the voices need to go

[Alucard]

I haven't been on the site in a while and figured e3 would be as good of a time as any for an update. I must say that telltale has dropped the ball on the voices. They really just don't sound right. I haven't played Sam&max for years but the moment I heard the trailer I knew it just wasn't right. Sure the game looked great but for a comedy adventure geme it is critical for it to sound great.
Time for a petition maybe?

Honestly, I think you're over reacting a bit. The voices seem alright to me, i actually thought they were pretty good. Then again, TellTale has already said they don't have the final voices down yet, so we'll see what happens. Inevitably though they won't be able to make everyone happy...

[Emily]

No need for a petition! ) We are paying close attention to people's reactions to the trailer, don't worry. SamNmaX88 is right, though, that there's no way we can please everybody -- even if we DID get Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson, there are some people who would complain that we should be using Harvey Atkin and Robert Tinkler from the cartoon show...

May I ask what it is that you don't like about the voices? Is it just that they don't sound like the originals to you, or do you have a specific gripe with one (or both) of them? (Also - you mentioned you haven't played the game in a while. It might be an interesting experiment to load it up again and see if they really sound the way you remember them sounding. )

May I ask what it is that you don't like about the voices? Is it just that they don't sound like the originals to you, or do you have a specific gripe with one (or both) of them? (Also - you mentioned you haven't played the game in a while. It might be an interesting experiment to load it up again and see if they really sound the way you remember them sounding. )

I haven't watched much of the TV show, but out of all the actors for Sam (including the trailer here), I think Bill Farmer had the best delivery (speed perhaps?). The fellow who did the bits of the TV show I saw sounded way too much like Guy Smiley to me.
The one from the trailer did manage to get through "Holy jumping saints a plenty riding sidewise on a candy-pink fat-boy" admirably (if a little fast).

Max in the trailer isn't too bad (Neither of them are). The voice is less ummm 'rough', and a little more 'cudley' (lol, I don't think I'm very good at describing voices - compare the "Bonzai!!!" from the Freelance Police trailer with "I got it! I got it!" from this one) than Jamison's, but I don't know if that's good or bad.

When you guys announced neither of the previous pairs of actors were going to be playing the voices, I was expecting something far worse than what's in the trailer.
It sounds to me like they're doing their best to imitate Farmer and Jamison's performance from Hit The Road, and on the whole, it's not too far off.

If these guys were to take on the roles permanently, I think they wouldn't be too hard to get used to, and maybe a little time in the characters might help as well (one and a half minutes isn't much for us to form an opinion on or them to get a feel for their characters).

On a side note, was the term "Lagomorph" around before Purcel (and Sam and Max) joined LucasArts?

See, I have the Floppy Disc version of Sam and Max. I never had voice acting. I did watch the cartoon, but I don't remember what they sounded like.

Wasn't there going to be alternate reality Sams and Maxes with the voices of the cartoon voice actors?

even if we DID get Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson, there are some people who would complain that we should be using Harvey Atkin and Robert Tinkler from the cartoon show...

Farmer and Jameson were just excellent, and it was the delivery that really made them perfect for the role. The Sam/Max banter was consistently casual, and they managed to say those ridiculous things without stuttering or laughing.

In terms of intonation, I agree that the current actors are attempting to imitate the voices from Hit The Road and not quite hitting the mark- the Max voice is closer though.

It might just be because whatever you see first seems the most right to you, but I always thought the voices in the television cartoon sounded wrong and miscast.

So...wait...were you implying there IS some chance of snagging Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson?

So...wait...were you implying there IS some chance of snagging Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson?

Because that would be awesome.

Can telltale reveal why they couldn't get the voices who did hit the road? considering they were able to get them for freelance police u would think they'd be available? If u asked the fans i'd say 90-95% would prefer the hit the road voices than the cartoon voices.. those guys absolutely killed it on the talkie version of sam and max... as far as the trailer.. i think max is okay.. sam is all wrong tho.. he has sort of got the sound of the voice down..but the delivery is all wrong.. it sounds like he's focusing more on gettin the sound right and is missing out on delivering the line right with the right comic intonations.. Either this guy needs to be recast or he has to start delivering the lines better than that..so they are funny.. just listen to the hit the road stuff to hear how its done..

I really see no glaring problems with the voices in the trailer. They may not be quite at the level of the Hit the Road guys, but I'm sure becoming comfortable with the characters, and, you know, speaking more than five lines or whatever each, will go a long way. Regardless of any quirks they may have I really see nothing so catastrophic that we need to petition Telltale to recast... In any event, if Telltale can't get, or don't want to use, the Hit the Road guys, I really hope we don't end up with soundalikes.

[Alucard]

Ok maybe I'm being a bit harsh. Like most people I really want to see Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson do the voices. When I first saw the cartoon I didn't like it because the voices were different... I'd like to say that I got over it but I really didn't and it bugged me everytime I saw that cartoon. Anyway, it would be like doing a sequel to Day of the Tentacle and not having the same voice for the purple tentacle.

Bah, you guys are crazy, ok, let me clear this up.

Reason they dont have the voices from the video game?

Cause Nick Jameson is a big star now, appearing in "Lost" & "24" on TV, and a few upcoming movies.

Bill Farmer is still mainly doing random cartoons and video games, but come on, you cant have one without the other, it just wouldnt be as cool.

The voices from the TV series?

Harvey Atkin is playing a Judge on Law & Order, so he probably doesnt feel like being a 6 foot dog in a suit.

And Robert Tinkler is doing some random voice acting still, but just like with the point and click Sam & Max, you cant have one without the other.

So what about these new guys?

I think theyre fine. Max sounds perfect, like Max, no complaints at all. Sam sounds a little different from his previous incarnations, but he still sounds like he can deliver a good "You crack me up little buddy."

I mean, I can be honest, when I think Sam and Max, I think of the CD Rom Talkie version from Hit the Road, but dont let the voice of the characters hold you back from these games, I think its going to be great, and I think after you play a few episodes, youll forget about the voices ever sounding different cause you'll be too busy laughing at Max biting people and Sams sarcastic wit.

[Edit 2] Can we get the names of the guys in the trailer? I mean come on, its pretty obvious theyre doin the games, just tell us!

I have to agree with a few dissenting voices here in that I think the Sam in the trailer doesn't sound right. All the other successful Sams have had a naturally avuncular drawl, but this guy sounds more like he's putting it on, and it sounds too much like a deliberate comedy voice. To my mind, Bill Farmer's the perfect bet, and if Telltale haven't given a reason that they can't get him, I'd advise them to do so. He just nailed it. From him, I could even bear hearing 'I can't use these two things together' for the 600th time.

Max in the trailer's doing a fine job, though. But, I mean, if you got Bill, you might as well go for Nick...

[Emily]

So...wait...were you implying there IS some chance of snagging Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson?

No.

The voices aren't too bad, really. The only thing I might suggest is that Sam's voice needs to be a little darker, and Max needs to sound a little more like the 1930's Daffy Duck on a mix of speed, PCP, and Crack. But, honestly, the voices are fine.

The script is where it's at, anyway. The lovely rapid banter of a dog and his lagomorphic rabbity thing.

Why can't a big star do voice acting for a game?

The Dig featured Robert Patrick (T2 fame).

Full Throttle had Mark Hamill (Star Wars).

The voice acting is a quality point to players (especially as an element throughout the entire gameplay). I don't see why you can't match the quality of a game made 13 years ago.

As for the TV actor argument, the connection is too weak. When people think about a Sam and Max video game, they're more likely to remember Hit the Road than the cartoon.

If you can't get the original actors, please include an option to turn the voices off. I would prefer reading subtitles.

[Alucard]

I'm surprised to see that some people think max sounds right. I thought max was the weaker impersonation of the two. I have to agree with bigbrother if nothing can be done to get the proper actors then a subtitled option without the voices of sam and max might be some consolation.

Why can't a big star do voice acting for a game?

The Dig featured Robert Patrick (T2 fame).

Full Throttle had Mark Hamill (Star Wars).

The voice acting is a quality point to players (especially as an element throughout the entire gameplay). I don't see why you can't match the quality of a game made 13 years ago.

As for the TV actor argument, the connection is too weak. When people think about a Sam and Max video game, they're more likely to remember Hit the Road than the cartoon.

If you can't get the original actors, please include an option to turn the voices off. I would prefer reading subtitles.

The Dig and Full Throttle are both excellent games, and yes, Mark Hamill and Robert Patrick appear in those titles.

But theres one thing, both of them, are made by LUCASARTS!

They are owned by the owners of the Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones series, and about 10 years of successful video games releases prior. Meaning they have $$$$$.

TellTale, while Im sure theyre capable of creating awsome games, is still young, so they dont have alot of $$$$ yet, so thats why its BETTER if they go with un known voice actors, because then they dont have to pay them 90% of their game budget, and more money can goto the game design and writing, which is way better than having so and so do the voice of some one.

The games will be awsome guys, I have forseen it in my dreams.

Dont worry.

[Udvarnoky]

Once you replace the voices, it's impossible to win with everybody, or even with a majority. Even if Farmer and Jameson were in Purcell's mind the worst representation of the characters ever, the fact is that they're, in the minds of everyone who's played Hit the Road and to most Sam & Max fans, the only correct voices. I think the trailer's voices are good, and I'll admit that most of my problem with them is simply that they're not Farmer and Jameson. That's just unavoidable. I think there's room for improvement, too, so I'll be interested in seeing how Telltale handles it; it's up to them to decide which criticsms are helpful and which are just from people who can't be pleased. In the end Purcell will be approving whatever voices they pick, so in a way we really won't be able to say the voices aren't true to the characters and be correct.

As the voices stand, now they're not bad. Much better than I was expecting, but not perfect.

Max needs the most work, I reckon. The pitch seems right, but the voice is lacking the underlying sense of malice that Max needs. As someone noted above, he comes across as too *cuddly* presently. Max should sound as cuddly as a pillow-sack full of rusty knives.

Sam is pretty decent, actually. I don't have that big of a beef with his voice. It approximates the previous versions of the voice, but there's still something slightly off. Not quite sure what it is. Once again the pitch and whatnot seem pretty good, it's just the delivery that's a tad off.

If they were to fix Max's tone, and kept Sam's the same as in the current trailer, I would be happy with the end result.

[jp-30]

So, around 1/3 of people who comment like the voices (albiet suggesting some tweaks to delivery), about 1/3 like Sam's and dislike Max's, and the other third like Max's and dislike Sam's.

Sounds about right...


Regarding Sam's deadpan delivery - it's a great Film Noir gumshoe voiceover nod. You guys ever watchd a Bogart flick? I like the monotone, and it also provides contrast to Max's asylum-inmate tone.