Ben-DutkaThe performances are one of the biggest highlights of Ninja Theory's Enslaved: Odyssey to the West , and one of those performers might be back for more.
Andy Serkis, who played the role of King Bohan in Heavenly Sword and the part of Monkey in Enslaved (as well as adopting the enviable role of Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy), has quite the resume. And in answering questions for the Official European PlayStation Community alongside Ninja Theory boss Tameem Antoniades, Serkis said the team learned a lot from Heavenly Sword and the Antoniades/Serkis duo now works together "very successfully." Said Serkis:
"It was fantastic building on the reputation and all the things that we learned from Heavenly Sword. Tameem and I work together very successfully, and I even co-directed the performance capture sequences.
I think it's fair to say we have fairly similar tastes in what we aspire to create in the game. So for me it was a joy to get involved again, and I'm hoping it's going to continue because I think there is something very vibrant and dynamic about working this way."
Antoniades added that "it was kind of like having an old friend back" and the second time around, the process "went a lot smoother and quicker." There's no doubt that Ninja Theory excels when it comes to storytelling and capturing acting performances in a virtual world. Serkis and Lindsay Shaw (Trip) represent the backbone of the plot and even the atmosphere in Enslaved , and it's one of the primary reasons to play.
Now the question is, will Serkis move on and do other voiceover work for other studios…? He's plenty capable. We could use another Nolan North.
Related Game(s): Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
This guy should be knighted.
"Wha, what's taters, precious? What's taters?"
His performance will probably be the only reason I rent this game.
This comment is aimed directly at Ben so
****POSSIBLE SPOILERS****
Ben,
I've been playing Enslaved and while I agree with most of the review, about the game being fun and that aspect outweighing the negatives, I do have to say that the boat level was pretty much broken to the point of having to replay it over and over to finally get through. Like I was controlling an epileptic patient. The screen jarred and the aiming was here then three inches over then back. I am playing on the 360, did you experience that on the PS3 version?
****END SPOILERS****
He also was King Kong in the Peter Jackson remake…so I guess he's played two Monkeys!
I always found this guy to be a tad over rated. Especially all the Lord of the Rings hype.
Sneaky little Jawkneeses.
Imagine Naughty Dog snapping him up to play a role in Uncharted 3… Awesome.
Last edited by Lawless SXE on 10/6/2010 1:18:36 PM
At least the performances are something I can look forward to. Still thinking of Enslaved as an Xmas pickup. Gollum is "teh sh*t". He really excelled as a voiceover as Bohan too. You can't listen to that dude and not believe he's the real deal.
Imagine if Lord of the Rings was plagued with screen tearing, audio cut outs and glitches. You think people would have given it the same level of respect or recognition?
I don't. hahaha
EDIT: I understand games are a bit more complex. I'm just trying to think of something analogous. People wouldn't want to watch movies with screen tearing, why people can excuse it in games when its entirely preventable…i do not know.
Last edited by Jawknee on 10/6/2010 2:51:07 PM
I wouldn't like that at ALL. And I understand, imagine Gollum's CG having hitches in it. I'd be really pissed.
Yeah the Enslaved demo was ishy. But thankfully for us, games have more than movies to consider when grading them. The standards are just different. I still can't support this thing at full price, but I think there is enough interesting about it to play it.
When you've pushed yourself through tons of crap in your life (And I mean real crap like Ben talks about) because it is the only new game you could afford and you "box-art shopped" at the local… What were they called? Funco! You can put up with quite a bit.
i'm still not buying this game, NT can forget it.
i do not like the voice of monkey. it just doesn't fit with the game.
Um…yeah, it does.
He did a good job in this game.
I was watching the demo on youtube and if anything the small dialogue that Trip had was what one me over. The mannerisms and such just felt real so I'm going to keep an eye out.
won*
I'm probably in the minority here but I'm looking forward to Enslaved.
BTW, every review I've read says that Enslaved portrays a great storyline between Monkey & Tripp(including Ben's, just got to give him props), and it only get's better & better as the story unfolds.
That's enough for me.
If anything Ninja Theory does do right is The voice acting 4 sure cause it's always way above average (even though they've only made 2 games). Now if they can just iron out those technical issues & tighten up that gameplay a lot more(& I do mean a lot more), then they would definitely gain a lot more respect.
Last edited by GuyverLT on 10/6/2010 5:33:57 PM
great.
now NT, PPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEE give us a heavenly sword 2!
come on, if theres any game in the history of video games that deserves a sequel its that!
why is it that gold gets left behind, and crap gets milked to kingdom come?
gold like mirrors edge and heavenly sword dont get a sequel, but crap like halo, COD, guitar hero get at least a sequel a year!
wheres the justice in that???
The Ninja Theory and Enslaved bashing on this site is absurd.
Why do people get off sucking up to corporate faceless masters at companies like Sony and Microsoft? Why not support the artists?
Enslaved is a fine piece of art and pushes the medium forward in some ways. Haters, haters, you're all missing out on a gem with Enslaved. So please, bury yourself back in your hole of self hatred and hatred for everything else that doesn't fit in with your own ideology. Maybe some day you'll open your eyes up to the real world and experience more in life without the blindfold of the corporate masters blinding you.
And you call yourself a libertarian? You sound more like a communist IMO.