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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays and today we are looking at the chopping block to see who got cut,
00:12this is 10 voice actor recasts in video games.
00:15As it turns out there's hundreds of reasons an actor could be replaced in a sequel project
00:19or spin-off title, scheduling, drama or even just a weak performance, the cut is always
00:24dirty but it's almost always for the best.
00:27Let's have a look.
00:28Before we continue, we publish content all week long so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:33the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:36Ghost
00:37We may as well start with the big daddy, Peter Dinklage, known for his role as Ghost in the
00:47original Destiny game, was replaced due to a combination of factors.
00:51While Dinklage's performance received mixed reviews, the primary reason for his replacement
00:56was reportedly scheduling conflicts.
00:59This is totally conjecture and I say this with peace and love, but I call bullshit.
01:05The demands of his other commitments made it challenging for him to return for Destiny's
01:08subsequent expansions and updates.
01:11Bungie, the game's developer, decided to re-record Ghost's lines with Nolan North, a seasoned
01:16voice actor, for consistency and to ensure continuity through the game's ongoing development.
01:21North's performance brought a fresh interpretation to the character, but then again it was nice
01:25to get an interpretation at all.
01:46Frank West
01:47Here's an example of voice actor replacement that actually disappointed fans, not made
01:56them rejoice.
01:57Sorry Peter Dinklage, I promise that's my last dig.
01:59Ty Olsen replaced TJ Rotolo as Frank West in Dead Rising 4.
02:04While Olsen injects energy and wit into the role, his portrayal differs pretty significantly
02:09from the original and beloved rendition.
02:15Instead of Rotolo's vibrant, higher-pitched delivery, Olsen opts for a deeper tone, altering
02:20Frank's essence, which is a bold move even for a seasoned pro.
02:24This adjustment sometimes veers Frank into the realm of a generic action hero rather
02:28than his trademark witty persona.
02:31Change sometimes isn't as good as a holiday.
02:34James Sunderland
02:35Nolan North and Troy Baker stand out as two of the most prolific and beloved male video
02:52game voice actors in the industry, knocking out roles like Nathan Drake, Joel Miller and
02:57the brothers Magni and Modi from God of War.
02:59However, some Silent Hill fans expressed dissatisfaction when Troy Baker replaced Guy Cihi as the
03:05protagonist in the second game of the 2012 HD collection, Silent Hill HD Collection.
03:11While Baker's performance wasn't criticised for its quality, many fans believed he didn't
03:15fully capture the essence of the character that Cihi had.
03:18Then again, there are those who believe Cihi gave the most lacklustre, boring and overanalyzed
03:22performance ever recorded, but that's just my opinion, I mean someone else's opinion.
03:34Xehanort Slash Ansem
03:44Occasionally voice actor changes occur without any official explanation, leaving fans and
03:48gamers to speculate wildly about the reasons behind the switch, and when you let gamers
03:52speculate, they're gonna speculate.
03:54This set of circumstances is made a hell of a lot worse when the new actor is widely considered
03:58not as good, prompting calls for the return of the previous actor.
04:02Well, in the Kingdom Hearts series, this happened with Xehanort Slash Ansem.
04:06Initially voiced by Billy Zane, the role was then passed to veteran voice actor Richard
04:11Epcar.
04:12While both actors brought their own strengths to the character, there was seemingly a call
04:15for Billy to return.
04:16There was also a dedicated Epcar fanbase who enjoyed his performance better.
04:20Additionally, Leonard Nimoy briefly assumed the role in Birth by Sleep, adding a unique
04:24touch to the character's development.
04:26And also, did you know that Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson voiced the Genie?
04:30It's not related to this entry at all, but I just found that out during the research
04:33and I had to tell somebody.
04:34Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional, the one and only, Genie of the Lamp!
04:39Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted.
04:43Aladdin!
04:44Congratulations!
04:45Garrett.
04:46The one thing that really throws fans of a game into a tizzy is when a game attaches
04:50a voice actor to a character for a long time and then switches them.
04:54Fans were divided when the studio opted to replace Steven Russell as the voice of Garrett
04:58in Thief, a role he had portrayed for the three games prior.
05:01The decision stemmed from the studio's desire to find a performer capable of simultaneously
05:05handling both motion capture and vocal duties, and also interact with other cast members
05:10during scenes physically, enhancing the overall authenticity of the performance.
05:14The reason is pretty good when you actually think about it, so might be worth letting
05:18this one go, gang.
05:19Mario and Luigi.
05:29Everybody knows Charles Martinet, he's a voice acting legend, having voiced Super Mario for
05:33pretty much everyone's entire life, but there's still a shocking amount of people who don't
05:37realise that he also voiced Luigi.
05:39Luigi made his vocal debut in Mario Kart 64, after previously being silent.
05:44Since then, Charles Martinet has remained the definitive voice of Luigi, consistently
05:48portraying the character in subsequent releases.
05:51But every superhero needs to eventually hang up their cape, and after his very well-documented
05:56retirement, he was replaced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder by Kevin Afghani, who had now
06:00taken over the famous brothers.
06:07Cloud Strife.
06:17In the original version of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud didn't have a voice, except in my mind
06:22every time I read his dialogue.
06:24But he has been voiced in various video game appearances since then.
06:27His first speaking role in western releases occurred in Kingdom Hearts in 2002, with Steve
06:32Burton providing the voice.
06:34Burton continued to voice Cloud in 12 subsequent appearances, which if it's not already clear,
06:39means he did a pretty f***ing good job.
06:42Therefore it was unexpected when Cody Christian was announced as the voice of Cloud in Final
06:46Fantasy VII Remake, especially since he had never portrayed a major video game character
06:50before.
06:51But luckily for him, he crushed it.
06:53So we don't need to tear his eyes out guys.
06:55As you were.
07:00Bayonetta.
07:09Originally, it was documented that a scheduling conflict was cited as the reason for Jennifer
07:14Hale replacing Helena Taylor as the titular character in Bayonetta 3.
07:19However, Taylor later broke her NDA a few weeks before the game's release, taking to
07:22Twitter to share her side of the story through a series of videos.
07:26And for those who don't know what an NDA is, it's essentially a shut up contract.
07:30In these videos, she alleged that she hadn't reprised the role due to being offered a measly
07:35$4,000.
07:37This amount, she claimed, was a revised offer following her personal communication with
07:41the game's director Hideki Kamiya, who also holds the position of Vice President at Platinum
07:46Games.
07:47Leon Kennedy.
07:55Leon Kennedy can't seem to hold onto a voice actor, and to be honest, it's never really
07:59for any dramatic reason.
08:01The character's first voice actor was Paul Haddad, who voiced the role in the initial
08:05release of Resident Evil 2.
08:07Following him, Paul Mercier took over the role in Resident Evil 4 and several spinoff
08:11titles.
08:12However, Matthew Mercer succeeded Mercier for the series' sixth installment.
08:17Although Mercer continued to feature in a few spinoffs and movies, he didn't return
08:20for the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019.
08:23Instead, Nick Apostolidis stepped into the role for the remake.
08:27Leon Kennedy has more voices in his head than I do.
08:30I'm very unwell.
08:31I lost over 70,000 people, including the President, because of Simmons.
08:35Snake.
08:42Kept you waiting, huh?
08:43I need to get something out of the way first and foremost, because almost every piece of
08:47research I've looked into when writing this entry states Venom Snake isn't identical to
08:52either Big Boss or Solid Snake, leading some to argue that replacing David Hayter for Minoga
08:56Solid 5 was justifiable.
08:58But just so we're clear, and I hate to go all Kojima nerd on y'all, Big Boss was just
09:03Big Boss in Grand Zeros.
09:05This was before the explosion that caused the Big Boss slash Venom Snake double up situation.
09:09Also Kiefer Sutherland still voiced the real Big Boss at both the beginning and end of
09:12Phantom Pain.
09:13So this argument that replacing him because it's a different Snake is incorrect.
09:16Because it wasn't a different Snake, and it was still a new voice actor.
09:20I've used up all my words on that rant, so let's make this quick.
09:22Solid Snake and Big Boss were infamously voiced by David Hayter.
09:26Hideo Kojima had been trying to replace him for years with Kurt Russell, for no apparent
09:30reason.
09:31David Hayter was tossed aside like day-old beer and replaced with Kiefer Sutherland because
09:34Kojima loves sucking the farts of Hollywood celebs.
09:37Take a peek at his Instagram and tell me I'm wrong.
09:39Mic drop, Matt out.
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