What sort of promotional work do you go out and do, if any, to advertise a new game, such as ToMI? And if you have done it, what's the weirdest you've ever had to do?
Also, a bit random and off topic, but what car do you drive?
My name is Andrei. It's a great honor for me to have this oportunity of asking you a question. I know that you try to provide everybody with an answer. I really don't want to take too much of your time by asking many questions (and believe me, I have plenty)
I will try to sum them up and ask only two.
1. Do you have any advice for me, from your point of view (a man that never ceased to feel happiness and to see the world through the eyes of a child), and from Guybrush's point of view (the character that inspired my way in life and has shown me that I should never stop "wanting to be a pirate", as in fulfilling my dreams and never give up)?
2. Is there any way I could receive your autograph on a picture of Guybrush? :-) I know it's silly, and perhaps everybody wishes that, but it would mean a lot to this old sea urchin.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for being here.
I am Andrei Constantinescu, and I'm a mighty pirate, thanks to you...
Hi Dom, I remember you lurking around the scene back in the SCUMM Bar/COMI days and it's great to have you back, the very first question I asked when told about the new games was 'Have they got Dominic Armato?'....even before I thought about Ron being involved.
My question is, when you were recording for EMI did you feel any difference in the spark of the story? Not that it was a bad game but I think most of us old timers agree it wasn't up to the Lucasarts standard, how well do you think Telltale are doing bottling the lightning? :cool:
everyone has asked what your favorite parts of the MI games were but i would like to know what was your least favorite puzzle/line/scene of all the monkey island games?
If LucasArts does a remake of MI2, would your Guybrush sound different than your MI1 Guybrush? Or more generally, when you play them do you imagine them sounding different? I have the most trouble picturing the CMI voice with MI2 Guybrush, probably mostly due to his slightly aged appearance.
In SoMI [...] DID YOU KNOW GUYBRUSH CAN DIE!!!! i just found out
I know he can drown if you don't solve the underwater riddle fast enough (real death, have to reload the game) and he can jump off the cliff (Death screen but the game continues).
Dominic, hearing you'd be back really put this MI revival in perspective. It just wouldn't have felt like Monkey Island without you involved.
And thank you for the opportunity to ask this Burning Question I've been hoping to put to you for many years:
What the he'll is the McDonald's mascot "Grimace" meant to be?
I know he can drown if you don't solve the underwater riddle fast enough (real death, have to reload the game) and he can jump off the cliff (Death screen but the game continues).
ah thanks
and if you dont solve the riddle in 10 minutes he dies
10 minutes for that idol puzzle? How is that possible!!!!
10 minutes for that idol puzzle? How is that possible!!!!
It is impossible. That's why noone ever dies in MI. You have to know it, be in the right place and leave the game running to see it. Or you are really stupid.
But I really love Gybrushes look when he died and the "options" you get after that.
Extra fun: Try to pick up the idol after you are dead.
It is impossible. That's why noone ever dies in MI. You have to know it, be in the right place and leave the game running to see it. Or you are really stupid.
But I really love Gybrushes look when he died and the "options" you get after that.
Extra fun: Try to pick up the idol after you are dead.
I have a saved game a that point, but I don't think ScummVM has a record function. I need to get DOSBox again.
There's also a conversation between two pirates, one of whom committed a felony and wants to get rid of the knife. It looks like he's going to drop it in the water, but he decides not to in the end.
Guybrush goes blue after for a while, which changes to a darker shade after a while, then he turns green and floats up to the top. I can't see any option for getting the idol, though.
I'd never done that before. I loved Guybrush's flat "Gee, I don't know how much longer I can hold my breath". I felt bad about killing him.
Oh yeah, this topic is called "Questions for Dominic Armato!" Um... I can't think of anything to ask that hasn't already been asked by someone else. I have some praise, but nothing that hasn't already been said.
Here's where I'm going to really embarrass myself by admitting that I've barely touched the other Telltale games (forgive me, guys!). They've mostly been post-kid, and gaming time has been hard to come by as of late. Back when I did have time for lots of gaming, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango were probably my favorites next to Monkey Island. And I really dug the first Gabriel Knight.
When Wallace and Gromit was announced, my first thought was that you would be clutching your stuffed Gromit and squealing with joy whilst playing through it, Dom. What has become of your Gromit?
1. How did you react when you got the role of Guybrush in Curse of Monkey Island?
2. How did your wife react when you told her you where the voice of Guybrush?
My memory's a little fuzzy, since it would have been... 1996? 1997?... when I recorded this? But I do recall a cutscene featuring Elaine fighting off a skeletal horde while I kind of stand around, twiddling my thumbs, asking if there's anything I can do. She says no, I kind of meander about, and am then somehow shoved into the roller coaster. And that's as much of it as is still stuck in my brain. I remember thinking after the game was released that it really could have used that material, and based on subsequent interviews it sounds like Jonathan and Larry agree. But the budget's the budget and they didn't want to blow it, I believe.
If you work with LA to make a special edition of this game, will you try to get them to add the scene?
In my humble opinion the voice cast for The Curse of Monkey Island is one of the most appropriate and best casts for previously non-voiced characters ever. Kudos to the casting director(s) at LucasArts, who understood the importance of professional voice acting. But, of course, Dominic, the majority of this credit is derived directly from your work.
I honestly think your part as to giving a soul and life to Guybrush is on par with the greatest names in the industry. Hayter as Snake, Martinet as Mario, Hollick as Niko Bellic ... And please know that I truly mean this, it’s not just my way of saying "I’m glad you’re back on the Monkey ride" (well, sure, I am glad, no question ‘bout that ). I was professionally involved with the creative part of the gaming industry for a long time so I (should ) know what I’m talking about.
You more than deserve all the credit people are giving you for your work. Actually, it’s really nice to see so many people here appreciating it – makes me glad to know people still care and notice that. Especially in this day and age where it seems that graphics and the pacing of action sequences are the only things which can deliver a great gaming experience. With everyone dismissing a well crafted story and witty delivered dialog.
Oh, and I do have some questions (if you have time and energy to answer it): You’ve stated many times, that the voicing of SMI remake was a challenge due to the way the lines were written for the game. Are there actually some lines which aren’t spoken exactly as they were written or is the remake voiced exactly 1:1? If there are differences, could you quantify them .
Also you stated that they were very strict about the script regarding ad-libing. Well, who was stricter, Telltale or LucasArts? You remember any of your own “tunes” that made the cut and are in CMI or EMI (regarding your previous “The tunes, not the lyrics.« answer)?
Hi, I liked those games you were in :P (yeah, thats been edited), anywho I've got one of these one-free-question tokens, and my friend has a really pressing question, he's a bit of a tennis nut, so I don't know if this will be lost on you (it's lost on me) I think what he was getting at was, if there was a MI film, this guy would be a good pick huh? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLKXBOziPus&feature=related
Do you feel like in the realm of adventure games you've been typecasted as Guybrush in terms of getting voice over work? This came to mind only because you mentioned Psychonaughts - although I know if that's actually an adventure game, I wondered if perhaps that was a reason.
By the way - this is personally unreal for me to actually ask the guy who voices Guybrush a question.
That's from Monkey Island 3 at Blood Island I think. You click pick up water 40 times and then you can walk down there. Someone edited out the MI3 guybrush.
Umm, no it's not. The MI3-Blood Island joke was actually a refference to Guybrush's death in MI1. Besides, as I recall, in the MI3 in-joke you don't have guybrush's old inventory shown at the bottom of the screen.
Other then the main and minor characters was there one particular character in all 4 games that you think was hilarious and should have made more appreances in the series?
It would be spooky to see the guy from CMI return, that took Guybrush to Bunny-Island (SKull Island) by boat. Remember? What was his name? Was that Bobbin?
It would be spooky to see the guy from CMI return, that took Guybrush to Bunny-Island (SKull Island) by boat. Remember? What was his name? Was that Bobbin?
It was the "Flying Welshman"... obviously they were out of Dutch
Aha, I see. It would also be funny to see a member of the Goodsoup family again! And more cemetery-action!
(that sounded... weird)
In CMI the cemetery puzzles were the best! I actually was pretty freaked out by those sequences. I refused to play that part at night. I was around 12yo.
This may sound a little weird... I just told my mom that we are all talking with you here, and she asked me to tell you this:
"Please tell Mr. Armato that many years ago my son wanted a Guybrush Threepwood action figure. Knowing the fact that such a thing doesn't exist, I actually created one out of hardening clay. Besides that, he <<terrorised>> me all these years with Monkey Island and how he wants to become a pirate... I just want you to acknowledge that. That's all."
Of course, she means that in a joking manner. Maybe you could offer her a small reply. That would kind of make it up for all those Buy-Me-A-Pirate-Hat-Please-Mom-Please years. :-)
Dom - Really enjoyed reading through all your answers, LucasArts made a very sound casting decision when adding weight to your love for the series.
I play a lot of adventure games, and often I despair at the way lines are read: Stressing the wrong word, mispronouncing character names, etc. Probably this happens most in either low-budget or translated games, and I always curse some sort of mythical director. Is this really the problem? Is it a bad script, bad direction, lack of re-takes, an unquestioning actor, or something else? LucasArts and Telltale stand out for me as studios that rarely slip up in this regard, so hopefully you have some insight!
Dominic, do you own a pair of these shoes? And if not, why not?
Also I'm still waiting for a reply for that "did your wife marry you because you're the voice of Guybrush?" (unless you weren't really planning to ask your wife)
Comments
Also, a bit random and off topic, but what car do you drive?
My name is Andrei. It's a great honor for me to have this oportunity of asking you a question. I know that you try to provide everybody with an answer. I really don't want to take too much of your time by asking many questions (and believe me, I have plenty)
I will try to sum them up and ask only two.
1. Do you have any advice for me, from your point of view (a man that never ceased to feel happiness and to see the world through the eyes of a child), and from Guybrush's point of view (the character that inspired my way in life and has shown me that I should never stop "wanting to be a pirate", as in fulfilling my dreams and never give up)?
2. Is there any way I could receive your autograph on a picture of Guybrush? :-) I know it's silly, and perhaps everybody wishes that, but it would mean a lot to this old sea urchin.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for being here.
I am Andrei Constantinescu, and I'm a mighty pirate, thanks to you...
My question is, when you were recording for EMI did you feel any difference in the spark of the story? Not that it was a bad game but I think most of us old timers agree it wasn't up to the Lucasarts standard, how well do you think Telltale are doing bottling the lightning? :cool:
Do you actually have to load the game again, or is it a typical MI death where you can still do stuff
I know he can drown if you don't solve the underwater riddle fast enough (real death, have to reload the game) and he can jump off the cliff (Death screen but the game continues).
And thank you for the opportunity to ask this Burning Question I've been hoping to put to you for many years:
What the he'll is the McDonald's mascot "Grimace" meant to be?
ah thanks
and if you dont solve the riddle in 10 minutes he dies
10 minutes for that idol puzzle? How is that possible!!!!
It is impossible. That's why noone ever dies in MI. You have to know it, be in the right place and leave the game running to see it. Or you are really stupid.
But I really love Gybrushes look when he died and the "options" you get after that.
Extra fun: Try to pick up the idol after you are dead.
someone needs to upload a vid. of that
there is only one but its in another language
There's also a conversation between two pirates, one of whom committed a felony and wants to get rid of the knife. It looks like he's going to drop it in the water, but he decides not to in the end.
Guybrush goes blue after for a while, which changes to a darker shade after a while, then he turns green and floats up to the top. I can't see any option for getting the idol, though.
I'd never done that before. I loved Guybrush's flat "Gee, I don't know how much longer I can hold my breath". I felt bad about killing him.
Oh yeah, this topic is called "Questions for Dominic Armato!" Um... I can't think of anything to ask that hasn't already been asked by someone else. I have some praise, but nothing that hasn't already been said.
i second that lol
When Wallace and Gromit was announced, my first thought was that you would be clutching your stuffed Gromit and squealing with joy whilst playing through it, Dom. What has become of your Gromit?
But I found this picture:
do those options do anything?
ask him the meaning of algebra
Dominic what do you think of this slogan for MI
B A N A N A - P I C K E R - E N G A G E
2. How did your wife react when you told her you where the voice of Guybrush?
If you work with LA to make a special edition of this game, will you try to get them to add the scene?
I honestly think your part as to giving a soul and life to Guybrush is on par with the greatest names in the industry. Hayter as Snake, Martinet as Mario, Hollick as Niko Bellic ... And please know that I truly mean this, it’s not just my way of saying "I’m glad you’re back on the Monkey ride" (well, sure, I am glad, no question ‘bout that
You more than deserve all the credit people are giving you for your work. Actually, it’s really nice to see so many people here appreciating it – makes me glad to know people still care and notice that. Especially in this day and age where it seems that graphics and the pacing of action sequences are the only things which can deliver a great gaming experience. With everyone dismissing a well crafted story and witty delivered dialog.
Oh, and I do have some questions (if you have time and energy to answer it): You’ve stated many times, that the voicing of SMI remake was a challenge due to the way the lines were written for the game. Are there actually some lines which aren’t spoken exactly as they were written or is the remake voiced exactly 1:1? If there are differences, could you quantify them
Also you stated that they were very strict about the script regarding ad-libing. Well, who was stricter, Telltale or LucasArts? You remember any of your own “tunes” that made the cut and are in CMI or EMI (regarding your previous “The tunes, not the lyrics.« answer)?
Thank you! With a nod to your patience.
Aside from Monkey Island, what other types of games do you like?
And do you ever slip and say classic Guybrush lines in your personal life?
Also... your awesome at what you do *gush gush*
By the way - this is personally unreal for me to actually ask the guy who voices Guybrush a question.
That's from Monkey Island 3 at Blood Island I think. You click pick up water 40 times and then you can walk down there. Someone edited out the MI3 guybrush.
(that sounded... weird)
In CMI the cemetery puzzles were the best! I actually was pretty freaked out by those sequences. I refused to play that part at night.
This may sound a little weird... I just told my mom that we are all talking with you here, and she asked me to tell you this:
"Please tell Mr. Armato that many years ago my son wanted a Guybrush Threepwood action figure. Knowing the fact that such a thing doesn't exist, I actually created one out of hardening clay. Besides that, he <<terrorised>> me all these years with Monkey Island and how he wants to become a pirate... I just want you to acknowledge that. That's all."
Of course, she means that in a joking manner. Maybe you could offer her a small reply. That would kind of make it up for all those Buy-Me-A-Pirate-Hat-Please-Mom-Please years. :-)
I play a lot of adventure games, and often I despair at the way lines are read: Stressing the wrong word, mispronouncing character names, etc. Probably this happens most in either low-budget or translated games, and I always curse some sort of mythical director. Is this really the problem? Is it a bad script, bad direction, lack of re-takes, an unquestioning actor, or something else? LucasArts and Telltale stand out for me as studios that rarely slip up in this regard, so hopefully you have some insight!
Also I'm still waiting for a reply for that "did your wife marry you because you're the voice of Guybrush?" (unless you weren't really planning to ask your wife)
*insert OMGYAY about new Monkey Island game coming out*