Frontier Developments has announced that their crowdfunded space epic Elite: Dangerous will be receiving a port to Mac OS/X. However this isn’t just a simple wrapper; Frontier Developments is developing the OS/X version in house using their proprietary in-house development software.
Notably, Mac & PC gamers will be able to explore Elite’s expansive MMO universe together. With the recent developments towards a larger scale universe, this bodes well for Elite. More players after all will give more opportunity to completing the massive objective’s Frontier has been adding to the title. All content which has been released for the PC version will be available for the upcoming Mac release, including the new Powerplay update. This update brings in a large-scale ongoing battle for control over player-space.
The port of Elite: Dangerouswill be available later this May. Additionally, Elite: Dangerous is planned to release on the Xbox One sometime later in 2015. Elite: Dangerous is available for $59.99 (USD), €49.99, and £39.99 on Steam and Frontier’s store now.
Overview
There is a very clear lack of RPGs on the next generation consoles. Sure, Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV have been announced, but both are still awaiting a solid date before fans of the genre can truly get comfortable. To fill the gap, Square Enix have made a rather clever move of porting over the once Eastern exclusive Final Fantasy Type-0 to the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, with an upgrade to the visuals and overall polish. While it may seem like a PSP port doesn’t have a lot to offer, what we are given here attempts to be just enough to hold gamers over until more content is found on consoles. How does Type-0 hold up? Let’s find out.
Story
Within minutes of playing Final Fantasy Type-0, the player is whisked into a sad and somber tale, stating the cold and heartless nature of war. Players take control of Class Zero, who are tied up in a battle against an empire as they fight to defend the Crystal States of Orience that are currently under a vicious attack. There are also a good amount of sub-plots intertwined throughout this adventure, which are relevant due to the many characters within the game.
Ace is what we could call a cover protagonist of sorts, even though this is an ensemble cast. As usual within most JRPGs, Ace comes with a bit of a stubborn side, but also possesses a very wise soul and is able to make decisions quickly. Nine is a bit more of a renegade on the team, while Seven is a girl who plays a peacemaker of sorts with her gentle personality. As you can tell by the names alone, this band of heroes are modeled after a deck of cards – each serving a valuable role within their faction. The narrative never provides too much of a dull moment, as the pacing of the story is excellent and we truly get time to get to know fourteen characters who are all rather relate-able in a rich setting that tells a separate story on its own. I know a lot of people compare Final Fantasy titles to each other and with the recent controversy over XIII’s over-saturation, many are just going to be wanting something fulfilling. Luckily for those who either loved or hated Lightning, you are sure to find a whole new experience that is its own game, rather than a title that feels like a forced spin-off.
Gameplay
This is where Type-0 shines the brightest. While the overall battle system is not quite as turn-based (or traditional) as I would have liked, the action we get to experience makes it a ton of fun overall. What could best be described as being related to its cousin, Crisis Core, this title puts together a fluid system that sees commands mapped out to specific buttons, allowing the player to cast or cure in a quick manner to put away a foe. Magic is fully upgradable over time, with fire, ice, and thunder being the main spells. There are of course a decent amount of weapons to utilize with the fourteen characters that can be set up to switch in an instant as well, but it isn’t the lot that makes it interesting, but instead the execution.
On the battlefield, the clever targeting mechanic takes hold quickly, allowing for instant tracking of any foe in the way, while you go to work with your attacks. Shaking it up even more are your own party, who can be switched to at any moment’s notice, and can launch out their own barrage. This technique of switching is very useful when magic runs a bit low or a character is getting low on HP, as you always have someone to the rescue in just one slap of a button. I know this is a PSP port and yeah, these mechanics were created for portables, but the combat is ridiculously addictive and one of the finest aspects of the entire product due to the quick pace. Summons also come with greater satisfaction as you can take control of the beast, but at the cost of a party member’s life. I know, some like the old leveling system of the classics, but this on-the-go tapping feels new and exciting – despite the fact that we were provided with something very similar for Final Fantasy XIII. Timing is everything and once you get down the rhythm, the game just takes off and even the smallest of fights seem much more exciting.
Exploration is something that the entire franchise has lacked as a whole and it isn’t that strong here, but improved in some areas. There are a lot of ways to gain the lore from the world outside of the few NPCs players will encounter, such as the in-game compendium that offers a lot of reading and backstory for those needing to learn a bit more. To be honest, I would honestly say that the reading is a must to comprehend the story as it is. The biggest problem however with movement comes with the sloppy camera angles. Running from point A to point B is easy enough, but being attacked from enemies and having to turn the camera in such a bizarre manner can be a bit frustrating to say the least, as the camera is jerky and clunky. I understand that the camera angles are not everything in a RPG, but I am the kind that likes to get a feel for my surroundings in any game and restructuring the view every time just to do so was a bit of a headache.
There is a lot more to do than just breeze through the story in Type-0 as well. Players can partake in RTS-like overworld battles to gain territories. It isn’t a deep battle system, but it does allow for players to bring along their chocobos to fight with, adding a large extra layer that is sure to keep many busy. Chocobos can be bred into several different classes, with each focusing on a different stat such as speed, evasion, strength, and so on. Final Fantasy Type-0 is certainly not the longest Final Fantasy on the market, but you will certainly find enough activities to partake in to keep you busy as you journey onward.
Visuals
Since this is an HD remake, the visuals are very important. Thankfully, the cutscenes look fantastic as the textures have all received a large amount of polish for a smooth, clean look. During standard gameplay, the game doesn’t look breathtaking, but the visuals are certainly acceptable enough – even by PS4 standards. I can say that some of the environment received less of an upgrade and comes off as muddy or plain, but that is easy to overlook as this is not a game that is meant to gawk at due to its heavy focus on action. There is no such thing as a full HD upgrade of a portable title and while Type-0 shows it, the attempt made to bring it to a console is definitely worth praise as it is still a pretty game when looking at the big picture.
Audio
The audio is…well, the only thing I wasn’t hooked on, to be honest. Most dubbed titles are like this, where you have a full cast of Japanese actors that put a ton of effort into their roles, with their western counterparts evoking much less emotion. At times I simply overlooked the lack of passion on display from certain characters, but the usage of a badly translated script (that incorporates a few too many awkward sentences) does bleed through during dialogue sequences and makes moments create less of an impact. The soundtrack however is incredible. Sometimes you just get to hear the battle themes that blare wonderful tunes as you lash at foes, while other encounters produce music full of spirit and sorrow, setting the scene for the darker bits of the story.
Overall
Final Fantasy Type-0 is extremely welcome right now- despite its shortcomings as it acts as an appetizer for a future main course, yet is still extremely fulfilling due to its own merits. Sure, I would have loved to see a title with the full-on Final Fantasy 200 hour experience, but this is a port of a portable title that still holds its own due to an infectious battle system as well as a hefty amount of post-game content. If you love the franchise or simply are hunting for one great title to fill your library with on either current-gen console, you can’t really go wrong with one of the most thought provoking entries in Final Fantasy’s illustrious history.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Nice to know our initial guess was right! The next Assassin’s Creedtitle will be set in Victorian London, right in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. The revolution signalled the end of humankind’s agrarian lifestyle, bringing people into the cities to work in dirty factories that were far away from their familial and community links. The tumultuous change resulted in a wealth gap that makes our current wealth gap look quite pedestrian The era spawned Marx’s famous labels of the ultra-rich bourgeoisie and the oppressed proletariat masses. The setting is perfect for an Assassin’s Creed title.
Ubisoft is changing things up with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate by starring two Assassins, the twins Jacob and Evie Frye. The siblings are the polar opposite of each other. Jacob is brash, hot headed, and determined to lead an all out rebellion against the Templars with his gang by his side. Evie prefers more subtle methods to get her way. The pair will be using their influence to turn their rag tag gang into an all out assault against the Templar Order by systematically taking out rival gangs, until they control London.
The Frye twins will have a very modern arsenal at hand. The brass knuckles spotted during the teasers, the Nepalese kukri knife, revolvers, rope launchers, and the traditional Assassin’s gauntlet have been confirmed as some of the equipment the Frye twins will be able to use.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will launch on October 23, 2015 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Windows version will launch sometime in Fall 2015.
There will be several editions of the game. Everyone who pre-order the game will get access to the Darwin and Dickens Conspiracy Mission, no matter what version they pre-order.
The Big Ben Collector’s Case is exclusive to the Uplay Shop and ships with both the game, the Runaway Train mission, and the season pass. Additionally, it contains:
a Futurepak case
an exclusive collector’s box
the official sound track on CD
an artbook
a double sided map of London
a premium hip flask
a 30cm Jacob’s Machinery figurine
a numbered lithograph chosen by fans who pre-order the edition
The slightly less extensive Charing Cross Edition will be available in stores. It will contain the OST, the artbook, the map of London, and a slightly smaller Jacob Cross-Road figurine. The Rooks Edition will contain everything in the Charing Cross Editoon except the Jacob Cross-Road figurine.
As part of the announcement, Ubisoft released a gameplay trailer and a walkthrough of a pre-alpha build of the game with Creative Director Marc-Alexis Cote.
Cellar Door Games has announced that it’s critically acclaimed “Rogue-lite” title, Rogue Legacy, will be coming to the Xbox One. If you haven’t heard of Rogue Legacy, it is a genealogical Rogue-like platformer. While it falls into the same Rogue-like genre as The Binding of Isaac, it takes a very different approach. Notably, it is a very forgiving platformer while The Binding of Isaac is a harsh 2D dungeon crawler. That is, when your character dies they lose all their money and stats. However, the genealogical aspect comes into play, in that they keep purchased skills and armor. When your character dies their next descendant takes over.
This makes Rogue Legacy a much more forgiving perma-death game, where you don’t constantly lose all your progress. The randomized characters each have different traits which make each different playthrough a challenge. Additionally, the game world is procedurally generated each time you enter the castle, leading to an ever-shifting map.
Rogue Legacy has already been released on the PlayStation Store and Steam. I greatly enjoyed my time with the title on it’s original release, where it was already optimized for control with an Xbox gamepad. Rogue Legacy will be out for Xbox One May 27th for $14.99 (USD), with a 20% sale from May 27th to June 1st. If you haven’t picked it up, I recommend it no matter what platform you buy it on.
Paradox Interactive‘s in-depth strategy title Europa Universalis IV is to receive yet another update. As if the title lacked enough depth, Paradox is bringing a new layer of strategy and intrigue to running your empire. The DLC has been titled Common Sense after the historical pamphlet written by Thomas Paine during the Revolutionary era of America.
While the DLC doesn’t promise to rip apart the illusion that the monarchy held over the world, what is promised bodes well for Europa Universalis IV. The DLC will bring an increase of depth to domestic rule and diplomacy. Additionally, Common Sense will bring changes to developing provinces. Players will be limited in what they can build in a province based on it’s terrain and Development Value.
Here’s a list of further announced features:
Parliaments: The English crown and other constitutional systems of government can now use their flexible system to pass laws through parliaments
National Churches: Protestant kingdoms can customize their new faith and make it a true partner to the throne.
New Religious Systems: Buddhism and Protestantism both get fresh coats of faith-based paint
New Options For Subject States: Once just tiny money faucets, recent expansions have made vassals and colonial nations more useful. Common Sense gives you new tools to exploit them or keep them in line
Government Ranks: As you invest in the development of your nation, you can climb from a small duchy to a major empire, unlocking new benefits.
New Government mechanics: Theocracies will have new actions and mechanics to highlight their unique character, and the Holy Roman Empire can create Free Cities
Common Sense will be available for download on June 9th, 2015. You can check out a teaser trailer below.
The development team at Klei Entertainment may just have a new indie darling under their belts once again with their new title. Imagine a game that takes what you love from the XCOM and Splinter Cell games, with a dash of Klei’s Mark of the Ninja, and throw it into a cyberpunk world: that’s Invisible, Inc.
With that said, comparing it to other games and franchises does it a disservice. Invisible, Inc. is a cyberpunk spy game with isometric, turn-based strategy and stealth gameplay in procedurally-generated levels. I know, I know: that mouthful sounds like a lot of game styles seemingly stapled on top of one another; like the Frankenstein’s monster of video games. But the team at Klei takes the best elements of each and makes something completely new with Invisible, Inc. And not just new, but maybe even something wholly brilliant in its own right.
Story
Set in 2074, in a time when “big business” rules the world with a cybernetic fist, the game opens on the headquarters of Invisible Incorporated, where the leader – Central – and team of agents are working to ensure the mission currently happening does so flawlessly. But, as Agents Decker and Internationale are finding their work a little too easy, Invisible is breached by corporate-owned mercenaries who begin killing everyone. Central escapes, taking Invisible’s artificial intelligence entity – Incognita – along with her on an external drive before Decker and Internationale extract her on the roof.
In Invisible, Inc., you play Operator. You command the Invisible agents and must lead them to through many successful (or heartbreakingly unsuccessful) missions. The corporations nearly completely destroyed Invisible and it is up to you to strike back by raiding corporate facilities to gain funding, tech, weaponry, and software leading up to a final showdown with them. What’s worse: Incognita (the AI entity) can only survive away from its system for 72 hours, so you’ll need to do it all by then.
Invisible, Inc.‘s plot is reminiscent of the Mission: Impossible and James Bond series of films with Invisible acting as the IMF or MI6 and Central as M. Though, Central genuinely reminds me of a socially-conscious, non-alcoholic, and competent Mallory Archer (if only Decker were her son). But it has all the fun high points from classic spy films that you’ll love, but set in a futuristic timeline that seems almost frighteningly prophetic.
Gameplay
The gameplay works extremely well in conjunction with Invisible, Inc.‘s plot. You are given a selection of missions to choose from, each offering you something different: weapons, funds, cybernetic augments, recovering a captured agent, etc. It is up to you to decide which mission to take. You are based out of an aircraft, so all traveling takes time. You will find yourself debating over which missions to take to help your final mission to hopefully take down the evil corporations for good.
All missions begin with your team teleporting into a corporate facility. At first, you start off with just two team members – Decker and Internationale – but, if you do well enough in certain missions, you will gain additional Invisible agents and can have up to four in a single mission. It is a turn-based strategy game, so you must not only make your move, but think of the move the enemy will make following your actions. However, it is also a stealth game. You need to make sure that you are not seen by the enemy, and there are so many ways to be seen by the enemy. Not only are there guards patrolling, but many rooms have cameras or camera bots that will alert your presence to the guards, listening devices that alert guards when any loud sound is made (like firing a weapon or knocking out a guard), and the occasional deadly robot that will shoot your agent dead and report it to the guards just to name a few. If the latter happens, you better hope other agents are not near the fallen one.
Much of this is helped by having Incognita on your side. Incognita can hack most electronics in the vicinity to do things like turn off cameras and listening devices, shut down power in some areas, unlock safes with credits for agents to steal, and temporarily take control of a robot. Any one of these actions, however, has a price. Incognita has a finite amount of power and it is difficult to get her more. Usually, an agent hacking a console will give Incognita a small replenishment. But as the level progresses, each hack Incognita makes will cost her power. Later on, you will reach levels where some electronics also inhabit daemons that can cause Incognita to lose a few turns or make it far more difficult for her to hack.
As a matter of fact, everything in the level gets more difficult as you progress. The more turns taken within the level, the difficulty level increases. This could be anything from costing Incognita more power to break a firewall to bringing in more guards/killer robots to bringing in an Enforcer guard who wears such thick armor that nothing an agent can do will take him down. Invisible, Inc. is an already difficult game that gets more difficult the more turns you take to complete a mission. Where many are going to go wrong playing this game is getting anxious and trying to rush through a level. What should be remembered is that the player isn’t playing the agents on the ground but their all-seeing Operator, watching over to get the agents through this mission alive. If the player does not concoct a strategy before making a move on his turn, the whole mission could be over before the player even realizes it. The best thing a player can do is think carefully before making any move. One thing to help alleviate some of that pressure is giving the player Rewinds. Each Rewind turns back time by one turn. You get five Rewinds per level, which can definitely help… unless you screwed up a very long time ago.
There are also a few fun roguelike elements to Invisible, Inc. Firstly, permadeath, or rather, permacapture. If your agents are both captured before you make it out of the level, game over. You will need to begin a new campaign. If you see things are going down quick, the game gives you the option to either replay the mission or even go back to the beginning of that day (72 hours, remember?). But each level is procedurally-generated, meaning that the level you choose to replay will be nothing like the one you left. There may be different entities guarding your objective, your area of escape, or whole new tech that might have daemons on them to temporarily disable Incognita that were never there before. No matter what you learned from your last failure, playing it over will be a whole new monster.
Visuals & Audio
Invisible, Inc. – like most, if not all of Klei’s games – is a vision to behold. The mix of handdrawn-style artwork over a cyberpunk landscape manage to blend remarkably well together, giving the game a look so visually distinctive from not just Klei’s other titles, but any game that I can recall.
But I must also take a second to specifically point out the hacking visuals. When you hit the spacebar to play as Incognita within a level, the walls come down, the camera pulls back, and the entire map is broken down into a colorful wireframe landscape. The yellows, reds, greens, and blues pop out over the black floor. Each character on the map is broken down into two colors: red for enemies and yellow for agents. In a weird way, it stands as a testament to how simply an inorganic entity could possibly see the simplicity of world. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Either way, it’s just gorgeous.
The sound design in Invisible, Inc. is also fantastic. The music plays like a classic spy movie score injected with modern-day electronic music. The voice acting, sounds effects, the synth music that pops in when you change to Incognita’s screen: all have the same care and detail that went into the visuals and gameplay. The composers and sound designers in this game need to work together for as long as Klei can hold them there.
Overall
Invisible, Inc. may very well be the best game I’ve been fortunate enough to play this year thus far. With the increasing level of difficulty, it most certainly is not a game for everyone. But, as a fan of both stealth and strategy games, this may very well be the best that has come out of both worlds in quite a while. It is a rarity for a game – or any storytelling artform, really – to use parts of different genres and have them work so well in unison with one another. Invisible, Inc. not only does this, it sets the bar for it.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Following a listing on Amazon.com for a DVD release of JoJo’s Bizarre AdventureSeason 1 in North America last week, Right Stuf has listed the release with a few details. Warner Home Video is listed as the distributor, and Right Stuf confirmed with them that this listing is accurate.
The release will include episodes 1-26 with dual audio and English subtitles. It has not been confirmed if the dub cast from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders will be returning for this dub. These episodes adapt the first two parts of the manga series, Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency.
Right Stuf describes the plot:
Jonathan Joestar, a young wealthy son living in Victorian England, has his life destroyed by the recently orphaned Dio Brando, who was taken in by Jonathan’s father. Dio, who plots to drive Jonathan to insanity and inherit the Joestar fortune, becomes an unstoppable vampire that Jonathan must fight.
The collection is set for release on July 28, 2015. It has a suggested retail price of $49.98 USD.
Ponycan USA has just revealed their August 2015 releases, which are now available for pre-order from Right Stuf.
Yuki Yuna is a Hero Collector’s Edition 3 will include episodes 9-12 with dual audio and English and Spanish subtitles on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a special soundtrack outtakes CD. On-disc extras will include TV commercials and a promotional video. Physical items and package details include:
Exclusive “Mega Tall” size ‘DODEKA’ disc case
Double-sided cover illustrated by BUNBUN
Deluxe 24-page booklet
Two collectible wall pin-up pictures illustrated by Takahiro Sakai
Anyone who pre-orders this by June 30 will receive a collection of ten key frame sheets showing Itsuki Inubozaki transforming into a Hero. Pre-orders can be made here.
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! Collector’s Edition 1 will include episodes 1-4 with Japanese audio and English and Spanish subtitles on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a ‘special’ CD. On-disc extras will include short animations 1-6, the textless opening and ending animation and TV commercial collections. Physical items and package details include:
Exclusive “Mega Tall” size ‘DODEKA’ disc case
Exclusive “PONYCAN US” plastic slipcase
Booklet that contains illustrations and lyrics
Photo-card
Fans who pre-order this release by June 30 will receive one random character card featuring a random super-deformed Battle Lovers illustrated by chief animation director Yumiko Hara. Pre-orders can be made here.
Both releases have a suggested retail price of $89.98 USD, but are available for pre-order for $71.98 USD.
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with one of my personal favorite voice actors working in games and animation, Roger Craig Smith. If you are not aware of Roger Craig Smith’s name, you are definitely aware of his voice work. Not only is he the current voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, but Ezio in the Assassin’s Creed series, Chris Redfield in the Resident Evil games, Kyle Crane in Dying Light, and the voice of Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins and the upcoming Warner Bros. Animation film, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts.
I spoke with Roger about his start in voice work, the journey that led to him being one of the most-used voice leads in video games, and what it is like portraying so many iconic characters.
Hey, Roger! How’s it going?
Good! No complaints.
Awesome! Shall we start?
Go for it!
First off, thank you for speaking with me.
Absolutely!
I guess we’ll start at the beginning: How did you get your start in voice over work?
My start came about from me doing stand-up comedy before, during, and after college. I’d always been a theatre geek and a ham for sure. I had a lot of friends telling me, “Oh, you should do stand-up comedy.” I always thought, I have nothing to talk about. What would I talk about?
So, after getting a bit older and graduating high school, I started looking into stand-up and figured I should give it a shot. So I started watching some of the local guys at comedy clubs and ended up just going for it. Thankfully, I was able to develop and do some great stuff down in Orange County. Under the advice of my high school theatre arts instructor, I began voices and characters in my act. While doing stand-up, I also did a lot of hosting and MC work for corporate events where people would come up and say, “Oh, you have a nice speaking voice. Have you ever thought of doing voice overs?” I kept hearing more and more about voice overs and hearing industry professionals telling me, “You do a lot of voices and characters in your act. You should think about voice over.”
Finally, I realized everybody was talking about the voices and not about the comedy. So I figured I should look into that. That’s when it happened. I Googled it, started taking a class here and there, called a couple agencies and asked them what they looked for. Then I started pounding my local pavement and it just started to take root.
Nice! So you went from stand-up comedy to voice work? I feel like you don’t see that often. Usually, it’s people with a theatre background – which I know you also have – but you never really hear of stand-ups going into it voice over.
You’d be surprised! Tom Kenny has a background in stand-up comedy, Fred Tatasciore has a background in stand-up. I’m almost certain Nolan North has done stand-up in his past. What’s funny is that there are a lot of little ties. A lot of people are really musical, a lot of people are very theatrical, but there are weird little ties when it comes to voice over. It all comes down to an element of timing that always seems to come into play with the work that we’re doing. If you haven’t played on instrument, if you haven’t been a singer, if you haven’t been on theatre or on a stage, if you haven’t done anything comically, it can sometimes be a little clunky in the sessions.
But a lot of people have a background in stand-up. It’s just kind of a small world in many ways.
So what was your first voice over gig?
One of my very first paid gigs was doing a training video for nurses who support dialysis patients and the equipment they were going to use. And it was just these silly videos this guy was making– I don’t mean “silly” in terms of “pedestrian” but he liked to have fun and make the learning process fun for the nurses. He didn’t want these videos to be very boring and sterile. So I was doing everything from Yoda to weird sportscaster voices and it was just all kinds of goofy, funny moments here and there.
I think I made 75 bucks and couldn’t believe someone gave me $75 for working just an hour. I was thinking, This is insane! But yeah, that was one of my very first jobs.
[Laughs] What kind of things did you say in a training video for nurses supporting dialysis patients?
It was a bunch of technical jargon mixed in with some sort of motivational thing. I wouldn’t even remember what they had me doing. It was just all over the map. It was just a lot of different things to do.
[Laughs] That is weirdly interesting! I think the first game I remember you starring in was Chris Redfield in the recent Resident Evil games, I want to say Resident Evil 5 was the first one…
Ah, yes! I believe that was my first Resident Evil game, yes.
So how did you go from the training video to Resident Evil? What was the journey like, I suppose?
You know, that was just one of those random things where someone brought me in to audition for it. I think they originally had someone else doing the voice of Chris for something and I don’t remember if they just wanted to go with a different or what, but they brought me in, I did a few lines, and the client liked it. I got the ‘thumbs up’ and next thing you know, I was off and running. So it just happened to be one of those, “Just bring Roger in, have him audition for it, and we’ll see how it goes.”
I had a blast! I worked with Liam O’Brien and Stephanie Sheh – they were my directors – and it was just a dream come true. It was one of those things where it started to dawn on me about halfway through where I started saying, “Man, this a pretty popular gaming franchise, right? Like this is going to have a few people noticing what we’re doing here.”
They were just cracking up, saying, “Yeah, it’s… it’s gonna be a big one.”
“Oh, okay… cool. I didn’t… didn’t really think about that. But here it is!” Yeah, that was arguably my first really big video game role as far as getting to portray a lead character and it was a ton of fun.
That’s awesome. And you’ve played him for three games now, right?
Yeah. I guess technically, if you’re counting Resident Evil Revelations and some of the other ones, there might even be a couple more here and there along with DLC packs. But RE5, RE6, and Revelations, which was for the handhelds, right?
Yeah, though I am pretty sure it was later ported over to consoles and PC.
So they ported it. Gotcha.
Yes. And a little bit after Resident Evil 5, came what I want to say you may be best known for: Ezio from the Assassin’s Creed II series of games.
Yes. That was another– just incredible stroke of good luck. I went in and auditioned for a character that I knew nothing about. When I got there, they said they were looking for an Italian accent. I just said, “Okay, I can give it my best shot. I think I can do Spanish.” They just said, “No, we’re going to get a dialect coach, so it will be fine.” But that was literally just showing up for an audition on a Friday. Just throwing a little vocal stuff at the wall and hoping that it sticks.
Turned out that it did. Next thing I knew, that game lasted well beyond one game. With all of these projects, you never really know if anything is going to go beyond right there or if it’s going to turn into more than one job. But it turned out that the fanbase liked the game and liked the character, so Ubisoft stuck with developing the game and the story over the course of three games. It was a huge honor to be a part of that.
And do you play a lot of the games that you’re in?
Almost always, yeah. Sometimes, there are games that I have yet to get to that I want to play eventually. But for the most part, it’s the only way I get to see what everyone has done. It is a major collaborative process to get a game made and doing a voice is a very, very, very tiny part of what goes into game design. Since we get to record before we even get to see videos of the finished product, the only way I get to see what becomes of the work that I have done is to buy the game, pop it in, and play it.
I also watch movies and TV shows that I’m a part of because I just want to see if I’m developing bad habits that I want to be aware of or need to change, if when I deliver these types of lines that I’m sounding sterile or boring or whatever it may be. So yeah, when it comes to video games especially, I want to see what they’ve done in the end to create this collective vision of so many people. It’s fun to see how it all comes together.
So as someone who plays video games, I’m sure you were very familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog before you started working on that franchise.
Absolutely! Going all the way back to the Sega Genesis.
How did you feel going into that? Did you audition for that one also or were you brought in?
Again, it was just another one of those situations. Most of the work that happens in voice over is basically acquired in that way. It’s all just going in, auditioning for it, and, like I said, hopefully it sticks. It’s a boring response, [laugh] but that’s what it is. Someone calls me from the agency and says, “So and so wants to see you at this studio“, you go in, sign in, they let you know what you’re auditioning for and have you sign a non-disclosure agreement so you don’t talk or tweet about it, and next thing you know, you’re reading for Sonic the Hedgehog.
I wondered what they were doing now with the character and if they wanted me to match a previous voice. They said, “No, we’re going to do it a little differently. Just do what you do and we’ll see how it goes.” And it sounds boring to do it that way and it’s one of those things you try not to think about too much because there are so many decisions that are made that you have no influence or control over. A lot of this business is just a crap-shoot. You just hope that your number’s up. I went in, auditioned, got a couple calls, I think there was a callback and afterward, I got to be Sonic in a game.
And you really just assume you’re only going to do it for one game and then maybe they’re going to find out that you don’t know what you’re doing, fire you, and move on. It is always a stroke of good fortune when you get to continue a character. Having done it since 2010, it’s an honor to be part of such a large franchise and such an iconic character. One that basically defines the brand of Sega. Much like you have Mario for Nintendo, Sega is Sonic the Hedgohog. To be any part of a character of that profile and caliber is a huge honor.
Definitely. And you say that it is a boring process, but a lot of what you do ends up “sticking to the wall” as you put it. You end up getting a lot of those characters like Sonic, Ezio, and Chris Redfield where, after your first game with them, you were always brought back for more.
And I’ve lucked out with all that. There’s no algorithm, there’s no book to read, there’s no pill to take that makes all that stuff happen. I’ve just been very fortunate. I’ve really lucked out that I’ve been able to do so many characters of varying backgrounds and types. I’m always baffled by it. It’s always one of those moments where I focus on What do I have to do tomorrow? What do I have to do next week? What do I have to do next month? Next year? And it’s moments like this where somebody goes, “You voiced this character, this character, this character…” and I go, “Oh, that’s right! I did do that. Wow, what a trip!” So much of it goes by so quickly and you’re barely experiencing any of it and barely present in the moment for most of this stuff. So having those moments where I remember that I got to play that character and be a part of that experience – it’s surreal. I keep using that word in a lot of interviews, [laughs] but that’s kind of how this existence is for getting to voice superheros and talking blue hedgehogs and talking airplanes and being on TV and being in films and being on the radio. It’s all just an absolute dream come true and just a stroke of good fortune.
Speaking of talking airplanes, I know you’ve been doing a lot of work with Disney lately, including playing the main villain in Disney’s Planes. Was that also just an interview and it stuck, because usually they go for–
Celebrities. Flat-out.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly. It was one of those weird things. I was there doing some work on the Tinkerbell series of videos– or DVDs I should say. There were still DVDs back then and not so much of the digital and Internet copies now. But I was leaving a session and there was a model airplane hanging from the ceiling, a Cosair airplane from World War II.
I asked the casting associate, “Who built the model?” He asked, “Which one?” and I said, “The Corsair right there.” He asked me how I knew what the plane was and I told him that I am was huge aviation buff as a kid and still am. I haven’t gone to an air show in a long time, but I am a big fan of airplanes and just flying, in general. I started pointing out other planes like, “Yeah, there’s a B-24 right there. What’s going on with all the airplanes?” Then he just told me, “Come over here,” pulled back the doors and showed me the war room where they were developing what was going to become Disney’s Planes. When I saw it, I just said, “Oh my gosh! Are you guys doing Cars, but with airplanes? Like, in the sky?!” He said, “Yeah!” Then I just said, “If you guys need anything. I mean ‘Plane B’ in the background of a bar scene, I would kill to be an incidental character in this movie. Is there anything in the pre-production process: animatics or scratch V.O. or anything like that? I would kill to be a part of this.” And he said, “Yeah, we actually do need some voices coming up. We’ll audition you for that and see how it goes.”
We did some scratch work and they asked me if I ever thought of voicing the bad guy. I said, “Sure, why not?” Before that, I was doing scratch for a whole range of characters including Dusty. So, I started voicing for Ripslinger and putting it into animatics. Then, there was a table read they were doing in front of John Lassiter and they wanted me to read for Ripslinger at the table read. The whole time, I’m just thinking, I’m part of a production team and this is what we do. It’s great to be a voice, but really and truly I am part of a production team. It just so happens that I am on the – and I hate this term – “talent” side of things, but I like being in the production of this. So, I’ll do the scratches and I’ll do the table read, then they’ll bring in someone else, a celebrity, to replace me and that’s fine. It’s going to suck, but that’s part of my job. It’s what I do.
The table read came and went. Then, next thing I know, I get a call from my agent and he tells me that Disney is offering me the role of Ripslinger. He laughs and says, “So, this is how this works. You can accept the role and say that you’re not going to do your scratch voice over and let some other actor do it. Then, towards the end of production, they’ll bring you in–” and I just started cracking up. I said, “Hell no! I’m doing all my pre-production work. This might be all we get!” So I kept going in, doing it all, and knocking on wood every time I was in one of those sessions. The director, Klay Hall, would laugh at me when I did it and I just kept saying, “I can’t believe I’m here.”
There were two of us from all the different actors at table read – Carlos Alazraqui and I – that made it into the final film. That, in and of itself, is a stroke of luck that they made Ripslinger an American-accented racer. Had he been of a more specific ethnic background, I more than likely wouldn’t have been able to do it. They might have hired an actor from that particular region, so a lot of that is just luck. Though, they said that John Lassiter wanted both Ripslinger and El Chu’s voice actors, that we both “got” the characters. It was three years in the making and I got to walk the red carpet. Getting to bring your mom to your first big film premiere, just as I had promised her, was the dream come true. I’m a huge Disney fan and being part of anything Disney in any capacity – let alone being one of the starring actors in a Disney film – was just absolutely incredible.
And on the other side of Disney, you are the voice of Captain America in every animated series and game following the first Avengers movie.
Yeah. Well, in Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, it was Brian Bloom and he is still involved in the online game, Marvel Heroes. But that’s the reality of what we do, too. People always ask now, “Oh, are you the voice of the young Batman now?” or “Are you Captain America from here on out?” No, never. None of that exists. There’s no contractual obligations to this and they don’t owe you anything for even an entire series. It doesn’t matter. But again, a huge stroke of good fortune to be involved with Disney for Avengers Assemble.
It’s also another dream come true I get to portray a superhero who is not only a super cool superhero, but as an American, playing Captain America doesn’t get any better. Being under that Disney umbrella and the Marvel umbrella is just incredible. It’s an absolute honor to portray something this iconic again. And at a time when the live-action films are just so cool. Winter Soldier just had me thinking how amazing all those fight sequences were and Age of Ultron is going to be epic!
Oh, it really is!
Yeah, I can’t wait for that one. It just looks amazing.
And you also play Captain America on Marvel’s live entertainment, as well.
Yeah! You’ve got Marvel Universe Live and The Marvel Experience. I know that Marvel Universe Live is coming to all sorts of different cities for years now and The Marvel Experience, both have incredible technology that they’ve developed to do this live-action stuff. The Marvel Experience is this traveling domed show that has this crazy technology that they’ve incorporated to have you immerse yourself into the experience. It’s just a blast to be a part of it. I have friends text me now and again, “Did you do some Captain America live stunt show. Because I’m here with my kids and I swear that’s you, dude.” And I’m just like, “Yup, that’s me!” [Laughs] And they’re like, “No way! So cool!”
It’s a blast! It’s Captain America. Getting to be behind a voice over microphone at any point in time is an honor in itself. It’s a fun job. But getting to play such iconic characters, it just doesn’t get any better than that. So to be a part of a live stunt show or a live interactive experience or a LEGO video game, all of it is such a mind trip. It has me thinking, Yeah, I get to be a part of this history, this lore of these iconic universes that have been created in the world of comic books. So to get to voice any of those characters in any capacity is such a huge honor.
And on the flipside of Marvel, you are the voice of Batman. You portrayed a younger Batman/Bruce Wayne in the last Arkham game, Batman: Arkham Origins. How did you feel going into that? Because Kevin Conroy was not just the voice of Batman in the first two Arkham games, but the definitive voice of Batman since the ’90s with Batman: The Animated Series. How did you feel diving into that character? Especially since you weren’t trying to mimic Conroy, but take the character somewhere else.
Yeah, it was both elation and trepidation. It’s one of those things where I booked the role and Troy [Baker] and I were looking at each other and saying, “Okay. Man, this can go a lot of ways.” It can either be received well or it could kind of blow up in our faces. And we would totally understand why, because you don’t want to mess with something as coveted as Batman of the Joker. Knowing that Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy have established what fans have come to know as these characters and their vocal portrayals for over two decades was just like– “Wow! You know, guys, let’s hope we’re all going to pull this off.”
But thankfully, we had the protection of it being an origin story. We were going back in time to tell where these characters came from. That made it a little bit more– It eased us into this and fans will understand that we’re not replacing anybody because you cannot replace those guys. They created the legacy of what these animated characters will sound like for most fans.
What’s funny is that there have been a lot of guys who have portrayed the voice of Batman and the Joker in many different projects. But when it comes to the Arkham series of games, because they were so lauded by fan and critics alike, a lot of attention was placed on that. So, we knew going in that a lot of eyes were going to be on us to see what we do with these characters. Obviously, Troy [Baker] with his monologue delivered at New York Comic Con put any critics at ease. Thankfully, with what Kevin Conroy has established as the voice of Batman, we were able to steer the voices into an earlier version of what fans have come to know as the voice of this character. So let’s do something – as Troy put it in one of our interviews – that is a point on the horizon of where these characters could go and is it believable. If so, awesome. If not, shoot, we gave it the best we could. It seems it was received well enough that the fans got it, thought it was okay, and knew we weren’t trying to replace anybody or step outside and ruin the character, but paying homage to what these other actors and gifted people have established. Going into it: I can’t believe I get to do this and, Holy cow! Let’s see how it goes.
Well, you did a great job to the point where Warner Bros. and DC have brought you back in for more Batman. Not just on those to Arkham Origins titles, but in the upcoming Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts film, which seems quite different from all the other direct-to-video films they’ve done for Batman. It looks more colorful and has all of the animal villains against Batman.
The Ani-Militia!
[Laughs] Right!
What they are going for with this one is a much more accessible, family-friendly, G-rated Batman that is going to introduce this character to a younger audience. We did a panel at Wondercon where we were premiering the film and Will Friedle, who voiced Batman in Batman Beyond, had said that one of the writers on the series believed there should be a Batman for everyone. There are different versions of Batman with different voice actors and on-camera actors that have portrayed Batman. Arkham Origins is a much darker version of Batman in a game that is not designed for little kids. But Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts is a much more family-friendly, much more accessible version of Batman that all fans can enjoy. One where the whole family can get together and watch this film. There are a lot of elements of comedy. Lots of great, funny interactions with other heroes and the villains, but still a tremendous action sequences and a ton of great writing. It’s woven into the fabric of Batman with such quality. What DC and Warner Bros. always accomplish phenomenal products and this family-friendly approach is no exception.
We were all sitting there [at Wondercon], wondering if the jokes were going to land and if the action sequences were going to be cool. Sure enough, they were. We had the audience laughing at the right spots, which was phenomenal. It just speaks to how many people are involved in this and passionate about all of these characters and the projects in their entirety. Everybody along the way is just so passionate about the Batman universe and being a part of it in any way. Everybody is just honored to be there. What they’ve got with this particular project is a lot of people pouring their hearts and souls into the project, having a blast doing it, and honored to be a part of it.
So let’s talk a bit more about your current animated series work. Frankly, your IMDb page is daunting.
Oh, thank you. But, it shouldn’t be daunting. [Laughs]
You’re doing Avengers Assemble (which we spoke about), Regular Show, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Sonic Boom, and Clarence. I guess the question I have is how are you doing all of these around the same time? Because you seemingly voice every other non-main character in Regular Show.
I have no idea. It’s been nuts! You have already heard me say that it’s just a stroke of good fortune. I just can’t figure it out. I think if I were ever to be conscious of how it is that I’m doing it, then I might be thinking too much about that than just trying to deliver a solid audition. It really is just good fortune that people like what I do. I hopefully will keep throwing a bit of variety out there with things that people will want to keep working with me and, if not, so be it. There is a right and wrong voice for all sorts of things and a lot of people want to be a part of this industry. The fact that I get to be a part of it is incredible and a huge honor. There’s no, “Let me tell you how I booked all those roles,” because I don’t know. I just try to goof around, be funny, and do the best I can with what someone is asking of me. If they like what I do, cool. If not, then they’re going to find someone else to do what they want done.
But being a part of Regular Show has been an absolute blast. J.G. Quintel has got to be one of the most creative and nice guys I’ve ever met. And working with Bill Salyers – the voice of Rigby – and Sam Marin – the voice of Pops, Muscle Man, Benson, and RGB2 – are just some of the nicest, unassuming, talented people you can ever hope to work with and creating awesome art. Even appearing on Clarence and voicing Belson and Percy is no different. The writers on Clarence are phenomenally gifted and everyone there is doing a phenomenal job. I love the sweetness and the heart that show has while also being very funny, lampooning adults and children alike.
It is nuts to do all that stuff. To do radio imaging for a local LA radio station that I grew up listening to is unreal. To be narrating a dress show on TLC (Say Yes to the Dress). To be narrating Crashers shows on DiY and HGTV. To be narrating a show about a vet on NatGeo Wild. It’s nuts! How I got here is beyond me and when people ask, “How did you do it?” I just keep saying, “I don’t know. I just keep trying to do what I do and I don’t know what it is that I do.” I’m worried that I’m going to wake up one day and my agents are going to call and go, “Yeah, so the industry has figured out that you have no clue what you’re doing. So you’re no longer in the industry.”
[Laughs] Well, you’ll get enough work before that happens, right?
I hope so! From your lips to the Powers That Be’s ears.
Now, the last game you worked on that has come out was Dying Light, so I wanted to talk a bit about that. Dying Light is from the same developers who did the first Dead Island game, Techland. How did you feel coming into that game with that group and again with Warner Bros. to voice their new hero?
How many times can lightning strike? It’s not lost on me how those things are coveted in this industry and are very few and far between. I treat every one of these things like it is very likely going to be the last time. This is going to be the last time I portray Batman. This is going to be the last time I get to do Captain America. This is going to be the last time I will be doing the lead voice in a video game. None of that even matters. I’m just here to work. So the fact that I get to work as well as be the lead voice in something is unreal and it was no different with Dying Light‘s Kyle Crane. I’m talking to the casting associate and asking, “Are you sure they want to go with me?”
I got an opportunity to voice a character that was a little more on the realistic side of the fantastical world they created with a zombie apocalypse. Voicing Kyle Crane as a fallible, imperfect human being who is still trying to figure things out as opposed to Chris Redfield – whom fans are going to draw comparisons to because they’re going to hear similarities in my voice, obviously – but the characters couldn’t be farther apart from each other. Chris Redfield is almost cartoonish in his capabilities and Kyle Crane is very much a real human being who is struggling to figure out what is going on in the world around him and what his role is in all this while trying to get it right. It was a nice chance to approach some of the more humanistic elements in a game world that is sort of fantastical. Keeping this guy somewhat realistic was challenge and a blast to be a part of.
I knew just in looking at what they’d accomplished and the game being delayed, I knew that fans might be a little cynical about that. But would you rather have a game rushed to market to land at some arbitrary release date and have the game be so deeply flawed that it’s unplayable or would you rather have a company say, “Hang on. We’re going to pause production and get this done right,” like with Techland doing what they did on Dying Light. The one thing that I always complain about in Hollywood versus video games is people trying to turn video games into Hollywood when the industry is not. It is an interactive artform and medium that needs excellent gameplay. Otherwise, all these beautifully-rendered cutscenes and phenomenally acted lines of dialogue don’t matter for anything if the gameplay isn’t solid. And I can hop online right now and see friends still playing Dying Light because that open-world, parkour environment, the leveling-up, and the skill-tree building allows you to keep going back and play that game. Techland just knocked it out of the park with that. They created a game that some people will laugh at the storyline, but there are a lot more elements to it. If you allow yourself to be invested in it, there are some pretty interesting moments with some very interesting plots going on throughout that game’s script. But beyond all that, the gameplay itself, which I would argue is the most important thing out of any video game, must be rock-solid, a ton of fun, and allows you to keep going back to it. Techland really just hit a home run with that one and I’m proud to be a part of it.
Before we finish, what games are you playing right now?
I have been playing a lot of Grand Theft Auto V and GTA Online with my brother and a friend of mine, Mitchell Whitfield, who is another actor on Transformers: Robots in Disguise, which is out now on Cartoon Network. We hop on and do stupid stuff like fly helicopters and just crack each other up, in general. Thankfully, the older I get, the more responsibility I have in life and gaming has changed. A lot of my buddies are having kids and the notion of staying up until 3 o’clock in the morning, playing a six-hour marathon of Call of Duty, makes those days few and far between for us. The type of gaming I’ve been doing and the purpose of gaming serves in my life has sort of changed. I find myself in those situations where I’m gaming just to relax and have a bit of escape. So lately, GTA Online has been my game of choice.
Awesome. Thank you very much for speaking with me, Roger! I really appreciate it.
Thank you very much!
And Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts comes out when?
May 12 on video-on-demand, DVD, Blu-ray, digital download, all that stuff. Just Google it and you’ll find all the details! This is why actors don’t do all this stuff. [Laughs]
Again, thank you very much and it was a pleasure speaking with you.
Likewise, Nick. I appreciate the time. Thank you, dude!
Once more, I would like to thank Roger Craig Smith for speaking with me. It was such a fun interview and I look forward to seeing what else he has coming out. Be sure to follow him on Twitter.
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! Collector’s Edition 1 will include episodes 1-4 with Japanese audio and English and Spanish subtitles on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a ‘special’ CD. On-disc extras will include short animations 1-6, the textless opening and ending animation and TV commercial collections. Physical items and package details include:
