An idea for voice actors in the next Driver game | Forums

[Driverman2006]

Voice actors aren't a huge concern to me compared to having an awesome soundtrack. But I have an idea that should hopefully bridge things together (I mentioned this in my last thread). We should have many music artists do the voices of the characters, pedestrians, and other kinds of people in the game. This would be great because music artists will probably let Ubisoft-Reflections license their music easily. Here are some of the music artists I want to have in the vocal credits for the next Driver game:
David Bowie
Ringo Starr
Paul McCartney
Iggy Pop
50 Cent
Snoop Dogg
Billy Joe Armstrong
Barry Gibb
Weird Al Yankovic
Chamillionaire
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards

Sorry, I can't think of any good female singers at the momment who have good music and voices. Any requests? Anyway, I think this is a good idea (hiring a bunch of singers and music artists to do voices in the next Driver game). This way, they would probably let Ubisoft-Reflections license their music easily. It would be cool to have some Beatles songs in there if they got Paul or Ringo to do voices in the game. I remember a lot of people said in Driver wishlist threads that they wanted Beatles songs in the soundtrack (as well as many other artists).

[kalle90]

Actually pretty interesting idea. All voices being famous singers and their music in too.

I can see it working well Though there are other choises too. Madsen and other D3 cast was great.

I really can't add anyone who you don't know. I mostly know finnish people, you can think if Ville Valo (HIM) or Marko Saaresto (Poets Of The Fall) would be anything. However, I think that list has even too many people, atleast after adding the few females.

Then thinking through the music soundtrack. There likely has to be disco, jazz, pop and even some classical. Perhaps from people already dead. So not just from voice actors. Now your list is mostly rock spiced with some rap.

But there's 50 cent so I guess I can make few crazy suggestions like Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Shania Twain, Rihanna, Maggie Reilly, Natalie Imbrulgia, Milla Jovovich, Kylie Minogue and Shakira. And men like Will Smith, John Legend, Bono, Eminem, Tom Jones, The Who, Moby, Marilyn Manson, James Blunt, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Coldplay or Kiss people

I know some of those are very tired , I just checked through my media, but many of them would fit the cast both in game actor and soundtrack. Some RHCP, Will Smith and Shakira on soundtrack


For future I would keep people like Kiefer Sutherland, Wenthworth Miller and Hugh Laurie in closet. They all together with some others could be even more amazing.

[Driverman2006]

Well yeah, many of the artists from "Yesteryear" have passed away. Some of them include John Lennon, George Harrison, Barry White, Maurice Gibb, and Jimi Hendrix. That's why I have many present-day music people listed for voice ideas.

Personally, I didn't like how Reflections chose Michael Madsen to do Tanner's voice in Driv3r. Tanner sounded like a long-term smoker in Driv3r with his gravely voice (no offense). But I think it was good that they got Iggy Pop to do Baccus' voice in Driv3r. Iggy was good for Baccus' character and one of his songs was licensed in Driv3r (and in the future of the Driver series).

They really should get Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr to do voices next. Beatles music doesn't get licensed in games. No wonder, nobody had Paul or Ringo voice the characters or people in the games. But if Ubisoft-Reflections does what they did with Iggy Pop by getting him to do voices once, then they should get Paul or Ringo to do it too. Then Paul and/or Ringo would probably say "Could we contribute by not just giving you our voices, but also our music?" Then the next Driver game would be the first game to have Beatles songs in the soundtrack.

By the way, Ringo Starr is my friend on Youtube (yes, the real Ringo, not a fake). If you have any questions for him, you can ask me to ask them for you. I can't guarantee that I'll get an immidiate response from him, but I could give it a try.

[kalle90]

I think most of voice acting and actors got the job done in D3, but it wasn't spectacular. Music had important role. Isn't Tanner supposed to be little rough man, Madsen suit it ok. Iggy was good too.

You know the real Ringo? Wow. I don't think I have any real questions as I'm too young to be real fan. But have you asked if he would be willing to be voice actor in Driverlike game and bring some soundtrack with him?

[FutureVenturer]

If I was to make a Driver game, I'd look for an original cast of film actors. Besides, there are many actors out there, but a majority of them are just not very impressive. There were so many more impressive actors in the early 19th century. Also, claiming that actors who were popular artists in the music industry as good actors is what I'd consider a ridicule. From what I've seen, people like Ice Cube, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and among many others, have just not shown enough potential.

If you're looking for the best actors, at least say that you want someone who's been in the film industry ever since they got themselves a career. I personally feel that we need to look further beyond that. Even new and unexperienced actors could step up to such a challenge, as well as those who've waiting to have it based all around the video game industry. If there's anything that I love in a form of art, it's the original elements that mostly make it feel so unique and not the borrowed or licensed elements of other forms of art. In other words, I prefer anything original in video games more than something that was already apart of something else (like a popular artist's soundtrack) and being payed to make its way into a video game, due to the fact that the developer cannot find any talented and not so well known artists.

[kalle90]

You seem to think even too artistically. I rather want to see same actors and singers in multiple places than have every game and movie have different musics and actors.

I even dislike current stream of unknown names flooding into movies and tv. Who, what, when?

I'd like to see and hear Beatles because I know them and tribute to them would be great. I don't really get excited about having unknown people who vanish for eternity after doing their part of Driver. Even more when Driver roles change with every game, there's no need for Legacy of Kain epic originality. Just fun and exciting casts. Not saying people just wanting cash should be taken in, but people who would actually like to do it.

I see Drivermans cast fitting game fine both as voice and music if there's few females and bit more variety atleast with soundtrack. Michelle Rodriques hasn't convinced me in her few movie roles, but in D3 and Halo2 I think she was good addition, she seemed to care about them.
Besides, Sutherland, Wenthworth and Laurie would be amazing triplet to my mind, I can't say any unknown group who would feel the same.

[FutureVenturer]

I'd like to bring up a good point of what I have learned today in school. My school had an assembly today, whose topic was based on diversity. This was done mainly because the students just don't respect one another, such that diversity is not noticed, and as a result, we don't accept one another enough. It was begun with a slide show that defined the term of diversity. Several students defined it in their own ways, by what they believed. According to dictionary.com, it means:

1. the state or fact of being diverse; difference; unlikeness.
2. variety; multiformity.
3. a point of difference.

After the definitions, we got a chance to be introduced to 4 different people, who were going to be portrayed by Anna Deavere Smith, a popular playwright and actor, who portrays different people. She went on to portray Studs Terkel, convict Paulette Jenkins, a Korean shopkeeper, and a bull rider (I've managed to find the video, which can be found here.). It was an interesting video to watch. Anyways, one of the teachers (will remain synonymous) was speaking to make a point about diversity. And she went back to the fact that one of the students said diversity is not that we accept one another for how much similar we are, but that we must accept one another for the fact that we're different, as this is among one of the most interesting things about the world.

When you look at the point I made about diversity, I hope you'll understand what it is that makes it such an important thing. For video games or other forms of art to just continue reinventing a previous idea or thing, it is a good thing, but it is even more important to have people who work on ideas/things to focus on the problems that are kept on the subject matter and to look to new ways in having others see things. This is truly how self-expression makes itself clear. And from self-expression, people are able to gain a better knowledge and understanding, which they can hold on to, and use (if/or whenever necessary). Therefore, I feel that it is a very significant thing to have something within each form of art that helps distinguish it more from the other mediums/forms of mass media. If you are only to accept for what is there and not anything that is yet to come, you'll never realize the truth and feeling of self-expression, which is used in everything we do (talking, singing, dancing, writing, drawing, reading, etc.). It is a beneficial thing to one's happiness & health, so it is important that a developer like Reflections works to improve further on the various aspects that make video games wonderful to us as gamers.