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A Chat With the Voice of Mario

Posted by Zonk on from the it'sa-him dept.

An anonymous reader writes "CNETTV.co.uk has up a video interview with Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario. Charles talks about flying out to Japan to record five games, including Super Mario Galaxy, and about his gaming experiences pre-Mario, which were made up of Pong, Pac-Man and Tank. The most interesting part of the video has to be when Charles discusses how he came up with the voice of Mario, which didn't exactly start off sounding like the Mario we know and love today."

41 comments

  1. How many lines? by jasonmicron · · Score: 3, Funny

    They flew him out to Japan to record "It'sa meeee, Marioooooo" & "Hello!"? Wow. I need to get into that gig.

    1. Re:How many lines? by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 1

      Sadly recording work doesn't require that you be flown anywhere, just the tape. It was problably done in Mario's plumbing supply warehouse in New Jersey.

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
    2. Re:How many lines? by D'Sphitz · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      hot blondes and their bulldyke girlfriends

    3. Re:How many lines? by G+Fab · · Score: 1

      TFA, my friend, indicates that he went to Japan several times for recording. No idea why this would be necessary, but the cost of flying one guy is trivial for this project.

      It's art, not an engineering project (entirely), so I guess a little inefficiency is part of the deal.

  2. pong, pacman, and tank? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow! This guy's been the voice for a bunch of great games. I wonder how long it took him to master the 'boop......boop' sound of Pong?

    1. Re:pong, pacman, and tank? by Frogbert · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, they only paid him to say "boop" once, then they doubled it up on the soundtrack... Cheap bastards.

  3. The start of the interview... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    ...was rough. They thought he was a fraud because of his normal speaking voice.

    Finally in frustration he shouted:

    It'sa me, Mah-ree-o
  4. oblig by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
    1. Re:oblig by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Fucking stop this catch phrase bullshit. I loved portal too but you faggots are fucking it up already.

    2. Re:oblig by JCSoRocks · · Score: 3, Funny

      And you were like "no way". And then I was all, we pretended we were going to murder you. That was great.

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
    3. Re:oblig by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 1

      Just encase it appears to be offtopic to some, I believe it is referencing this strip, erm, no pun intended.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    4. Re:oblig by Victor+Antolini · · Score: 1

      At the end of Super Mario 64, the princess gives you a Cake she baked herself. So, go back to your cave anon coward.

    5. Re:oblig by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 1

      Yea, that's exactly what I was referencing. I sadly didn't even know what Portal was until the other comments, I just thought the comic was hilarious in it's own right.

      --
      "I only speak the truth"
      Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  5. Nice... by xtracto · · Score: 1

    Is it me, or are the two chicks dressed as Luigi and Princess Peach quite hot?
    That's a princess I would rescue from another castle...

    --
    Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
    1. Re:Nice... by stevenvi · · Score: 3, Funny

      Is it me, or are the two chicks dressed as Luigi and Princess Peach quite hot?

      Maybe I'm just weird, perhaps a bit old fashioned, but a girl with a big bushy mustache doesn't do anything for me.

      (Further, the Luigi girl appeared to either be on drugs or need to use the restroom quite urgently.)

    2. Re:Nice... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hey, it's a long line waiting at the store at midnight.

    3. Re:Nice... by brunes69 · · Score: 1

      Trust me - it's just you. That or the fact that most guys on /. have very low criteria when it comes to judging a good looking woman.

      She has a huge nose, chubby face, and weird smile. And the other one has a mustache.

    4. Re:Nice... by somersault · · Score: 1

      Plus there were probably 1000 xtracto's just waiting for him/her to head to the urinals.

      --
      which is totally what she said
    5. Re:Nice... by ludomancer · · Score: 1

      They're also obviously working with the interviewer, and are just planted there to make the whole scene look a little more balanced out I'd imagine.

  6. Yes they are... by denzacar · · Score: 1

    That is why they are dressed as characters from your childhood in order to make you spend more money on games.

    Unfortunately, the rules of life dictate that unless you have enough money to buy the store along with the games, they will be repulsed by you.
    We men are really sad pathetic drones, so easily controlled by the queen bees. Or in this case, Princess Peach.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    1. Re:Yes they are... by king-manic · · Score: 1

      That is why they are dressed as characters from your childhood in order to make you spend more money on games.

      Unfortunately, the rules of life dictate that unless you have enough money to buy the store along with the games, they will be repulsed by you.
      We men are really sad pathetic drones, so easily controlled by the queen bees. Or in this case, Princess Peach. gosh such misogyny.
      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    2. Re:Yes they are... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey Andy sweety....

    3. Re:Yes they are... by fenodyree · · Score: 1

      Note: The girls are actually _fans_ not models or ad people.

    4. Re:Yes they are... by TeleKawaru · · Score: 1

      We men are really sad pathetic drones, so easily controlled by the queen bees. Or in this case, Princess Peach. Actually in Mario Galaxy you do have to obey a Queen Bee. =P http://www.dsfanboy.com/media/2007/07/bee-mario-dev-0-nwf.jpg
  7. You know what I think? by GammaKitsune · · Score: 1

    He should have stuck with the deeper, gravely sounding voice. Mario would have sounded hardcore.

    --
    Gamertag: WyleType
    1. Re:You know what I think? by somersault · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That would have fitted with the theme of popping mushrooms and jumping through fluffy clouds! Or are you forgetting U R MR GAY? I didn't even know whether to believe that one, but I picked up a copy of Super Mario Galaxy in store and the hidden message really is there.

      --
      which is totally what she said
  8. And all this time, by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 1

    I thought it was Ciscoe Morris http://www.ciscoe.com/

    --
    How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
  9. Heart attack! by ewisnor · · Score: 0

    Swing your arms from side to side *GASP*, come on it's time to go do the Mario!

    1. Re:Heart attack! by Rakarra · · Score: 1

      Take one step.. and then again, come on it's time to go do the Mario!

  10. Dude... This IS Slashdot by denzacar · · Score: 1

    And those are girls... dressed as video game characters...

    That is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Or a pork chop in front of a hungry dog.

    Are you sure you are into... you know... tech and hetero-sex?
    Or maybe you are one of those rare females that are rumored to visit slashdot from time to time?

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
    1. Re:Dude... This IS Slashdot by brunes69 · · Score: 1

      Ugly girl + princess outfit == Ugly girl in princess outfit. No I do not find that appealing, thanks.

      If it was a HOT girl in a princess outfit, for sure.

  11. Now I know who to blame... by Fez · · Score: 1

    ...for the only part of Super Mario Galaxy I don't like so far: When you click on the disc channel to start the game, he yells "SUPER MARIOOOOO GALAXY!" at the top of his lungs.

    It's a great game, but I wish there were a way to quickly bypass that screen. If you press "start" as fast as possible, it only cuts off the last part of "galaxy".

    Oh well, I guess there's always mute.

    1. Re:Now I know who to blame... by rishistar · · Score: 1

      This is something with the disk loading screen - just about all the games have extra loud soundtracks on that screen compared to the normal volume and even to when that game is being played. A volume setting for that screen would be great Nintendo....

      --
      Professor Karmadillo Songs of Science
  12. Anyone see the resemblance to Boris Johnson? by ParaShoot · · Score: 1

    Uncanny.

  13. Sega doesn't get it by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

    Charles Martinet has been Mario's official voice since 1990. Nintendo seems to understand consistency. They kept it where it matters.

    Meanwhile, Sega got it all backwards. They had a nice team doing the voices in the Sonic series. Then came "Sonic X"; rather than give them the job, serial anime-rapists 4Kids gets other people to voice the cartoon -- and Sega hires them to voice the following games.

    --
    Circumcision is child abuse.
    1. Re:Sega doesn't get it by Ant+P. · · Score: 1

      It's a shame, the guy who did the original voice for Robotnik (AoStH series) died recently from what I read. He was probably the best one, even if that series wasn't.

    2. Re:Sega doesn't get it by dank+zappingly · · Score: 1

      Jaleel White must have demanded too much money.

    3. Re:Sega doesn't get it by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Jaleel White? No, I mean Ryan Drummond, from the Sonic Adventure games.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
  14. Not cute/hot - yet! by denzacar · · Score: 1

    You're just not drunk enough.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  15. Of course by ravensee · · Score: 1

    And that is why Princess Peach is only willing to bake a cake.

    1. Re:Of course by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      "And that is why Princess Peach is only willing to bake a cake."

      Oh.. that's not true. She'll mail you 5 1-ups from time to time. If you decline, they go to the orphanage. You gotta admit, the Mushroom Kingdom treats their orphans better than any other country in the world.

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)