Original Silent Hill 2 Voice Actor Speaks Out About HD Remake

[Casual Shinji]

What more can I say about this subject but; I'm glad I still have my original copies of SH2 and 3.

The moment heard about new voice actors dubbing it, my interest in the HD release dropped like a sack of puppies. Especially Maria/Mary's new voice is a fucking atrocity.

 

[Brad Shepard]

the only way i will play this is if we get the old voice actors back, i need to play three, but only with the old voices.

 

[TheEsw1989]

I think that it is really dumb that the only thing that people are talking about for this game is that this guy is being "cheated" which makes no sense why he should make more money when he isn't doing any actual work for this game. I am actually happy that konami is cutting this guy out of this game by recasting the voices. It wont sound the same but every time I hear the difference I will smile that a greedy CEO didn't make money for doing nothing and the crap that they modeled James after "Guy" the graphics weren't that good to make that claim if he tries that every middle aged blond guy should line up for a hand out. No silent hill fan should support this "Guy" he is trying to hinder the production of some of our favorite games.

 

[TheEsw1989]

Of course they would like to get the original voice actors back but that would cost a lot and the only people that will be upset enough not to buy the game because of it are the silent hill baby ****H fan boys which I think are the worst fan boys of the gaming community right in front of final fantasy fan boys. I am happy they are doing a remake because I personal would like to play silent hill 3 on the 360. I will buy this game to support silent hill and konami to see more silent hill games.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Reading Guy Cihi's open letter to Konami (link below), I can see that he's a pretty decent guy. He really seems to care about the spirit of Silent Hill 2 and not just making money. He's even said that Konami can simply have the rights to his voice performance just so they can make the game complete for fans. What a guy.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/guy-c...i-digital-entertainment-inc/10150291872944259

Oh yes, he definitely cares about this game! He even did a voiceover for a fanfic of Silent Hill 2. Definitely a great guy!

Spoiler

About 1:40 in

Sooo...those voices. I don't mind the new James so much. Yeah, I prefer the old one, but the new James is the least offensive of the bunch, which isn't really saying a whole lot. Mary/Maria on the other hand...urgh. Ok guys, pay close attention to the scene in the jail cell. Now note how Maria's voice changes to Mary's in her second line ("I am - if you want me to be"). This is subtle foreshadowing, and completely absent in the new version.
Eddy sounds like a drunk, not the traumatized little psychopath that suddenly snapped. This one is just bad - not the missing-the-point-entirely bad of Mary/Maria, just bad.

I do, however, like the idea of having two voice tracks for the game, the original, and the new voices.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

I think that it is really dumb that the only thing that people are talking about for this game is that this guy is being "cheated" which makes no sense why he should make more money when he isn't doing any actual work for this game. I am actually happy that konami is cutting this guy out of this game by recasting the voices. It wont sound the same but every time I hear the difference I will smile that a greedy CEO didn't make money for doing nothing and the crap that they modeled James after "Guy" the graphics weren't that good to make that claim if he tries that every middle aged blond guy should line up for a hand out. No silent hill fan should support this "Guy" he is trying to hinder the production of some of our favorite games.

You did read the article, yes? He's letting Konami use his previous recordings free of charge, provided they get included. So how pray tell he being greedy, or a hindrance to production in any way?

 

[Sampler]

Maybe if you type Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start at the menu screen it will unlock the original voices? That would be awesome, like retro retro

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Oh yes, he definitely cares about this game! He even did a voiceover for a fanfic of Silent Hill 2. Definitely a great guy!

Sooo...those voices. I don't mind the new James so much. Yeah, I prefer the old one, but the new James is the least offensive of the bunch, which isn't really saying a whole lot. Mary/Maria on the other hand...urgh. Ok guys, pay close attention to the scene in the jail cell. Now note how Maria's voice changes to Mary's in her second line ("I am - if you want me to be"). This is subtle foreshadowing, and completely absent in the new version.
Eddy sounds like a drunk, not the traumatized little psychopath that suddenly snapped. This one is just bad - not the missing-the-point-entirely bad of Mary/Maria, just bad.

I do, however, like the idea of having two voice tracks for the game, the original, and the new voices.

Wow, thanks for sharing the link!

I'm with you on James voice actually. Oddly enough he is the one who seems to matter the least out of the new voices. It's a very good match but I still want Guy Cihi back! I said in a previous post pretty much the same thing you just said for Maria and Eddy. Based on the preview alone, I dread to think just what they have done to Angela and Laura.

Of course they would like to get the original voice actors back but that would cost a lot and the only people that will be upset enough not to buy the game because of it are the silent hill baby ****H fan boys which I think are the worst fan boys of the gaming community right in front of final fantasy fan boys. I am happy they are doing a remake because I personal would like to play silent hill 3 on the 360. I will buy this game to support silent hill and konami to see more silent hill games.

It's not a case of getting the original voice actors back to re-record the voices, Konami already have the recordings. All they have to do is bother to seek permissions to use them. Guy Cihi has given his consent for free so they can at least use his voice. This is a minimal effort approach and after Guy Cihi's generous offer, the others might follow suit and release their voices for free.

Also, as far as ranting fan boys go, it's not all about simply keeping the game the same as before. As we have seen from the new voice previews, the new actors don't deliver the lines as well as the originals. Considering they are professionals, that's really not a good sign. But as I and thethingthatlurks both pointed out, something as simple as changing Maria's inflection during the jail scene can drastically change the tone of the whole game. And from where I stand, that's a death sentence for a game that is all about symbolism.