Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Nolan North: We Love You, But You Need To Go The Fuck Home.

Nolan North made a name for himself as Nathan Drake in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on the PS3.
He has a brilliant pulp-action movie quality to his voice, allowing him equal believability as everyman and dashing rogue. He's the voice-over equivalent of Firefly's Nathan Fillion.
Mr. North put forth a masterful, emotional, funny performance in Uncharted, and left me excited to experience more of his work...

I'm good now, Nolan.

Here we are, two and some change years later, and he plays just about everyone. Here's a list of the places I've picked up his voice.
I've done no research, these are just the roles I have personally experienced.

Uncharted/Uncharted 2 - Nathan Drake
Prince of Persia - The Prince
Assassin's Creed/Assassin's Creed 2 - Desmond
Shadow Complex - Jason Flemming
Halo 3:ODST - Romeo
Army of Two: the 40th Day: Salem
Dark Void: Will
Bayonetta - Bayonetta

Okay, I made that last one up.

The problem is that in all of these roles, he sounds the same. Maybe a gruff undertone here or the higher pitched illusion of youth there, but the result is a lack of individual identity to differetiate the characters.
It's like when people talk about Schwarzenegger movies from the 80s. We don't describe the characters by their names, we call them all Arnold. Shit, I honestly don't remember the characters' names from most of his movies. I remember Schaefer. And Quaid. It's getting that way with Nolan North to me.

He's the new bloom lighting.

Okay, I just looked him up and discovered that he also played Sigmund in Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time. I had no idea! You CAN do other voices, Nolan!

Mr. North has become a gaming icon, and good for him! But for god's sake, casting directors, let the man go home and get some sleep.

1 comment:

  1. I had the same problem with Steven Blum for awhile. A great actor is a great actor and talent is talent, but it kills immersion hearing a very particular voice coming out of a character you've never met before.

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