Bill Johnson To Voice a Character in Shroud of the Avatar?
Richard Garriott responded to a seemingly random tweet in a very…potentially telling manner:
@Shaminarthedrgn Funny you should ask… We just reconnected with Bill Johnson, the voice of the Guardian!
— Richard Garriott (@RichardGarriott) December 15, 2013
Now, does this mean that the good Mr. Johnson will be lending his voice to Shroud of the Avatar? Possibly, possibly. Nothing has been confirmed…but it would be nice were the villain of Shroud of the Avatar possessed of the same booming voice that made the Guardian so menacing. Doubly so if, per Ultima 7, said villain occasionally interjects dialogue into scenes.
AVATAR! Know that a new age of voice acting will occur. KNOW that the time has FINALLY come for the smacketh to be laid down on your cowering PERSONA! It is I that will show you the way to regret… DIE! BURN, AVATAR! Muhuahahaaaaa! [audio: diminishing cacophony of daemon screeches]
That guy’s voice is classic. I don’t like The Guardian as a story element and thought the POV-Ray-style CG of him in VII was crappy, but he always had these crisp “Darth Vader”-style monologues. If he did something like Reagent, Spell Name and Gutteral/Human readings in SotA it would be totally badass.
Iolo could be chilling by the campfire, playing his lute, when the shuddering voice of his conscience screams like The Guardian, “AVATAR! Stoke the fire and put out that pipe, you right old bastard!” Iolo wouldn’t even care nor miss a beat other than a wry roll of the eye and another strum of his lute. The sound of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would fade into the distance as a real storm moved in. Woe be to the developers who emulate Ultima. It is a hard fate, but a good one.
He has an amazing voice. I loved The Guardian in Ultima VII, he had classic dialogue.
I like that they are reconnecting, and agree that his portrayal of the Guardian made the character for me. However, it seems like there will not be any voiced characters in SotA. I think I’d rather have none that only the one, despite how well that worked in Ultima VII.
I agree with that. Maybe he could just chuckle ominously whenever you do something unvirtuous or are being mobbed and death appear imminent. Or he could be a magically imbued automaton in LB’s castle as part of a collection of rare toys and artifacts.