Halo Reach Voice Acting

[Delock]

I don't like to make threads for single games, as I feel it limits the amount that can be contributed to it, and I especially hate making one about a very new game, as not only do you see so many threads about it that it gets tiresome talking about it, but some people haven't gotten the chance to play it yet. So, in advance, I would like to apologize to Escapist members who are probably tired of seeing something about Halo Reach everyday for the past few days.

However, I really have to get something cleared up here. In those aforementioned threads discussing this game, a common complaint I run across is that the voice acting is bad. I didn't really get that feeling from the game, so I have to ask you members of the Escapist this: What was so bad about it?


Maybe I just overlooked it because I didn't think it was this bad

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

I think people here just have a knee-jerk reaction to Halo games. It wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't bad. Better then most, I think.

 

[Hisshiss]

Ive been playing reaches campaign over and over again the past few days, I honestly have no idea what people are talking about o.o..other than Carters annoying ass lisp, every single character gives an amazing performance..well..cept noble 6, but I dont think his personality was intended to shine since he supposed to be a blank slate.

 

[Hisshiss]

Well, I personally didn't like Kat's voice acting. It wasn't that bad, and it was easy to overlook, but it wasn't stellar, and it was definitely noticeable during the cutscenes.

Kat was just kind of a betch <.<.

 

[Shihan2]

It wasn't the best voice acting I've ever heard, but it definitely wasn't as bad as japanese mmo's. One problem I've encountered with it is given the established background of the spartans as very controlled with emotions under wraps at all times, can you really expect them to convey emotion in the voice acting? The only real criticism I can give to it is that they never really break from that near monotone operation voice that supposedly comes from the military. The other thing is that in all the other Halo games, there's at least one npc the protagonist talks with, most of that time being Cortana, who makes a ton of sarcastic and snarky comments.

 

[Iwata]

It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't stellar.

Right in the beginning, you're getting a distress call from a squad under fire, and I can swear that the voice actor doing the call was sitting on a lawn chair and sipping some ice tea. I've never heard a more relaxed person under fire in my life. He seemed almost... bored.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I thought the voice acting in Halo: Reach was good probably the best in the series to be honest. But the voice acting in that video you linked just gave me a brain haemorrhage.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

My main complaint was Kat.

"Take that Hog Six" was a line I heard several times in her cold, dead, emotionless voice. Other than that it was fine. Forgettable though...I don't remember Jun's voice for example or, Carter's.

 

[Delock]

I thought the voice acting in Halo: Reach was good probably the best in the series to be honest. But the voice acting in that video you linked just gave me a brain haemorrhage.

I should apologize for that, since I can only get through at most 30 seconds of it without closing the video and playing 30 minutes of metal to drown it out, but I won't. Instead, consider it a gift to be used against those you hate.

 

[Armored Prayer]

Its not bad, but there are other games with better voice acting.

Though Jorge's voice acting was my favorite out of all of them.

 

[Ridgemo]

It wasn't the best voice acting I've ever heard, but it definitely wasn't as bad as japanese mmo's. One problem I've encountered with it is given the established background of the spartans as very controlled with emotions under wraps at all times, can you really expect them to convey emotion in the voice acting? The only real criticism I can give to it is that they never really break from that near monotone operation voice that supposedly comes from the military. The other thing is that in all the other Halo games, there's at least one npc the protagonist talks with, most of that time being Cortana, who makes a ton of sarcastic and snarky comments.

I think the excuse that is used most of the time for the emotions being shown is that they are Spartan III's (except Jorge obviously). But still, the Spartan II's are not completly emotionless. Master Chief shows none at all in the games but in the books you get insight into his character.

But just talking about the games, it is fair to say over the first four games they gave the impression Spartans had as much emotion as a brick wall.

 

[HK_01]

I really can't contribute much since I haven't played Reach, but that video was awesome! That one girl sounded like she was drugged.

 

[Woodsey]

Since I haven't played the game (although from cutscenes I've seen it's err... not awful), I'll just roll a: "there are plenty of talented voice over artists, and there's really no excuse for poor acting on a game with so much money behind it."

 

[Captain Pancake]

I think people here just have a knee-jerk reaction to Halo games.

I get that impression too. I watched Funk's review of it, which gave it a good one, and then the first page of comments was littered with "It was crap" or the far more subtle dismissive tone of "It wasn't bad, it wasn't good it was mediocre like all Halo games". I think the people on this website need to deal with that problem before they play a game with prejudices like that in their minds.

But on the voice acting, I actually think they did quite a good job. Some lines were a little botched (Like : "And this is relevant. How?") and I think they could have

Spoiler

delivered Emile's final line with a little more emphasis, it seemed a little rushed to me.

but besides these little niggles I actually found this game more emotionally engaging than any before, and the Halo games have always had a profound effect on me. The voice acting was key to this.

 

[Hawkeye16]

I honestly have no idea where the complaints come from, I loved the voice acting in Reach!

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I thought it was great. One of the first Science Fiction games where all the accents are not American.

 

[Delock]

I really can't contribute much since I haven't played Reach, but that video was awesome! That one girl sounded like she was drugged.

Query: Awesome? Did you hear a different video than me?
Explanation: Apparently, the developers had their childern do the voice acting for the game, rather than actual voice actors.