologies! [Image credit: 'skwathill']
BioWare documents the beginning of your SWTOR saga
The launch day of Star Wars: The Old Republic is upon us, and while most any interested parties are fully immersed in BioWare's mega-MMO, there are always those who are still on the fence about the game or haven't heard about it yet. To give a proper nudge in the right direction, BioWare's released an eight-minute documentary titled Your Saga Begins to give a broad overview of SWTOR's strengths and direction. The team spends the time making a case for not only why the game is special but how it should appeal to the Star Wars fan in all of us. Covering the bases of story, voiceovers, companions, exploration, graphical style, and more, the developers hit on all of the selling points of the game while giving first-time viewers a good reason to give this title a shot. Even if you're a veteran of the Mandalorian War, there should be a tidbit or two in this documentary that's new to you, whether it be absorbing the behind-the-scenes voice recordings or seeing just how big and bushy some of the devs' beards have become. You can watch the full documentary after the jump -- and don't forget to check out our comprehensive guide to launch and beyond!
Fan revision gives patch 4.3 trailer added pop
The patch 4.3 trailer, shown above, was a decent enough trailer. It showed all the villains we'd see in the patch, plus a little gameplay. But to many players, it seemed to be missing something, and the common protest was that it had no voice work at all. Given the number of cinematics included in the Dragon Soul raid, perhaps it was decided it didn't need any. Still, the consensus seems to be that the trailer needed a little pop. After all, it's the trailer for the biggest patch of the expansion -- it ought to have a punch to it, shouldn't it? That's what YouTube user theopeneyes thought, too -- and so he embarked on a mission that took him through the various voiceovers in the 4.3 patch. After finding enough suitable material, he took a trailer that was pretty good and made it pretty amazing. Check out the result after the break.
Siri's UK voice answers questions about his journey to the iPhone 4S
The first rule of being Siri is do not talk about being Siri -- but Jon Briggs, the voice of the iPhone helper's British version, has, fittingly, has bucked that trend. Apple's preference for mystery surrounding the matter hasn't silenced the one-time tech journalist turned voice over actor who discovered that he was the voice of the 4S's assistant upon hearing his "flat and even" readings played back on a commercial for the handset. Briggs told The Telegraph that he recorded the basis for the British Siri five or six years ago, speaking some 5,000 sentences over the course of three weeks for "a decent sum."
The man who provided Siri's voice in the UK
Despite Apple's request that he remain anonymous, British voiceover artist Jon Briggs revealed to The Telegraph that he is the voice of Siri in the UK. Briggs received a call from an Apple PR representative last month after the iPhone 4S was launched, and was told that he should not talk publicly about Siri. Briggs was told by the PR rep that Apple employees were not authorized to discuss products. He responded by noting that he had recorded over 5,000 sentences over three weeks for a company called Scansoft. That company merged with Nuance, which provides the voices for Siri. As a result, Briggs had never had a contract with Apple, which is why he's gone public. When Briggs was doing the recordings, he was told to speak a very specific way, reading "flat and even." The recordings were then ripped apart to grab specific phonics to build the voice file that is used in Siri in the UK. Those phonics allow Siri to speak just about any word, even if Briggs hasn't recorded a specific word. Briggs's Siri persona is also used to create announcements at the Kings Cross railway station in London, and is heard in other applications as well. UK readers may also recognize him as the voice in the BBC quiz show The Weakest Link.
Dear Aunt TUAW: My iPhone won't stop talking to me
Dear Aunt TUAW, While playing around with his new iPhone 4S Monday evening, Tim's phone started responding to every touch to the screen -- identifying vocally everything he touched and giving instructions about what to do there. He can't figure out how he turned the function on -- and he sure can't figure out how to turn it off. Your loving nephews, Jim and Tim Dear Jim and Tim, Accessibility enhancements open up the iPhone to users with a range of disabilities. iOS features allow users to magnify (or "zoom") displays, invert colors, and more. VoiceOver provides a way that visually impaired users can "listen" to their GUI. The VoiceOver service converts an application's visual presentation into an audio description. Don't confuse VoiceOver with Voice Control or the Siri Assistant. VoiceOver is a method for presenting an audio description of a user interface and is highly gesture-based. The latter two terms refer to Apple's voice recognition technology for hands-free interaction. As this Apple tech note details, you can control accessibility settings either from iTunes (easier for most visually-impaired users) or directly on the iPhone. To disable VoiceOver on the phone itself, navigate to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver. Switch the VoiceOver option from ON to OFF. Unfortunately, with VoiceOver turned on it can be tricky to get into Settings in the first place. If you have the triple-tap Accessibility setting turned on, you can try pressing the home button three times quickly, then double-tapping the "Turn VoiceOver Off" button. If triple-tapping does nothing, just push the Home button once. That will get you to the main page with the Settings app. Then use a series of tap-followed-by-double-tap selections to launch Settings, and then to move to the correct Settings page. Use triple-finger swipes to scroll the screen if needed. Once disabled, the mysterious voice will be gone. Auntie hopes it wasn't too traumatic for you. Hugs, Auntie T.
Hear me roar: Become the voice of a monster in R.O.H.A.N.
Ever listen to video game sounds and go, "I could do that 20% better!"? Well, now's the time to prove it. YNK Interactive has launched a Roar & Win contest in which players are encouraged to record their most terrifying monster voice and submit it for possible use in R.O.H.A.N.: Blood Feud. The best sound clips will be implemented into the game as the voice of the Boreal Hell Demon, a two-headed monstrosity in the Elemental Dungeon. Players are asked to record three phrases, including the lovely "I can just taste your filthy blood," in an effort to not just become part of the game, but to win prizes like a Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset, in-game currency, and in-game items. YNK's Derrick Lee thinks this contest meshes well with the season: "Just in time for Halloween, the Roar & Win event will surely release the monsters within our players. Our year's focus is the community, and this event is a great way for our players to be a part of the game they love." The contest ends at midnight on October 26th, and the winner's voice will be added to the game on November 1st.
Super Mario Bros. gets modern sound effects, nostalgia ensues (video)
We can only wonder what'll happen when you reach a certain score -- you know, somewhere above 8000...
15 Minutes of Fame: WoW connections open doors to voice-over career
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. There's something about meeting people in an MMO like WoW that forges connections. Maybe it's because we all share a common interest in the game. Maybe it's because so many of us share other common interests -- for instance, many players show at least a passing fancy for fantasy and sci-fi -- or come from age groups who see connecting with others via the internet as a perfectly natural, desirable phenomenon. At any rate, this week's 15 Minutes of Fame brings us the tale of a player who built on her WoW connections to forge an entirely new career. From WoW-playing freelance writer to WoW-playing voice-over artist, Candace McCarty (aka Coriánder of Moon Guard [US-A]) knows first-hand the power and depth of resources wielded by WoW's massive player community. Read how she got from Career A to Career B with a little help and inspiration from her WoW friends.
Mac OS X Lion offers high-quality, multilingual voices
Since the developer preview release of Mac OS X Lion, we've been able to see in action some of the exciting new features to expect from Apple's new, forthcoming operating system. Today, we've got even more exciting news to share. AppleInsider is reporting that Mac OS X Lion will feature 53 new high-quality voices with over 40 different dialects to boot. From about a third to over half a gigabyte each in size, the voices sound more human than ever (things have come along way since the early Mac voice from the late 1980s or even Victoria from the 90s), even old Alex from Mac OS X Leopard is put to shame by the new crowd: including American English speaking Jill, Samantha and Tom, Australian English Karen and Lee and the rather British English speaking Daniel, Emily and Serena. There's even a South African English speaking Tessa. But it's not only English that Mac OS X Lion will be speaking, the new OS will be able to speak Chinese, Saudi Arabian Arabic, French, Italian, Polish and Turkish to name a few, too. It's reported that the voices will be available for download directly from Apple, so your Mac only speaks the languages you want and need it to. Click here to listen to some samples provied by AppleInsider
Newest ArenaNet blog post introduces Guild Wars 2 audio
Today's ArenaNet blog post continues Human Week for Guild Wars 2 -- a week-long look at the human race of Tyria. Guild Wars 2 writer John Ryan penned "Against the Wall" focusing on the race's history. What made this entry special, however, were the six audio clips scattered throughout the post. Each facet of human history was supplemented with voice work to illustrate what we'll hear in Guild Wars 2, giving us over five minutes of audio as a little taste of what's to come during gameplay. Check out the history and audio of the Guild Wars 2 human race, and watch for next Monday's Flameseeker Chronicles as we do a full analysis of Human Week.
Breakfast Topic: That voice you can't get out of your head
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. The Lion King is one of those movies that everybody ought to see before they die. One of the strongest films from the Disney renaissance, it features some of the best voice acting in animation history. Who could forget James Earl Jones' deep voice imparting within Simba the need to reclaim his place as king? Or Jeremy Irons' cold, cunning, and manipulative growl with every word Scar spoke? Voice acting can make or break films, and games are no different. As WoW has grown older, voice acting has become far more commonplace. All bosses now come with accompanying quotes. In Cataclysm, a great number of quests feature voice acting. We're surrounded on all sides by a world that is now living, breathing, and speaking. Players have certainly caught on and appear to love the voice acting. In Wrath, several bosses went viral thanks to their memorable quotes. From Thorim's deep voice recalling meeting players "In the mountains ..." to the juvenile XT-002 lamenting the death of his toys, voices made these bosses come to life at a previously unseen level. Which voices in the World of Warcraft are the most memorable for you, and how have they enhanced your experience?
Hands-on with SWTOR's Jedi Knight on Tython
Last month, Massively was invited to LucasArts for a whole day's experience with BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic. One of the perks of living on the West Coast is that I get to attend all these awesome in-depth Silicon Valley events and really expand on Massively's sessions at various conventions! For all my enthusiasm, I have to admit I approached this hands-on with no small amount of trepidation. I'm a huge Star Wars fan (I still play Star Wars Galaxies!), but I fell out of "expert" range on the saga a decade ago. Like many of you readers, I've been wary of the hype and even warier of delusions of grandeur on the part of game companies trying to do justice to the IP. I was really afraid that it wouldn't be as good as I'd hoped and that I'd walk away disappointed. And given the parts I saw, SWTOR's not as good as I'd hoped. It's better. %Gallery-108535%
Blind user explains why he loves the iPhone
Here's a wild little story that made its way around the blogonets this past weekend -- it was originally posted in June, but it got recirculated on Twitter, and we first heard it from Steve Troughton-Smith. Austin Seraphin is a blind person, and he says that getting an iPhone changed his life forever -- he considers Apple's iDevice to be "the greatest thing to happen to the blind for a very long time, possibly ever." Really high praise, especially considering that we've heard both good and bad about the iPhone in terms of accessibility. Seraphin's story is a great read, so I just suggest you head over to his blog and check it out. But why does he appreciate the phone so much? Apple's VoiceOver feature is a big plus -- it allows people without sight to browse and control the iPhone's touch screen using audio feedback, reading off messages and even checking things like stocks and weather all by translating it through the speaker. Seraphin even describes using a color picking app to use the iPhone's camera to "see" colors around him, with VoiceOver reading off descriptive names of the colors coming through the lens. That's pretty incredible, and something only the iPhone, with its extremely mobile combination of technology and UI design, can easily make possible. Seraphin still has an issue using iTunes, and not all apps are, of course, quite as accessible as Apple's guidelines ask them to be. But it's awesome to hear how Apple's approach to technology, combined with all of the various apps out there, can make a significant change in this man's life. In fact, last week he got himself an iMac.
New ArenaNet blog post details dialogue in Guild Wars 2
Just yesterday, we talked a bit about the fact that Guild Wars 2 fans love the small details just as much as the large ones. As we learn more and more about Guild Wars 2, so much of what is exceptional about the game is found in those little details. Attention to the little things, right down to the stitching on a ranger's armor piece, adds up to create an overall sense of immersion and depth that helps make a good game a great one. That attention to detail comes heavily into play when the GW2 team looks at how the story is presented. Way back in May, Lead Designer Colin Johanson spoke at length about the traditional system of quests and quest text. We know that ArenaNet is actively rejecting the traditional -- and immersion breaking -- system, but what will take its place? We got some exciting news on that very thing last night, and as always, it's all in the details. Follow along after the jump to see for yourself.
Warren Spector explains why Epic Mickey got the silent treatment
During an E3 chat today, we asked Warren Spector why Epic Mickey lacked voiceovers. The characters do squeak and chitter, Banjo Kazooie-style, but none of the classic Disney voices are featured in the game. Why not? "There's something about that voice, you know?" Spector said in his best high-pitched Mickey impersonation, before returning to his normal voice. "It's hard to accept that as a really big hero. I wanted people to accept this guy as a hero, and so I kind of made an early decision that we wouldn't have speech in the game." Plus, one of the main characters in Epic Mickey is the long-forgotten Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who only appeared in Disney's silent cartoon era. "In a world where Oswald is the ruler," Spector told us, "it seemed appropriate that people don't talk."
Interview: Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth on the sounds of Crackdown 2
It's fair to say Crackdown was a surprise -- even if you didn't buy it for the Halo 3 beta key, odds are that you downloaded the demo and found a pretty impressive pre-GTA IV open-world shooter. That seems like a blessing and a curse for Audio Director Kristofor Mellroth and the rest of the dev team at Ruffian Games working on the sequel: on the one hand, we have fond memories of the original game, but on the other, there are more great open-world games out there now. Will we go back to Pacific City now that we've got a choice? Mellroth is doing everything on his end to make sure that we do. From the music of the game (which features remixes from the likes of Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as electronic beats by artists like Tokyo Black Star and Adam Freeland) to gunshots, explosions, and the ever-present tones of Michael McConnohie, he's put a lot of thought into what Crackdown 2 should sound like and why. Read on for an exclusive interview with the game's audio director.
Sam Jackson and Don Cheadle rock the voiceover for Iron Man 2
Putting Sam Jackson in the same room as a bunch of video game developers is just unfair -- the guy's awesome when he's fighting reptiles on aircraft, but when he's surrounded by engineers and programmers, he turns into a legend. Don Cheadle, too -- you get the feeling that his Academy Award-nominated dedication to the acting craft might be somewhat wasted on lines like, "Hey, you're Tony Stark, right?" and "War Machine out," but he's so talented that he throws himself into it anyway. Also, we hear there's a game of some kind out now with these voices in it. But it's doubtful that playing the game could be any more fun than watching these guys work.
iPad mute switch magicked into a 'screen rotation lock' overnight, a flurry of other tidbits emerge
Apple's pushing out a few more scraps of info about the iPad in conjunction with the launch of pre-orders. One of the quirkier details is that what was previously known as the mute switch on the iPad -- similar to the one on the iPhone -- is now known as the "screen rotation lock" on Apple's website. We suppose it makes more sense for this sort of device, both due to the "hold it any way you feel like" marketing push, and since it's less likely to start ringing in the middle of a Remember Me screening than your iPhone is. In other news, it's been confirmed that iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM'd) ePub titles in from iTunes, which is good news for people who want to use an existing ePub stash of theirs with Apple's fancy page-flipping interface. Also on the books front, it was clarified today that the iPad can indeed use VoiceOver screen-reading for reading pages of books out loud -- we knew the screen reading tech was on the iPad, but now it sounds as if it will be more directly integrated into iBooks. Apple also clarified today that folks who sign up for the 250MB iPad data plan will receive pop-up alerts when they're running short on data, similar to battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero marks. There's an account management pane that lets you sign up for or cancel service, add another 250MB, or swap to an unlimited plan. But wait, there's more! Apple's also confirming a few more iPhone OS 3.2 features, like the addition of Google's "Terrain" view in maps and a slightly revamped iPod app UI. 3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG) and native uploads to Facebook -- further boosting the iPad's external camera friendliness.
