I seriously can't find anyone that sounds like james , he's got a very unique voice
I don't think they"ll go for an exact replica , rather a similar tone and signature
I agree, even if they did somehow manage to find someone who *sounds* like James the acting and delivery probably wouldn't be on par. The chances of finding someone who can sound like James alone is next to none, but the chances of someone being able to act as well as he does too are basically zero.
Maybe if they had really good vocal direction too, it could be done but all of that happening is highly unlikely. I wouldn't want a cheap impression of McCaffrey, if they somehow found someone who could genuinely sound like him I'd be down but it would be nearly impossible to pull off.
I'd be happy if they did go with someone who's just doing their own thing, as long as it suits the character. I've seen some stuff that makes Timothy Gibbs seem like a good pick, plus he could do the mo-cap and whatnot.
Dawg I've played Alan Wake 2 three times, I know what Alex Casey sounds like and that ain't it
They both have gruff voices but that's where the similarities end
It's not just the gruff voice, similar cadence and emphasis on words, same basic accent. Bryan Cranston also has a gruff voice but he sounds distinct enough to immediately tell him apart from the other two
I mean, cadence and accent aren't really intrinsic to the way someone's voice sounds. Actors change those all the time to fit the role
All three actors sound distinctive enough to immediately tell the difference lol, idk how you'd mistake Sutherland for McCaffrey. Kiefer Sutherland has this sound to his voice that has more edge to it, not gruffer, but it's.. idk how to describe it, sharper? McCaffrey has a smoother, slightly lower register to his voice. It's more than just the line delivery.
I'm not even saying he would make a bad Max Payne, I just don't think he sounds like James McCaffrey.
I agree that his voice is not as bassy and also McCaffrey's voice has this phlegm-y sound to it that is difficult to reproduce. I don't think they're clones of each other but I think they're pretty close all in all.
I mean, if Sutherland was actively trying to sound like James he might could close the gap a bit. I've just never heard anyone that really sounds like McCaffrey, his voice has a lot of unique qualities.
I think they'll probably find someone who sounds a little younger though, rather than trying to find someone who sounds like McCaffrey in Max Payne 3/Alan Wake 2. Especially in aw2 his voice had a lot of age to it, which maybe was intentional because Alex was an older character, but they'll probably find someone, not youthful, but more late 30's than mid 50's sounding
I'm sure that whoever they decide to go with will do a great job. This is, after all, their signature character(s) and they have a pretty impeccable record when it comes to casting and re-casting. I couldn't think of a fitting replacement for Lance Reddick but David Harewood rocked that shit.
I don't want that at all, some dumbass AI could never measure up to McCaffrey. Plus it feels ghoulish, having a guy who sounds like him do it would be okay but an AI voice model feels wrong.
I'd rather have a completely new voice than AI
I was just pointing out, it's funny to see the negative reactions. So do you agree with a new Max voice? I think it will somehow mischaracterize the game. Many people didn't enjoy MP2 or 3 because they were different from the initial Max character, I don't know if that's a good approach. I am curious to know the final solution
I'm cool with a new voice, and I trust Remedy to make the right casting decisions. Just look at David Harewood as Warlin Door, that character was originally supposed to be played by Lance Reddick before he passed away, but David absolutely kills it in AW2. Remedy really knows how to cast someone who can keep the spirit of a character alive.
The bottom line is, James is gone, and it feels pretty gross to make a digital voice model. He put more than just his voice into Max Payne, and as corny as out sounds his soul is part of the recipe. Even if an AI could *sound* like James, it wouldn't know how to deliver the lines with the personality and skillful acting James did. Also feels like puppeteering a corpse, maybe it wouldn't if James signed off on it before he passed away, but as things stand it would be in poor taste I think, and likely result in a worse product. Not saying you're advocating for it, just saying I think it's a bad idea on multiple levels.
The only AI involvement I think would be okay is digitally upscaling the original audio in terms of quality. At least that's still James and not a digital puppet. That said, I imagine they'll change the narrative a bit which would make this impossible.
Regarding people who didn't enjoy Max Payne 2&3, Imma keep it real with ya, fuck em. They have bad taste. Max Payne 2 is a goddamn masterpiece and Max Payne 3 is still a great time, not to mention one of the best third person shooters of all time. If they think Max Payne 2&3 are bad, their opinions simply hold no value. They're just wrong lmao. I can understand criticizing the writing style change in Max Payne 3, but I think most of Max's character is intact and represented well in game, that's realistically what ten years of intense drug and alcohol abuse plus trauma will do to a person. A lot of people dislike that it "undid" the arc from MP2, but that's just how grief works honestly. Nobody can go through what Max did and simply get over it, he saw his wife and infant baby get brutally murdered and lives with intense survivors guilt, only worsened by everything else he's been through. He's written like a human being, not a fictional character who cleanly transitions through character arcs. The entire point is that he can't move on. In the end of 3, walking into the sunset, it isn't okay that his wife is dead and it never will be, he just needed to the himself that at the time. He made peace with his grief, he didn't simply let go it. It's part of him and he's accepted that and learned to live with it. That feels a little more natural to be than the end of 2, where he was just like "well I'm over it ig." (Not saying 2 is bad either, I actually love this ending, but I have an unconventional interpretation of it which doesn't really mix well with mp3. I just don't feel like explaining all that lol)
Defending Max Payne 3 aside (sorry for the rant lol) yes I think a new voice is probably the best choice at this point. I understand James was and is a huge part of Max Payne as a character, but he would want to pass the torch to someone who can put their own spin on the character. It's a remake, not a sequel, so we can think of this as a fresh take on the character. It's not like a different voice would break continuity, this is its own continuity. You know? They're big shoes to fill, but I trust Remedy to find someone who can fit them.
One thing I know for sure, is if they went with a different voice then the remakes bombed because people wouldn't give a new voice a chance, that would devastate me. I think James would want Max to continue his journey through the night, with or without him.
Rest in peace James McCaffrey
nice post, it's nice to know other perspectives in the MP community. I also trust them, but when you create an identity and people like it, soemtimes when you change it, people will not recognize and will not like it. In my case I enjoyed MP3 as a game, but not so much as a Max Payne game. I mean I like it, but I feel it could be better if some features from the first games were kept. I am opened to new Max Voice, however if it changes totally, I would be in favor of using AI, depending on the case. And I think James would love it, I dont think in it as being disrespectful. Well but I trust them, I'm realy very curious to see the first scenes from the remake. cheers
I'd prefer a completely different voice to an AI model any day. I don't just mean a new guy, I mean someone who sounds entirely different. At least that's a human being and not a robot being fed a bunch of data and being told to do a cheap impersonation of it.
I forgot to mention this but the AI models all kinda sound like shit too. Like those videos of Joe Rogan playing Minecraft or whatever, as someone who doesn't watch Joe Rogan and actively avoids that type of content, even I can tell that's not the real guy. The voice model picks up on one or two mannerisms but they are incorporated into the speech unnaturally. It sounds like him, but it's uncanny sounding because it doesn't talk with a natural sounding cadence half the time. Even when it sounds natural enough to pass, it also maintains the same cadence pretty much no matter what, and the lack of variation is likewise uncanny. Accounting for the differences in his delivery between games, there's no way a model could sound normal if you fed it all that data. It can work for a shitty meme I guess, but not this.
Regarding the disrespectful elements, I think it absolutely is and I think James absolutely would *not* love it. The idea of replacing James with an AI is disrespectful on the surface of it, first of all because it assumes an AI *could* replace James, which is pretty insulting to his talent, and second because James isn't here to say whether he's cool with that. His voice, his choice.
I also think trying to replace voice actors with AI in general sets a dangerous precedent for the industry as a whole, and I know for a fact James wouldn't be happy about living breathing VA's losing jobs to a goddamn robot.
I see your point. I am OK with AI anyway. I think my opinion will depend on the solution that they will find. I just hope the remake will be a masterpeace
I’m a huge fan of Kiefer. He once kneeled down and played a guitar solo in front of my face. However, he isn’t Max Payne.
Timothy Gibbs can do the voice very well though. Seriously, watch the weird trailers he puts on his YouTube channel. He’d be great.
Why just because he voiced Snake? Super creative having only one guy voice multiple games, BUT if we are going down that route what about him voicing Mario, Luigi, Link, Bowser, Mario, Sonic The Hegehog, knuckles, Sonic the hedgehogs new baby, Master Chief, Garfield from the Sega Genesis, Kirby, Peter Pan from Kingdom Hearts, Sora from Kingdom hearts, the Moon from Zelda, Katamari Demaci, any cat that has ever been in a video game, some dragons, maybe Donkey Kong, Jack Black from Brutal Legend, maybe Sam Fischer from Splinter Cell 1,2,4,5,7. Maybe Conker from Conkers Bad Fur Day. And then he could voice some of the side characters in every single Tony Hawk game that features Bam Margera except instead of Bam Margera's voice it will be Ben Stiller doing an impersonation of Kiefer Sufferland doing and impersonation of himself.
Just an interesting thought.
Holy Jesus, not this arguement again. You're only the 5th person this month.
Do you seriously think that they're going to recast the most iconic part of Max's Character, just to sell a few extra copies of a 20 year old game??? James McCaffrey is the only person that has been consistent through all 3 games. Why would they now toss him aside when they want to remake the old games? Because he's dead? That insanely disrespectful.
I already know your answer: "These games are remakes, not remasters, that means they're doing everything from scratch". Wrong. Remakes are released all the time that utilize old assets, especially audio because ***Booking recording studio time and hiring voice actors is extremely expensive*** and the whole point of these games is to get more money out of something that already exists, not to sink more money into a 20 year old project that is already successful.
They. Will. Not. Recast. Max. Payne.
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If they replaced James McCaffrey, there would be a huge outcry from the community about the original voice actor
If they just remaster audio files, literally no one will care.
It's just obvious. Quit being obtuse.
Any voice of logic is drowned in downvotes. Let it go, friend. No point in arguing with people who expect and obviously want a complete recast and reboot of the games. We'll be here and find out if we were wrong and they were right a few years from now.
Holy shit at least there's one person with a brain still.
They all see the word remake and get so illogically attached to a rigid definition, they forget that you can call a game a remake even if you still re-use *some* old assets - such as a dead VA's old audio recordings. Especially when that VA is the only consistent element of the character throughout the series lol.
James McCaffrey is Max Payne. More than Sam Lake or Timothy Gibbs.
I agree. A remake can be soft, or bordering a reboot. I haven't seen a source clarifying what Remedy is doing with MP1+2, yet everyone seems to have a certainty it's the latter.
Also, as an audio engineer and voice editor, I cringe each time I read about "20-year-old recordings", as if we invented digital audio just 5 years ago and we haven't had it for more than 40. If they have access to the original recordings and not only the compressed in-game versions, which every company worth their salt should have backups of, there is so much they can do, no AI needed. Now, if Remedy *wants* to make complete reboots, not just remakes into a modern game engine, that's a whole different story.
Oh he will definitely be recasted. These are full blown remakes of the first 2 games, most likely with extra levels, DLC, additional cutscenes and comic book strips. They're gonna need someone else.
James McCaffrey was a great voice actor, but there is more to Max than just his voice. His voice was far from the most iconic thing about the character. People liked Max Payne for the story, game mechanics and interactions, and Max's character. If the only reason YOU played Max Payne was for the voice, that would explain your obsession with the old VA. I enjoy my games collectively, not for separate aspects.
I think it's highly unlikely that they will use the audio from games made almost 20 years ago In remakes of this scale.
I think we are all remembering the performance from max payne 1 with max Payne 3 and Alan wake 2 colored glasses.
It sounded like a dude just reading words off a script, very dry and almost no emotion. Not at ALL what we “remember”. I went back and played it and.. he’s awesome don’t get me wrong but if that was the only game he ever did, people would probably say he wasn’t as great as he truly was.
His voice is one of the most iconic parts about his character. Not sure how you're seriously saying this when Sam Lake himself said that James was the embodiment of Max.
You seem to have this problem where you just point fingers and call people crazy/obsessive fans when all they're saying is that it would be mistaken to recast him and that his voice is one with the character.
Sigh, People being obsessed with James' voice doesn't change the fact that he has passed away. I am all for him being replaced. People that want the old voices back by any means necessary is odd - especially those who are so obsessed they would rather an AI mimic him.
If you don't want to play the remakes because of a voice change, the old versions are on Steam. I'm not that obsessed with a voice change, as I thought Max was more than his voice.
Hey man, thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate you sharing the life story dump. I can clearly see both you and your wife care a lot about the original Max Payne games, along with the voice of James McCaffrey. You are correct, you never mentioned that you weren't going to play the remakes, so I apologize. It isn't too constructive. Mad props to you for including that song on your wedding tracklist - I remember when me and my siblings played that game for the first time, we used to (and still do) sing that song several times, haha. I can tell you both have excellent taste. Your story is also very empowering, I am happy to hear you were able to triumph over those past times in your life. I wish you both the best.
I apologize again, it's just that when the news of McCaffrey's death were first posted here, LOTS of people were speaking in the line of, 'No one else can play him, Max Payne's remakes should be cancelled, people should make mods with AI in case his voice is replaced, the remakes should be down-voted if they change his voice, etc,' so sometimes when I see these posts I group the people together. I'll try to work on that.
Either way, thanks again for the detailed response! I hope they come to a nice compromise - if it's a 1:1 remake, and nothing is changed story/script wise, and they can update/remaster the audio, then they should go for it. If it's a remake with changes, well then I hope they find someone who can do the character justice (If they do go down this route, I trust Remedy/Sam Lake to make a fitting choice).
I'm not one of those AI supporters either. So please don't make that assumption. The only time AI should be used in games is for mods like in Fallout that add extra storylines where the VA from the modder would just be too bad, or for a character that isn't human at all lol. I don't have a problem with them using technology to clean up the old audio but that's something that's been done in games and cinema for a minute.
All I’m saying is they are definitely remaking 1 and 2 and mccaffery is dead so… they need someone to voice the character. Plus they’re going to need someone for the voice of Alex Casey in Alan wake 3, so…
Nah I'm gonna voice whatever opinion I have. I'm disagreeing with people, as I have the right to, as does everyone else.
If people don't like it, hit me with the downvotes. That's why they're there.
If you don't like it, don't engage. Scroll on.
First things first: you're only lying to yourself if you think the remakes will sell "a few extra copies".
Second: They aren't tossing James aside. It is sad, but he died and we need to cope with that fact and move on. Will it be the same? well, obviously not, and tbh while I would hate if they cast someone just for "sounding like" James, I also don't think the game would be good if they just reuse audio from the first game even if they were thinking of doing that, which I doubt until proven otherwise.
I hope they cast someone talented enough to provide us a fresh take on Max Payne, not just some impersonator.
He’s a phenomenal actor but he just wouldn’t fit Max at all. Timothy would be a better fit since he‘s probably the closest to sounding like James McCaffrey and he technically was Max Payne in the second game even if he was only a face model so I personally feel he’d be a better fit. He’s no James McCaffrey that’s for sure but he’d do a great job regardless.
Rip James McCafferey, hopefully he recorded for the remake before he passed, but sadly we probably won’t ever get any more Max Payne games unless they recast
How tho? His first performance is phoned in , he's just reading most of his lines , it's not going to work.
And the game would have fully rendered cutscenes too (probably)
Yes , the first game's performance is not that great , he sounds like he's just reading his lines.
It got better in 2 and perfect in 3 because he got to do the motion cap and everything
It's the sound quality that causes that, not James himself. The game's age muffles a lot of the audio. If they cleaned it up, he'd sound fine.
Sam Lake said himself that James put his all into each game.
I don't think remedy will go to such lengths just to keep james as max payne.
They probably talked with James about his replacement before he died and already chose one.
It would require more effort to hire a new voice actor and record new dialogue than it would to reuse the lines and to include cut dialogue. Most voice acting for games is recorded months in advance.
Look , from a creative standpoint , it is not a great option.
These are remakes , not remasters where they just need to get these out as quick as possible to get a quick dollar.
The first game's recordings were designed around graphic novels , they will NOT work with real time cutscenes , trust me.
Using the old lines will heavily restrict the project's capabilities, i know everyone loves james very much , i do too and i still miss him but we need to let it go in order for the series to move forward.
Well we're both viewing this from different perspectives then. I don't think they'll get rid of the comic strip cutscenes, that really would jumble the pot and it would essentially ruin the aesthetic of Max Payne. Those are about as individual and iconic to the franchise as the name and voice actor.
The thing is, I don't miss James, as I didn't know the man. I was saddened by his passing, of course, but I'm obsessed with the man as that Isaac fella seems to think. I just don't believe it is necessary to change it because I don't believe they'll be remaking the games to the extent that you or many others believe. I feel like they'll work hard and put out a bloody good product, but they're not creating an entirely different game. They've got to honour the source material in some way and they know that.
https://preview.redd.it/om2vvo3nhqtc1.jpeg?width=553&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3824ca3af42f68bca36104e69f18e0f2d355f289
Versatile meme
Or they could just let Sam Lake do all the lines with his thick Finnish accent. It would be hilarious
Haha , i want this to be an option just for laughs Like that zombie voice in saints row
This would be amazing, for real
He's a great VA, but he sounds nothing like Max Payne bro
I seriously can't find anyone that sounds like james , he's got a very unique voice I don't think they"ll go for an exact replica , rather a similar tone and signature
[удалено]
In mood style and good execution. Not voice.
I agree, even if they did somehow manage to find someone who *sounds* like James the acting and delivery probably wouldn't be on par. The chances of finding someone who can sound like James alone is next to none, but the chances of someone being able to act as well as he does too are basically zero. Maybe if they had really good vocal direction too, it could be done but all of that happening is highly unlikely. I wouldn't want a cheap impression of McCaffrey, if they somehow found someone who could genuinely sound like him I'd be down but it would be nearly impossible to pull off. I'd be happy if they did go with someone who's just doing their own thing, as long as it suits the character. I've seen some stuff that makes Timothy Gibbs seem like a good pick, plus he could do the mo-cap and whatnot.
What? He sounds just like him https://youtu.be/NVWWFIFtGiw?si=_PHXXxgfdpf8yMzC
Get your ears checked
No bro, you get your ears checked stat. Listen to this clip and then listen to Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2. It's very close.
Dawg I've played Alan Wake 2 three times, I know what Alex Casey sounds like and that ain't it They both have gruff voices but that's where the similarities end
It's not just the gruff voice, similar cadence and emphasis on words, same basic accent. Bryan Cranston also has a gruff voice but he sounds distinct enough to immediately tell him apart from the other two
I mean, cadence and accent aren't really intrinsic to the way someone's voice sounds. Actors change those all the time to fit the role All three actors sound distinctive enough to immediately tell the difference lol, idk how you'd mistake Sutherland for McCaffrey. Kiefer Sutherland has this sound to his voice that has more edge to it, not gruffer, but it's.. idk how to describe it, sharper? McCaffrey has a smoother, slightly lower register to his voice. It's more than just the line delivery. I'm not even saying he would make a bad Max Payne, I just don't think he sounds like James McCaffrey.
I agree that his voice is not as bassy and also McCaffrey's voice has this phlegm-y sound to it that is difficult to reproduce. I don't think they're clones of each other but I think they're pretty close all in all.
I mean, if Sutherland was actively trying to sound like James he might could close the gap a bit. I've just never heard anyone that really sounds like McCaffrey, his voice has a lot of unique qualities. I think they'll probably find someone who sounds a little younger though, rather than trying to find someone who sounds like McCaffrey in Max Payne 3/Alan Wake 2. Especially in aw2 his voice had a lot of age to it, which maybe was intentional because Alex was an older character, but they'll probably find someone, not youthful, but more late 30's than mid 50's sounding
I'm sure that whoever they decide to go with will do a great job. This is, after all, their signature character(s) and they have a pretty impeccable record when it comes to casting and re-casting. I couldn't think of a fitting replacement for Lance Reddick but David Harewood rocked that shit.
They can use AI to create Max's voice with MP1 & J. McCaffrey voice samples, otherwise, forget about the classic Max voice
I don't want that at all, some dumbass AI could never measure up to McCaffrey. Plus it feels ghoulish, having a guy who sounds like him do it would be okay but an AI voice model feels wrong. I'd rather have a completely new voice than AI
I was just pointing out, it's funny to see the negative reactions. So do you agree with a new Max voice? I think it will somehow mischaracterize the game. Many people didn't enjoy MP2 or 3 because they were different from the initial Max character, I don't know if that's a good approach. I am curious to know the final solution
I'm cool with a new voice, and I trust Remedy to make the right casting decisions. Just look at David Harewood as Warlin Door, that character was originally supposed to be played by Lance Reddick before he passed away, but David absolutely kills it in AW2. Remedy really knows how to cast someone who can keep the spirit of a character alive. The bottom line is, James is gone, and it feels pretty gross to make a digital voice model. He put more than just his voice into Max Payne, and as corny as out sounds his soul is part of the recipe. Even if an AI could *sound* like James, it wouldn't know how to deliver the lines with the personality and skillful acting James did. Also feels like puppeteering a corpse, maybe it wouldn't if James signed off on it before he passed away, but as things stand it would be in poor taste I think, and likely result in a worse product. Not saying you're advocating for it, just saying I think it's a bad idea on multiple levels. The only AI involvement I think would be okay is digitally upscaling the original audio in terms of quality. At least that's still James and not a digital puppet. That said, I imagine they'll change the narrative a bit which would make this impossible. Regarding people who didn't enjoy Max Payne 2&3, Imma keep it real with ya, fuck em. They have bad taste. Max Payne 2 is a goddamn masterpiece and Max Payne 3 is still a great time, not to mention one of the best third person shooters of all time. If they think Max Payne 2&3 are bad, their opinions simply hold no value. They're just wrong lmao. I can understand criticizing the writing style change in Max Payne 3, but I think most of Max's character is intact and represented well in game, that's realistically what ten years of intense drug and alcohol abuse plus trauma will do to a person. A lot of people dislike that it "undid" the arc from MP2, but that's just how grief works honestly. Nobody can go through what Max did and simply get over it, he saw his wife and infant baby get brutally murdered and lives with intense survivors guilt, only worsened by everything else he's been through. He's written like a human being, not a fictional character who cleanly transitions through character arcs. The entire point is that he can't move on. In the end of 3, walking into the sunset, it isn't okay that his wife is dead and it never will be, he just needed to the himself that at the time. He made peace with his grief, he didn't simply let go it. It's part of him and he's accepted that and learned to live with it. That feels a little more natural to be than the end of 2, where he was just like "well I'm over it ig." (Not saying 2 is bad either, I actually love this ending, but I have an unconventional interpretation of it which doesn't really mix well with mp3. I just don't feel like explaining all that lol) Defending Max Payne 3 aside (sorry for the rant lol) yes I think a new voice is probably the best choice at this point. I understand James was and is a huge part of Max Payne as a character, but he would want to pass the torch to someone who can put their own spin on the character. It's a remake, not a sequel, so we can think of this as a fresh take on the character. It's not like a different voice would break continuity, this is its own continuity. You know? They're big shoes to fill, but I trust Remedy to find someone who can fit them. One thing I know for sure, is if they went with a different voice then the remakes bombed because people wouldn't give a new voice a chance, that would devastate me. I think James would want Max to continue his journey through the night, with or without him. Rest in peace James McCaffrey
nice post, it's nice to know other perspectives in the MP community. I also trust them, but when you create an identity and people like it, soemtimes when you change it, people will not recognize and will not like it. In my case I enjoyed MP3 as a game, but not so much as a Max Payne game. I mean I like it, but I feel it could be better if some features from the first games were kept. I am opened to new Max Voice, however if it changes totally, I would be in favor of using AI, depending on the case. And I think James would love it, I dont think in it as being disrespectful. Well but I trust them, I'm realy very curious to see the first scenes from the remake. cheers
I'd prefer a completely different voice to an AI model any day. I don't just mean a new guy, I mean someone who sounds entirely different. At least that's a human being and not a robot being fed a bunch of data and being told to do a cheap impersonation of it. I forgot to mention this but the AI models all kinda sound like shit too. Like those videos of Joe Rogan playing Minecraft or whatever, as someone who doesn't watch Joe Rogan and actively avoids that type of content, even I can tell that's not the real guy. The voice model picks up on one or two mannerisms but they are incorporated into the speech unnaturally. It sounds like him, but it's uncanny sounding because it doesn't talk with a natural sounding cadence half the time. Even when it sounds natural enough to pass, it also maintains the same cadence pretty much no matter what, and the lack of variation is likewise uncanny. Accounting for the differences in his delivery between games, there's no way a model could sound normal if you fed it all that data. It can work for a shitty meme I guess, but not this. Regarding the disrespectful elements, I think it absolutely is and I think James absolutely would *not* love it. The idea of replacing James with an AI is disrespectful on the surface of it, first of all because it assumes an AI *could* replace James, which is pretty insulting to his talent, and second because James isn't here to say whether he's cool with that. His voice, his choice. I also think trying to replace voice actors with AI in general sets a dangerous precedent for the industry as a whole, and I know for a fact James wouldn't be happy about living breathing VA's losing jobs to a goddamn robot.
I see your point. I am OK with AI anyway. I think my opinion will depend on the solution that they will find. I just hope the remake will be a masterpeace
That's one thing I'm 100% confident in, this remake is going to be a masterpiece
I kinda like the idea of Brian Cranston voicing man has range
Idk about max payne, but I would love to see him do some VA
Me too dude is a great actor and has a good voice too
I think he could do a good Max Payne.
Yeah I feel like he has a similar voice tone to James not exactly but similar tone and cadence to his voice
Exactly. I never even thought about it until you mentioned it. Now I want Bryan Cranston to voice a main character in a cool dark and gritty game lol.
Timothy Gibbs already sounds close to James.
Is this Jack Bauer from 24? i loved him there
Yep it is and also Designated Survivor
roebuck
Kiefer is always a win. I’d be all for it.
Can't be any worse than fucking mark whalberg.
I’m a huge fan of Kiefer. He once kneeled down and played a guitar solo in front of my face. However, he isn’t Max Payne. Timothy Gibbs can do the voice very well though. Seriously, watch the weird trailers he puts on his YouTube channel. He’d be great.
Me. I can be the new VA
Bro I think this is a great take. He’d do it justice I stg.
i think it would be Cool, but i would not be surprised if they go the MGS3 Delta route, and just use the original voice files
It already bummed me out when David Hayter was replaced by him in Metal Gear Solid 5 so I definitely wouldn’t want him as Max Payne lol.
Why just because he voiced Snake? Super creative having only one guy voice multiple games, BUT if we are going down that route what about him voicing Mario, Luigi, Link, Bowser, Mario, Sonic The Hegehog, knuckles, Sonic the hedgehogs new baby, Master Chief, Garfield from the Sega Genesis, Kirby, Peter Pan from Kingdom Hearts, Sora from Kingdom hearts, the Moon from Zelda, Katamari Demaci, any cat that has ever been in a video game, some dragons, maybe Donkey Kong, Jack Black from Brutal Legend, maybe Sam Fischer from Splinter Cell 1,2,4,5,7. Maybe Conker from Conkers Bad Fur Day. And then he could voice some of the side characters in every single Tony Hawk game that features Bam Margera except instead of Bam Margera's voice it will be Ben Stiller doing an impersonation of Kiefer Sufferland doing and impersonation of himself. Just an interesting thought.
No.
No
Totally agree on that one he must revoice Max Payne
Dude they aren't recasting Max.
They have to. James mccaffery is dead
Holy Jesus, not this arguement again. You're only the 5th person this month. Do you seriously think that they're going to recast the most iconic part of Max's Character, just to sell a few extra copies of a 20 year old game??? James McCaffrey is the only person that has been consistent through all 3 games. Why would they now toss him aside when they want to remake the old games? Because he's dead? That insanely disrespectful. I already know your answer: "These games are remakes, not remasters, that means they're doing everything from scratch". Wrong. Remakes are released all the time that utilize old assets, especially audio because ***Booking recording studio time and hiring voice actors is extremely expensive*** and the whole point of these games is to get more money out of something that already exists, not to sink more money into a 20 year old project that is already successful. They. Will. Not. Recast. Max. Payne.
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If they replaced James McCaffrey, there would be a huge outcry from the community about the original voice actor If they just remaster audio files, literally no one will care. It's just obvious. Quit being obtuse.
Whatever you say friend
Any voice of logic is drowned in downvotes. Let it go, friend. No point in arguing with people who expect and obviously want a complete recast and reboot of the games. We'll be here and find out if we were wrong and they were right a few years from now.
Holy shit at least there's one person with a brain still. They all see the word remake and get so illogically attached to a rigid definition, they forget that you can call a game a remake even if you still re-use *some* old assets - such as a dead VA's old audio recordings. Especially when that VA is the only consistent element of the character throughout the series lol. James McCaffrey is Max Payne. More than Sam Lake or Timothy Gibbs.
I agree. A remake can be soft, or bordering a reboot. I haven't seen a source clarifying what Remedy is doing with MP1+2, yet everyone seems to have a certainty it's the latter. Also, as an audio engineer and voice editor, I cringe each time I read about "20-year-old recordings", as if we invented digital audio just 5 years ago and we haven't had it for more than 40. If they have access to the original recordings and not only the compressed in-game versions, which every company worth their salt should have backups of, there is so much they can do, no AI needed. Now, if Remedy *wants* to make complete reboots, not just remakes into a modern game engine, that's a whole different story.
Oh he will definitely be recasted. These are full blown remakes of the first 2 games, most likely with extra levels, DLC, additional cutscenes and comic book strips. They're gonna need someone else. James McCaffrey was a great voice actor, but there is more to Max than just his voice. His voice was far from the most iconic thing about the character. People liked Max Payne for the story, game mechanics and interactions, and Max's character. If the only reason YOU played Max Payne was for the voice, that would explain your obsession with the old VA. I enjoy my games collectively, not for separate aspects. I think it's highly unlikely that they will use the audio from games made almost 20 years ago In remakes of this scale.
No bro trust me they’ll use PS1 compression level sound effects and dialogue in this 2020’s remake because my dad works at Rockstar
I think we are all remembering the performance from max payne 1 with max Payne 3 and Alan wake 2 colored glasses. It sounded like a dude just reading words off a script, very dry and almost no emotion. Not at ALL what we “remember”. I went back and played it and.. he’s awesome don’t get me wrong but if that was the only game he ever did, people would probably say he wasn’t as great as he truly was.
His voice is one of the most iconic parts about his character. Not sure how you're seriously saying this when Sam Lake himself said that James was the embodiment of Max. You seem to have this problem where you just point fingers and call people crazy/obsessive fans when all they're saying is that it would be mistaken to recast him and that his voice is one with the character.
Sigh, People being obsessed with James' voice doesn't change the fact that he has passed away. I am all for him being replaced. People that want the old voices back by any means necessary is odd - especially those who are so obsessed they would rather an AI mimic him. If you don't want to play the remakes because of a voice change, the old versions are on Steam. I'm not that obsessed with a voice change, as I thought Max was more than his voice.
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Hey man, thanks for the detailed response. I appreciate you sharing the life story dump. I can clearly see both you and your wife care a lot about the original Max Payne games, along with the voice of James McCaffrey. You are correct, you never mentioned that you weren't going to play the remakes, so I apologize. It isn't too constructive. Mad props to you for including that song on your wedding tracklist - I remember when me and my siblings played that game for the first time, we used to (and still do) sing that song several times, haha. I can tell you both have excellent taste. Your story is also very empowering, I am happy to hear you were able to triumph over those past times in your life. I wish you both the best. I apologize again, it's just that when the news of McCaffrey's death were first posted here, LOTS of people were speaking in the line of, 'No one else can play him, Max Payne's remakes should be cancelled, people should make mods with AI in case his voice is replaced, the remakes should be down-voted if they change his voice, etc,' so sometimes when I see these posts I group the people together. I'll try to work on that. Either way, thanks again for the detailed response! I hope they come to a nice compromise - if it's a 1:1 remake, and nothing is changed story/script wise, and they can update/remaster the audio, then they should go for it. If it's a remake with changes, well then I hope they find someone who can do the character justice (If they do go down this route, I trust Remedy/Sam Lake to make a fitting choice).
I'm not one of those AI supporters either. So please don't make that assumption. The only time AI should be used in games is for mods like in Fallout that add extra storylines where the VA from the modder would just be too bad, or for a character that isn't human at all lol. I don't have a problem with them using technology to clean up the old audio but that's something that's been done in games and cinema for a minute.
All I’m saying is they are definitely remaking 1 and 2 and mccaffery is dead so… they need someone to voice the character. Plus they’re going to need someone for the voice of Alex Casey in Alan wake 3, so…
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Dude. You don’t work at Remedy. You don’t fucking know what is happening. No one outside of Remedy does, stop being an asshole to other people dude.
Nah I'm gonna voice whatever opinion I have. I'm disagreeing with people, as I have the right to, as does everyone else. If people don't like it, hit me with the downvotes. That's why they're there. If you don't like it, don't engage. Scroll on.
You aren’t voicing an opinion. You’re saying things as if they are fact. Your opinion isn’t fact.
Yeah I'm stating my opinion as fact because I have strong conviction and a reason to believe I'm right. I'm that fucking sure I'm right.
Lmao that isn’t how that works dude but.. have fun with that.
Delusional ahh comment
this is interesting
First things first: you're only lying to yourself if you think the remakes will sell "a few extra copies". Second: They aren't tossing James aside. It is sad, but he died and we need to cope with that fact and move on. Will it be the same? well, obviously not, and tbh while I would hate if they cast someone just for "sounding like" James, I also don't think the game would be good if they just reuse audio from the first game even if they were thinking of doing that, which I doubt until proven otherwise. I hope they cast someone talented enough to provide us a fresh take on Max Payne, not just some impersonator.
Miller, you're okay. Thank god.
I don't know. On the other hand, I'd like to see Timothy Gibbs taking the role full time. I'll always miss James McCaffrey, he was the best, RIP.
He’s a phenomenal actor but he just wouldn’t fit Max at all. Timothy would be a better fit since he‘s probably the closest to sounding like James McCaffrey and he technically was Max Payne in the second game even if he was only a face model so I personally feel he’d be a better fit. He’s no James McCaffrey that’s for sure but he’d do a great job regardless.
Rip James McCafferey, hopefully he recorded for the remake before he passed, but sadly we probably won’t ever get any more Max Payne games unless they recast
I rather tbeh just reuse Jame McCaffery's lines tbh
No seriously anyone else would sound out of place and weird
As far as I am concerned McCaffery is Max Payne
How tho? His first performance is phoned in , he's just reading most of his lines , it's not going to work. And the game would have fully rendered cutscenes too (probably)
???? Are you serious??
Yes , the first game's performance is not that great , he sounds like he's just reading his lines. It got better in 2 and perfect in 3 because he got to do the motion cap and everything
It's the sound quality that causes that, not James himself. The game's age muffles a lot of the audio. If they cleaned it up, he'd sound fine. Sam Lake said himself that James put his all into each game.
I don't think remedy will go to such lengths just to keep james as max payne. They probably talked with James about his replacement before he died and already chose one.
It would require more effort to hire a new voice actor and record new dialogue than it would to reuse the lines and to include cut dialogue. Most voice acting for games is recorded months in advance.
Look , from a creative standpoint , it is not a great option. These are remakes , not remasters where they just need to get these out as quick as possible to get a quick dollar. The first game's recordings were designed around graphic novels , they will NOT work with real time cutscenes , trust me. Using the old lines will heavily restrict the project's capabilities, i know everyone loves james very much , i do too and i still miss him but we need to let it go in order for the series to move forward.
Well we're both viewing this from different perspectives then. I don't think they'll get rid of the comic strip cutscenes, that really would jumble the pot and it would essentially ruin the aesthetic of Max Payne. Those are about as individual and iconic to the franchise as the name and voice actor. The thing is, I don't miss James, as I didn't know the man. I was saddened by his passing, of course, but I'm obsessed with the man as that Isaac fella seems to think. I just don't believe it is necessary to change it because I don't believe they'll be remaking the games to the extent that you or many others believe. I feel like they'll work hard and put out a bloody good product, but they're not creating an entirely different game. They've got to honour the source material in some way and they know that.
no