[Poll] Your thoughts on Eric Johnson/Michael Ironside in Blacklist

[Sharkey1337]

Just wanting to see everyone's thought on the matter of what you think is best on the issue of no Michael Ironside voicing Sam Fisher.

http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=4fcda310e4b05091b02c37d9

Personally, I'm a fan of having a new character taking over the spotlight with Sam in the support role.

[SolidSage]

I hope he does a good job of imitating SAM's voice.

First time I heard Sam speak it didn't sound like him. When he shot the guy and told Grim "he shot himself" (awesomesauce) I thought he sounded right. Need to see and hear MUCH more to form a fair opinion. I will do so Tomorrow.

I get to play some of it, I am SUPER EXCITED!

[The_5_Freedoms]

I hope he does a good job of imitating SAM's voice.
I think you're outta luck there...

"He's not trying to be Michael Ironside. He's not trying to be a Sam Fisher for the past. He's got something that's marketable, y'know, and he's good at what he does. He's not here by mistake, the man's a good actor." -- Michael Ironside


First time I heard Sam speak it didn't sound like him. When he shot the guy and told Grim "he shot himself" (awesomesauce) I thought he sounded right. Need to see and hear MUCH more to form a fair opinion. I will do so Tomorrow.

I get to play some of it, I am SUPER EXCITED!
I agree, some times he sounds spot on and other times he sounds a little weird.

[goclo822]

I hope he does a good job of imitating SAM's voice.

First time I heard Sam speak it didn't sound like him. When he shot the guy and told Grim "he shot himself" (awesomesauce) I thought he sounded right. Need to see and hear MUCH more to form a fair opinion. I will do so Tomorrow.

I get to play some of it, I am SUPER EXCITED!
He can imitate long enough to get a word out but full sentences make it pretty obvious that it isn't Ironside. His voice is way too smooth and young sounding.

Also sort of off topic but what about Grim? I can't tell if that's the original actress or not. Sometimes it sounds like her and sometimes she sounds too high pitched.

[Asian Inferno]

It's not enough, if it was a reboot or a prequel I'd be fine with it, but it's a sequel.

[AGENTxxxxx47]

I need to start applying for voice acting jobs ,I'm a generic American with a raspy voice.

this is actually true

[Sharkey1337]

Shared the poll on Kotaku, so looking at 68 votes so far, with new character just beating out Ironside dubbing. I'm personally against Ironside dubbing over Johnson's voice, as it would be really crappy on Johnson's end after all that hard work. I definitely thinks he deserves a chance at giving us a new character, but not Sam Fisher.

[newhenpal]

To be blunt, the new guy sucks.

[The_5_Freedoms]

He seems like a nice guy.

[NightGhost1994]

We should give him a chance. After all Ironside is ok with that.

[Si1entDark]

We should give him a chance. After all Ironside is ok with that.

Ironside was basically paid to advertise this guy. He got tired of the direction the series was taking. He was brought back in for conviction because he liked the personal story. Ubi should've based blacklist as Ironsides last game, with him as the handler for young Splinter Cell recruits coming through like archer. It would of actually made sense and given Ironside a last hurah.

Ubisoft just care about how the game appeals to the main stream.

[sam3912]

You guys call yourself splinter cell fans wow ,( I'm rooting for the no one voicing Sam fisher) unbelievable you guys don't realise how Micheal ironside is important to the Sam fisher character. Ubisoft just honestly needs to make this a new splinter cell character don't let some noob voice a legendary character. Truly disappointed ,RIP splinter cell.

[Sharkey1337]

81 votes now, new character still leading with over half the votes now. Please Ubisoft, please consider this change to the game, I for one really want to see this game succeed and for the series to continue with a breath of fresh air.

[Knot3D]

I guess he's OK..... but he IS and always will be Whitney Fordman from the Smallville tv show to me.

That mental image just clashes a bit imo.

[KexN]

Fisher doesn't even need to come back in a support role. Just create a new character and have Grim as the head of the agency.

Bring back Fisher in a later game as a cameo.

[Sharkey1337]

Just found an interesting quirk in Conviction's credits. For Archer (real name Daniel Robert Sloane-Suarez) his name in the credits was listed as 'John Drake Archer'. Now, if they do end up doing a new protagonist, I rather like the name 'John Drake' for the new guy.

[xCaptainAmazing]

I like the idea of the new guy. He had a lot of intensity in the video documentary thing, and it was great. BUT... he's not Sam Fisher. I have no problem with them making him a new character and having Sam be Lambert 2.0. I always envisioned the game going in this direction, and the new gameplay style is much better suited to a newer, younger character in my opinion. I voted for option two. I don't like what they've done to the series, but they could at least make it make sense!

It's a lot easier to get on board with if they were to make that change. Unfortunately, I'm afraid despite it being the obvious and probably best choice, it won't happen.

Sam as a father figure would also make sense, be a great opportunity for his character development, and would provide awesome friction between him and the new operative. Realistically, how much sense does it make to have the leader of 4E be also be the FIELD AGENT. What if he died?!

[michaelanjello]

Just letting you guys know, you arent getting what you want as much as you plee. Save your breath.

[goclo822]

I guess he's OK..... but he IS and always will be Whitney Fordman from the Smallville tv show to me.

That mental image just clashes a bit imo.

lol same here. I was like "why is Whitney suddenly trying to be tough." Funny thing is Ironside was on Smallville too and both were army men but neither were in the same episode.

[chief702]

FU Ubisoft how do u get rid of Ironside the man that has played Sam Fisher voice since 2002

[cpt_freedom]

Personally, I'm a fan of having a new character taking over the spotlight with Sam in the support role. Right there with you dude. The fact is that Sam is getting old. If he IS going to be getting a part in the game, he should basically play the same role Lambert did except with a new Splinter Cell. What they're doing now is trying to make Sam, Master chief or something.

[The_5_Freedoms]

Personally, I'm a fan of having a new character taking over the spotlight with Sam in the support role.Right there with you dude. The fact is that Sam is getting old. If he IS going to be getting a part in the game, he should basically play the same role Lambert did except with a new Splinter Cell. What they're doing now is trying to make Sam, Master chief or something.
Would that make Grim = Cortana?

[Sharkey1337]

So currently out of 124 people that have voted, only 5 are ok with Eric Johnson voicing for Sam. Ubisoft, can you not see just how unpopular this is??? Majority still favors a new protagonist.

[NoBirdSing]

So currently out of 124 people that have voted, only 5 are ok with Eric Johnson voicing for Sam. Ubisoft, can you not see just how unpopular this is??? Majority still favors a new protagonist.

Unfortunately, it's probably too late for any hope of reversing the voice acting. As much as it sucks, the nail is already in the coffin for Sam's voice change.

[Sharkey1337]

There still may be hope for a new character redesign, which I'm hoping for. I trust Eric Johnson, but am totally against having Sam be the protagonist with a new voice and look, time for a new series lead to step in.

[EmmaJordan]

So currently out of 124 people that have voted, only 5 are ok with Eric Johnson voicing for Sam. Ubisoft, can you not see just how unpopular this is??? Majority still favors a new protagonist.

It is pretty clear that Ubisoft doesn't pay attention to its fans. Heck, they all seem to have the attitude of "we know they want even if they don't realize it yet". Most tone deaf company I have ever financially supported.

[MonkeySoldier14]

Unfortunately, it's probably too late for any hope of reversing the voice acting. As much as it sucks, the nail is already in the coffin for Sam's voice change.

I think people would be fine with Eric Johnson's voice if they made a new protagonist based on Eric. What people aren't fine with is using "Sam Fisher" with the new voice and changing who he is by basing the character on Eric. This is what's pissing me off! It's not Sam at all anymore! At least in Conviction they used Michael's voice, which didn't make it too bad. But since Michael is out now, it's bad. I think Ubisoft is just afraid to make that final leap to a new protagonist because they think they'll lose fans because it's not Sam anymore. But in reality, it's not Sam! I think they are hurting themselves because they have already lost fans and are losing fans due to not just starting over with a new fresh character. A new character would also help them accomplish their goal of creating this new style of Splinter Cell, their current vision. I think it's a brave thing to do and I applaud them for doing so. But if you are going to do so, then please, don't screw around with the old Splinter Cell. This is just the way I see it, and I hope Ubisoft will talk with us, the fans, about it instead of acting like it's the same Sam Fisher that we have gotten used to over the course of many years. I agree, change is good. But they have to help us fans adjust. I hope UbiZack will get our message through. I'm counting on you Zack! :cool:

[Sharkey1337]

I think people would be fine with Eric Johnson's voice if they made a new protagonist based on Eric. What people aren't fine with is using "Sam Fisher" with the new voice and changing who he is by basing the character on Eric. This is what's pissing me off! It's not Sam at all anymore! At least in Conviction they used Michael's voice, which didn't make it too bad. But since Michael is out now, it's bad. I think Ubisoft is just afraid to make that final leap to a new protagonist because they think they'll lose fans because it's not Sam anymore. But in reality, it's not Sam! I think they are hurting themselves because they have already lost fans and are losing fans due to not just starting over with a new fresh character. A new character would also help them accomplish their goal of creating this new style of Splinter Cell, their current vision. I think it's a brave thing to do and I applaud them for doing so. But if you are going to do so, then please, don't screw around with the old Splinter Cell. This is just the way I see it, and I hope Ubisoft will talk with us, the fans, about it instead of acting like it's the same Sam Fisher that we have gotten used to over the course of many years. I agree, change is good. But they have to help us fans adjust. I hope UbiZack will get our message through. I'm counting on you Zack! :cool:

EXACTLY! We know they've been reading our posts, but I would love to hear what they think about using a new character.

[SolidSage]

I think Archer and Kestrel made it clear that new characters could be introduced and universally accepted. Fair enough.

There IS a story arc to complete from Conviction that involves Sam though. Sam has always been the staple character of the series too, it just so happens,that even with all the re-writes and deviations, they managed to progress him and his age continually throughout all of them. Kind of cool. Metal Gear cheated by always having clones available and Creed avoided it by establishing character change ups out of the gate.
So SC is the problem child with a truly iconic and legendary character that personiifes SC.

Meggido needs resoultion.
If Sam went to the Lambert role you might all still be super angry when he was STILL voiced by a different actor. Ironside has made it clear he's kind of tired of the work, he's been a ton of characters and I don't think Sam is necessarily his favorite or nearly as meaningful to him as he is to us.
If that left the only option being to retire Sam I think it a bit unfair to some of the fans and Ubisoft and Clancy, who CREATED the character along with the WRITERS who established his persona. Sam belongs to Tom Clancy right, not us or Ironside?

I can accept the voice change. I could accept a refreshing of Sam (like Bond). I could accept a new character. I could accept Sam as Lambert with a different VA.

Killing Sam/making him GO AWAY to avoid the problems altogether would be the weakest option for me. Like running away from the hard challenges.

Hey, maybe this WILL be Sam's last go, maybe he'll die in THIS game, maybe he'll win the lottery and go live on an Island and take up knitting, maybe he'll retire from field work.

I think terminating Sam's role in conjunction with Ironside's retirement from the VA role ties Sam TO Ironside a bit too much, almost like it gives all the credit to Ironside for Sam's legacy, when in truth, as bad as it sounds, if Rip Torn had voiced Sam from the start and was going to be replaced with ironside in BL, we would all be up in arms about that too.

It's just loyalty and nostalgia, good things but more thinking with the heart than the head IMO.

Bravo Zulu Michael Ironside, job well done.

[CoastalGirl]

I think Archer and Kestrel made it clear that new characters could be introduced and universally accepted.Archer was a punk. http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z36/CGSiege/Smileys/Stab.gif (kidding...kidding...well not about the punk part, but I don't need to see him stabbed lol)

I am actually one of those who would rather see a new character than have Sam voiced by someone else, though. I always heard MI's voice in my head when reading the books, even...to me, he's Sam. I can understand why they're not ready to move on from him yet, and that's okay, but I would have preferred a new character.

[Ghost Sniper257]

True, when he does that deep scratchy voice, he does sound a little like Michael Ironside. When he talks normal his voice just sounds kinda like a goody to shoe. He doesn't sound as dark-sided as Micheal Ironside did in the past games. I will still buy the series even with the new guy, just won't be the same.

[Ghost Sniper257]

I agree with bsharkey, what if Sam retired and trained a new person to take over his position in the 4th Echelon . Then Johnson could take the new voice of the Splinter Cell series.

[Si1entDark]

The thing about Ironsides voice is how well it suited Sam. The dark witty humour and gruffness made it instantly recognizable. With this new actor, Eric Johnson, the same attachment just isn't there for me personally and many other long time fans for that matter. You simply can't refresh a character like Sam Fisher and get away with it like James Bond. I've always thought of James Bond as a codename anyway.

Can anyone imagine the uproar if David Hayter was replaced by Ryan Gosling?

Ubi have made Sam look decades younger and impossibly faster which goes against the whole foundation of the Tom Clancy brand. Realism. Start fresh with a new character or don't try and change Sam at all. Eric would do a better job as new protagonist in a new Splinter Cell game based around his character. The continuity of the whole series is tarnished by these reasons if they don't do something about it. Which I very much doubt they will.

[The_5_Freedoms]

Can anyone imagine the uproar if David Hayter was replaced by Ryan Gosling?
Oh no don't even say that.

It's already happened with Bateson and Ironside, I couldn't bear it happening to Hayter too.

[Sharkey1337]

Oof, yeah I can't Solid Snake/Big Boss without David Hayter, which is why I'm really hoping Kojima gets in one more Big Boss game (already in development supposedly), and then remake Metal Gear 1&2 with Hayter. After that, I'm solid (hehe).

[Jack_Tamaki]

I feel that Eric Johnson will do great with portraying Sam.

[Sharkey1337]

163 votes are in now:

10 (6%) are ok with Eric Johnson playing as Sam Fisher
88 (54%) would rather have a new protagonist
65 (40%) want Michael Ironside to voice Sam Fisher

[BlindHouse]

There were some moments where I thought it did indeed sound like Micheal Ironside, one being the part where he says "wrong answer" near the beginning of the demo. I'm waiting to hear more. I don't expect the guy to pull off a perfect Micheal Ironside.

[SolidSage]

Archer was a punk. http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z36/CGSiege/Smileys/Stab.gif (kidding...kidding...well not about the punk part, but I don't need to see him stabbed lol)

I am actually one of those who would rather see a new character than have Sam voiced by someone else, though. I always heard MI's voice in my head when reading the books, even...to me, he's Sam. I can understand why they're not ready to move on from him yet, and that's okay, but I would have preferred a new character.

Archer was a punk but I really liked him for that, he was a good contrast. And the more I played SCC co-op the more I actually liked Archer. he didn't have the INSTANT appeal of Kestrel but by the end of it they were pretty close in coolness for me. Archer grew on me. I would have like to see them both stick around.

To me, Sam is Sam, thee character was more about his look and method and the Clanyverse than just Michael Ironside. MI's voice is great and I am sure it became somewhat knitted with Fisher's DNA but for me, resigning Sam in conjunction with MI gives too much ownership to MI. Whereas Sam continuing on with a different look and voice is okay for me, I've been accepting new Batmans and Supermans and Bonds and a LOT of other character revitalization for years. As long as the revitalization is good, I don't have a problem with it.
I do see the awkwardness attributed to it occurring mid story arc.

Other than the basic perspectives, I was also kind of impressed that they followed a completely different option than the ones we have been talking about around here. Just from the thinking of different options side of things.

[Sharkey1337]

Yeah, I loved Archer and was saddened to see that him and Kestrel won't be available for future games. =(

[reddragonhrcro]

Archer was a punk. http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z36/CGSiege/Smileys/Stab.gif (kidding...kidding...well not about the punk part, but I don't need to see him stabbed lol)

I am actually one of those who would rather see a new character than have Sam voiced by someone else, though. I always heard MI's voice in my head when reading the books, even...to me, he's Sam. I can understand why they're not ready to move on from him yet, and that's okay, but I would have preferred a new character.

*Grabs a guy*
Archer:"Be silent and i promise i won´t hurt you."
*Few seconds later he bashes the guys head against a wall*
:p

[SolidSage]

"From America with love, azzhole". :)

[Millhouse3rd]

He needs some 30 years of chronic smoking to get a voice as badass as Michael Ironside's. He just simply doesn't sound intimidating.

[The_5_Freedoms]

Their deaths weren't in vain. They showed Ubisoft that players are receptive to new player characters.

[SolidSage]

^ True, and it carried a ton of emotional impact. A real WTF moment right at the end of the campaign for me.
The amount of times I have lost on that Plane because I simply refuse to kill my partner of the last four hours. ;) It usually happens when I am relentlessly trying to kick the door into the cockpit!

[The_5_Freedoms]

^ True, and it carried a ton of emotional impact. A real WTF moment right at the end of the campaign for me.
The amount of times I have lost on that Plane because I simply refuse to kill my partner of the last four hours. ;) It usually happens when I am relentlessly trying to kick the door into the cockpit!
Haha yeah I remember doing that too. :D

[CoastalGirl]

Archer was a punk but I really liked him for that, he was a good contrast. And the more I played SCC co-op the more I actually liked Archer. he didn't have the INSTANT appeal of Kestrel but by the end of it they were pretty close in coolness for me. Archer grew on me. I would have like to see them both stick around.I just don't like hot-shot types. Kestrel came across as much more quiet and professional, though even he lacked the level of experience that I like (it's not just Sam; I felt the same way about John Marston, for example).

Did anyone actually dislike old-school Sam?

[sameer_monier]

I just don't like hot-shot types. Kestrel came across as much more quiet and professional, though even he lacked the level of experience that I like (it's not just Sam; I felt the same way about John Marston, for example).

Did anyone actually dislike old-school Sam?
TBH that's why I personally liked Archer, he wasn't your serious-professional kind of agent, making him special on his own way, if one day we get a new agent, I don't want him to be a knock of Sam character, I want to be him 180 degree different, but that's just my opinion :D

No one dislike Sam :D, No one can dislike Sam :D

[SolidSage]

I just don't like hot-shot types. Kestrel came across as much more quiet and professional, though even he lacked the level of experience that I like (it's not just Sam; I felt the same way about John Marston, for example).

Did anyone actually dislike old-school Sam?

I doubt there will be any yes's on that. I liked that SCC evolved his personal story a bit, it was a surprise to see Sam get a bit overwhelmed, like it's all starting to weigh a bit heavier as he ages. Then in Blacklist when Jadeed shoots himself and Sam is just like "wtf is with these people" written all over his face. Although, he probably might have done it himself anyway.

In spite of the changes that are happening I still feel this evolution of the original character from SAR. I mean we really saw him hit his prime in CT, and now he's having to face morality more and more, and almost question the entire mess of death and destruction that has occured over the course of his career.
I wonder where it is all heading. Another reason I am not ready for Sam to go yet.
But what about that explosion at the end of the longer demo, right next to Sam? That's where Max and Alex cut it on me and I was like "SHIZ! Did Sam just get fudged!?"

[sameer_monier]

I doubt there will be any yes's on that. I liked that SCC evolved his personal story a bit, it was a surprise to see Sam get a bit overwhelmed, like it's all starting to weigh a bit heavier as he ages. Then in Blacklist when Jadeed shoots himself and Sam is just like "wtf is with these people" written all over his face. Although, he probably might have done it himself anyway.

In spite of the changes that are happening I still feel this evolution of the original character from SAR. I mean we really saw him hit his prime in CT, and now he's having to face morality more and more, and almost question the entire mess of death and destruction that has occured over the course of his career.
I wonder where it is all heading. Another reason I am not ready for Sam to go yet.
But what about that explosion at the end of the longer demo, right next to Sam? That's where Max and Alex cut it on me and I was like "SHIZ! Did Sam just get fudged!?"
+1 here

[CoastalGirl]

My issue with Conviction Sam was that he lost his way... I missed the dark humor, for sure (the quips while killing people just didn't work for me; compared to the lighthearted interrogations and banter with Lambert and Grim in CT, SCC Sam was pretty darn cold).

While I do kind of understand that it's a possibility in real life, it doesn't mean I'm going to stay connected to the character when he starts acting like a different person (as always, IMO).

[SolidSage]

^ I agree he was different but I do think SCC established a legitimate reason for it. And people to change as they age, I have actually got calmer (opposite direction) but that's because things are going the way I plan.
I agree that there are big changes in Sam's look and voice, and perhaps in how he moves, but I feel the change ups in disposition seem credible. I DO miss his humor, but a guy that can make jokes right before he kills somebody HAS to be a bit cold right? In fact, that humor reminds me of Archer a bit.
I don't know if we can get jokey Sam back though, seems like being in charge and the elevated issues might really increase the pressure and stress?

[Jazz117Volkov]

Sorry to take you guys off topic here... or is that on topic :p

So, Eric Johnson...
This may take some of you by surprise, but I'm actually okay with this.
Michael [the man] Ironside can never be replaced... it's simply an impossibility of our universe. There is only one MI.
But, as someone to take Sam Fisher into the future, I think Eric Johnson will do good. I enjoy his lines in the demo, and while it sounds kinda odd to have Sam sounding twenty years younger, I think we all need to accept that this day was inevitable.
The choices were only ever going to be: a) kill/replace Sam Fisher, b) replace Mr. Ironside
Neither of those are desirable, but I believe Ubisoft made the right call.

I kinda accepted the death of Sam Fisher back in 2010 when Conviction was released.
For me, Sam Fisher was as dead as dead could be--Ubisoft even made a point of saying "the Sam Fisher we knew is dead"
And before that, Double Agent is all murky because I honestly didn't play it much. The sixth gen version was pretty good, but I got hold of it far to late for it to leave any sort of real impact--well, that and it's not considered canon, so...
Anyway, point I'm getting at is (for me) Sam Fisher has been gone for something like seven years now. (Chaos Theory)

Blacklist looks to be a sort of re-imagining of the game and a rebirth of the character. Fisher is younger, (new voice) he's now the leader of a new agency (4th Echelon) and he's got a blend of the Conviction action man, and the legacy ghost. There comes a time--no matter how much we don't want to accept it--that we just have to move on and realize that things just do not stay the same. Adapt or die I guess you could say.

So I ain't gonna let the change in actor effect how I take to this new iteration.
Heck, I'm almost excited to see how this new Sam Fisher plays out.
So long as I'm the one doing the playing and not the game, and things stay bound to the realm of reality (however unlikely that is) I'll be happy.

[tmdgm]

Remember with this poll, most diehard SC fans probably aren't even reading this poll. It's mostly these "new aged" kids that are playing that have no concept of stealth game play and prefer the spider man shoot em up.

[Ascension1138]

Look the new voice actor sounds decent, but NOT as Sam Fisher. Sam's voice is iconic not just some random voice like on rainbow six or recon. It's part of what makes Sam and the game. I know they didn't go with Ironside because he can't perform physical feats and they wanted the voice and motion capture movements to coincide but I still feel they should have just done voice over. I DON"T EVEN CARE IF IT'S EVEN OFF A LITTLE OR EVEN SUCKS DURING CUT SCENES!!! I still would prefer Ironsides voice!

Also while this new guy may be an ok voice actor he is way too young!! He sounds like he is ****ING 27 or something!! When I first heard it on the trailer I was like why the hell does Sam sound like he aged back 30 years!! He's doesn't sound tough, experienced or anything!

[Sharkey1337]

Remember with this poll, most diehard SC fans probably aren't even reading this poll. It's mostly these "new aged" kids that are playing that have no concept of stealth game play and prefer the spider man shoot em up.

*UGH, just lost a huge post I had written up just now, so just gonna be brief*

I disagree with that notion. There are MANY hardcore splinter cell fans on this forum, which is why we've been seeing so much outrage here. The majority of posts I've seen indicate that they would rather have a new agent than a Sam Fisher without Michael Ironside, not just because of the new Voice Actor, but because story-wise it just makes so much sense after Sam getting some good closure on his agency life in Conviction. The Poll results as of now seem to be a very accurate measurement based on what I've read not just here, but elsewhere as well.

[sameer_monier]

Sorry to take you guys off topic here... or is that on topic :p

So, Eric Johnson...
This may take some of you by surprise, but I'm actually okay with this.
Michael [the man] Ironside can never be replaced... it's simply an impossibility of our universe. There is only one MI.
But, as someone to take Sam Fisher into the future, I think Eric Johnson will do good. I enjoy his lines in the demo, and while it sounds kinda odd to have Sam sounding twenty years younger, I think we all need to accept that this day was inevitable.
The choices were only ever going to be: a) kill/replace Sam Fisher, b) replace Mr. Ironside
Neither of those are desirable, but I believe Ubisoft made the right call.

I kinda accepted the death of Sam Fisher back in 2010 when Conviction was released.
For me, Sam Fisher was as dead as dead could be--Ubisoft even made a point of saying "the Sam Fisher we knew is dead"
And before that, Double Agent is all murky because I honestly didn't play it much. The sixth gen version was pretty good, but I got hold of it far to late for it to leave any sort of real impact--well, that and it's not considered canon, so...
Anyway, point I'm getting at is (for me) Sam Fisher has been gone for something like seven years now. (Chaos Theory)

Blacklist looks to be a sort of re-imagining of the game and a rebirth of the character. Fisher is younger, (new voice) he's now the leader of a new agency (4th Echelon) and he's got a blend of the Conviction action man, and the legacy ghost. There comes a time--no matter how much we don't want to accept it--that we just have to move on and realize that things just do not stay the same. Adapt or die I guess you could say.

So I ain't gonna let the change in actor effect how I take to this new iteration.
Heck, I'm almost excited to see how this new Sam Fisher plays out.
So long as I'm the one doing the playing and not the game, and things stay bound to the realm of reality (however unlikely that is) I'll be happy.
I agree whole heartily with you Jazz, I wonder how people would take it if Ubi indeed come out at said what you just said.


As for Sam discussion, I didn't miss his humor in SCC, I loved it of course, but in SCC it seemed to have no place, the serious note of losing a daughter then finding her alive, being betrayed, .........etc it was really cool, I may even have connected more to SCC Sam, I liked his comments from time to time after he kills some guards.

[KenTWOu]

So currently out of 124 people that have voted, only 5 are ok with Eric Johnson voicing for Sam. Ubisoft, can you not see just how unpopular this is??? Majority still favors a new protagonist.
Cause It's a very tough question, we didn't see Eric Johnson's performance as Sam Fisher. We saw only a glimpse of it.

[mateus99]

Sorry to take you guys off topic here... or is that on topic :p

So, Eric Johnson...
This may take some of you by surprise, but I'm actually okay with this.
Michael [the man] Ironside can never be replaced... it's simply an impossibility of our universe. There is only one MI.
But, as someone to take Sam Fisher into the future, I think Eric Johnson will do good. I enjoy his lines in the demo, and while it sounds kinda odd to have Sam sounding twenty years younger, I think we all need to accept that this day was inevitable.
The choices were only ever going to be: a) kill/replace Sam Fisher, b) replace Mr. Ironside
Neither of those are desirable, but I believe Ubisoft made the right call.

I kinda accepted the death of Sam Fisher back in 2010 when Conviction was released.
For me, Sam Fisher was as dead as dead could be--Ubisoft even made a point of saying "the Sam Fisher we knew is dead"
And before that, Double Agent is all murky because I honestly didn't play it much. The sixth gen version was pretty good, but I got hold of it far to late for it to leave any sort of real impact--well, that and it's not considered canon, so...
Anyway, point I'm getting at is (for me) Sam Fisher has been gone for something like seven years now. (Chaos Theory)

Blacklist looks to be a sort of re-imagining of the game and a rebirth of the character. Fisher is younger, (new voice) he's now the leader of a new agency (4th Echelon) and he's got a blend of the Conviction action man, and the legacy ghost. There comes a time--no matter how much we don't want to accept it--that we just have to move on and realize that things just do not stay the same. Adapt or die I guess you could say.

So I ain't gonna let the change in actor effect how I take to this new iteration.
Heck, I'm almost excited to see how this new Sam Fisher plays out.
So long as I'm the one doing the playing and not the game, and things stay bound to the realm of reality (however unlikely that is) I'll be happy.

I agree with you all the way.I understand and i was afraid that this day would come,and i did not know how ubisoft would do in that situation but i think they made A HARD CHOICE BUT THE RIGHT ONE.as long as the new sam fisher feels like the old one in terms of humor and character im fine with this change and MI is fine too.

[cpt_freedom]

Would that make Grim = Cortana? Lol I guess

[EDDS86]

I'm honestly not even going to buy this game if Ironside is not voicing Sam and that's no ******** I'm literally not buying it. The decision to ditch Ironside for some generic American *** wipe is ******ed. Vote with your wallet guys, let's make this game into a financial disaster for Ubisoft. I should mention I love the SC series and most of Ubisoft's games but they are literally taking the ****ing piss.

[singularity_]

I'm happy Ironside is gone. Yep. I said it.

After seeing the performances in Heavy Rain, LA Noir and Max Payne 3, and seeing demos of Beyond: 2 Souls, I don't know if I can go back to playing a game where the mocap actor and voice actor are 2 different people. By having them be the same, the performance is leaps and bounds better than it could ever be other wise. It allows actors to ACT.

I'm not exactly happy Ironside is gone, I'll be honest. I will miss him. But if losing him means we can get performances similar to what more modern games are putting out, I think its an easy choice to make.

I'm worried about gameplay. So long as the new voice isn't terribly jarring and fits Sam's character, I'll be happy with it.

[showbizz13]

Hey they did not replace Jason Borne with a new guy, no they are spinning it off and Jermey Reiner is playing a different character. Same goes for Sam Fisher, its Michael Ironside or no one. If they want to use Eric Johnson then give him his own character and tie it into the story line somehow. but Ironside is and will always be Sam Fisher.

[Om4zd]

I know the voice is important but I think that capturing the essence of the CHARACTER is MORE important. I feel as though Eric Johnson will not imitate Michael Ironside but pull off simply BEING Sam Fisher.

[Sharkey1337]

Hey they did not replace Jason Borne with a new guy, no they are spinning it off and Jermey Reiner is playing a different character. Same goes for Sam Fisher, its Michael Ironside or no one. If they want to use Eric Johnson then give him his own character and tie it into the story line somehow. but Ironside is and will always be Sam Fisher.

Yep, my very same argument for a new character. It at least keeps things fresh, especially with the heavier action emphasis of Blacklist seen so far, and it's friendly to newcomers.

[oO_ShadowFox_Oo]

It was obvious that Conviction was going to be Ironside's last appearance as Sam Fisher.

The writing was on the wall. Extremely sad to see him go, but Blacklist looks like the first in a series and I think its the perfect time to transition.

Moving Sam upstairs is not really an option, because it would be be TWICE as disappointing. Not being able to play as Sam, but having him there voiced as someone else - secretly rubbing salt in the wounds - would be terrible.

Not sure about the new guy - he doesn't sound menacing enough for me, and he's a little too young to play Sam, but it will be really interesting to see how the Voice/Face/Motion capture comes into play.

Nice to see Splinter Cell FINALLY pushing animation again :)

[Jazz117Volkov]

Hey ShadowFox
Been quite a while since you dropped in with your 3E mission analysis thingy.
Good to (virtually) see ya again anyway.

cheers mate

[HONEYKUTT]

Weak. Im a fan since DAY 1. I hated the new direction with Conviction. Why would you take a stealth game and remove the stealth element? The goggles and gadgets are what made the games stand out from the rest. Now its just another mediocre action game. And now, no Ironside!? You have officially ruined the franchise.

[oO_ShadowFox_Oo]

Hey ShadowFox
Been quite a while since you dropped in with your 3E mission analysis thingy.
Good to (virtually) see ya again anyway.

cheers mate

What's up Jazz! Glad to see you're stick knocking around ;)

[mistahkmak]

It was obvious that Conviction was going to be Ironside's last appearance as Sam Fisher.

The writing was on the wall. Extremely sad to see him go, but Blacklist looks like the first in a series and I think its the perfect time to transition.

Moving Sam upstairs is not really an option, because it would be be TWICE as disappointing. Not being able to play as Sam, but having him there voiced as someone else - secretly rubbing salt in the wounds - would be terrible.

Not sure about the new guy - he doesn't sound menacing enough for me, and he's a little too young to play Sam, but it will be really interesting to see how the Voice/Face/Motion capture comes into play.

Nice to see Splinter Cell FINALLY pushing animation again :)

I disagree. You would still hear him in character, providing realistic closure. Most people realize that it is time for sam to retire as a field agent. This is pretty much a new character anyway to be brutally honest. Maybe they could make sam a playable character in d-ops.

[Sharkey1337]

Moving Sam upstairs is not really an option, because it would be be TWICE as disappointing. Not being able to play as Sam, but having him there voiced as someone else - secretly rubbing salt in the wounds - would be terrible.



Well the nice thing with having Ironside voicing Sam for one more game as a support role would give fans final closure on Sam Fisher as he does this one last mission to pass on the baton to the new guy. Not sure how Michael Ironside feels on the prospect of voicing Sam again, but I could see him doing this one last game for his own closure on the character. Now if only Ubisoft actually agreed on changing to a new protagonist...

[SmartAgnostic]

eric is cool but seriously... bring ironside back.

[McFisher9257]

You know, I'll agree with the fans who want to hear Ironside again, and I sympathize with them. But really, ultimately, I just don't care anymore. Sam Fisher has been dead to me since the end of DA, not just since this new voice actor. So Ironside's departure isn't really my number one concern with this game.

[oO_ShadowFox_Oo]

Well the nice thing with having Ironside voicing Sam for one more game as a support role would give fans final closure on Sam Fisher as he does this one last mission to pass on the baton to the new guy. Not sure how Michael Ironside feels on the prospect of voicing Sam again, but I could see him doing this one last game for his own closure on the character. Now if only Ubisoft actually agreed on changing to a new protagonist...

I agree that this might be a good idea also....

But not playing as Sam is really not an option either.

And to be honest, I reckon it was Ironside who called an end to the gig, not Ubisoft.
He had previously stated his lack of interest in doing another project and was convinced for Conviction.

He obviously wasn't to be re-convinced for Blacklist.

It was probably all the swearing that put him off :p!!

[Jazz117Volkov]

What's up Jazz! Glad to see you're stick knocking around ;)Yup, still here, still there, still everywhere.
Love the new sig btw

@ Topic
Am I the only one who notices how much better (or rather more like Sam) Eric sounds if he's just doing short phrases of one/three words.
It's the sentences that make me like, "That's not Sam..."

[reddragonhrcro]

Has anyone the feeling that Archer looks like Eric?

[The_5_Freedoms]

@ Topic
Am I the only one who notices how much better (or rather more like Sam) Eric sounds if he's just doing short phrases of one/three words.
It's the sentences that make me like, "That's not Sam..."
No you're not the only one, I think the same thing.

For example, at the beginning of the gameplay demo when Sam says, "Wrong answer!" after the terrorist spits in his face and "Jadid. Where?" I identify the voice as Sam's.

But then later on when he says things like, "Grim, technical in the plaza." or "Just the man I'm looking for." I just disengage and don't identify the voice as Sam's.

[mistahkmak]

Eric isn't bad AS A NEW CHARACTER. I can't believe ubi toronto is acting so blindly by replacing sams voice, it isn't a smart move making a new protagonist is the most popular decision they could do. Blacklist has the power to save the franchise or ruin it. But ubisoft is going to do what ubisoft is going to do

[reddragonhrcro]

Has anyone the feeling that Archer looks like Eric?
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p158/leonskennedy47/Splinter%20Cell%20CONVICTION/Archer1-1.jpg
http://cdn1.spong.com/news/s/p/splinterce371401l/_-Splinter-Cell-Blacklist-Coming-2013-_.jpg

Anyone?

[sameer_monier]

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p158/leonskennedy47/Splinter Cell CONVICTION/Archer1-1.jpg
http://cdn1.spong.com/news/s/p/splinterce371401l/_-Splinter-Cell-Blacklist-Coming-2013-_.jpg

Anyone?
Archer ............... lives ?!

[Andre202]

He is alive!!!!

http://cococrunch.net/di-CJ1C.png

[Jazz117Volkov]

I think someone (Fraulein, maybe?) once pointed out the similarity between Archer and James Franco.
But this works too, lol

[reddragonhrcro]

Quite supprised that nobody noticed this.

[Sharkey1337]

Sheesh, yeah I didn't realize just how closely Eric Johnson resembles Archer as I've never used Archer in his 'street clothes'. It's a **** shame Archer had to die, he would've been a GREAT protagonist to carry the series forward as he's so different from Sam.

[chadeboi]

I'd like to have my say on this particular matter.

I have absolutely nothing against Eric Johnson. He's a perfectly capable actor, and he seems to have a lot of respect for Splinter Cell. I liked him fine in Smallville (a show I own entirely on DVD now). So I hope I'm clear on this.

Yet I am still frustrated and heartbroken over the departure of Michael Ironside as the iconic, inimitable voice of Sam Fisher. For me, Ironside's voice and Sam Fisher go together. I feel as though you can't have Fisher without Ironside. When I play Blacklist, I will definitely feel as if something is sorely missing. I was hoping that Ironside would voice the character for as long as Fisher was around.

Thus, I'm sort of with the contingent of fans who say that if Ironside doesn't voice Fisher, then Ubisoft should retire (or kill or whatever) the character in the story and introduce a new Splinter Cell protagonist who can be performed entirely by Eric Johnson. I just don't want to see Fisher without the voice of Ironside.

[MokrieDela]

"He seems like a nice guy"
Sure he probably is. And dubbing over the voice would suck for him.
The only solution is to have fisher as the Lambert role. TBH the "leader" of 4e running around in the field is absolutely ridiculous. why not give him Eagle Vision too while you're at it?

I want Sam Fisher back. I've read the first two Splinter Cell books that are written in first person - when i read it i'm HEARING Ironside narrate them.
Then the books got very generic, and that's what the new guy is now. Another boring two dimensional action hero. I dont even like the way he looks. I dont plan on buying

[Norcent]

My thoughts...

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/22243902.jpg

Sam needs to have a deeper voice.

[oO_ShadowFox_Oo]

Completely agree.

He doesn't sound anything like how the character is in my mind.

That "old weapon that the government has used too many times..."

[Ghieri]

I started playing again a few missions of the first 3 Splinter Cell games some days ago, and the more I play them and think about the things Michael Ironside has said in certain interviews, the more I understand why he wanted to stop making the voice of Sam Fisher after Double Agent and had to be convinced to voice Sam in Conviction..... it's not that he doesn't care about the character or the series, and it certainly isn't because of the motion capture excuse Ubisoft has been using; he did it because he actually respects the character and the original concept of the series.

I used to think they were destroying the character of Sam Fisher by not using the voice of M. Ironside in Blacklist, but the truth is..... they destroyed Sam Fisher the moment they decided to take a genuine, calm and human character (aware of his weaknesses, the seriousness of his job and the consequence of his actions), that only killed and engaged the enemy when extremely necessary, and turned it into a relentless killing machine with no real purpose other than making the character "look cool" while violently assassinating every enemy in the game; they also destroyed Sam Fisher and the original concept of the franchise by turning the sim-like experience it used to offer, into an arcade game with a ridiculously fast character that has super agility, x-ray vision, and inhuman accuracy..... seriously, who thought something like that would be a good idea? (that's a rhetorical question, of course). And I haven't even mentioned the terrible and unnecessary changes they've made with the other characters and the story....

After considering the above, I really understand and applaud Michael Ironside's decision now, and I'm glad he finally decided to stop supporting Ubisoft and the mess they've done with the Splinter Cell series; that's exactly what I'm gonna do as well. If one day Ubisoft decides to make a real Splinter Cell game with the real Sam Fisher (voiced by M. Ironside, obviously) and Stealth as the main game mechanic, you can bet I'll get it as soon as it's released, but I'm well aware that might not happen ever again.


Oh, and just to be clear, I have nothing against the people that might like the kind of experience Conviction and Blacklist intend to offer, in fact, I understand why a lot of people could enjoy it; what I don't like is Ubisoft creating a whole new franchise with a completely different concept and main character, and using the name "Splinter Cell" and "Sam Fisher" while pretending to respect and care about the original concept and fans of the series. The first SC games are old and they do feel old now (although they're still awesome and very much enjoyable, if you like the stealth genre), that's true, but there were so many ways they could have improved the series and make it feel fresh without having to turn it into a completely different game that belongs to a completely different genre now.

[KenTWOu]

he did it because he actually respects the character and the original concept of the series.
Sorry to disappoint you, but you're imagining things. Did you see this interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=n_t-IOqXS_Q)? It looks like he did it because Blacklist Sam once again became a weapon of the government.


After considering the above, I really understand and applaud Michael Ironside's decision now, and I'm glad he finally decided to stop supporting Ubisoft and the mess they've done with the Splinter Cell series;
Actually Michael Ironside decide to voice over Sam in Conviction, because Sam is operating by itself... the story was more about Sam and less about Sam being a representative of a regime or bureaucracy... I hope you still understand and applaud Michael Ironside's decision after you know the truth.

[sam2000_290]

All I can say is, He's a cool dude. That sum it up. lol

[Sharkey1337]

Looks like the poll is still holding steady in its results as of 269 votes:

18 are ok with Eric Johnson voicing Sam Fisher (7%)
144 would like a new protagonist voiced by Eric Johnson (54%)
107 would like Michael Ironside to replace Eric Johnson's voice (40%)

[BoBwUzHeRe1138]

The 7% will be happy when Blacklist comes out. I doubt they'll dub him over but if they do I will gladly eat my words. If ones that want a new protagonist, story-wise are realistic but as of now, I doubt they can rewrite the story, the dialogue, revoice everything, etc. At that point it'd be cheaper (most likely) to just get Ironside back.

[Andre202]

Replacing the voice is the only way to go, if at all. It's actually a waste not having a new protagonist with a new voice who is capable to do all the things ingame. Because what will you do when Sam is really retiring? Just continue to use Eric for the new protagonist?