Roger Craig "Consoles" Smith new voice of Sonic & The God Damn Batman!

[sonfan1984]

And?

SA2 was Humphrey's first time with Shadow, yet he still sounds fine. Same with Griffith's Shadow in Shadow the Hedgehog.

SA2 is also Shadow's first appearance and we didn't have other actors to compare it to at that time so we just accept that it fits the character. Also, I thought Griffith's Shadow in Shadow the Hedgehog makes him sound boring plus some of the acting in that game is very questionable (back then I've never poked fun at the way Jason portrayed Shadow even when the fans of the original actors was hating on him).

So I'm willing to give Kirk Thornton a chance the same way I gave Jason Griffith a chance.

Edited December 17, 2011 by candied sugar plum1984

[Shane]

Griffith's Shadow sounded like a poor man's Solid Snake. It was very generic and had that "forced darkness" thing they seem to be doing with Shadow nowadays.

David Humphrey gave Shadow a cocky attitude. He sounded like "dark Sonic" rather than "emo anime guy #8472" in my opinion.

[Your Vest Friend]

EDIT: IN sa2, I dunno, Shadow sounds like he isn't putting emotion where he should at places. He also put words to close together when talking... ("There'sno reason formeto help them.") Even though his issues were minor, he still had problems.

This I actually agree with, albeit more critically.

In fact, when I played it again a couple of months ago, I think my first thought was "Oh God ALL of this voice acting is shit", so it wasn't exclusive to David, to be fair.

Edited December 17, 2011 by VEDJ-F

[Space☆Tomoki]

I don't know why everyone is debating over this shit. Everyone has their own personal opinions and blah blah blah. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of any of the English voice casts. Most of them just don't sound right to me. (Though I do love Mike Pollock's portrayal of Dr. Eggman) Hence why I just tend to play these games in Japanese when given the option. Strangely enough, Sonic games are the only thing I prefer in Japanese over English.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Winter-Man Noir

[Kuzu]

Kirk Thornton could be an amazing Shadow. He's done characters like this before, and did a great job (Samurai Champloo and Gungrave come to mind, though I guess you can count Rurouni Kenshin too though Saito isn't anything like Shadow), but they're making him give this raspy voice that's making him seem like he's trying too hard to be mysterious. >> They need to stop that.

[Ryusuke]

I can argue that you're wrong ya know.

...ok, so he is pretty similar. But, still...Kirk Thornton could pull off a good Shadow with the right direction. >>

[VO.SUPER]

You know, I don't think I care for any of the Shadows except for Griffith in ShtG. In almost every other game, I've read Shadow's words and always expect him to sound... suave. In my mind I've always imagined him as a guy with a snake's tongue and a controlled but slightly deep tone. I blame the dialogue.

Also, I have a question. Has anyone ever heard Mike Pollock do a sinister sounding Robotnik? Now don't get me wrong, I really love his acting. He really has a lot of life in his role, but I have a hard time imagining him pulling off a deathly serious sounding Robotnik role. And it's not like Robotnik hasn't been super serious. Deem Bristow definitely had a lot of power in his voice when he tried to make Robotnik sound threatening.

[Space☆Tomoki]

Also, I have a question. Has anyone ever heard Mike Pollock do a sinister sounding Robotnik? Now don't get me wrong, I really love his acting. He really has a lot of life in his role, but I have a hard time imagining him pulling off a deathly serious sounding Robotnik role. And it's not like Robotnik hasn't been super serious. Deem Bristow definitely had a lot of power in his voice when he tried to make Robotnik sound threatening.

In ShtH and Sonic 06, I guess? That's the closest you'll probably get.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Winter-Man Noir

[Kuzu]

...ok, so he is pretty similar. But, still...Kirk Thornton could pull off a good Shadow with the right direction. >>

No doubt, dude has range. Its funny because I remember watching Rurouni Kenshin after the voice switch and thinking what coincidence it was.

[VO.SUPER]

In ShtH and Sonic 06, I guess? That's the closest you'll probably get.

You know, I listened him voice the role in those games, but I really didn't... feel for him there in terms of seriousness. In '06 he sounded really addled. He didn't have a menace to him, just some sort of... dryness. In Shth he was really cocky, which is really what I come to expect of him.

[Space☆Tomoki]

You know, I listened him voice the role in those games, but I really didn't... feel for him there in terms of seriousness. In '06 he sounded really addled. He didn't have a menace to him, just some sort of... dryness. In Shth he was really cocky, which is really what I come to expect of him.

Then I guess he's never really been "sinister". Honestly, Eggman was never originally meant to be sinister; that's just something they did in the Adventure Series and ever since they've had him slowly revert to his more whimsical and silly original personality ever since.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Winter-Man Noir

[VO.SUPER]

Then I guess he's never really been "sinister". Honestly, Eggman was never originally meant to be sinister; that's just something they did in the Adventure Series and ever since they've had him slowly revert to his more whimsical and silly original personality ever since.

Well, it's not that Eggman can't be sinister or menacing. He's just mostly over the top villainy, but I expect him to have some threatening part to him that just catches a person off guard. Kind of like Sonic CD when you look at his bad futures.

[Space☆Tomoki]

Well, it's not that Eggman can't be sinister or menacing. He's just mostly over the top villainy, but I expect him to have some threatening part to him that just catches a person off guard. Kind of like Sonic CD when you look at his bad futures.

True, he's supposed to be silly and whimsical, but he's also crazy awesome and menacing. He's shown to be a real threat even when he isn't "sinister" as CD, Unleashed, and Generations prove.

[Solly]

And?

SA2 was Humphrey's first time with Shadow, yet he still sounds fine. Same with Griffith's Shadow in Shadow the Hedgehog.

I won't count Sonic X since the voice direction is completely different.

The Sonic X voice cast was instructed use the game voices as a basis for the voices of the show. Even if the direction was a bit different(and I'm sure it was) they were still trying to sound a certain way.

But no matter what the direction, a voice always develops on its own. In Sonic X, Shadow sounded a lot more like Sonic for a couple of episodes. Whether or not this was unintentional or because the character was perceived as being a sort of 'evil Sonic' I can't say, but the point is that the actor started playing him, did his own thing for a while, and eventually stuck with what worked. This is just something that happens and you can't really dismiss it happening here.

Not that I really have a problem with Shadow's current voice. His dialogue for both read and unread lines makes him sound really SNOBBY, and I think the voice actor actually makes that come across pretty well, even it sounds a tad awkward at times.

[Space☆Tomoki]

I know I'm the minority, but even after Sonic Generations I still really dislike Roger as Sonic. He's really my only issue at this point. His delivery is just flat out painful.

I agree. The way he emotes for the character just comes off as awkward to me at times. For example, in Colors, in the cutscene where Tails gets hit by Eggman's mind control beam, the way Roger says "What have you done to him!?" comes off as just plain painful. In Generations, he doesn't really emote much, and when he does, his voice gets higher pitched and comes off as corny. However, Roger's not my only problem with this cast; I strongly dislike the new voices of Amy, Shadow, and Jet as well. Good thing there's a Japanese voice option in both Colors and Generations.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Winter-Man Noir

[sonfan1984]

For example, in Colors, in the cutscene where Tails gets hit by Eggman's mind control beam, the way Roger says "What have you done to him!?" comes off as just plain painful.

That line makes Sonic sounds like he's actually mad to me. :\

I don't see any of the lines in Colors being forced or painfully delivered except for some of the dialogue that they have to say but I won't get into that.

Edited December 18, 2011 by candied sugar plum1984

[Blue Blood]

I can get on board with the notion that some people may not like Roger's voice (even if I personally disagree), but his acting? He's brilliant, 100% of the time. Neither Drummond or Griffith ever managed to inject that much personality into his character.

[Kuzu]

^^Yeah, I'm going with them on this one. Roger's delivery of his lines is by the best of any previous voice actor, it took Griffith till the end of his run as Sonic to finally get that emotion right, and Drummond never really had it to be honest, the way Roger makes Sonic act it just perfect; You can tell when he's being cocky, when he's mad, or when he's just happy you can really feel like Sonic's a character with a voice, rather than a voice actor voicing him that way.

I wish I can judge everyone else, but they really haven't had any dialogue for me to judge on, but based on the little we got from Generations I may as well give my thoughts.

Sonic, Tails, and Eggman are golden as they were in Colors, no complaints here.

Knuckles still sounds like Dan Green, but with far better delivery.

Amy is much more tolerable than in Free Riders, might be because she's not a psychobitch in this game.

Shadow didn't get much talking, but....his one line is still pretty meh.

Rouge still sounds better than ever.

Cream sounds cute, but not in the "Want to punch babies" way.

Blaze is pretty decent

Silver sounds ok

Vector I wish was a bit more deeper but passable.

Espio sounds....different, not bad, just different.

Charmy is pretty much spot on.

[Ryusuke]

I've sort of accepted the fact that Roger's voice isn't something everyone will accept. Honestly, SEGA's direction of making him sound 20 (...though he sounds younger than that to me, he just sounds like a deep voiced teenager) is ridiculous. Whoever heard of an icon aging? Are we going to hear Mickey Mouse sound old and decrepit now?

With that said, it's at a level where it doesn't bother me. The voice has a ton of personality and energy to it. It's the first time, in English, that I actually feel that was Sonic speaking and not some guy behind the mic like with any of the previous actors were trying to do. His acting just feels so honest. He has so much fun with the dialogue (despite some lines being pretty cringeworthy) and the last time I even got that feeling was Jaleel White. So I didn't mind he is deep at all. In fact, he kinda sounds like Kanemaru if he were a bit deeper. But, yeah...that said, I'm glad we got a competent actor for once on Sonic. It's not the voice that everyone will accept. But, for what's there, I really enjoy it.

Now as for everyone else. Travis Willingham is basically Dan Green with better delivery. I wish he did his own take on it, but whatever. Cindy Robinson improved as Amy, but she still hits that Minnie Mouse level and it does sound pretty grating. Quinton Flynn is SO much easier on the ears as Silver than Pete Capella. Vector still sounds like a Muppet...granted he has better delivery now, but still. He sounds like a Muppet. I like Muppet voices, just not for this character. Charmy is not annoying anymore. Shadow needs to stop trying to hard to be mysterious. Espio is...well, Espio. I think the new Blaze makes her sound a bit too pompous. Cream actually sounds cute. Rouge is seductive without being gross. And Eggman is amazing.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Ryusuke

[Neon]

I find it funny that Vector has the least masculine voice when compared to all the other male characters. Even Tails and Charmy sound somewhat more masculine.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Neon

[Xenos]

I find it funny that Vector has the least masculine voice when compared to all the other male characters. Even Tails and Charmy sound somewhat more masculine.

I don't mind that too much. But I need to ask a SEGA employee about who is the Voice Director of the English cast, because some of these choices are questionable...

[VO.SUPER]

I don't mind that too much. But I need to ask a SEGA employee about who is the Voice Director of the English cast, because some of these choices are questionable...

I think the voice directors are actually the Japanese directors. That's what I read before at least. If this is still true for Sonic games, then that is flawed direction.

[Ryusuke]

I don't mind that too much. But I need to ask a SEGA employee about who is the Voice Director of the English cast, because some of these choices are questionable...

From what I got from Roger's interview, it's actually a client from SEGA that told them where their voices should be when they were casting. Jack Fletcher just directs their acting, if it's anything like the mainstream Final Fantasy (X, XII, XIII, XIII-2) games, Valkyria Chronicles or Princess Mononoke or something.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Ryusuke

[Space☆Tomoki]

That line makes Sonic sounds like he's actually mad to me. :\

I don't see any of the lines in Colors being forced or painfully delivered except for some of the dialogue that they have to say but I won't get into that.

You have your opinions, I have mine.

[Scar]

I love Roger's portrayal.

Ryan Drummond, was a truely terrible actor. His deliveries went from laughable (SA1) to tolerable (SA2) to beyond ridiculous (Heroes).

Griffith was a better actor, but his deliveries were very inconsistant, even within the same scenes and dialogue trees. Of course he grew into the role by Black Knight, where his deliveries were generally more consistant.

Roger is the only actor who has had consistant deliveries with his lines from the start and the acting talent to back him up.

Looking at it from a point, where I have no nostalgia towards any older actor, I cannot see how people think its worse, but I guess thats just an opinion. However, that wouldn't stop me from arguing that nostalgia and attachment to a particular sound may be the deciding factor on how an individual views an actors performance, and I will stand by that observation.