Movies Stars Seek More Control Over Videogames

stoolpigeon writes "MSNBC has an article about major actors and their relationship to videogames, saying: 'The trickle of A-list talent appearing in games has turned into a torrent of late and beyond publicity, the trend has triggered changes in game development. Stars now work with game producers on story and character development as agents and lawyers try to figure out how an actor can maintain his 'image,' in an interactive environment.'"

Comments

Proactive rather then reactive

[servicepack158]

This can't be a bad thing :)

Could be a slippery slope

[darkmayo]

but considering most games that had featured real actors have been flakey movie spinoffs I don't think we have too much to worry about, if its a movie based game then what the character would do and whatnot probably has already been established. Other than a few exceptions (like onimusha 3 that has Jean Reno and the likeness of a dead Japanese) I don't think most celebrities will make the plunge into videogames especially if the developers aren't willing to shell out the bucks to have some a-list actors name on the project... tho it would be a dark day if all the production costs went to paying for celebs.....

anyways back to playing Street Fighter the Movie.. :P

Bahahahah!

[Ender Ryan]

I say, let them eat cake!

Seriously, the gaming industry doesn't need Hollywood asshats to fuck up more games than are already fucked up by movie-licensing and the like. The best games have absolutely no Hollywood contributed components.

I'm not against famous actors lending their voices to games, quite the contrary, but they should stop at that, IMHO.

OTOH, a lot of games have such horrible writing that they make Hollywood look good, heh.

Poor decision making

[mwheeler01]

Considering the poor quality of some of the appearances and likenesses in some video games, I've often wondered what makes movie stars still want to participate. If it was the money offered by the game companies, a desperate attempt to resurrect a carreer (as is undoubtedly the case with Mark Hammil in the Wing Commander role), or just trying to make a poorly executed connection with an audience they don't normally reach. If I were a movie star I'd at least want to see an alpha of the game or let my son/nephew/random kid off the street play it before throwing my weight behind it. Regardless of the situation I can only see things getting better because they certainly couldn't get much worse than a couple of years ago.

Re:Poor decision making

[Anonymous Coward]

a desperate attempt to resurrect a carreer (as is undoubtedly the case with Mark Hammil in the Wing Commander role)

What was John Rhys-Davies' excuse, then? I know he was at least famous enough that I was surprised when I saw his name in the opening credits of WC3. And of course there's Todd "Maniac" Marshall, played by Tom "Biff" Wilson, which I mention only because I get a kick out of it. The point is that the cast of that game was not entirely made up of unknowns and hasbeens. That doesn't mean the acting was good, of course, but the actors obviously took it seriously, and I doubt that anyone in it, including Mark Hamill, was "desperate."

Medal of Honor and Call of duty.

[SmallFurryCreature]

Don't tell me that these games (the good bits meaning the none dungeon crawling bits) weren't inspired by "Saving private ryan" and "Band of brothers".

At least it is not the old interactive movie crap.

And script writing for games is very very hard. In movies the audience is passive. In games the audience is supposed to be in some kind of control.

I hate the movie script of Max Payne. I am in a warehouse killing bad guys left and right without any worries about police procedure. Then I hear a couple of thugs holding someone hostage. So what happens? Control is taken away and ME does something really really stupid and gets the hostage killed. BAD writing. It could work in a movie but in a game I AM MAX PAYNE and I am not an idiot.

OFP Resistance has the main character constantly whining about how he hates wars and really doesn't want to fight. Yes nice speech. Except I am supposed to be the character and I bought a war game. Spare the pacifism and lets go shoot someone. (when are we getting a war game in wich units can surrender? (and that ain't hex-based))

This has been true for all games with a story. How to make sure the personality of the player and the character in the game match. Dramatic plot twist like the dead of a character are the proven elements in a movie but hard to do in a game apparently. All somehow seem determined to make it integrate with the players action. Wing commander, you kill all the baddies in a second yet still your wingmate buys the farm. Doesn't matter how good or bad you are, it is scripted and she dies. BAD

The better way? Make it happen outside the PERCEIVED area of control of the player. You and her go on different patrols. You hear her patrol being ambushed and change course to intercept. As you come closer you hear more messages until you are close and the patrol is wiped out. Far less frustating I think, a really good script writer could improve it of course.

System Shock worked well for me since all the plot happened before you arrived on the scene. So people fighting and dying is totally outside your control yet you still can have the plot of finding out about a desperate struggle. But all the deaths are outside your characters control.

This isn't the end of the world

[KeeperS]

Yeah, most games based on movies tend to suck. The Hollywoodization (wee, I made up a word!) of games probably isn't a good thing.

On the other hand, actors can sometimes add to a game. English voice acting in games is usually horrible, but when done by real actors, it's usually pretty good. Even without the voice acting, it's interesting to see people you already know playing video game characters. Was I the only one who liked Mark Hammil in the Wing Commander series?

Re:Why do people like famous actors?

[ajax0187]

I'll agree with you on most of your points, but there are some times when having famous actors in movies or games can be a major benefit. For instance, the voice acting in GTA3 and Vice City was done by actors well-known for playing in gangster movies - Ray Liotta, Joe Pantoliano (sp?), etc. Now, the games were entertaining since the actors themselves were talented, but their presence also added that gangster-type atmosphere that added to the overall feel of the game. After all, would Tommy Vercetti seem just as cool being voiced by Paulie Shore than Ray Liotta? No, because Paulie Shore is known for his comedic talents, while Ray Liotta is known for his crime-drama movies.

No involvement

[Robmonster]

In my opinion 'Stars' shoulkd have no involvement with the plot of a game, or character development. The game should be written, and then the 'talent' found to fit the role.

Leave the game design to those who design games well, and leave the acting to those who act well.

Whats next? Game developers telling movie producers to include a car chase in their movie, as they have already written a great driving section for the spin-off game?

The L[i|ee]s and Appropriate Use

[Discoflamingo13]

My experience with BtVS: Chaos Bleeds has cemented my belief that franchise video games can be made or broken by the presence of the actors originally involved - but what about when the actor is, themself, a franchise in their own right?

In my experience, rabid gamers/Hong Kong action buffs are quick to point out that virtually every fighting game based in the "real world" already has Bruce Lee and Jet Li in it. If you don't believe me - DoA and Tekken. The characters' names and looks are different enough to not force a lawsuit, but seriously - what the hell? I would much rather Jet Li was transparently involved in the creation of a character that is using his image than that he stood back and did nothing.