the voices need to go
I haven't been on the site in a while and figured e3 would be as good of a time as any for an update. I must say that telltale has dropped the ball on the voices. They really just don't sound right. I haven't played Sam&max for years but the moment I heard the trailer I knew it just wasn't right. Sure the game looked great but for a comedy adventure geme it is critical for it to sound great.
Time for a petition maybe?
Time for a petition maybe?
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Comments
May I ask what it is that you don't like about the voices? Is it just that they don't sound like the originals to you, or do you have a specific gripe with one (or both) of them? (Also - you mentioned you haven't played the game in a while. It might be an interesting experiment to load it up again and see if they really sound the way you remember them sounding.
I haven't watched much of the TV show, but out of all the actors for Sam (including the trailer here), I think Bill Farmer had the best delivery (speed perhaps?). The fellow who did the bits of the TV show I saw sounded way too much like Guy Smiley to me.
The one from the trailer did manage to get through "Holy jumping saints a plenty riding sidewise on a candy-pink fat-boy" admirably (if a little fast).
Max in the trailer isn't too bad (Neither of them are). The voice is less ummm 'rough', and a little more 'cudley' (lol, I don't think I'm very good at describing voices - compare the "Bonzai!!!" from the Freelance Police trailer with "I got it! I got it!" from this one) than Jamison's, but I don't know if that's good or bad.
When you guys announced neither of the previous pairs of actors were going to be playing the voices, I was expecting something far worse than what's in the trailer.
It sounds to me like they're doing their best to imitate Farmer and Jamison's performance from Hit The Road, and on the whole, it's not too far off.
If these guys were to take on the roles permanently, I think they wouldn't be too hard to get used to, and maybe a little time in the characters might help as well (one and a half minutes isn't much for us to form an opinion on or them to get a feel for their characters).
On a side note, was the term "Lagomorph" around before Purcel (and Sam and Max) joined LucasArts?
Wasn't there going to be alternate reality Sams and Maxes with the voices of the cartoon voice actors?
Farmer and Jameson were just excellent, and it was the delivery that really made them perfect for the role. The Sam/Max banter was consistently casual, and they managed to say those ridiculous things without stuttering or laughing.
In terms of intonation, I agree that the current actors are attempting to imitate the voices from Hit The Road and not quite hitting the mark- the Max voice is closer though.
It might just be because whatever you see first seems the most right to you, but I always thought the voices in the television cartoon sounded wrong and miscast.
So...wait...were you implying there IS some chance of snagging Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson?
Because that would be awesome.
Reason they dont have the voices from the video game?
Cause Nick Jameson is a big star now, appearing in "Lost" & "24" on TV, and a few upcoming movies.
Bill Farmer is still mainly doing random cartoons and video games, but come on, you cant have one without the other, it just wouldnt be as cool.
The voices from the TV series?
Harvey Atkin is playing a Judge on Law & Order, so he probably doesnt feel like being a 6 foot dog in a suit.
And Robert Tinkler is doing some random voice acting still, but just like with the point and click Sam & Max, you cant have one without the other.
So what about these new guys?
I think theyre fine. Max sounds perfect, like Max, no complaints at all. Sam sounds a little different from his previous incarnations, but he still sounds like he can deliver a good "You crack me up little buddy."
I mean, I can be honest, when I think Sam and Max, I think of the CD Rom Talkie version from Hit the Road, but dont let the voice of the characters hold you back from these games, I think its going to be great, and I think after you play a few episodes, youll forget about the voices ever sounding different cause you'll be too busy laughing at Max biting people and Sams sarcastic wit.
[Edit 2] Can we get the names of the guys in the trailer? I mean come on, its pretty obvious theyre doin the games, just tell us!
Max in the trailer's doing a fine job, though. But, I mean, if you got Bill, you might as well go for Nick...
No.
The script is where it's at, anyway. The lovely rapid banter of a dog and his lagomorphic rabbity thing.
The Dig featured Robert Patrick (T2 fame).
Full Throttle had Mark Hamill (Star Wars).
The voice acting is a quality point to players (especially as an element throughout the entire gameplay). I don't see why you can't match the quality of a game made 13 years ago.
As for the TV actor argument, the connection is too weak. When people think about a Sam and Max video game, they're more likely to remember Hit the Road than the cartoon.
If you can't get the original actors, please include an option to turn the voices off. I would prefer reading subtitles.
The Dig and Full Throttle are both excellent games, and yes, Mark Hamill and Robert Patrick appear in those titles.
But theres one thing, both of them, are made by LUCASARTS!
They are owned by the owners of the Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones series, and about 10 years of successful video games releases prior. Meaning they have $$$$$.
TellTale, while Im sure theyre capable of creating awsome games, is still young, so they dont have alot of $$$$ yet, so thats why its BETTER if they go with un known voice actors, because then they dont have to pay them 90% of their game budget, and more money can goto the game design and writing, which is way better than having so and so do the voice of some one.
The games will be awsome guys, I have forseen it in my dreams.
Dont worry.
Max needs the most work, I reckon. The pitch seems right, but the voice is lacking the underlying sense of malice that Max needs. As someone noted above, he comes across as too *cuddly* presently. Max should sound as cuddly as a pillow-sack full of rusty knives.
Sam is pretty decent, actually. I don't have that big of a beef with his voice. It approximates the previous versions of the voice, but there's still something slightly off. Not quite sure what it is. Once again the pitch and whatnot seem pretty good, it's just the delivery that's a tad off.
If they were to fix Max's tone, and kept Sam's the same as in the current trailer, I would be happy with the end result.
Sounds about right...
Regarding Sam's deadpan delivery - it's a great Film Noir gumshoe voiceover nod. You guys ever watchd a Bogart flick? I like the monotone, and it also provides contrast to Max's asylum-inmate tone.
I'll give you an example. Can you imagine Sam, sounding like that, uttering this line (from the new webcomic): "They really need to liven up the scenery around here. A few well-placed circus chimps merrily capering alongside the road could save a life!"
I for the life of it can't. I am afraid that it could ruin the whole experience. I'm not saying that it will, I'm just saying that it might. I wouldn't rely on that voice to deliver the goods.
EDIT1:
For good contrast, you can watch the old trailer here. Pay attention to the liveliness here:
Trailer of the cancelled Freelance Police
EDIT2:
There's also been a hint of arrogance in Sam's character that is absent in the new incarnation. Both of the characters have been pretty ragged and uncivilised. I guess Max could use a bit of arrogance as well.
Actually, I can totally hear that. It almost sounds funnier with the deadpan. The film noir voice doesn't mean he's not lively. Just means he has a mannered way of speaking. And Sam does... he's very long-winded and dramatic. (Alongside sarcastic and slightly twisted, of course.)
Sam & Max are the creation of Steve Purcell, not of Farmer and Jameson. Really, I think his whole "the voice(s) must go" attitude is silly.
Anyway, as we've seen time and time again, Telltale do listen to the fanbase and make adjustments accordingly, so no doubt this is all being taken on board.
I completely agree with this.. the sound of the voice is fine.. I just dont think the way he's delivering the lines is right..
The only thing I found stuck out in the trailer was that the Desoto (or Sam and Max's car if you don't know what I'm talking about) is looking quite different. Call me picky but I liked the old one better. It was a character in its own right. It was in the comic and the game and possibly the show. Although I don't really know about the show. Because I barely remember anything about the show. The point is that although it seems like a small thing that left me feeling somewhat... how does one say annoyed but only slightly?
The best thing Telltale could do would be to hunt down either Harvey Atkin and Robert Tinkler, or Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson, or some combination of the four. Maybe Farmer's Sam and Tinkler's Max.
Just, really, ANYTHING but the two from the trailer. Just no. I might be fickle, but I really have doubts about playing the game if those'll be the voices used. I'd have to turn off the voices, and while I played Hit The Road my first time without voices, I couldn't do it again.
As the nice lass from TellTale asked, what is it that you don't like about the voices in the trailer?
("They just sound wrong" isn't very descriptive)
The cartoon is a different story (and to some extent, the comic), but the fact is that there was ALREADY a Sam and Max game made (an adventure game at that) and it will be the natural point of comparison. No game reviewer will play the Telltale SM and say it didn't stay true to the cartoon.
Hearing two guys imitating the original voices and reading classic lines doesn't do it for me. No sense of nostalgia here.
I'm sorry, but that is ridiculous.
The voice-actor for Sam does a damned good job of parodying noir and it amuses me greatly. It's very similar to the cartoon version, as I'd said before but perhaps with a little more noir thrown in.
I really don't think it's that bad, at all. In fact, as those voice actors get some more practice and more emotion into their lines, I think the voices will grow on people. That and I don't think simply being attached to previous names in an obsessive-compulsive way is going to be helpful in objectively viewing the new efforts.
After all, this is a new generation of Sam and Max, things change, one has to move on. To the detractors, try feeling your way through the voices as they are and point out what you don't like from a thespianic stance rather than comparing them to what was.
You're not the only one (but you're one of the few who's being vocal about it on this forum
I love how you clipped my quote mid-sentence. If you understood the context, you would know that I was talking about an opinion I formed from my personal experience with the original game. Making such a judgmental call only shows your ignorance.
You've got it backwards. It's the company's job to produce something that pleases me enough to part with my money. It's not my job to try to like what they make.
In the same way, this forum is to gather feedback from potential customers to make a better game. It is not a free service that Telltale has generously provided for people to praise their efforts.
The voices in the trailer definately lacked on the delivery side - Sam in particular sounded too monotonous. While I know he's supposed to sound quite film noire-ish, it doesn't sound natural or casual enough. Consider the delivery of a particular line from the original game: "I don't think the icepick will remove the cork". While it's certainly not a praticularly memorable line, the delivery is anything but monotanous. A whole game of the new guy's take on Sam could get irksome to sayt he least.
While I'm sure we can all appreciate the fact that securing the original voice actors isn't an option, I think Telltale should have no shame (or trouble) in finding voice actors who can immitate the originals almost flawslessly.
Why fix it if it ain't broken? Surely the best way to please fans is to give them what they want - and although not everyone is agreement, most of us want Sam & Max to sound like they did in the original game. When you consider that the majority of people who are interested in this game are huge fans of the first, surely it's a no-brainer?
OK, here's your unclipped sentence;
"Even though I read the comic before the game, Farmer and Jameson brought the characters to life and it can't be Sam and Max without them."
My comment on that one sentence still stands.
Either I have it backwards or you completely missed the point I was trying to make. Both are viable viewpoints depending on how my post is interpreted.
Er, right. Now see, this is precisely the point I was making.
Referring back to what I said (the exact quote) ...
"To the detractors, try feeling your way through the voices as they are and point out what you don't like from a thespianic stance rather than comparing them to what was."
By this I mean that instead of detracting through comparison, you should provide constructive criticism by objectively, clearly and concisely detailing what it is you dislike about the voices. Taking the voices in comparison to previous efforts isn't going to get us anywhere because we're never going to get the original voice actors back, that's written in stone.
So why don't we do something positive and think on how we can help the current voice actors become better instead?
My take on this was that I think they could use more punch. There were areas where certain quotes just didn't feel punctuated enough. Like the candy-pink fatboy comment. It lacked a little oomph. Now I think that if lines like that were provided with a little more fervour, then it'd be good.
That's how I'm providing constructive criticism in regards to the voices.
Now then, what don't you like?
Yup! That's why we need more folks saying what they do and don't like about the current voices in my opinion. Anything else is just superfluous.
-- Edit --
In addition to what I've said about the voices, with Sam's delivery, I think his voice could've been a little more snarky about how he was now episodic. What might help (I don't know, I have no idea about how these things work) is prompting the voice actors with emotion queues. Perhaps that will be done in the final game and for the trailer, they just read out some lines without (augh, the cliché) knowing their particular motivations. That I can understand.
Especially on the green twirl they sound authentic for the characters. Sam has this a bit blues a like sound and Max has it's furry high (but not too high) pitched sound that expected. Very well.
The voices they chose sound fine. Maybe Sam is a bit too over-the-top but it works.
but PLEASE, find that comic beat, which with S&M is actually quite OFF-beat.
Heh, anyway, good job at providing a good example of constructive criticism.
Now that I listened it again, and i must admit that the timing is wrong, they drop out the lines a bit too late after another or something... but could you say that it is improved in the end?
"Shall we trash the place Sam? -Can't think of a reason not to" looks like that line is only one which feels right. Also the last lines are much better in overall from the beginning.