Getting Chatty With Dragon Age

[Logan Westbrook]

Getting Chatty With Dragon Age

Guess how many voice actors there are in Dragon Age: Origins? No really, guess! Come on! Guess!

If I asked you to guess how many voice actors there are in Dragon Age: Origins, you'd probably assume I was trying to impress you with some random tidbit of gaming trivia, but what if Bioware asked you to guess, what then? Well, that's exactly what they did via Twitter [http://twitter.com/dragonage], with the closest guess winning a Dragon Age t-shirt.

It turns out that there are 144 voice actors in Dragon Age and two lucky tweeters who guessed 142 are going to be receiving some special apparel, but leaving t-shirts behind for a second, 144 voice actors?

That's a pretty big number, and although most of them are probably just extras, it looks like we might have a real epic RPG on our hands, or at least a very chatty one, which is something of a relief after some recent big-name RPGs came under fire for the repetitive nature of their voice acting.

Bioware have always done pretty well in the voice department though, so expect some decent performances. I'm willing to put odds on Jennifer Hale turning up in Dragon Age and maybe Raphael Sbarge and Grey DeLisle as well.

I'll give you two-to-one. Anyone?

Source: Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/02/dragon-age-origins-voice-over-cast-144-strong/]



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[Labyrinth]

The question here is whether they've got quality as well as quantity. Not just on the actors, but on the material they work with.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

The question here is whether they've got quality as well as quantity. Not just on the actors, but on the material they work with.

Bioware tends to write good dialog, if I recall correctly.

Anyway, that is a ridiculous number of voice actors, but that can only mean good things.

Also, "but what if Bioware asked yuou to guess,"

Yuou is a special industry word. It means 'you'.

Stupid spell checker.

 

[Rhayn]

The question here is whether they've got quality as well as quantity. Not just on the actors, but on the material they work with.

Bioware tends to write good dialog, if I recall correctly.

Certainly. I can't remember much about the older games, but at least Mass Effect was better than most games.

On topic though, I do hope they get Jennifer Hale. For some reason I do quite like whatever character she voices.

 

[9of9]

So many voice actors, yet no love for the protagonist?

Going back to 'imagining' your own speech answers is going to be hard, after getting spoiled by Mass Effect.

 

[chimmers]

leaving t-shits behind for a second, 144 voice actors?

Hehe...shit

Sorry. On topic that is quite impressive. Hope they got varied dialogue also, and not just all say the same few lines in different voices

 

[Logan Westbrook]

leaving t-shits behind for a second, 144 voice actors?

Hehe...shit

Sorry. On topic that is quite impressive. Hope they got varied dialogue also, and not just all say the same few lines in different voices

Urrrrnh, epic fail for my proof-reading skills today. Fixed.

 

[Lukeje]

If asked you to guess how many voice actors there are in Dragon Age: Origins, you'd probably assume I was trying to impress you with some random tidbit of gaming trivia, but what if Bioware asked you to guess, what then?

"If asked you"? I'm presuming there's supposed to be an 'I' in there somewhere...

Anyway, 144? That seems... a lot.

 

[Baneat]

I guessed 1000, how many are in oblivion?

 

[Avatar Roku]

Bioware have always done pretty well in the voice department though, so expect some decent performances. I'm willing to put odds on Jennifer Hale turning up in Dragon Age and maybe Raphael Sbarge and Grey DeLisle as well.

Oh, I hope so. Jennifer Hale is my favorite VA, and despite him voicing my lest favorite character in Mass Effect, I like Sbarge as well. Don't know who DeLisle is, but chances are I've heard him and don't recognize his name. Who has he played in past Bioware games?

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Bioware have always done pretty well in the voice department though, so expect some decent performances. I'm willing to put odds on Jennifer Hale turning up in Dragon Age and maybe Raphael Sbarge and Grey DeLisle as well.

Oh, I hope so. Jennifer Hale is my favorite VA, and despite him voicing my lest favorite character in Mass Effect, I like Sbarge as well. Don't know who DeLisle is, but chances are I've heard him and don't recognize his name. Who has he played in past Bioware games?

She played Brianna the Handmaiden in KotOR II (yes, I know that was Obsidian), as well as Nalia and Viconia in Baldur's Gate and additional voices in KotOR I and Mass Effect.

She's been in plenty of other stuff as well, like Doom 3 (she was the computer voice) and Vampire: Bloodlines (Therese and Jeanette) and a load of cartoons.

 

[Hippobatman]

I guessed 1000, how many are in oblivion?

2,5. One woman, one man and half a crazy beggar lady.

 

[Avatar Roku]

Bioware have always done pretty well in the voice department though, so expect some decent performances. I'm willing to put odds on Jennifer Hale turning up in Dragon Age and maybe Raphael Sbarge and Grey DeLisle as well.

Oh, I hope so. Jennifer Hale is my favorite VA, and despite him voicing my lest favorite character in Mass Effect, I like Sbarge as well. Don't know who DeLisle is, but chances are I've heard him and don't recognize his name. Who has he played in past Bioware games?

She played Brianna the Handmaiden in KotOR II (yes, I know that was Obsidian), as well as Nalia and Viconia in Baldur's Gate and additional voices in KotOR I and Mass Effect.

She's been in plenty of other stuff as well, like Doom 3 (she was the computer voice) and Vampire: Bloodlines (Therese and Jeanette) and a load of cartoons.

Oh. Well how am I supposed to know that Grey is a girl's name? But yeah, now I know who you mean, it would be pretty cool if she was there.

 

[antipunt]

144 voice actors?

holeigh shit (epic awesomeness). I loved Oblivion, but it would've been -so much better- if it had 144 voice actors...

 

[Pasta Lamp]

I guessed 1000, how many are in oblivion?

Oblivion had 14 VAs. 3 of those were related only to the main quest though.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462271/fullcredits

 

[Dectilon]

This might be a good thing, but if they aren't planning on doing group recording sessions then they might as well have stuck with 10-15.

 

[Abedeus]

Whoah. CD Projekt is probably doing the translation... This might be the hardest thing they have done since Baldur's Gate.

 

[RebelRising]

Oh yeah, this is awesome! As orannis said, I hope Jennifer Hale is there, but the one I'm really holding out for is Fred Tatasciore, after hearing him as Saren in Mass Effect, and as Iron Soldier in Jade Empire, then finding out he voiced Ivan the Terrible in Age of Empires III, he's my new favorite voice actor.

I would like for Brandon Keener to be in it, but seeing as how he doesn't seem to be a Bioware regular, I'm not getting my hopes up.