Personality Sphere

[Stormy]

This little guy is a fantastic idea. But what the hell is with the voice acting, it is absolutely terrible. I just really hope this is place holder and not final.

 

[Barnz]

It's final.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I'm a bit worried about that too in all honesty. It doesn't seem to fit and seems almost amateur in comparison to all other Valve titles.

The British voice used which has a tinge of south-west England (kind of Exeter way) sounds terrible to me. Perhaps I'm just used to the accent as it isn't a million miles away from me but it just sounds like me narrating or some random guy just talking over the top like some kind of ventriloquist. I'm almost expecting a guy to pop up who is hiding in the map with a microphone in his hand.

I think the personality spheres need some kind of other effect to make them sound more digital and less like actual people. You can tell from the GLaDOS voice...that she is robotic. Wheatley talks to you as if it's Kleiner / Nick / Louis standing in front of you. It doesn't look or feel right.

Valve only show things which are usually complete or certain to be part of the final product. I imagine the voice will stay but I believe they'll make some tweaks to the voice...hopefully with some kind of effects or post processing depending on the environment.

 

[RidleyRockets]

It jumped out at me straight away as odd. The accent and the quality of the acting just seem all wrong.

 

[gusIII]

Where can i hear them?

 

[Acepilotf14]

Valve only show things which are usually complete or certain to be part of the final product. I imagine the voice will stay but I believe they'll make some tweaks to the voice...hopefully with some kind of effects or post processing depending on the environment.

coughE3halflife2cough

 

[Vegeta897]

Valve only show things which are usually complete or certain to be part of the final product.

/looks at e3 2003 videos

Noooo no no no.

 

[Cpt Tenacious]

Video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5THiN8szSKM&feature=player_embedded

 

[Iron Kat]

I liked the idea of the sphere but I, like Glenn, are not keen on the voice. I do like the fact that they use an English voice actor in an American-developed game but it really just doesn't sound right. When I watched the video of the gameplay being shown at E3 I thought it was maybe one of the game developers reading the sphere's lines from a script! i didn't realise that was the actual voice! I think they should've dubbed the voice to make it more robotic-sounding like GLaDOS and the turrets.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

Yeah, I'm on the "what the hell is with the voice" bandwagon.

 

[Barnz]

I think personality cores are supposed to be human-like characters, perhaps they were human once. I believe Cave Johnson's mind transfered into one of them, which is why they hired a voice actor for him.

 

[MFL]

I think the personality spheres need some kind of other effect to make them sound more digital and less like actual people.

You tryin to say robots aren't people too?

 

[Warped]

I could care less, its Portal 2! the game will be balls to the wall fun and comedic

 

[Calhoun]

I quite like the voice they've given the personality sphere companion. Certainly seemed to fit in well to me.

 

[Maestro]

The voice doesn't sound bad to me, it makes him a lot more relatable than if he sounded like a machine. Gives him a "hey buddy, let's you and me get out of here" credibility that a machine-like voice could not have.

 

[Cpt Tenacious]

Hey has more, well, personality than the other robots were used to in Portal.

 

[superluser]

The voice doesn't sound bad to me, it makes him a lot more relatable than if he sounded like a machine. Gives him a "hey buddy, let's you and me get out of here" credibility that a machine-like voice could not have.

Agreed. Sadly, I like the roboticized voices, but it makes it difficult to establish a clear contrast between roboticized foe and friendly ally. This is compounded by the fact that Wheatley's comedy doesn't seem to be the verbal with that we see in GLaDOS, but rather what Fowler would probably characterize as humor (i.e. that which gets the humors moving), which plays to the sympathetic in the province of human nature. It makes sense to humanize such a character as much as possible, especially since this one doesn't seem to be the mere embodiment of part of GLaDOS's personality, but rather a full-fledged, rounded personality in its own right.

 

[Yuri]

What's wrong with the voice acting?

 

[Paulaner]

What's wrong with the voice acting?

This.

 

[Polaris]

I like his voice, it's like from Monty Pythons sketch, some robotic sound processing would be nice though.

 

[Stormy]

Its not so much the voice thats the problem, its the quality of the acting.

It sounds like some teenager who is scaird of crowds reading off a bit of paper at the royal variety show. There is a massive lack of any kind of personality in what its saying, just sounds very monotone and boring.

 

[FISHY CRACKERS]

I love the voice. Don't know what it is, maybe the accent, but i just love it.

 

[superluser]

I'm still trying to place the accent. It doesn't sound Cockney (it could be Cockney with some sort of speech impediment), but it doesn't sound like any of the other major accents that I'm familiar with like Yorkshire or Cornwall.

It most reminds me of that guy from the car wax infomercial who set the car hoods on fire. You can hear him in this story at about 10 minutes, but it's not that, either.

It's the way he pronounces `s' as `th' that throws me.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

What's wrong with the voice acting?

I like his voice, it's like from Monty Pythons sketch, some robotic sound processing would be nice though.

I agree, but if they don't process it, it'll be still be good.

 

[Lizardizzle]

I think personality cores are supposed to be human-like characters, perhaps they were human once. I believe Cave Johnson's mind transfered into one of them, which is why they hired a voice actor for him.

this. I was thinking the same thing on my way home. It'd make sense that the sphere would sound human if it WAS human, technically... Argh, theroys are not my friends.

 

[Hobopro]

Is it me or does GLaDOS sound different as well?
Her voice somehow seems mellower than before to me.

 

[DigiQ8]

Its not so much the voice thats the problem, its the quality of the acting.

It sounds like some teenager who is scaird of crowds reading off a bit of paper at the royal variety show. There is a massive lack of any kind of personality in what its saying, just sounds very monotone and boring.

This ^
It sounds a bit weak.

 

[Barnz]

Is it me or does GLaDOS sound different as well?
Her voice somehow seems mellower than before to me.

remember, she lost her personality cores.

 

[DigiQ8]

It's just a placeholder audio

Doug Lombardi from Valve told Wired.com that the Wheatley voice in the E3 demo is placeholder audio provided by Valve animator Richard Lord. Lord’s performance may or may not appear in the final game.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/?p=25539#ixzz0rPCkLEDn

 

[ChiliFan]

I wouldn't mind if he did the final voice acting. Better than a completely overstated accent like Odessa Cubbage's.

 

[Stormy]

It's just a placeholder audio

Good news!

 

[Colonel Kernel]

It's quite good actually. I didn't watch the entire video, but from what I saw (heard) in the beginning, It sounds pleasing enough. Maybe crack a joke or two, but it's fine.

 

[Vermintide]

I'm still trying to place the accent. It doesn't sound Cockney (it could be Cockney with some sort of speech impediment), but it doesn't sound like any of the other major accents that I'm familiar with like Yorkshire or Cornwall.

Here's a tip: We don't all speak like stereotypical bus conductors or coal miners from 1970s movies, you know I give the same credit to you Yanks, and don't assume you all speak like Noo Yoik cabbies, or Texan sheriffs.

The voice in the videos is a fairly standard English accent. It doesn't have a particular regional flavour to it, it's pretty much neutral. Hints of Northerner here and there there, as well as a couple of more upper class/southern traits. In only reminded me a little of Neil Morrissey, who you'll know if you've ever seen Men Behaving Badly or the UK version of Bob The Builder.

The fact that it is a place-holder however is a relief; I didn't have a problem with the voice itself but it was delivered very poorly. I hope they keep it British for the final version, but get a better actor.

 

[lord_raken]

Its not so much the voice thats the problem, its the quality of the acting.

It sounds like some teenager who is scaird of crowds reading off a bit of paper at the royal variety show. There is a massive lack of any kind of personality in what its saying, just sounds very monotone and boring.

So you want it to be more robot like because its too unemotional? ... you know... like a robot?

 

[Hectic Glenn]

It is not cockney, not even slightly. Apparently Richard worked in Nottingham for many years prior to going to Valve so he's potentially local to the more northern realms.

I'm glad it's a placeholder for the reason I said on the 1st page. It's no where near the same quality to other titles.

 

[Stormy]

So you want it to be more robot like because its too unemotional? ... you know... like a robot?

It needs someone that can voice act. Its pretty surprising that they even showed it really if they knew its not final.

 

[Rizzo]

Or maybe, it's becouse everyone is bitching about the voice, and they decided to change it.

 

[Calhoun]

Its pretty surprising that they even showed it really if they knew its not final.

I don't see anything wrong with the voice acting. I also don't understand why people expect it to be a convincing human voice anyway, reflecting on the situation and conversing like a regular person, considering the fact that, you know, the voice actor isn't actually voicing a human character.

If it is going to be changed though, I would personally prefer it being replaced with the stock grunt communication from Half-Life because why the hell not?

 

[Stormy]

I have no problem with the voice in that it sounds like a human... I'm fine with that.. Its acting quality that is the problem. But its being fixed so no big deal.

 

[majorddf]

I actually read (on Kotaku I think?) that the voice was very well recieved at E3 and that he may well be the one to voice the sphere for release. Obviously I am sure between now and then he will be able to get the acting right. That, allong with a pinch of Valve post processing wizardry and I am sure it will be great.

Personally I and my family speak with the same accent and found it quiet amusing that it almost sounded like my brother talking at me via an animated sphere!