Edge previews Fallout 3

[UniversalWolf]

Why are journalists even getting involved in this dispute, let alone picking sides?

I know you're probably asking rhetorically, but I thought I'd answer anyway: because they're not really journalists. They're promoters. They make their living by convincing the public to buy games (especially those made by big time studios) and selling advertising space, not by offering hard facts or criticism.

It's closer to what you get from a talk-show with celebrity guests who appear in order to plug their latest projects.

 

[Dracon M'Alkir]

Why are journalists even getting involved in this dispute, let alone picking sides?

I know you're probably asking rhetorically, but I thought I'd answer anyway: because they're not really journalists. They're promoters. They make their living by convincing the public to buy games (especially those made by big time studios) and selling advertising space, not by offering hard facts or criticism.

It's closer to what you get from a talk-show with celebrity guests who appear in order to plug their latest projects.

Reward: Monetary stability
Price: Your dignity

Not that hard of a bargain for most..

“This is the Vault bully, Butch, and his little cronies,” says Hines pointing at a table of youths. “They’ll start talking about how they’re forming a gang and what they want to call their gang. He wants the sweet roll that Mrs Palmer gave me, and there are a variety of different options here. I can wuss out and give it to him, I can ask him if we can share, I can spit on it and give it to him, I can tell him to go suck his head, I can insult his mom – so we give the player a lot of choices and how Butch will react depends upon these different choices, so if I choose one of these last two options he basically gets up to fight me.”

Also, this one was directly lifted from one of the 'personality' questions in Morrowind. Glad to see they're creative, as well.

 

[terebikun]

Nice intentional misread. He stated the dialogue credentials were not fulfilled by "previous demonstrations". Note how he doesn't repeat any doubts after this demonstration?

That leaves criticizing Neeson's voice against calling detractors "misguided". That's not a very good balance, in criticism.

Beside, I didn't call him a suckup, I said the journalist apparently feels a need to defend Bethesda against us. Why? Why are journalists even getting involved in this dispute, let alone picking sides?

Intentional misread? Or I just read this: "But if there was any area in which Bethesda risks falling down it is this – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion wasn’t a sterling demonstration of voice direction, failing to squeeze anything other than wood from Patrick Stewart or Sean Bean. Liam Neeson’s efforts here also felt a little staid. However wry or smart a script Bethesda produces, it could be jeopardized if the voice-acting doesn’t match its written standard." It's pretty clear he still has doubts as Neeson's efforts "here also felt a little staid". Doesn't sound like he's talking about a previous viewing of the game to me.

As for journalists getting involved in the dispute, I think they do it because they're, well, journalists. If there was a vocal, negative grassroots campaign leveled at a highly-anticipated Triple A title, why shouldn't journalists comment on that, and either confirm or assuage fears based on their own impressions? It's (to an extent) the same as every journalist mentioning Grand Theft Auto's political controversy when talking about it, because it's a big issue related to the game that readers probably want to hear about. I don't see the point in ignoring the elephant in the room with Fallout 3.

A la, direction can be important, all I'm saying is the better the voice actor, the less direction matters.

Besides, a good actor is not necessarily a good voice actor. Calling Neeson an "extremely talented actor" is dubious anyway, but a talented voice actor he's not.

Compare it to Stewart. His first game voice acting work was back in 1994, and he's done at least a dozen games since. That's a professional voice actor. It doesn't matter that he also does tv, film and stage, he's a pro.

Neeson? Neeson has done Batman Begins and Lego Starwars, pretty recently. He's been openly mocked before for not acting with his voice, and was probably not selected on talent but on reliance of Bethesda on the warmness of his voice. But a professional voice actor? He's not.

Now, if you can get a mediocre performance from a pro like Stewart, think of how badly you can mess up with an amateur like Neeson.

I'm positive I've heard some good narration from him in a documentary or something, but I'll be buggered if I can remember what. Schindler's List, Michael Collins, and Kinsey (not to mention Darkman!) have convinced me of his acting talent, but if you disagree that's fine. I haven't ever seen him critically mocked anywhere for "not acting with his voice", so I can't comment on that other than to say I like his voice, and he does good things with it in his movie roles.

An aside: I don't remember hearing that Sean Bean was a voice actor in Oblivion, was he really as bad as Patrick Stewart?

 

[4too]

Pecuniary Fusion

Pecuniary Fusion


@ Welsh

Hey bud-

Politics is merely business by other means.

Crony capitalism, The United Snakes Of Halliburton!

Pecuniary power. The means of exchange. As hilariously 'faith based' as some reputed hard sciences.
Don't have to live, and pray, in Utah to believe in 'cold fusion'.
If feeling partial to a passive web wait for u-toob presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q
or, read the musical lyrics here:

Money, Money

from the musical: Cabaret

Money makes the world go around,
the world go around, the world go around,
Money makes the world go around,
it makes the world go round.

A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound,
a buck or a pound, a buck or a pound,
Is all that makes the world go around,
that clinking clanking sound,
Can make the world go round.

If you happen to be rich, and you feel like a night's entertainment,
You can pay for a gay escapade.
If you happen to be rich, and alone and you need a companion,
You can ring ting-a-ling for the maid.
If you happen to be rich and you find you are left by your lover,
Tho you moan and you groan quite a lot,
You can take it on the chin,
call a cab and begin to recover on your fourteen carat yacht.

Money makes the world go around,
the world go around, the world go around,
Money makes the world go around,
of that we both are sure.
(Raspberry) On being poor.

When you haven't any coal in the stove and you freeze in the winter
And you curse to the wind at your fate.
When you haven't any shoes on your feet and your coat's thin as paper
And you look thirty pounds underweight,
When you go to get a word of advice from the fat little pastor,
he will tell you to love evermore.
But when hunger comes to rap, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, at the window
See how love flies out the door.

For money makes the world go around, the world go around,
the world go around.
Money makes the world go around,
the clinking, clanking sound
of Money, money, money, money,
Money, money, money, money,
Get a little, get a little,
Money, money, money, money,
Mark, a yen, a buck or a pound,
That clinking, clanking clunking sound
is all that makes the world go round,
It makes the world go round.

.........

Now remember,
look both ways before crossing,
close match cover before striking,
watch carefully as the three monte's shuffle,
nothing up my sleeve,
and
the check is , always, in the mail.



4too

 

[Phil the Nuka-Cola Dude]

Re: Pecuniary Fusion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q

Man, Liza was HOT.

 

[Sander]

As for journalists getting involved in the dispute, I think they do it because they're, well, journalists. If there was a vocal, negative grassroots campaign leveled at a highly-anticipated Triple A title, why shouldn't journalists comment on that, and either confirm or assuage fears based on their own impressions? It's (to an extent) the same as every journalist mentioning Grand Theft Auto's political controversy when talking about it, because it's a big issue related to the game that readers probably want to hear about. I don't see the point in ignoring the elephant in the room with Fallout 3.

Journalists are supposed to be reporting on issues, they shouldn't be picking sides and defending one side over the other.

 

[Brother None]

Intentional misread? Or I just read this: "But if there was any area in which Bethesda risks falling down it is this – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion wasn’t a sterling demonstration of voice direction, failing to squeeze anything other than wood from Patrick Stewart or Sean Bean. Liam Neeson’s efforts here also felt a little staid. However wry or smart a script Bethesda produces, it could be jeopardized if the voice-acting doesn’t match its written standard." It's pretty clear he still has doubts as Neeson's efforts "here also felt a little staid". Doesn't sound like he's talking about a previous viewing of the game to me.

Nice second intentional misread. Keep this up and I'm going to start thinking you're trolling.

Here's what you said:
Even though the journalist expressed very clear doubts about them maintaining a high standard of writing throughout the game

Here's what the preview said:
While its combat credentials are fairly secure, previous demonstrations have done little to assure us that the writing is also up to the standard of previous Fallout games.

Now you're pretending that when you said "maintain a high standard of writing", you were talking about voice acting?

Yeah.

Not buying.

As for journalists getting involved in the dispute, I think they do it because they're, well, journalists.

Tell me, what do you always hear from other journalists if Clinton and Obama have a debate and one or more of the panel clearly pick a side?

Right.

That it's not their job to pick sides.

It's their job to highlight the debate and show the arguments from both sides. It's not their job to pick sides. In fact, picking sides is antagonistic of journalism.

Schindler's List, Michael Collins, and Kinsey (not to mention Darkman!) have convinced me of his acting talent, but if you disagree that's fine.

Well, it has more to do with how I consider actors than Mr Neeson's talents. I always consider character actors inferior to actors with a wide scale. I consider Liam Neeson inferior to Bob Hoskins the same way I consider Morgan Freeman inferior to Leonardo DiCaprio. In these cases, the former are character actors with lots of screen presence, the latter have range.

That doesn't really reflect on how good they are in their roles, though. Cast Liam Neeson or Morgan Freeman in the right kind of role and they can blast the likes of Hoskins and DiCaprio of the screen. It's just that "the right kind of role" is kind of narrow.

But I would think Neeson would fit the role of charming, trustworthy old dad just fine.

I haven't ever seen him critically mocked anywhere for "not acting with his voice", so I can't comment on that other than to say I like his voice, and he does good things with it in his movie roles.

I like his voice too. But he doesn't act with it.

An aside: I don't remember hearing that Sean Bean was a voice actor in Oblivion, was he really as bad as Patrick Stewart?

No. Though not really good either. But better. In my opinion.

 

[terebikun]

Nice second intentional misread. Keep this up and I'm going to start thinking you're trolling.

Here's what you said:
Even though the journalist expressed very clear doubts about them maintaining a high standard of writing throughout the game

Here's what the preview said:
While its combat credentials are fairly secure, previous demonstrations have done little to assure us that the writing is also up to the standard of previous Fallout games.

Now you're pretending that when you said "maintain a high standard of writing", you were talking about voice acting?

Yeah.

Not buying.

Pretending nothing, I thought by "dialogue credentials" you were referring to the voice acting. A mistake as honest as they come.

Well, it has more to do with how I consider actors than Mr Neeson's talents. I always consider character actors inferior to actors with a wide scale. I consider Liam Neeson inferior to Bob Hoskins the same way I consider Morgan Freeman inferior to Leonardo DiCaprio. In these cases, the former are character actors with lots of screen presence, the latter have range.

I can definitely agree with you here, it's the same reason I get really tired of Denzel Washington, and to an extent Jodie Foster. They're great actors, but it's the same character over and over.

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

4too vs blargh, who would win?