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- Tell us a little about yourself, what have you accomplished in life?
I started off in the videogame industry as an audio editor back in the 1990's for Interplay Productions. Soon thereafter, I was promoted to the position of managing all of the voiceover for Interplay's videogames. I left the company back in early 2k to start my own company, TikiMan Productions, Inc. We currently produce the voiceover for some of the biggest videogames in the world, including titles like... Gears of War, Scarface, Call of Duty, Need for Speed, to name just a few.
- What are your favourite computer games/board games and why?
Well, both "Fallout" and "Baldur's Gate 2" hold a special place for me, in that both were done at a time when voiceover for videogames was considered to be about as bad as the acting in an Ed Wood film. Interplay (at the time) wanted to raise the bar on quality, so I took it upon myself cast the BEST voice actors I could find, and that involved getting involved with TOP Hollywood agents and actors.
- What hobbies do you have besides computer games?
Hobbies? What's that?... But seriously, I almost consider my job a hobby. However when I am not working on videogames, calling agents, sending e-mails, negotiation deals on big celebrities, prepping scripts, preparing schedules, driving to Los Angeles, and directing actors, I like to garden.
- What are your favourite bands/artists (music)?
Ironically, I got into this business because of music. I was selling recording software (ProTools) and MIDI gear when I started working in videogames. I use to be a recording artist on Hollywood Records... and as Forest Gump once said..."And that's all I have to say about that".
Right now I am a big fan of the British group "MUSE". I typically like anything that has a lot of production, and really ROCKS!
- Tell us a little about your role in the making of Fallout 1/2/3 (Van Buren)/Tactics?
Well, I worked on almost all of them so I will give you a little about each…
When I was first introduced to the original "Fallout", it was being called GURPS (based on the original game), and we had some meetings to discuss the audio, script, and concept. We had a really good budget, and Tim Cain wanted some high profile actors to voice these characters. At that point in time in videogame history, not many videogame companies were casting celebrity actors unless it was based on a film license. We decided to cast Fallout just like an original movie, so I started contacting all of my Hollywood contacts that I had at the time. We ended up with an amazing cast that fit each character to a tee (Ron Perlman, Keith David, Tony Shalhoub, David Warner, Brad Garrett, Richard Moll, CCH Pounder, Richard Dean Anderson, Clancy Brown, Cree Summer, just to name a few). All of the actors were really great, and most at the time had never worked on a videogame before, so it was kind of like Television was to actors in the late 1940's.
When we started work on "Fallout II", we approached it very much the same way we did the original Fallout. We again cast really good actors for it, and added some new names to match what we were after (Jeffrey Jones, Michael Dorn, Peter Jason, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dwight Schultz, just to name a few). Again, all of the actors were great to work with!
When we did "Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel", the game had changed somewhat. More actors were needed; however, there were less cut-scene, and more in-game dialogue, so I had to cast a good deal of top-notch union voice actors that I work with a lot. I did cast celebrity Kurtwood Smith, R. Lee Ermey, and of course Ron Perlman again for the "Narrator". R. Lee Ermey was really cool, and had great stories about his work on "Full Metal Jacket" (playing the drill sergeant). He is about as "Semper Fi" as any actor can get!
"Fallout Brotherhood of Steel" was at a point when Interplay was on its last pinky nail, so all I did was cast the characters, and then left to start my company.
- What's your favourite Fallout memory?
There are SO MANY great stories; it's hard to say which one. However in "Fallout I" when we first meet actor Clancy Brown, he was about as intimidating as Victor Kruger/The Kurgan entering the room, and then after a great session voicing the role of "Rhombus", he offered both Tim Cain and Chris Taylor tickets to a Dodger game that night. Clancy is a super cool guy, and he actually likes to play videogames with his kids!
- What specifically inspired Fallout for you? What were the biggest influences?
I have always been influenced by great stories and characters, and a lot of TV and movies. I watched a hundreds of hours of TV growing up, and wasn’t much of a sports person, so TV drama has influenced a great deal of my life.
- Pop Culture played a big role in Fallout, what pop culture influences you?
I am a fan of all different types of pop culture, and as a director, knowing a lot about history and media is very important in my line of work. You would be surprised how often I will have an actor ask me..."What's an EMP?" It might seem trivial to most, however I need to explain these types of things to an actor, so they understand the character and story. You have to be fairly well rounded to direct a futuristic sci-fi videogame one day, and a medieval D&D videogame the next.
- How was it to be a part of the Fallout team?
Now that I look back on it, it was a great experience working on such a great videogame and with such visionary and talent developers. Both Fallout I & II will always be two of my favorite videogames, and I will always have a huge amount of respect for my former colleges at Interplay! I knew most of the Black Isle team fairy well. Most of them are brilliant individuals!
- Were there things that you wished you had added to either Fallouts?
Well, after Fallout II, I kind of thought the franchise lost its direction. There are many things that I would have changed with the last couple games (too many to mention here).
- What is your hope for future Fallout games? Would you like to be a part of a future Fo team? Who would you like to see in said future Fo team?
I hope one day someone can bring back the original vision of the first two games. I would love to be part of a future Fallout videogame, movie, series, etc!
If it were up to me... Well, Tim Cain, Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Christian Taylor, Charles Deenen, John Price, Eric DeMilt, Jesse Reynolds, Gary Platner, Chris Jones, Jason D. Anderson, Leonard Boyarsky, Gary Platner, Scott Bennie, Brian Freyermuth, and Scott Campbell to name a few. These are the brilliant minds behind the best versions of the game!
- Who would you cast in a future Fallout game and why?
It's hard to say because I don't know what kind of story and characters would be involved, either way it would be great to get Ron Perlman back to voice the "Narrator" again!
However, it I had a dream cast for it... Hmmmm, well... Gary Oldman, Matt Damon, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Terence Stamp, Susan Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, Eddie Izzard, Sam Neill, James Gandolfini, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, Terrence Howard, Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Andy Garcia, George Clooney, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro, Ashley Judd, Cate Blanchett, Don Cheadle, David Bowie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael C. Hall, George Takei, Ving Rhames, Frank Welker, Joaquin Phoenix, Drew Barrymore, Robert Downey Jr., Annette Bening, Mira Sorvino, William H. Macy, John Lithgow, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Patricia Arquette, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken as "Harold". (MAN NOW THAT WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT CAST!!!)
- What inspired the infamous decision to make Ron Perlman the narrator? Did that tie in specifically to the setting/atmosphere of the game or was that simply because of his distinctive voice?
Ron has an amazing voice, and a very somber type of voice that we needed to open the game with. You know, that feeling of...well, weird, that went well with a disturbing air-raid siren in the distance.
- Is it true that Ron Perlman threatened to kill Fallout 2 designer Chris Avellone?
I don't remember that, but then again like I said earlier...There are SO MANY great stories, it's hard to say which one. Besides Chris probably deserved it... Just kidding!
- In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?
Story is #1! Next I would say a great engine, unique characters, interesting areas, unique tools / weapons, and of course GREAT dialogue and sound!
- Where do you see computer RPGs going?
I just finished two up and coming RPG's that I can't talk about right now, however RPG's is where it's at! The graphics are getting more amazing by the day, and some of the new stories are epic, as well as very challenging!
Some of these RPG worlds are getting so large, what use to take me weeks to record, now takes me months and even as long as a year. I will give you a hint... Microsoft's going to dominate the planet when it comes to videogames and RPG's! (wink!)
- How does the fan base hinder/help the projects that you’ve worked on?
The fans are what makes this business what it is! They set the market; they choose what and how far we push the bar with these games. When I started in this business, it was like sitting in a covered wagon, and now it's like flying an F-117A Nighthawk! I always read fan blogs and message boards, and I always read what the critics have to say about the videogames I work on. Unfortunately, like anything, I don't control everything, and am just one part of a VERY big picture when it comes to developing a videogame. The critics and fans don't always understand that part.
- If you could make any computer game that you wanted, which would it be and why?
That's a tough one! Though there are many game companies out there that just keep rehashing old ideas, I am always meeting designers and writers that have newer and ever more completely unique ideas for videogames, all the time. It's a creative business, so the sky is the limit. However, if I could make any videogame I wanted, I would likely make an RPG mystery type game with a lot of strange characters, and a very challenging story / plot. I guess it would be something like a movie where at the end, you were completely stumped, but astonished all at the same time (kind of like the movie "Fight Club").
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Being my business is casting actors and directing them, I see myself staying in this business for a long time. I don't think you can replace a great actor with an artificial AI actor (like in the movie Simone), maybe some day, but like most art, it changes in style, however the medium stays the same. Motion capture directing is starting to become more and more prevalent in this industry, so it is getting more technically challenging working on videogames now ever year. I would like to cast and direct a feature animated film some
- Any last word to the Fallout fan base?
Keep up your hopes that a real "Fallout III" is on it's way! Otherwise, fellow vault dwellers, may Vault 13 always live on, and keep your PIPBoy 2000 ready to go at all times!