digerati

"Three and a half years ago, id Software shook QuakeCon 2001 with its announcement of Quake 4. While few details were released then, the mere mention of the highly anticipated sequel, developed with Raven Software and built upon the (then unfinished) Doom 3 engine was enough to send gamers into a frenzy. However, aside from a lone concept sketch of a Strogg warrior, information about the game has been extremely sparse.

That is, until recently, when we attended a voice over session in Los Angeles at Salami Studios, a postproduction house specializing in voice and music recording. We overheard a large amount of the plot recorded by a number of talented actors. Although we can't reveal any of the details, we are able to disclose the name of the main character, Matthew Kane, and a squad mate of his named Rhodes (voiced by Dave Earnest). We also observed seasoned character actor Charles Napier deliver a performance as General Harper.

A veteran of movies (like the Austin Powers series), TV and games (he was prominently featured in SpyCraft), Napier is no stranger to the voice over booth. "I provided grunts for The Incredible Hulk TV show, and I've lent my voice to cartoons like The Simpsons and Johnny Quest, so this isn't new to me." What was newer to Napier was the script, which he'd only received shortly before his voice over performance. However, he felt relatively comfortable settling into the skin of General Harper, primarily due to his past roles.

"I've been typecast in the past few years as a commanding type of voice or character, whether it's been on camera or off, regardless of whether it's comedy or drama. I love doing comedy; in fact I've got a film out now with a lot of broad comedy like Austin Powers. But I've generally been cast as a military type in a commanding situation, and that's generally the character I portray in games -- it's a commander, it's an officer, it's a superior giving out orders."

While that may seem conducive to cookie cutter performances, Napier doesn't feel constrained in the slightest by this facet of casting. In fact, he believes it to be much more of an asset, especially when it comes to creating characters. "I look at the words the writer put down, and I try to listen to the writer and the director. That way, when I go into the booth, I can try to give them the character they imagine in their mind as I read the lines they've provided. Hopefully they can close their eyes, listen to my voice and picture the character saying the words exactly the way I've done it. I try to give them what they want, because they wrote it and they're directing it. That's generally what I do."

Supervising the key performances for Quake 4 was Tim Willits, the Lead Designer at id Software. Although we were sworn to secrecy on the plot points we'd heard during the voice over sessions, we were fortunate to squeeze a little time out of his busy schedule to get some new details on the direct sequel to 1997's Quake II."
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Read The Interview: IGN