Robert Culp, voice of Dr. Breen, passes away at age 79

UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA:Redwood City, CA Icrontian
edited March 2010 in Gaming

Comments

  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Bobby,

    Now this is good journalism. Guy kicks it jogging, and you find a way to make it relevant for gamers. Bravo.

    I had no idea Robert Culp did that voice, now I feel like I have to go back and play.
  • edited March 2010
    OMG! This sucks... Such a good man had to die befire the release of their last game.

    Freaking' Valve.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Thank you, Cliff. This news was important to me, as Culp really had great performances in Half-Life 2. It is terribly unfortunate that he passed away, and I'm glad that his legacy will live on in the games.

    He impacted a lot of gamers, most of which had no idea who Culp was. I don't think most gamers consider how fragile it is, for game dev cycles to be as long as they are, and that the voices for the characters are just as real as the people playing them.

    I don't know where voiceovers fit into the video game dev pipeline - I should know. In animated films, voices are one of the first thing they do so animators have work to sync to. I'd imagine voiceovers happen early in game dev as well, but with the lip sync tech that Valve has, it isn't particularly necessary. Hopefully, all the work is already in the can.

    It was six years ago when Culp first stabbed us in the heart as Dr. Breen. By the time Episode 3 comes out, the entire HL2 saga will have spanned a development time of over ten years. That's a long time to keep voice actors involved.
  • edited March 2010
    No foul play, eh?

    Has Gordon Freeman at least been brought in for questioning?
  • clifford_cooleyclifford_cooley Arkansas, USA Member
    edited March 2010
    Really you can do that?
    You can bring someone in for questioning when there is no evidence of foul play?

    I must have seen to many TV shows. There was always a need to have evidence before someone could be brought in for questioning.
  • edited March 2010
    They could establish some serious motive, though.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Usually in game dev timelines, voice acting is done towards the end so there are no more story twists and the mechanics aren't going to change much.

    We'll miss you, Mr. Culp.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    545_frontpage.jpg

    I can not publicly admit how much my brother and I loved this TV show.
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited March 2010
    wtf is that cliff :S
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited March 2010
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited March 2010
    OK.......... that little TV gem didn't cross the pond ;D
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Cliff wrote:
    I had no idea Robert Culp did that voice
    Ditto that. Brought home the headlines of the day. :(
  • ZadokZadok Ft. Wayne, IN
    edited March 2010
    I'm pretty sure Breen die at the end of episode 2. In which case Culp wouldn't have been involved with episode 3, at least in that role.

    Still it's to bad he has passed on.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    I'm sure they would have liked to record additional voice clips for various propaganda pieces that would no doubt be present in Episode 3. Breen may be dead, but an oppressive society does not simply die with its leader. :)
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    You might be right, but it was never explicitly implied that he died. If I've learned anything from Hollywood, it's that if you don't see the character die, they're not dead.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    And even if you do, they're not necessarily.
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Thrax wrote:
    I'm sure they would have liked to record additional voice clips for various propaganda pieces that would no doubt be present in Episode 3. Breen may be dead, but an oppressive society does not simply die with its leader. :)

    That for me is the single most powerful moment in gaming. When you walk outside to see City 17 for the first time, with that monitor fueling the propaganda machine, for me, it was a real WOW moment. It was like, Holy shit, this is better than any film I have ever seen... It was the moment that I knew games had a future in entertainment for years to come.

    Amazing, I knew who Robert Culp was, but I had no idea it was his voice. Its a complement really, that I did not hear him, but his character.

    Seriously, its the most single brilliant moment in all of gaming for me. I can't think of anything that even comes close.
  • UPSLynxUPSLynx :KAPPA: Redwood City, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    Everything about that opening sequence was incredible. The propaganda pieces, the people being ushered off the train and oppressed, seeing the interactive physics in action, the robot drones... and the moment you step outside, and the birds fly off across in front of you, and you see the Strider walk by.

    Man, that game.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited March 2010
    In honor of Robert Culp, I think I'm going to have to play HL2 through again...
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