23 replies to this topic

[Archmage Silver]

The Mass Effect 2 voice cast has been announced, I've quoted the PR article below. It looks pretty good to me, although sometimes having famous actors for voice acting in games is bad too - I still recall Captain Picard welcoming me to Cyrodiil in Oblivion, I just couldn't get past Patrick Stewart's voice.

The voice acting in ME was good, so I hope that doesn't change in ME2 with this more known cast. That said, I would personally prefer a less known group of actors... which reminds me, does anyone else think of Stargate SG-1 half the time when Morrigan speaks in DA?

BIOWARE ANNOUNCES CELEBRITY CAST FOR MASS EFFECT 2 ? THE FIRST BLOCKBUSTER OF 2010

Star-Studded Cast Includes Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Yvonne Strahovski, and More

Guildford, UK., (December 10, 2009) ? BioWare?, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed the voice actors performing in Mass Effect 2, the second act of the award-winning science fiction trilogy. The game features Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Martin Sheen (?The West Wing?, ?Apocalypse Now?), 2009 Emmy Award-winner Shohreh Aghdashloo (?House of Saddam?), comedic actor Seth Green (?Austin Powers?), ?Chuck? stars Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, Keith David (?Crash?) and sci-fi favorites Michael Dorn (?Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?) Tricia Helfer (?Battlestar Galactica?), Michael Hogan (?Battlestar Galactica?) and Carrie-Anne Moss (?The Matrix?).

?Emotionally engaging narrative is a key design pillar for BioWare, and the top-notch voice talent in Mass Effect 2 helps drive this goal,? said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. ?Credible, powerful personalities are vital to delivering a compelling story experience in BioWare?s games, and we have assembled an amazing ensemble cast that surpasses the very high bar set in the original Mass Effect!?

Esteemed actor Martin Sheen stars as the mysterious Illusive Man who commands Cerberus, a secretive paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting human interests in the galaxy. Yvonne Strahovski plays deadly Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson, who has been genetically engineered for superior mental and physical traits. Returning to the cast from the original Mass Effect is Seth Green as Joker and Keith David as Admiral David Anderson. And rounding out the vocal roster are Tricia Helfer as EDI, the voice of the new Normandy; Carrie-Ann Moss as Aria T?Loak, the crime lord who rules the planet Omega; Shohreh Aghdashloo as Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay; Michael Hogan as Captain Bailey; Adam Baldwin as Kal ?Reegar; and Michael Dorn as Gatatog Uvenk.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an emotionally charged science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it?s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Mass Effect 2 will be available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/masseffect2. For more information on Mass Effect 2, go to http://masseffect.bioware.com/.

[Choo Choo]

Adam Baldwin! From Firefly!

Sorry, I totally just... zoned in on that. XD

[Eleima]

I still recall Captain Picard welcoming me to Cyrodill in Oblivion, I just couldn't get past Patrick Stewart's voice.

Oh, so it's not just me then!!

I'm quite happy with the voice cast they've announced. I loved Seth Green as Joker, I'm a big fan of Keith David (ever since I was a little girl watching Gargoyles when I came home from school ), and I *adore* Michael Dorn (because I'm such a geek, and have seen *every* episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation *and* Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
I'm rather curious to see what Michael Hogan will do; I saw him in Battlestar Galactica (before you ask, I saw every episode of that series too ), and have a hard time trying to separate the voice from the man.
The same goes for Carrie-Ann Moss, I hope I'll be able to distance myself from the Matrix.
Oh, and Tricia Helfer as EDI, the voice of the new Normandy, well, that should be interesting. I'll miss the old voice, though.

So, yeah, pretty much good news any way you look at it, if you ask me!

Edit: I noticed Kimberly Brooks was returning as Ashley Williams, but I didn't spot Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan Alenko) on the bill. I doubt they'd kick him off the team, though, but still...

Edited by Eleima, 11 December 2009 - 12:35 PM.

[Archmage Silver]

The return of Kaidan in ME2 has been confirmed (provided that he didn't die in your game - did in mine), and since they didn't change Ashley's voice actor it's pretty safe to assume the same for Kaidan.

[Kaeloree]

All of the original NPCs are returning in some fashion (if they're still alive in your game), though I'm relatively sure neither Kaiden nor Ashley will be joinable NPCs.

The casting for this game is insane. I'm looking forward to it so ridiculously much.

[Archmage Silver]

... I'm looking forward to it so ridiculously much.

Well, I'll second that.

Edit: Trailer featuring various voice actors + ingame footage of their characters.

Edited by Archmage Silver, 12 December 2009 - 04:51 PM.

[Eleima]

... I'm looking forward to it so ridiculously much.

Well, I'll second that.

Third!!!

And of course, Kaidan didn't die in my game!!!

[Vicen]

Well I just finished the game...Stay clear of this forum till I did because of spoilers heh...but yes poor Kaiden died in my game...I wish you could of sent someone else to die *cough annoying asari chick cough*

[Archmage Silver]

Hopefully Ashley will still be a joinable NPC, otherwise BioWare was talking bull when they said your romance interest choice is going to carry over to ME2... unless they were planning on some far distance romance. Distance measured in lightyears.

[Eleima]

I would like that, but I won't be holding my breath (I'll cry if I hope for Kaidan and poof! no Kaidan ). I was more under the impression that they would mention the love interest, but I hadn't heard that you could actually have him/her in your group. That would be a nice option though, I always found Kaidan a worthy ally with his biotic and tech abilities. We'll just have to wait and see!

There may not be as much hype for ME2 as there was for DAO, but I'm still excited. January 2010 can't come soon enough!!!

[Archmage Silver]

I would like that, but I won't be holding my breath (I'll cry if I hope for Kaidan and poof! no Kaidan ). I was more under the impression that they would mention the love interest, but I hadn't heard that you could actually have him/her in your group. That would be a nice option though, I always found Kaidan a worthy ally with his biotic and tech abilities. We'll just have to wait and see!

There may not be as much hype for ME2 as there was for DAO, but I'm still excited. January 2010 can't come soon enough!!!

Aye, at least the old NPCs make an appearance in ME2, it could be worse. With the new romance options added though, it becomes... awkward. Are we supposed to pick these new options now?

It just seems like it would make more sense to have your romantic interest stay as a joinable NPC through the trilogy. I mean, people complain how romances seem somewhat rushed, but here BioWare would have a chance to let the player develop a romance over a three game span - I would call that unique, were it true.

One can hope at any rate.

[theacefes]

There may not be as much hype for ME2 as there was for DAO, but I'm still excited. January 2010 can't come soon enough!!!

I disagree...but as this is a fantasy role playing community primarily, it can seem that way. I believe ME will be Bioware's flagship, long after Dragon Age has been played through and modded. We are a large community but we are still not a large niche in the gaming community. Many gamers will still pick up a shooting game before they touch an RPG. ME offers a decent helping of both worlds.

I recall the developers saying that the romances in ME1 will carry through to ME3, but I don't know if that was confirmed. I guess we'll find out.

[Eleima]

There may not be as much hype for ME2 as there was for DAO, but I'm still excited. January 2010 can't come soon enough!!!

I disagree...but as this is a fantasy role playing community primarily, it can seem that way. I believe ME will be Bioware's flagship, long after Dragon Age has been played through and modded. We are a large community but we are still not a large niche in the gaming community. Many gamers will still pick up a shooting game before they touch an RPG. ME offers a decent helping of both worlds.

Perhaps you're right, Theacefes: maybe I've been sticking too much to the fantasy RPGs forums. I, for one, am pretty excited about ME2, and I'll probably be getting ME3 when it comes around!
I have to admit, I'm really curious about what they have in store romance-wise for us. On one hand, I really liked Kaidan, but on the other hand, I'm always up for new romances to try out. You all know what that means if we have both options?... Multiple playthroughs! Also, I've been snooping on the official forums, and it seems that we'll have the option to have Love Interests who aren't in the squad (Kaidan/Ashley perhaps?...), whereas some will be recruitable (Thane and Miranda?).

[Cal Jones]

I've got lots of saves - I went through ME about a dozen times! So I'll have games with renegade, paragon and mixed endings, male and female Shepards and all romances. Of course I like Kaiden best... But I'm open to other options as well.

[theacefes]

I just want to see what happens with Tali. That stupid trailer has me waiting!

[SConrad]

This is an all-star cast. I'm a huge fan of Martin Sheen, in particular, but some of the other actors are pretty damn good too.

[Lord Ernie]

Adam Baldwin made me go squee, which made my gf look at me strangely; the fact he seems to voice a particularly ruth-mouthed Quarian just adds to the awesome.

But yes, ME2 looks to have an incredible cast. Martin Sheen, Yvonne Strahovski (big Chuck fan here ), Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan,... they really hired some top sci-fic actors (although, I too, will have an image of Col. Tigh in my head at first when I hear Hogan's voice). I can't wait to play this game - I've got the collector's edition pre-ordered

[Archmage Silver]

Well, I was just digging around for ME2 information again (yes, I have no life whatsoever) and came up with these tidbits concerning romance options previously discussed in this thread:

• Romance interests from ME1 from won't be joinable in ME2 (Exceptions might happen temporarily)
  
• This is supposedly because BioWare wants to keep them around until ME3 (They could otherwise die in ME2)
  
• Romances from ME1 can still continue in ME2 despite the NPCs being unjoinable
  
• Pursuing any of the ME2 romance options will break up any carried over ME1 romances
  
• It is also possible to break up your ME1 romances in dialog before pursuing the ones in ME2
  
• You can ultimately continue your ME1 romances until the end of the trilogy (ME3)

Obviously ME3 is still wide open when it comes to NPCs, so I couldn't say how it will all work out, which NPCs will be joinable etc. I reserve the right to edit this post at a later date should any of these points prove inaccurate.

It looks like I was at least partially correct in my previous post (romances spanning over the trilogy).

Edited by Archmage Silver, 03 January 2010 - 05:38 PM.

[Cal Jones]

Well, I was just digging around for ME2 information again (yes, I have no life whatsoever) and came up with these tidbits concerning romance options previously discussed in this thread:

• Romance interests from ME1 from won't be joinable in ME2 (Exceptions might happen temporarily)
  
• This is supposedly because BioWare wants to keep them around until ME3 (They could otherwise die in ME2)
  
• Romances from ME1 can still continue in ME2 despite the NPCs being unjoinable
  
• Pursuing any of the ME2 romance options will break up any carried over ME1 romances
  
• It is also possible to break up your ME1 romances in dialog before pursuing the ones in ME2
  
• You can ultimately continue your ME1 romances until the end of the trilogy (ME3)

Obviously ME3 is still wide open when it comes to NPCs, so I couldn't say how it will all work out, which NPCs will be joinable etc. I reserve the right to edit this post at a later date should any of these points prove inaccurate.

It looks like I was at least partially correct in my previous post (romances spanning over the trilogy).

Nice digging. Do we know who the new romance options are?

[Archmage Silver]

Nice digging. Do we know who the new romance options are?

There's some speculation about the options yet, but the confirmed options for a male Shepard are:

• Subject Zero [Confirmed by Casey Hudson]
  
• Kelly Chambers [Confirmed by Thomas R. Roy]

That's it for the confirmed new romance options really, the rest are just speculation at this point. I'm not entirely convinced about Kelly Chambers though, so take that one with a grain of salt. There's no knowing whether her romance is just a temporary romantic encounter.

Likely romance options for a female Shepard in my opinion (also rumored):

• Thane Krios
  
• Jacob Taylor

Likely additional romance options for a male Shepard in my opinion (also rumored):

• Miranda Lawson

Obviously there are people calling for romances with Samara and Tali, but I don't personally believe those will happen, because a) ME1 already had an asari romance and b) quarian biology issues.

Edited by Archmage Silver, 03 January 2010 - 05:39 PM.