SC1, but I gotta hand it to the SC2 voice over actor Fred Tatasciore to trying his best. Zeratul turned badass dark assassin to wise and kind prelate thanks to him.
This really isn't up for debate. Coupled with his utterly cliched dialogue in SC2, Zeratul's new voice is just plain irritating and destructive to his character. It's a damn tragedy that Jack Ritschel passed away, he'd roll over in his grave if he saw what Zeratul has become.
At least the "Utter Darkness" mission is entertaining.
On July 29 2010 16:10 Blanke wrote: This really isn't up for debate. Coupled with his utterly cliched dialogue in SC2, Zeratul's new voice is just plain irritating and destructive to his character. It's a damn tragedy that Jack Ritschel passed away, he'd roll over in his grave if he saw what Zeratul has become.
At least the "Utter Darkness" mission is entertaining.
Ah he passed? Damn... RIP. I was wondering what happened.
This has bothered me since I first played through the game. I am disappointed by the severe lack in audio quality of the video clip in the first post so I present two more. One of SC1 dialogue, the next of SC2.
I bring this up because he was one of my favorite characters from SC1. In ways his voice spoke authority.. experience. There was a really deep patriarchal tone to everything he uttered, and the way it was delivered with such a gravelly sound made it so great to hear.
That coupled with the protoss echo and that deep hum wrapped it up really nicely.
Skip to 4:45 to go right to Zeratul's first spoken dialogue. Listen to at least a few of his turns in speaking. It's really amazing.
With SC2... WARNING +++POSSIBLE SPOILERS! +++ Skip to 00:40 to hear the new zeratul.
I'm disappointed. He lost that bit of his voice that really brought out his character. Now his voice is super whispy and the voice actor sounds like he's straining his throat to reach for more gutteral sounds that the SC1 voice actor did with seemingly little effort.
His voice reminds me of a shadow orc. I dunno why, but that's the best way I can describe it. Just too many grunts, not enough soul. Not enough torment, like our Beloved SC1 zeratul!
In short: His voice has too much wisp, not enough gravel.
I lament the loss of our beloved Zeratul..
Hopefully these new examples give a better perspective (as well as now letting more people play the game, etc).
His BW voice was infinitely better. He sounds like an old pedophile/LARPer/generic "hero" from any fantasy franchise now... I was really disappointed when I heard his new voice.
On September 08 2010 14:34 Katkishka wrote: His BW voice was infinitely better. He sounds like an old pedophile/LARPer/generic "hero" from any fantasy franchise now... I was really disappointed when I heard his new voice.
Thank you!! It's so diluted it's really disheartening. I described him as sounding like a "shadow orc" now in SC2 because really it's that badly generic! He needs that personality back!
I need to feel he is pained by all he has been through! The exile of the dark templars, the fall of Aiur, the news his enemy is to be his savior...
I think they could have brought back the grit. But that is me. I don't want to come off as bashing the new V.A. either. I definitely think he has the talent to perform Zeratul brilliantly.. just not the Zeratul I remember.
Oh well. And perhaps it is the script that didn't do him justice. Hopefully the next iterations of the game will find him more and more improved.
SC1 was a lot better, but SC2 was alright, not bad. SC2's script however was fucking horrendous compared to SC1 though, so that sort of makes the SC2 Zeratul seem so much worse than it should've been :\
Also, BW's opening blows SC2's out of the water, completely. It's nowhere near as pretty as SC2's intro, but the atmosphere and music is just unmatched. And this is what I'm missing in SC2.. the gritty hardcore reality of various factions just fighting eah other for supremacy in the sector. Not some gay "save teh universe from teh ebil voice!!!" theme with smatterings of "DESTINY!!" and uniting against the evil -___- Ironically, everything in SC/BW seems more realistic than SC2..
On September 08 2010 15:59 Stratos_speAr wrote: I don't see how this can be up for discussion. His voice in SC2 makes him sound like a crazy old man, whereas in SC1 he sounds like a wise old badass.
The script didn't help him at all either.
This exactly.
I really loved the old Zeratul, he was radiating wisdom, calculated responsibility and tormented experience. In SC2 he's more of a random ET with weird grammar and almost meaningless dialogue.
I think the modern graphic era has made it a lot more difficult for voice acting too. In SC1 the talking portraits were more than sufficient. You had good detailed character portrait and dialogue and the viewers could build up the rest through their imagination. Nowadays everything is zoomable and 3D animated. Still, the animation and character details aren't on the level where they could fluently support good character development. At that point they only shut down your imagination and the characters end up being shallow.
On September 08 2010 18:11 LoveSponge wrote: I dont know if it's the way it was written or not but he sounds ( not just voice wise )a little wimpy and annoying in sc2 ;\
The voice is not that bad, its the horrible script :\
The sc2 voice sounds much more like a human voice with audio FX on top. I kept listening for the specific FX they used, some inverted predelay with reverb or something. Even distracted me from the content for most of the time.
The sc1 voice sounded awesome in my mind, but I can't recall it. Will listen to it again soon (i'm at work now).
The stuff that came out from Zeratul in SC2 where so cliche, boring, fake and predictable that it doesn't even matter how good the voice was. SC1 all the way.
Old one. He had character. He sounded like an individual. He didn't say stupid shit like "FRIIIEENDD RAYNOR" and "TASSADAAARR... BUT YOU DIIIIIIIIIIEEED" (I know that's writing but whatever.)
in SC1 he sounded like a bitter old man, which is what he was. Simply badass.
He felt more present with his old voice The new protosses speak weird :/ Actually i think im gonna replay the bw campaign now... Q___Q
Edit: in wait for the hopefully better HotS
I think the thing that sc2 misses that bw had is the fact that the story revolves around people and whole civilizations dying, the whole bw story felt like serious buissness. In sc2 nobody seem to get that teyre actually fighting a war. And that the zerg is fearsome.
Zeratul's SCII voice is terrible, the original was far better without question. SCI Zeratul was dominant wise, intimidating and calm. SCII Zeratul seems a little too surprised by everything, he's fearful and evokes a kind old man image rather than the old cranky badass.
Granted, part of the problem is the just dialogue of the character, the "Tassssssadar" line from Echoes of the Future is just unforgivable.
He is older now—between the stylistic change from BW to Wings of Liberty, the new voice actor, and the fact that four years have passed since then—wherein Zeratul has certainly been active with the strife between the castes on Shakuras, and hunting down Hybrids—I think his new voice is rather fitting. I enjoyed the B-dub voice more, but I think it would be incorrect to try to portray him the same way. He's grown in wisdom and power, and maybe in the burdens he carries psychologically. To me he sounds like he's less the physical presence of his B-dub self—the overriding assassin-figure—and more of an ethereal warrior; living in the present only in part.
In SC2, he sounds weaker and uncertain, perhaps fearful. In SC1, he was more confident and knowing. Of course, I feel like the lines were lower quality for Zeratul in SC2, but the delivery seemed a little more melodramatic as well.
I voted SC1 because of the dialogue, not so much because of SC2's Zeratul has worse voice. They are both pretty just, it is just that SC2's dialogue is too boring
Voice acting and dialogue are separate issues. I figure as long as Blizzard is already trying to make Raynor a Mal Reynolds wannabe, they might as well hire Joss to write. That'd fix their dialogue problems. :p
On September 09 2010 16:22 Nokarot wrote:Really cheesy sounding line for that one.
lol yes. when i heard him say that i lost a little bit of respect, but overall the voice acting seemed to fit zeratul well. hopefully he will play a bigger role in the expansions.
I might be a bit bias here as zeratul was my favorite character but zeratul's voice in sc1 just gave me the chill whenever he spoke, and as people pointed out before in sc2 his voice sounds weaker.
On a more objective note, the scripts in sc2 are just horrible. -.-
On September 09 2010 10:23 Aeo wrote: He is older now—between the stylistic change from BW to Wings of Liberty, the new voice actor, and the fact that four years have passed since then—wherein Zeratul has certainly been active with the strife between the castes on Shakuras, and hunting down Hybrids—I think his new voice is rather fitting. I enjoyed the B-dub voice more, but I think it would be incorrect to try to portray him the same way. He's grown in wisdom and power, and maybe in the burdens he carries psychologically. To me he sounds like he's less the physical presence of his B-dub self—the overriding assassin-figure—and more of an ethereal warrior; living in the present only in part.
protoss live for hundreds even thousands of years four years is nothing in lore terms to them
On September 09 2010 10:23 Aeo wrote: He is older now—between the stylistic change from BW to Wings of Liberty, the new voice actor, and the fact that four years have passed since then—wherein Zeratul has certainly been active with the strife between the castes on Shakuras, and hunting down Hybrids—I think his new voice is rather fitting. I enjoyed the B-dub voice more, but I think it would be incorrect to try to portray him the same way. He's grown in wisdom and power, and maybe in the burdens he carries psychologically. To me he sounds like he's less the physical presence of his B-dub self—the overriding assassin-figure—and more of an ethereal warrior; living in the present only in part.
protoss live for hundreds even thousands of years four years is nothing in lore terms to them
Eh, four years of travelling alone to remote worlds to hunt hybrids and knowledge of the Xel'Naga might. Before the events of Brood War, I'd assume he spent most of his time on Shakuras with his people, maybe arbitrating small disputes, maybe not.
Actually according to the story told in the Dark Templar trilogy, Zeratul spent the four years since BW alone on a remote planet moping because he felt guilty for Aiur's destruction and for having had to kill Razhagal.
I didn't even realize it was a different voice actor until I saw this thread... and now I refuse to watch all the videos to do a side by side comparison just to avoid possibly ruining my perception of either performance for myself.
On September 09 2010 10:23 Aeo wrote: He is older now—between the stylistic change from BW to Wings of Liberty, the new voice actor, and the fact that four years have passed since then—wherein Zeratul has certainly been active with the strife between the castes on Shakuras, and hunting down Hybrids—I think his new voice is rather fitting. I enjoyed the B-dub voice more, but I think it would be incorrect to try to portray him the same way. He's grown in wisdom and power, and maybe in the burdens he carries psychologically. To me he sounds like he's less the physical presence of his B-dub self—the overriding assassin-figure—and more of an ethereal warrior; living in the present only in part.
protoss live for hundreds even thousands of years four years is nothing in lore terms to them
Eh, four years of travelling alone to remote worlds to hunt hybrids and knowledge of the Xel'Naga might. Before the events of Brood War, I'd assume he spent most of his time on Shakuras with his people, maybe arbitrating small disputes, maybe not.
So, if you went hiking in the himalayas, you'd expect to return home with a new voice?
Zeratul just sounds like an old codger in SC2. In SC1 he sounded like a true badass.
I cringed EVERY time he said that. The voice isn't as good as SC1 but I liked it until he started sounding like a retarded caveman trying to reach out to the guy from outerspace. Who WROTE the script for most of his lines? FRIEND THIS! FRIEND THAT! FRIEND!!!!! WE ARE FRIENDS! FRIEND RAYNOR!
God you idiots blinded by your "nostalgia therefore you say sc1 voice is better lolololol"
you're no better than people blindly saying sc1 zeratul > sc2 zeratul beacuse of nostalgia.
on topic - it's about split even for me, even though he sounded like a complete badass in sc1, I wouldn't like it if he sounded like that in sc2. wouldn't fit after what happened to him in bw anda ll.
and dialogue was bad, I think most people can agree to this.
The original is always the best, thats the way the brain works, we get attatched to the original and its hard to come to terms with change alot of the time, i think the new guy is doing anok job, it could deffinitely be aot worse, but he needs a bit more 'grunt' as was stated earlier. RIP to the original actor too
Are the voices of the Zeratul in "Zeratul's warning" and the zeratul in game different? It sure sounds like it, and Id much rather prefer the voice in the cinematic (not the one where he fights kerrigan but the one where he gives raynor the crystal)
Idk about you guys, but he sounds like the same old Zeratul to me, with simply better sound quality, due to technological imporvements since the days of Windows98. The "gravelly-ness" from SC1 is probably just a side-effect of older software, but meh, I like the cinematics enough. Though I'm easy to please.
On September 09 2010 10:23 Aeo wrote: He is older now—between the stylistic change from BW to Wings of Liberty, the new voice actor, and the fact that four years have passed since then—wherein Zeratul has certainly been active with the strife between the castes on Shakuras, and hunting down Hybrids—I think his new voice is rather fitting. I enjoyed the B-dub voice more, but I think it would be incorrect to try to portray him the same way. He's grown in wisdom and power, and maybe in the burdens he carries psychologically. To me he sounds like he's less the physical presence of his B-dub self—the overriding assassin-figure—and more of an ethereal warrior; living in the present only in part.
protoss live for hundreds even thousands of years four years is nothing in lore terms to them
Eh, four years of travelling alone to remote worlds to hunt hybrids and knowledge of the Xel'Naga might. Before the events of Brood War, I'd assume he spent most of his time on Shakuras with his people, maybe arbitrating small disputes, maybe not.
Zeratul is one of the oldest Dark Templar alive. He's been to countless worlds, seen countless things. 4 years alone wouldn't and shouldn't have done much to him, yet it make him into a complete sissy. Yea, there are some burdens that he was holding, but the Zeratul from BW shouldn't have handled them that poorly.
What I find to be funny is that (save for Kerrigan) all the voice actors are the same...
Zeratul's VA in SC2 is not the VA from SC1/BW. The original Zeratul VA died a few years back, so they had to find a new one.
And yes, Kerrigan's voice was more disappointing that Zeratul's, but Zeratul's script was much worse, and that's saying quite a bit because Kerrigan's sucked.
EPT![[image loading]](http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080921045556/starcraft/images/e/ed/Zeratul_SC2_Cncpt1.jpg)
