English voice acting by who?

[ilovemyguitar]

I think they should Gilbert Gottfried to do the voice of Ghaleon.

And Lady Gaga should be Luna's singing voice. She's so edgy and talented.

[Aquaignis]

What kind of sick world do you live on? Really. Gilbert Gottfried. Ghaleon. The parrot from Aladdin.

[Kizyr]

I think they should Gilbert Gottfried to do the voice of Ghaleon.

And Lady Gaga should be Luna's singing voice. She's so edgy and talented.

No no, Fran Drescher for Luna! KF

[phyco126]

Better yet, Tim Curry as Ghaleon! Susan Sarandon as Luna, and Barry Bostwick as Alex. Wait, I can keep this goin! W00T! Meat Loaf as Ramus, Peter Hinwood as Kyle, oh I can go on!

[Temzin]

Yeah, thanks for 'breaking it' to me that we were wrong about Truitt all along. To think, I might never have known I didn't like him after all! Seriously though, the only time Ghaleon's voice has ever been deep and 'authoritative' in any edition of Lunar is in the Japanese SSS, where it's a stupifyingly dull performance of the generic fantasy variety. A booming authoritative voice misses the point, and the same would be true of a non-Truitt Ghaleon, particularly when executed with what passes for English voice acting. Speaking of:

Hehe, I was just mentioning recently how the Japanese TSS Ghaleon made an impression that the SSS one didn't. I haven't played far enough in the Saturn EB to hear Ghaleon, though, and don't remember anything of what he sounded like in the MegaCD EB since I played that several years back (and lost my save from just after Borgan, sigh). Who did the MegaCD voice?

Alun, it's actually Naya Rokurou in all versions except SSS. They got him to do a few more lines in the EB remake, but otherwise the Mega CD performance is the same as the one you remember. While Truitt's grandiose sneering is different from Naya's creepy sneering and wavery voice, I think they both really help define the character in an unusual and charismatic way different from many 'villain' parts.

[GhaleonOne]

I actually really liked the voice in the EB remake of Ghaleon. In a different way than Truitt's Ghaleon of course. It's exactly what you're saying. I do remember hearing his laugh when Ghaleon first appeared (that awesome scene at the top of the Mystic Ruins) and thinking that even though I don't know one bit of Japanese, this guy is a good voice actor and does a great Ghaleon. And it's not even that someone other than Truitt couldn't come in and do a great Ghaleon, but to me, and obviously a vast majority of the Lunar fandom, those are mighty big shoes to fill.

[LunarRaptor]

How would a Ghaleon with an authoritative voice miss the point? He was a great hero and figure of authority prior to his fall from grace. What I meant is that he needs a presence that commands respect and/or fear, depending on the situation. Truitt did not deliver that for me. He sounds like Xanatos' assistant from Gargoyles. And there would be nothing generic about a voice over by Christopher Lee, Crispin Freeman, or Corey Burton.\

In any case, Truitt will probably not return. Now that Lunar is basically owned by Square-Enix since, the company that created Lunar sold out to them, they will probably be only hiring people with memberships in the SAG or at least hefty resumes.

[Kizyr]

In any case, Truitt will probably not return. Now that Lunar is basically owned by Square-Enix since, the company that created Lunar sold out to them, they will probably be only hiring people with memberships in the SAG or at least hefty resumes.

XSEED will be handling the localization, and who they pick for the English voice acting is up to their discretion. Additionally, Lunar isn't a big-budget title, famous voice actors cost far more money than lesser-known ones, and very rarely is a game sold based on its voice actors--with rare exceptions. KF

[GhaleonOne]

Added to the fact that SquareEnix has nothing to do with Lunar or GameArts anymore. GungHo Works bought the majority of GameArts up quite some time back.

I actually think there's a decent possibility of Truitt and other voice actors coming back, though I think it's more likely that they can re-use much of the WD voice work for the game.

[Temzin]

Re-using the old voices would be tricky if they can't assemble everyone, since I suspect there will be new dialogue and of course even a few stray lines demand the same actor for consistency's sake. Truitt and Hal Delahousse as the White Dragon are the only actors I'd consider indispensable for a foreign edition of the game.

As for Ghaleon's voice, I think the point is that Ghaleon is not meant to be a typical, authoritative villain in the "epic warlord" sense, and that he should be acted as an unsettling and troubled figure (in all versions of TSS/SSS) whose ambitions lead him wildly astray. He's clearly not the physicially "manly" type of figure that a deep voice would imply so much as a thinker, both before and after he turns. I think that the need for him to be 'authoritative' when he's in a villain's role has generally been well-handled by his muffled or mechanical voice when he's in his Magic Emperor's garb, and the disconnect between these two voices often underlined just what he had become. This isn't to say that he sounds weak or ineffectual normally, but I think that with the exception of the original release of SSS in Japan, he's been given a more subtle and intriguing voice that reflects an atypical hero-villain structure of his character development. Outside of the Magic Emperor armor, Truitt's Ghaleon is calibrated to be haughty and intellectual, while Naya's is almost ghost-like and similarly condescending, and I think the character has been served the better for it.

[LunarRaptor]

I wasnt' talking about famous actors, necessarily. You can have a hefty resume without a single bit of fame to show for all your life's work.

I don't agree on the issue of Ghaleon's voice, but whatever. Any and all feelings on Truitt aside, don't get your hopes of Truitt up too much. Not a single person from the original English translations (other than former Boy Band member, Ashley Angel) have done anything since the studio shut down. The chances of anyone returning are very slim.

[GhaleonOne]

Still think you're wrong on that one, mate. It wouldn't be hard at all to track down at least a few of the better WD voice actors to see if they're interested. They were all located in Cali, which is where XSEED is. We'll just have to wait and see though. Personally, I wouldn't care one way or another on some of the actors. Not that they weren't good, it's just that the only two that really stick as must-haves to me are Truitt and Delahousse.

[Kizyr]

Well, that's definitely true. You can still get ahold of Truitt. Though, by "you" I mean someone has already gotten ahold of Truitt. No idea about Delahousse, though. KF

[Shiva Indis]

Delahousse! He's the only one I'd work to get back! Though Angel would be good too. I'd welcome Truitt only if he doesn't phone it in like in the last set of remakes.

Also, hi to everyone who remembers me.

[Alunissage]

I really ought to be able to work up some joke about summoning Shiva, but I'm not coming up with anything. =)

I've thought it would be rather funny to have both Nall and Quark voiced by the same person, with appropriate pitch shifting.

[Kizyr]

Delahousse! He's the only one I'd work to get back! Though Angel would be good too. I'd welcome Truitt only if he doesn't phone it in like in the last set of remakes.

Also, hi to everyone who remembers me.

'Course I remember you! You're one of the four people I refer to when I say "There are only four people from whom I'd accept translation-related suggestions" (mentioned on my L:MS walkthrough. By the way, Temzin is one of the others.)

What do you mean phone it in? Literally or figuratively? KF

[GhaleonOne]

Not sure how she means it, but I will admit, I think Truitt's best work was the Sega CD titles. Not that I didn't really like his work on the remakes, but there were a few sections that I didn't think we're up to his normal par (the only place that really stood out to me was when he captures Quark and Luna in the White Dragon Cave.. his coming out party, as they put it).

And yes, we definitely remember you Shiva. I know it was nice to have another extremely knowledgeable fan on the boards when you were posting. Now if Rune would just come around now and again, it would be just about perfect.

[Temzin]

Let me pick up on Alun's Shiva summon thread (with timely allusion to Delahousse):

"So Shiva, you've returned. And this time, you've brought someone with you. Wait, Rune, is that you...?"*

(*The Rune part of this pseudo-humor is pending. Though considering that early 1990's Lunar legends like Dragonmaster Dan and Parn wander these boards now and again, it would be wild if Rune and maybe the proprietor of The Blue Star came 'round.)

Alternately, you could ask Shiva if they've grown into a full summoner after time away in the Genjuukai location=Phantom Beast World=Land of Summoned Monsters=whatever your version of FFIV calls it.

And meanwhile, yes, the timber of Truitt's voice is different between Mega CD Eternal Blue and SSS, but still good. Still, the change does come out uneven in the (admittedly few) pieces of new dialogue inserted in the EB remake alongside the old. Witness the odd change in voice as a dying Ghaleon gives Hiero his sword, with new lines.

[liquidpolicenaut]

I dont know about this. While I love all the voice actors for both Lunars, I actually dont mind if they get new actors to voice the roles...just as long as they nicely fit into the roles. I DO agree,though, that Truitts voice sounded better in the Sega CD titles than the PSOne versions...

[Shiva Indis]

Oh, so most of Truitt's lines really are carried over from the Sega CD versions? You all make it sound like everyone knew that -- and here I didn't want to go out on a limb. :p Anyway, I will venture to add that too many of Truitt's lines that I didn't remember from Sega CD struck me as awkward, especially toward the end of both games. Jerky, careless delivery with too many pauses. Maybe they wanted him out of the studio quickly, maybe he just wasn't trying, I don't know.

I do know that I would not mind at all if the new licensee wants to take this game in a different direction.

Nothing like a new game announcement to draw the prodigal out of hiding, huh? As for World of Summoned Monsters, all my experience tells me that people don't grow older there so much as they grow sexier. I wouldn't dare speak for myself, of course.