Joystiq

IMDB: Kevin Butler, Cole McGrath, Drake, Snake voice actors in Playstation All-Stars cast

JC Fletcher — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:30:00 EST

The IMDB page for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale reveals some more all-stars appearing in the game as some form or another. Listed in the voice cast are Nolan North as Uncharted's Nathan Drake, David Hayter as Snake, Eric Ladin as Infamous's Cole McGrath, and ... Jerry Lambert as fictional executive Kevin Butler.

It's tempting to imagine Kevin Butler's in-game stint as the VP of Special Attacks, but these characters aren't necessarily playable. The game is full of cameos, like Captain Quark in the background of a Ratchet & Clank level. We're asking Sony to clarify this information. Kevin Butler would tell us, if he existed.

Update: For its part, Sony said it didn't set up the IMDB page. And since IMDB listings can be edited by users, it's entirely possible it was fabricated by a dreamy-eyed fan hoping to will this into existence.

IMDB: Kevin Butler, Cole McGrath, Drake, Snake voice actors in Playstation All-Stars cast originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 May 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nolan North unboxes the Uncharted 3 Collector's Edition

JC Fletcher — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:40:00 EST

The Uncharted 3 Collector's Edition is quite nice to look at. Naughty Dog gives you the opportunity to look very closely at it, while also looking closely at ubiquitous voice actor Nolan North. In the above video, North offers a detailed rundown of everything in the box, while showing off the unexpectedly impressive packaging.

It ... it has drawers. Velvet-lined drawers.

It's just one step away from the ultimate collector's edition, which will come with a huge bookshelf to help you store these enormous game boxes you keep buying.

Nolan North unboxes the Uncharted 3 Collector's Edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Batman: Arkham City's Penguin voiced by Nolan North (seriously)

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:20:00 EST

Clearly flexing his vocal chops, voice actor Nolan North is the man behind Batman: Arkham City's most aquatic villain: The Penguin. Rocksteady marketing game manager Dax Ginn revealed as much in an interview with CVG, breaking down the various villains you'll be pummeling as Bats come October.

As seen in the trailer above, North's voice acting clearly stretches beyond his most well-known role as pretty-boy adventurer Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series. It could be argued that he's already proven that, given his voice acting contributions to, like, every game ever, but we're pretty impressed with the whole Penguin gig.

Batman: Arkham City's Penguin voiced by Nolan North (seriously) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Impressions: Spec Ops: The Line

Randy Nelson — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:40:00 EST

click to enlarge

Having seen the game debuted during the 2009 VGA broadcast, we sat down for a live demo of 2K's Spec Ops: The Line last week at the company's Northern California headquarters. Behind the controls was Cory Davis, lead designer at Yager (developer of -- you guessed it -- Yager), who led us through a roughly 15 minute slice of the game designed to convey the uniqueness of the setting and some pleasantly surprising play mechanics that tie into its backstory.

Set about 18 months after a massive sandstorm has ravaged Dubai, the game sees players entering this "no man's land" as part of an elite team sent to locate the origin of a transmission from an earlier mission that had been presumed dead, swallowed up by the sand. The demo began mid-firefight, with the player character (voiced by a decidedly all-business Nolan North) and two AI squad mates seeking cover behind remnants of an office, as unknown gunmen fired at them from a half-collapsed building nearby. What happened next was, well ... unexpected and very cool.

Gallery: Spec Ops: The Line

Continue reading Impressions: Spec Ops: The Line

Impressions: Spec Ops: The Line originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nolan North believes voice acting royalties 'unfair' to expect in gaming

Andrew Yoon — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:45:00 EST

By now, you should be familiar with one of gaming's most prolific actors, Nolan North, made famous by his role as Uncharted's Nathan Drake. In an interview with GamePro, the actor talks about his meteoric rise in gaming. "There's no pressure when going in for an audition now, since I've worked on such big games," North told the site. With the actor seemingly guaranteed work, it's no surprise that Giant Bomb dedicated an entire award to him: The Northies, for the Best Performance by Nolan North. "I'm humbled by all this. I feel blessed."

Of course, not all voice actors have been as lucky as Nolan North to get work with such regularity. Salaries for actors have always been a point of contention, especially with regards to royalties. In 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV's Michael Hollick slammed the industry for not providing better compensation for titles that go on to sell millions of units. North seems to disagree with that sentiment. "In all fairness, hundreds of people are working 12 hour days for several years to make a game, so it's unfair for me to expect residuals, given the amount of work I contribute."

Perhaps it's that attitude that continues to provide North a steady lineup of gigs, including the upcoming Alpha Protocol and Dark Void. With Uncharted 3 and a new Assassin's Creed in the works, it's clear that Nolan can expect a few more paychecks in the immediate future.

Nolan North believes voice acting royalties 'unfair' to expect in gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VGA 2009: Nolan North talks about Nolan North

Kevin Kelly — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:20:00 EST

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and - before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside - we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Nolan North.

You're quickly becoming one of the recognizable stars of video game voiceover acting. How did that happen?

You know ... I don't really know how that happened. I was lucky to land a lot of good roles in good games that became really popular ... Assassin's Creed, Uncharted, Prince of Persia, and they became really popular so fast and my name just happened to be attached to them. And you know, with the success of Uncharted -- the first one and then the second ... I don't know. It's just a phenomenon that I'm just lucky to be a part of.

Claudia Black told us that the motion capture sessions were the real key to making the relationship between Nathan and Chloe seem real. What do you think?

Absolutely. A lot of times we're just in a booth behind a microphone, unshaven and just ready to go ... and alone, more than anything. I mean, working with all of these actors, it's like doing theater somewhere. As a matter of fact, it's like what we used to call Black Box Theater back in college. There really wasn't much of a set ... we were just out there doing our thing, but the interaction was there and I think that's what translated so well to a video game.

VGA 2009: Nolan North talks about Nolan North originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nolan North imagines Hugh Jackman starring in Uncharted film

Andrew Yoon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:20:00 EST

Who's going to play Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted movie? Well, don't expect Nolan North to reprise the role for the silver screen. In spite of his stellar performance in the games, North knows he's not big enough to headline a big budget film like Uncharted. "I've done film and television and I understand the reality of the business," North said on the OPM UK podcast.

The frontrunner for the role for Nathan appears to be X-Men star Hugh Jackman. "Jackman is who I'd like to see. I think the producers would like to see Jackman too, because he has that tough guy exterior," North explains. But, Jackman can bring more than just muscles to the character. "There's also a lot going on behind his eyes. A lot of emotion and sensitivity on that brusque exterior, and he has great comic timing."

Oh, and he can sing and dance, too. Just in case we needed a musical featuring Nate and the gang.

[Via PushSquare]

Nolan North imagines Hugh Jackman starring in Uncharted film originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Uncharted's Amy Hennig 'thrilled' by Nolan North's newfound success

Andrew Yoon — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:29:00 EST

Chances are, you recognize Nolan North as Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series. However, ever since the debut of the first game in the franchise, North has gone on to play a number of leading men, including the titular Prince of Persia and Jason from Shadow Complex. Uncharted creative director Amy Hennig admits that she's "thrilled to see people recognizing Nolan's talent and to see him getting all of the work that he can get and all of the recognition he can get." However, she tells Bitmob that she's "a little possessive" of North because "we were the ones with Uncharted who tapped into that talent in a way that I don't think anyone had recognized and done yet."

North will undoubtedly continue to find success as the charming "everyday" man (who happens to be gifted with extraordinary acrobatic prowess). Hennig admits that "Nolan's going to get typecast because that is his persona. He's a funny guy and has that easy-going, roguish charm." Yeah, charming -- until he throws you off a cliff.

Uncharted's Amy Hennig 'thrilled' by Nolan North's newfound success originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlizzCon 2009: BSG's Tricia Helfer to voice StarCraft 2's Kerrigan

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:16:00 EST

During a StarCraft 2 lore panel taking place at BlizzCon this weekend, Blizzard vice president of creative development Chris Metzen revealed the voice replacement for Sarah Kerrigan. Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer will replace Glynnis Talken as voice over actress in the upcoming sequel(s).

It seems as though the BSG star is getting her fair share of video game voice over work these days, as she'll also be voicing a character named Dare in Halo 3: ODST. We're thinking if she gets to talking with gaming's every man Nolan North and they work out a monopoly, we'll have a serious issue on our hands.

BlizzCon 2009: BSG's Tricia Helfer to voice StarCraft 2's Kerrigan originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Uncharted Comic-Con panel video features voice talent, creators, Walken

Griffin McElroy — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST

If you're an Uncharted superfan (and really, you should be) who didn't get to make the pilgrimage to San Diego Comic-Con this year, you should really check out the highlight reel from Naughty Dog's panel at the event. There's a rogue's gallery of recognizable voices and faces sounding off about their experiences with the franchise, as well as a few discussions about the making of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

If you don't feel like watching the entirety of the lengthy video, we at least recommend that you jump to 13:15 to see Nolan North's spot-on Christopher Walken impression. See that? That's why he's been in every video game released over the past five years.

Continue reading Uncharted Comic-Con panel video features voice talent, creators, Walken

Uncharted Comic-Con panel video features voice talent, creators, Walken originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nolan North discusses being the voice of Nathan Drake

Jem Alexander — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:45:00 EST

Nolan North may be a posterboy for video game voice acting but, as you'll hear in his interview with the PS Blog's Jeff Rubenstein after the break, working on the Uncharted games is his favorite job so far. He describes what makes voicing these games so different from others -- but that's not all he discusses. There's almost eleven minutes of pure Nolan North interview to watch here, including a visit from a few of his Uncharted 2 voicing buddies.

As for the burning question of who would be best to play Nathan in an Uncharted movie, we're surprised no-one mentioned the obvious answer. Nathan Fillion, duh.

Continue reading Nolan North discusses being the voice of Nathan Drake

Nolan North discusses being the voice of Nathan Drake originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nathan Drake voice actor for Prince of Persia 'entirely intentional'

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: Interviews

Did you notice the Prince in Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia game sounds exactly like Nathan Drake from Uncharted? In a Q&A on the PlayStation.blog, Ben Mattes said the selection of Nolan North was "entirely intentional." North's portrayal of a Indiana Jones-esque character in Uncharted landed him the role of the Prince. "When we were designing the character of The Prince and trying to identify his personality, the two characters we returned to most often were Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Both, of course, played by Harrison Ford. Nolan North showed in his characterization of Nathan Drake an uncanny resemblance to Indiana Jones both in terms of tone and delivery. We thought it particularly appropriate given the heavy influence of these characters in the writing of The Prince that the voice actor we use be one who manages to capture the essence of the influencing characters deeply."

With North returning in Uncharted 2 in the not-too-distant future, it seems like he has a pretty good voice acting career ahead of him. Prince of Persia will be available in stores this week.

Nathan Drake voice actor for Prince of Persia 'entirely intentional' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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