On its way!

[Temzin]

What G1 said. Delahousse is outstanding...as Ireland said in the Making of video, he embodies a dragon voice like no one else. As I wrote before one time, he and Truitt are the only two truly indispensible actors in the first game. T. Owen Smith is pretty wonderful, too, though I think that the American cast for EB is stronger in general. I remember liking Rong-fa, and Borgan is a perfect match for the original.

I'm a bit confused about what's being said about getting "professional" voice actors for the American version to replace the old Working Designs ones. Who are these professionals you imagine filling in, especially given that the US has so little of an institutionalized voice acting culture with talent agencies? Do the people assembled by animation dubbing companies actually have any greater talent than the ones assembled by WD, or did you have the idea of hiring a talented voice director (like Konami famously did for English Metal Gear)?

[Silver Phoenix]

Talent is an individual gift, and that can be someone in a blockbuster film or a local theater company. However, professional talent is proven talent that can lend itself in physical performance or voice acting. For instance, Mark Hamill as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum or Batman The Animated Series and the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman who's name I can't recall at the moment. That is professional talent and generally you can hear how much better their gift is over someone amateur.

Don't make such a big issue out of a simple concept.

[Justinzero]

Grrr, I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive. I was able to get a hold of the music though, and damn is it awesome!

[Temzin]

Don't make such a big issue out of a simple concept.

Ah, but I was just responding to the repeated calls for the nebulous concept of "professional voice actors" for the English version of this game, and the US is a country where professional actors don't really exist by and large. If it simply means "better actors than the past" or "movie actors," that's fine. But there's no professional industry of known successes and big names as such (maybe Mark Hamill due to his Star Wars fame), which seems all the more clear when one thinks of big American animated releases like Disney films which have mostly used film actors if they need "big names." But it's still a totally difference voice acting culture, for sure, and one in which a call for professionals (rather than "better ones") seems odd.

Or, to put it in less theoretical terms: who should the translators be asking to act? A Hollywood actor? Hamill or one of the very few known names who do mostly animation (and Hamill, again, is only a known name based on his film experience)?

[Silver Phoenix]

How about people who do voice acting for a living, for animated series, games, or movie roles. You're likely to get better results than someone from a local theater group or high school, even if one of those people happens to be better than the norm.

It's all just about new talent for the characters, or established quality of work.

On a side note... I spoke with Victor Ireland through phone and email when I was younger about coming to Redding to do VA work. In his own words he said it wouldn't be worth my time or money to come out there, because he couldn't pay me enough to make it worth my while, and that he just used actors from a local theater group at the time.

I performed in "Drama Clubs" throughout school and also took classes at the Pennsylvania Stage Company (which no longer exists because of lack of finances) when I was younger. WD just wasn't a company with fluid business when it came to hiring talent. Jeez, this is going on like 15 years ago.

[Justinzero]

My copy finally showed up today, and the pack in OST was included. I've been holding off on the other threads, but after some game time today, I'll be able to brush up on what everyone has thought of the game.