Infamous 2 (2011)

[Just Jeans]

It's a couple of months old, this news, but I don't recall seeing it prior to now.

Cole being recast for Infamous 2? (http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/699926/sucker-punch-auditioning-for-infamous-2-possibly-recasting-main-character.html)

Both Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch have shed their mascot platforming pasts in the PlayStation 3 generation. The latter's hero (or anti-hero, if you choose) adventure, inFamous, struck a chord with gamers earlier this year and Sucker Punch appears keen to move forward on inFamous 2…but apparently Sucker Punch is recasting its main character, Cole McGrath, in the process.

"First voiceover/motion capture audition today for a video game," said actor David Sullivan over Twitter this morning. "Re-casting of Cole in the sequel of Infamous. 'I'll melt your face.' e.g"

Cole was previously voiced by actor Jason Cottle. According to Cottle's IMDB profile, he is currently not working on anything else at the moment. His last project is listed as inFamous.

Sullivan is probably best known for starring in the indie time track flick Primer (which comes highly recommended if you're interested in a realistic take on the pitfalls of time travel). He asked for advice from his Twitter followers, including actress Yvette Nicole Brown, who voiced Moya in the first game. It's unclear if she's returning in inFamous 2.

"You would be AWESOME as 'Cole'!" she told Sullivan. "Go BOOK it, buddy! :)"

According to Sullivan's Twitter timeline, he should actually be at the audition right now. I've reached out to Sony regarding Sullivan's comments, but do not expect much of an answer.

Thanks to reader William Goodman for the tip.

Update 1:26 PM PST: Sony has responded to our requests for comment, but as expected, the company isn't saying much. "We have made no announcements in regards to the inFamous franchise," said a Sony spokesperson.

Not sure I'm keen on them recasting Cole, unless they're doing it for storyline purposes. I like the guy who voiced him in the first game.

[The Taff]

I have the same problem with the guy that I have with David Hayter's Solid Snake: He sounds like he's TRYING to be badass rather than just is, which makes it hard for me to take him seriously. The guy who voiced Cole in the last game sounded like he had been gurgling gasoline and gravel for a week. It just doesn't sound natural at all and in the end comes off like colby cheese.

[Just Jeans]

When I first played Infamous and Prototype, I felt like the voices were reversed: I thought Alex should have Cole's voice and Cole should have Alex's voice. But I've grown fond of Cole's voice over time.

Cole's definitely got some gravel lodged in his throat, but he's pretty tame compared to Bale's Batman and Haley's Rorschach.

As for Snake, he wasn't so gravelly in the first game, that seems to have developed later, and it didn't get real bad until Metal Gear Solid 4 (with sudden age comes dry throat, I suppose).

[The Taff]

Or he smokes too much. Either way, David Hayter's performance comes off forced and hammy. Most of the actors in MGS games come off like grated cheddar. inFAMOUS atleast has some convincing characters in there.

On the flip side, you have people like Kieth David, Ron Pearlman, Kevin Conroy and Michael Ironside who don't come off forced at all, but never the less sound like unmitigated badasses.

[Just Jeans]

I thought Pearlman took the money and ran like a thief when he did Fallout 3 -- just like Sean Bean when he worked on The Elder Scrolls IV -- but to be fair, it was a really small part. That's the only video game I've ever heard Pearlman work on.

[The Taff]

I thought Pearlman took the money and ran like a thief when he did Fallout 3 -- just like Sean Bean when he worked on The Elder Scrolls IV -- but to be fair, it was a really small part. That's the only video game I've ever heard Pearlman work on.

Pearlman has done the prologue and epilogue narrative to every Fallout game.

I'de also doubt it. I seem to recall that you've played Halo 2, so I'll let you figure out who Pearlman voices in that game.

[Just Jeans]

It's been years since I played Fallout 2, and I've never been able to install the original (it didn't like Windows XP, and I've never tried installing it on Windows 7). Hope those narrations are better on the previous games, coz Pearlman's on a trip to Phone In City in Fallout 3. It's the blandest performance I've ever heard off the guy. I'd rather he ham it up Gary Oldman-style than sound monumentally bored.

[The Taff]

It's been years since I played Fallout 2, and I've never been able to install the original (it didn't like Windows XP, and I've never tried installing it on Windows 7). Hope those narrations are better on the previous games, coz Pearlman's on a trip to Phone In City in Fallout 3. It's the blandest performance I've ever heard off the guy. I'd rather he ham it up Gary Oldman-style than sound monumentally bored.

I'm not expecting him to "ham it up" when giving a narrative. Given the context of his role, he's there to set up and close the game like a narrator for the History Channel, not to dance like a fucking chimp.

[FinalBeyond]

Anything that gets someone who worked on Primer more work is fine by me. It's the most mind-boggling film I've ever seen. I still don't fully understand it, but I'm sure that it does make perfect sense.

As for the MGS cast, they're superb. Sure, there's hammy bits. And cheesy bits. But people like ham and cheese. They taste good! The MGS cast work perfectly for what they are. I can believe Hayter just as much as I can believe Perlman or Conroy. I could compliment the whole MGS cast, but of particular note is Jennifer Hale. She is undoubtedly one of the best voice actresses around. Listen to her as Naomi in MGS1, and as Shepard in Mass Effect. Astonishing range, and always believable. (By contrast, I'm really not a fan of the male Shepard voice. He talks incredibly quickly with no emotion.)

I've got no problems with Perlman, either.

[Just Jeans]

I think Metal Gear Solid 4 has an extremely strong set of performers. The storyline is unashamedly melodramatic, so it's not surprising the game is filled with ham. It services the story, and it works (unless you're just not into melodrama, in which case I can see why it wouldn't appeal). I've heard a number of the cast members on other projects, and they're just superb performers.

Atlus has started to nab some quality performers over the last couple of years as well. With the exception of one or two sore thumbs, Persona 3 and Persona 4 have exceptionally good voice casts.

Speaking of Jennifer Hale, she was pretty good in Brutal Legend. Apart from a passing familiarity, I didn't even recognize her at first. I had to look the character up to figure out who played her. She was also really good in the Cowboy Bebop film. I sort of hope they get her to play a character in the upcoming Trigun film.

[Just Jeans]

Infamous 2 lands in 2011, and with a fresh new coat of paint (http://moviestinger.com/high-quality-infamous-2-scans-from-july-game-informer/).

Here they are, all 10 pages from the July edition of Game Informer giving a first look at inFamous 2 with images showing off Cole MacGrath’s new look, new weapons, new powers and new locations. After the huge success of the first game, Sucker Punch has big plans for the sequel which includes some big changes that might upset fans of the original.

The first and most noticeable change is to the hero/villain (depending how you played the original) Cole MacGrath. No longer rocking the shaved head and generic look, Cole now has a more distinct look that Sucker Punch explains will allow them to “get more out of him” by making Cole more appealing and compelling as a main character.

Another big change from the original is the location; GI explains that from the very start Cole will have to escape Empire City and make his way to a new location called “New Marais”, which is inspired by New Orleans with more diverse environments than the first game.

With all the obvious big changes, there are still some mysteries left unanswered by Sucker Punch. While Cole is shown wielding new melee weapons charged with electricity and is supposed to be getting upgraded versions of his previous powers, there is some speculation that Cole’s powers will no longer be limited to electricity and might expand into other elemental abilities such as ice.

Game director Nathan Fox even hinted at the idea of multiplayer when asked about the possibility of the feature being present in the sequel:

“I can tell you that this is a super-exciting time for the Playstation 3, and there’s a lot of cool stuff afoot. We’re not really divulging any details, but we’re excited by all of the traction other products have made to provide a foundation for us.”

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/1464Infamous.jpg



Personally, I fall on the side of the line that likes the redesign. I'd prefer if they keep the stylized comic book cut scenes, but I prefer the more realistic, less GTA-look of the characters and city.

Based on the information in the Game Informer article, this looks like it will be a major improvement on the previous game. Can't wait to play it.

[Just Jeans]

Blessedly, Sucker Punch has restored Cole to his former glory (http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/08/18/sucker-punch-talks-cole-s-re-redesign-in-infamous-2-and-sly-hd.aspx).

Very rarely does a developer take community feedback about character design to heart and quickly turn around a new look in a matter of months. Sucker Punch did just that after it debuted Cole’s redesign for Infamous 2 at E3. Find out why this led to another revamping of the character’s look and what the developer thinks of the remastered Sly Collection.

Sucker Punch’s Bruce Oberg gave a demo featuring the new new Cole and explained the changes:

“We got a lot of feedback from people after E3 that they didn’t like the new Cole design that we had made. Frankly, we were really surprised that people were so passionate about the old Cole. We didn’t realize there was quite so much love for him. So we’ve kind of gone back with the design for Cole that we’re rolling out here at Gamescom. He looks more like the Cole from Infamous 1. He’s not exactly the same. He’s in a new city, New Marias. It’s like New Orleans, a southern hot and humid city, so Cole is more lightly dressed. He has a t-shirt instead of the leather jacket that he wore in Infamous. He has lighter-on-his-feet clothes meant for climbing around in a hotter environment. We’re not releasing until 2011 so there still may be tweaks to it, but we’re pretty happy with the new Cole and people we’ve shown it to seem to be happy as well.”

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/cole600.jpg

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/JeansieWho/screen_and_depth_02.jpg

Really happy about this, although I do sort of hope they'll go back and recast the voice actor too. I've seen a couple of trailers, and altogether I'm not really digging the new guy.