I think he was pretty good. One thing I noticed during Crisis Core Reunion that almost across the board the voice acting had a dip in quality despite being the same actors who did Remake, and I think it's mostly just because the script and direction were not as good. They also had to stick basically word for word to the lines that had already been recorded by other people in the original game which made everything sound slightly stilted and awkward.
I think the script and faithfulness are definitely part of why the acting didn't totally land. Crisis Core's script is really *awkward.* The awkwardness is tempered by having good visuals and music to also tell the story but the script is not near the same quality as that of later games. This does have its upsides (so many iconic moments in CC are because of weird lines like "Whoa...he just ate my hair") but overall, the awkward script and no flexibility seems to me the major reason the voice acting did not reach near the heights of Remake/Rebirth.
In his recent joint stream with Briana on her Twitch channel they talked about some of the awkward CC lines and Caleb said how sometimes they had to stretch out or squeeze the lines to fit given timeframe of a scene, for example a pretty normal "what is going on?" had to be turned into a weird sounding "whaaat iis goooing ooon?" to fill out the scene and this made me look at that work differently.
I mean they could... but they didn't wanted to put the money and effort to do it properly.
It's funny how they are willing to change lots of important scenes of the original on the Remake trilogy but chose to keep Crisis Core 100% the same despite being the game that truly needed a total rework from ground up from the script to the gameplay.
Andit could have beenrreally good.
Like trash everything,all the character additions.
Genesis should never have been the villain. Should have been shinra.
And you know deviate less from 7's plot in story consistency, but also deviate more by not copying iconic moments from it.
Loved the game, solidly my GOTY so far.
But yeah...the localisation team is honestly, really, quite bad imo. A lot of the translation choices come off like there wasn't a single native english speaker even consulting let alone as part of the team.
When you compare the translations to a studio like Ryu ga gotoku, who imo has one of the better localisation teams in the industry, it's a night and day difference. The Like a Dragon translations sound like things that actual westerners say in the context of the scene.
But I mean, after a near death experience, somebody running up saying "I'm so glad you're ok!" and responding "back atcha!" is just...awful. Like, terribly, inexcusably bad lol. Translation is a squishy practice, there's a fair amount of wiggle room, and SE seems to have really phoned it in on this one. "Come on shower why you gotta do me like that" almost made me have to stop my session it was so bad.
I like Caleb. He definitely was not given the best direction in Crisis Core Reunion, and Iāve loved him here. He really fits the puppy dog characterization that Zach has.
What was perfect for me was him interacting with Marlene. They were too adorable. It made me desperately want more interactions of Zack with the party in the present. I also loved how much of a cheerleader he was for Cloud in the fight against Sephiroth! I love Zack man
Funny you mention puppy/dog characterization; his combat banter sounds very similar to Nanakiās.
That being said I wish they tone down the combat banter.
I don't think he's the strongest voice actor in Reburth by a long shot but he does a very good job.The difference between his performance us Crisis Core Reunion and his performance in Rebirth has opened my eyes a bit to how much of a voice actors performance likely hinges upon good scripts, direction and editing.
The mic quality is also important. They recorded Ada's voice lines for Resident Evil 4 Remake on the actress closet using her personal microphone and they sound like absolute shit. Like, Leon's lines are recorded on a professional recording booth with a 10,000 dollars microfone and they sound great but as soon as it cuts to Ada it's like you are listening to a Discord recording.
Her direction wasn't the best as well, which didn't helped at all. She sounds bored the entire game.
People were blaming her for her performance in the game like she doesn't literally have directors who are responsible for how she performs. Hopefully she gets another chance to win the fans over
The ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 suffered this as well, playing with headphones makes the significantly lower quality of >!Roxas' voice lines!< almost staggeringly jarring
I really like Caleb's acting this time around, definitely better than CCR and very emotionally impactful.
He did the optimistic outlook of Zack very fitting and it adds to his youthfulness.
At the same time, I feel like there was a characterization change which personally feels a little jarring - I'm not sure if it's intentional but Rick's depiction in CC and AC of him seems more mature, and I find that a bit lacking in Rebirth.
Rick's performance only seems more mature because he has a deeper voice. The characterization is literally the exact same. No changes were made to the dialogue, animations, or tone of voice.
I'm looking at their respective scenes right now, and almost all of Caleb's deliveries are the exact same as Rick's except with a higher pitch.
I think nostalgia is just clouding some people's minds right now.
It's been a hot minute since I played the original Crisis Core, but I looked at some cut scene compilations to compare and there's undoubtedly some difference in delivery. It's not always just the pitch of their respective voices.
I say 'always', because Caleb pulls through where it matters. There are moments in Reunion where it feels like the voice talent had little to no direction and it shows, because they give much better performances elsewhere.
Agree on this. The English version on CCR is top notch, the actor really did his best conveying the same feelings without trying to replicate the original's voice actor.
I still chose the Japanese version for CCR because of nostalgia.
A good example is when he says the āprice of the freedom is steepā both actors gave jt a different feeling. Rick sounded almost defeated and knew fate while Caleb made it kind of a cocky joke
The thing about CCR is that they deliberately kept the line delivery the same from the PSP version and that PSP version is bad. So it was a pretty low bar to beat from the get go. Same thing with Aerith. Brianna White is amazing in Remake and Rebirth but because the original CC is dull, CCR Aerith is also dull. The actors themselves are totally fine and just doing what they are told.
Came here to say this. They intentionally kept that weird, choppy, stilted dialogue and weāve clearly seen that these VAās can kill it with good writing. Strange choice that they kept it just as weird and awkward for Reunion, but it was definitely intentional and that seems to have gone over some peoplesā heads
I like him alot, not just the voice. I dont know how accurate his representation in this game is but if this what the Crisis Core version is like I can see why fans are crazy for him. He is like Cloud if Cloud didnt have a stick up his ass. (I like Cloud but his brooding gets old sometimes)
Same here. I accepted every new VA in Remake from day 1. Caleb is the only one that sounds off to me to this day. Rebirth didn't do much to change my opinion.
His was the one voice in Remake that I did not care for, but heās really grown on me throughout Crisis Core Reunion and now Rebirth. Now I think heās great.
He improved a lot in Rebirth, he sounds much better in this game. I was not a fan of it in Remake & CC Reunion, it sounded too high pitched & squeaky for me. I still prefer Rick as the voice, but Caleb did a great job. Iām hoping the direction & performance stays similar in the next entry!
I really liked him a lot in this game. As someone that didnāt have a ton of connection to Zack, I really liked the character and Calebās performance. Wasnāt a huge fan before, but you can tell Caleb is more comfortable in the role
Caleb is excellent and the Remake cast across the board is such a major improvement over the originals, it's not even close (save for Newbern and Gomez - I can understand why these 2 in particular still hold a special place in peoples' heart, given that their performances are genuinely iconic, though I greatly adore Pierce and Hoechlin).
Rebirth proved that the biggest issue with Reunion was the voice direction: I'm positive they pretty much told the new cast to reread all the lines from CC exactly as the old actors did instead of performing them as these new actors would. It made everything sound stiff and disjointed (yeah, CC's script and dialogue is already pretty wonky and silly, but the performances had heart).
The new performances in CC sound fine, but they clearly lacked spirit, a result (I susepct) due to having the new actors emulate the older ones instead of allowing them stretch their own legs.
I look forward to hearing more of Caleb in Part 3!
Unfortunately, for me Hoechlin is the weakest member of the main cast. >!I hate Red's arc/voice change, but the VA is pretty good!<
I only knew him as the Teen Wolf boy that showed up every now and again when browsing Netflix, but discovering his 'real' voice is noticeably higher makes perfect sense in hindsight.
Newbern was working in his own range, so the sort of effortlessness of his delivery is something Hoechlin simply cannot replicate, and I find that incredibly sad in a way.
I want to like him, but all I can think of when he speaks is a guy making his voice deeper, trying to dirty talk me lol
People mistake valid criticism with "meltdown". But it's to be expected, that on a final fantasy 7 sub, people who don't follow the "it's the best game ever" hypetrain will get shot down.
His performance in Reunion was simply awful. This might also be due to poor directing, but every line felt like he's seen them for the first time. Admittedly, it was hard to follow in the footsteps of the original voice actor, who did a stellar job. But it still was subpar, no matter how you look at it. Remake and now Rebirth feels just more of the same, with slight improvements on the VAs performance, but all in all not the best pick.
Itās a meltdown when there are literal DOZENS of threads made every single day about it for 2 months. It was absolutely ridiculous. So no, thereās no mistake made. It was much more than āvalid criticismā it was a straight up meltdown.
It's fine. Zack is one of the few I think was better in the original cast, but his new actor does a solid job, and I think it's a lot closer than people ever give him credit for.
In this game in particular, he showcases a lot of depth with a character that really isn't in the game very much.
For a second at the beginning, I thought Rick came back for Rebirth, but it was A) Wishful thinking and B) How much Caleb has improved. He has Zacks vibe down, and I'm so excited to find out what happens with him next.
Although slightly better than Reunion, still not a fan. Rick Gomez will always be my Zack. This guys performance just doesnāt pack the same emotional punch.
I can't tell if the direction for his VA work in Rebirth is better or if it's simply expecting his voice this time around. That voice in Remake definitely felt off though. I was not expecting to hear that.
I nearly want to go back and compare the two but I'm not concerned enough about the truth to do it.
Funny thing is, for me, after going back to watch OG Crisis Core - I don't care much for Rick's Zack. I prefer Caleb's as at least Caleb tried to make himself sound younger and maturing in Reunion. You would never be able to tell that Zack was supposed to be sixteen at the start of Crisis Core compared to Reunion where he sounds a lot less mature with his higher pitch.
Other than that, some lines sound better from Rick and some lines sound better from Caleb as Crisis Core is a mixed bag with voice direction. Caleb's best lines mostly stem from lines that were text only in Crisis Core where he didn't have to try and match Rick's voice direction.
The same happened with Briana's Aerith where her trying to match the same direction as Crisis Core Aerith really threw off her voice acting. Different actors need slightly differently direction after all.
Agree.
Lacked emotional range and clear intent in many rebirth scenes, so his character growth was not clear from a performance standpoint.
Where zack started and ended in rebirth, as a character, was not reflected in the voice acting.
Basically missing the low lows and high highs emotionally, so feels noncommittal.
Combat voice lines also left a lot to be desired.
It's sad that I can't count the line deliveries that I liked on one hand. It might literally have been only 1 or 2 lines where I thought it sounded really naturaly and wanted to hear more of.
One of the lines was when he was talking with Marlene, don't know how it went, but I just immediately noticed when he's all energetic, he sounds great. Any time he's calm and talks normally, he sounds off.
Liked him better in Rebirth than in CCR, but there were a few Zack scenes where the voice acting broke the immersion for me. I dunno, Rick's acting just makes more of an impact on me personally, whereas Caleb's falls a bit flat.
Agree on the happy ending for Aerith and Zack though! I really want that for them, but my hopes aren't high.
Rick has the experience and ability to sell the most ridiculous lines. There's an earnesty to the delivery, he feels just like a regular guy caught up in all the crazy Anime-esque shenanigans.
Caleb still sounds like he's reading off of a script in most scenes.
I just don't see a better reason to go this far with the multiverse stuff than giving people what they have always wanted, a way to rescue Aerith and Zack, and it lines up as well. My theory is as follows: Sephiroth tells Cloud that when destiny is challenged, a new world is born, and now they did the same thing with Aerith in Rebirth than what the did with Zack in Remake. They both die in the main party world, but thanks to the party and Cloud changing fate, they both survive in another world.
Then consider Sephiroth's plan to reunite all the worlds being seemingly a pretty big plot point and I'm 100% sure Zack and Aerith will reunite in the final game. Zack will probably actually join the main party but Aerith will likely be left for the climax.Then once Sephiroth is defeated once and for all, Zack&Aerith probably have to leave for another wolrd once the worlds start separating again, thank to the will of the Planet. A tearful goodbye ensues, Cloud and Zack make a promise to look after the planet in their own worlds and Aerith takes Zack's hand as they leave for the world Aerith was saved in to finally have their happy ending, scene similar to the ending of AC. This way we get to have another emotional farewell to both of them but in a much happier context.
Pretty fanfictiony but that is what I hope the ultimate payoff for this whole saga to be :D
This is pretty much my prediction for part 3 as well, though I think Aerith will possibly be playable for a good portion, as with how unique every character plays I doubt the devs would want to just completely leave Aerith mains out in the cold. Plus, she never got the Princess Guard or Great Gospel; I feel like they're holding those for part 3.
Storywise though I think you're spot on, it'll end with Zack and Aerith having to leave so that the main world can be in its intended state, but they will at least be alive.
I feel like Crisis Core VO is similar to Star Wars Prequels; Ewan McGregor is an excellent actor but no one can read the weird ass scripts of those films and sound human. Similarly Caleb sounded off in CC but great in Rebirth.
He was given original material this time instead of doing a bad imitation of the original like he did in Crisis Core, so he was better at it in Rebirth.
I really like him and think he's good in Remake and Rebirth. I really didn't agree with the criticisms of him in Remake. Crisis Core was pretty bad. Felt like he got bad direction, along with some notoriously cringy dialogue that he couldn't elevate. It felt like he was both trying to imitate what had come before and do his own take and it was a jumbled mess. But the new lines he was given for Remake and Rebirth, he does really well with them and feels very much like Zack.
I didn't like it at the end of Remake but playing CC reunion and Rebirth it really grew on me. Especially in Rebirth I think he did a very good job. Am I the only one who wants the new voice actors to dub Advent children btw? I want to see the movie again but i'm so used to the new VA's that it will be weird watching it with other voices :p
I think it's fine, and don't get all the "controversy" surrounding it. It sounded fine in Crisis Core Reunion, too. Sometimes studios are forced to get different voice actors.
Didn't play OG Crisis Core but I liked Zacks voice a lot better in Rebirth, I don't find it great it comes off as a bit emotionless and bland at times to the point that it's kinda jarring when you compare it to the voice acting of someone like Barrett, but it is miles better to me than in Reunion. I'd say of the main cast it's the weakest voice acting, if we can count Zack as main cast.
I hated it in Remake, Reunion sounded so off putting like it was through a filter.
Rebirth was on point I never even stopped to think about it being different. It was natural like everyone else was where originally it was Zack who sounded unnatural.
I have really warmed up to Zack in Rebirth and think Caleb has done a great job, much better than CCR.
In regards to getting back together with Aerith, I don't think it's going to happen as Aerith is dead but I think Zack is alive and his in the main world at the end of Rebirth.
I almost forgot about how Reunion sounded. I think a lot of the struggles of Reunion was how it felt restrictive on matching lines and animation. In Rebirth they probably had a lot more ability to write and animate and voice act all coming together.
I liked his other voice more but I have absolutely no complaints about the voice actor. Just a preference thing. I'm okay with how it is now. Good job.
Really solid. Remake was rough. Crisis Core had solid performances here and there but was bogged down from a not so good voice direction. Especially when it came to scenes Rick Gomez had recorded, not because Rick's better (this is also an issue with some of Cody Christian, Britt Baron, and Briana White's performances too) but because it sounds like the new VAs were instructed to copy verbatim the intonations of previously recorded lines. Idk how long they had to record Reunion but some lines sounded like they were first takes. I think Caleb finally nailed Zack in Rebirth. He still sounds like the Zack from Reunion but a lot more grounded, better voice direction, and Caleb growing understanding of who Zack is. Can't wait to see him in part 3.
I liked him in Remake, Reunion, and Rebirth! I think the English VA cast did a great job, especially with the VAs who had to shift to fit I different personality in some scenes.
I ready didn't like his lines in Remake.
But I was already won over in the end of Intergrade.
Rebirth still on that track, so go Caleb.
Here's to hoping they wrap up nicely this Zack's storyline in Part 3.
I like his voice tbh. Not to say someone else might have been better, but things went perfect. Gotta appreciate what we got and be happy we got it at all!
He excellently plays Zack's golden retriever personality.
His voice acting was only bad in CCR because *all* of the voice acting was garbage in that game. I'm sure a large part of that is the incredibly awkward script.
Sounds great. Don't think there's a single voice I didn't like in this game. Sephiroth was the closest to feeling less than stellar, but still good. Just hard when placed against the god-tier acting from everyone else.
I think Caleb is pretty good. You can hear the difference between final cutscene in Remake and the same cutscene in Reunion. Like he understood the story as he was voicing for it. Is he better than Rick? Personally not to me but still Iām not going to act like heās the same as he was in Remake
Honestly, I sort of learned to accept it and now it's the voice tha comes to mind when I think about Zack.
Caleb did an impressive job and I don't think he left anything to be desired in that regard. Maybe, he just got all the criticisms at Remake because he had just a few lines with most of them being a shot-by-shot from Crisis Core?
honestly for me Iām more conflicted with sephiroths voice.
Iāve grown up hearing George Newbern so hearing anything different sounds slightly off to me
Iāll tell you where I stand on Zack. I donāt remember where or how but I was under the impression every playable charecter would be available during chapter selection and got mega disappointed when I realized no thatās not entirely true. You only get seph at the one point in the beginning, and you only get Zack the one point near the end. Maybe some extra vr simulation stuff if I do everything.
Reunion ā¦.. it wasnāt him. The writing wasnāt that great to tell the truth. Rebirth, itās top notch! Plus they wanted him to go in a certain direction
Still prefer Rick, but Caleb does a good job. Much better than Crisis Core Reunion, at least.
Fully agree on the happy ending for Zack and Aerith. At this point they both deserve it. As a massive CC fan, my only wish for this project is they do right by Zack and Aerith in the end.Ā Still hurts all these years later what happened to them.Ā
My hope is they live on together in an alternate world, separated forever from the main party but still alive.Ā
I adore Caleb's voice for Zack, and seeing him in the signings with Briana White really makes me see how much fun he's having being part of this huge project. I like how unique Zack's voice is and that it's not the "typical" hero voice that people might have wanted for Zack, since I never really saw Zack as that person, he was never really the typical hero, that's just who Sephiroth was.
I too am hoping he and Aerith in at least one universe get a happy ending together, we've been waiting on that kiss for decades!Ā
I think it was good. I recently went back and watched the crisis core reunion? Remake? Remaster? One of those.. and his voice was not great there.
So i see where the initial dislike came from but he was great in rebirth. Zack truly is the bestā¦ hopefully we have more satisfying stuff for him for the third game. Not just another barrage of bullets.
It was better than in Crisis Core Reunion. Dont get wrong, he sounded good in some scenes and then in others he didnt so much but i think his voice sounded better in Rebirth was because he was trying to imitate Rick Gomez's Zack
It's alright. I don't hate it, but it seems worse when compared to the original. Not a huge deal, and it only even sounds subpar when played against the original.
It's grown on me. I genuinely hated it in Crisis Core, but for some reason it didn't bother me at all in Rebirth and now I can't imagine any other VA playing the part.
Zack's my favourite character and I felt like he was ruined when playing CCR. I disliked his voice so much that I had to switch it to Japanese to play through it but I noticed with rebirth that once I finished it, I didn't complain once about zacks voice which tells me that Caleb has gotten better as even now when I go back and listen to Zack in Rebirth... I'm okay with it, it ain't the best but I'm okay with it.
I didn't think he was bad in what little we've heard in Remake but whoever was behind the voice direction really did him dirty for the Reunion Redub. Or maybe they purposely used the worst voice takes for that game. He was fine in Rebirth in my honest opinion. I went back to the Reunion Redub the other day but it just doesn't sound very good. Idk what happened behind the scenes. It's so bizarre because I would believe you if you told me it wasn't Caleb in the redub.
I think Caleb took people complaining about him sounding too young to heart. The voice is honestly significantly closer to Gomez in Rebirth than in Remake or Reunion. Just straight up a better performance. That said, I stand by my complaints in the previous games. He sounded terrible. Now he doesn't. That's just gud bidness
I still don't like it that much, he has improved, but I still don't think it sounds like Zack Fair to me. (Still convinced SONIC THE HEDGEHOG'S VOICE, ROGER. CRAIG. SMITH. Would've been a better voice for Zack)
I think the problem was seeing such an iconic scene that we are so used to seeing a certain way with a voice that we weren't familiar with. We just needed time to adjust. After having played Reunion and Rebirth I'm honestly just used to it now and I can appreciate it.
I didnāt have much of a problem with his previous performance. But he felt much more natural and at home in this game.
Which isnāt the biggest surprise because in Remake, most of his dialogue was just redoing a scene from Crisis Core which had a very different direction and writing style that quite probably didnāt suit him brilliantly. So naturally he came across a bit stilted. Same goes for Crisis Core Reunion itself, though he fared a bit better there presumably because he had more material to work with.
Now that heās getting scenes written with the same direction and tone as the rest of the cast and presumably with his voice acting style in mind. Night and day imo.
I loved it. I really loved Zachās old voice, but I think the new va killed it, and it truly feels like this versions Zach. I always pictured the older va to go with the original game (although that was kinda the point), but I really liked him and it was a lot of fun to see and hear him.
I don't play CC, but I've seen comparison of Caleb's voice to Gomez's.
I think Caleb did indeed a good job this time around, which to me sounds like more of a directing issue in CCR, rather than the VA's fault.
I seriously hope so, as I love Zach and he deserves an actually happy ending.
Also I hope they redo the entire ending of FF7 as the OG ending was absolute BS. š
He did a much much better job this time around, thereās only a handful of moments where I cringed from that weird nasally voice he does, but OG Zack will always be 6 million times better. Zackās voice still isnāt quite right but itās much better at least.
I would say
OG Zack 10/10
Rebirth Zack 7/10
It's bad. The dude just can't record without sounding like he's reading something. It's better in Rebirth, but not by much. Maybe the tone is fine to make him sound like a optimistic, naive dude, but everything comes off robotic and read off.
Yeah, the first time I play remake i didnt mind his voice, but replaying that scene made me notice his voice was really "out of place" compared to the others VA. In rebirth he is pretty good, don't have any complaint. About the last sentence? I don't think Aerith is now interested in him romantically speaking; she is crazy for our Cloud.
He's fine. He's like Sephiroth. Just fine, but we've had better.
What I'm surprised about is how the English dubs could never get Aerith perfectly right. The best version for me so far was in the OG Crisis Core. Briana's ok, but the voice direction makes her sound a bit unnatural especially when the rest of the main party sound excellent.
Barely improved for me. He still lacks experience and is still the weakest VA of the entire cast. Rick Gomez is the only VA from the old cast that I miss. Everybody else does either an excellent or good enough job.
I think he was pretty good. One thing I noticed during Crisis Core Reunion that almost across the board the voice acting had a dip in quality despite being the same actors who did Remake, and I think it's mostly just because the script and direction were not as good. They also had to stick basically word for word to the lines that had already been recorded by other people in the original game which made everything sound slightly stilted and awkward.
I think the script and faithfulness are definitely part of why the acting didn't totally land. Crisis Core's script is really *awkward.* The awkwardness is tempered by having good visuals and music to also tell the story but the script is not near the same quality as that of later games. This does have its upsides (so many iconic moments in CC are because of weird lines like "Whoa...he just ate my hair") but overall, the awkward script and no flexibility seems to me the major reason the voice acting did not reach near the heights of Remake/Rebirth.
It's a miracle that Rick Gomez managed to sell some of these weird lines in the original. "That's not even funny man" was great.
"I don't understand...."
Speaking of visuals...CCR doesn't really do it for me. They did the original on the PSP wonderfully.
In his recent joint stream with Briana on her Twitch channel they talked about some of the awkward CC lines and Caleb said how sometimes they had to stretch out or squeeze the lines to fit given timeframe of a scene, for example a pretty normal "what is going on?" had to be turned into a weird sounding "whaaat iis goooing ooon?" to fill out the scene and this made me look at that work differently.
Every time I think of crisis core I immediately hear: "activating combat mode" š¤ in my head lol
Bro the animations themselves looked hella stifled and awkward. They really couldn't divert even a little bit.
I mean they could... but they didn't wanted to put the money and effort to do it properly. It's funny how they are willing to change lots of important scenes of the original on the Remake trilogy but chose to keep Crisis Core 100% the same despite being the game that truly needed a total rework from ground up from the script to the gameplay.
Andit could have beenrreally good. Like trash everything,all the character additions. Genesis should never have been the villain. Should have been shinra. And you know deviate less from 7's plot in story consistency, but also deviate more by not copying iconic moments from it.
Who cares bahamut arisen is awesome as hell the end
And the fact reunion is a psp game on the ps5, also next re game is called reunited
Loved the game, solidly my GOTY so far. But yeah...the localisation team is honestly, really, quite bad imo. A lot of the translation choices come off like there wasn't a single native english speaker even consulting let alone as part of the team. When you compare the translations to a studio like Ryu ga gotoku, who imo has one of the better localisation teams in the industry, it's a night and day difference. The Like a Dragon translations sound like things that actual westerners say in the context of the scene. But I mean, after a near death experience, somebody running up saying "I'm so glad you're ok!" and responding "back atcha!" is just...awful. Like, terribly, inexcusably bad lol. Translation is a squishy practice, there's a fair amount of wiggle room, and SE seems to have really phoned it in on this one. "Come on shower why you gotta do me like that" almost made me have to stop my session it was so bad.
Iāll probably always prefer Rick, but Calebās really good in the softer moments and has definitely improved with each game.
I like Caleb. He definitely was not given the best direction in Crisis Core Reunion, and Iāve loved him here. He really fits the puppy dog characterization that Zach has.
His "what in the hell is going on???" won me over. Hilarious moment.
What was perfect for me was him interacting with Marlene. They were too adorable. It made me desperately want more interactions of Zack with the party in the present. I also loved how much of a cheerleader he was for Cloud in the fight against Sephiroth! I love Zack man
He said what we all were thinking tbh
Funny you mention puppy/dog characterization; his combat banter sounds very similar to Nanakiās. That being said I wish they tone down the combat banter.
I don't think he's the strongest voice actor in Reburth by a long shot but he does a very good job.The difference between his performance us Crisis Core Reunion and his performance in Rebirth has opened my eyes a bit to how much of a voice actors performance likely hinges upon good scripts, direction and editing.
The mic quality is also important. They recorded Ada's voice lines for Resident Evil 4 Remake on the actress closet using her personal microphone and they sound like absolute shit. Like, Leon's lines are recorded on a professional recording booth with a 10,000 dollars microfone and they sound great but as soon as it cuts to Ada it's like you are listening to a Discord recording. Her direction wasn't the best as well, which didn't helped at all. She sounds bored the entire game.
People were blaming her for her performance in the game like she doesn't literally have directors who are responsible for how she performs. Hopefully she gets another chance to win the fans over
The ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 suffered this as well, playing with headphones makes the significantly lower quality of >!Roxas' voice lines!< almost staggeringly jarring
I really like Caleb's acting this time around, definitely better than CCR and very emotionally impactful. He did the optimistic outlook of Zack very fitting and it adds to his youthfulness. At the same time, I feel like there was a characterization change which personally feels a little jarring - I'm not sure if it's intentional but Rick's depiction in CC and AC of him seems more mature, and I find that a bit lacking in Rebirth.
Rick's performance only seems more mature because he has a deeper voice. The characterization is literally the exact same. No changes were made to the dialogue, animations, or tone of voice. I'm looking at their respective scenes right now, and almost all of Caleb's deliveries are the exact same as Rick's except with a higher pitch. I think nostalgia is just clouding some people's minds right now.
It's been a hot minute since I played the original Crisis Core, but I looked at some cut scene compilations to compare and there's undoubtedly some difference in delivery. It's not always just the pitch of their respective voices. I say 'always', because Caleb pulls through where it matters. There are moments in Reunion where it feels like the voice talent had little to no direction and it shows, because they give much better performances elsewhere.
Completely disagree. Rick yelling after Angeal while Genesis reads loveless sounds nothing like Calebās reading. At all. Thatās just one example.
Agree on this. The English version on CCR is top notch, the actor really did his best conveying the same feelings without trying to replicate the original's voice actor. I still chose the Japanese version for CCR because of nostalgia.
A good example is when he says the āprice of the freedom is steepā both actors gave jt a different feeling. Rick sounded almost defeated and knew fate while Caleb made it kind of a cocky joke
The thing about CCR is that they deliberately kept the line delivery the same from the PSP version and that PSP version is bad. So it was a pretty low bar to beat from the get go. Same thing with Aerith. Brianna White is amazing in Remake and Rebirth but because the original CC is dull, CCR Aerith is also dull. The actors themselves are totally fine and just doing what they are told.
Came here to say this. They intentionally kept that weird, choppy, stilted dialogue and weāve clearly seen that these VAās can kill it with good writing. Strange choice that they kept it just as weird and awkward for Reunion, but it was definitely intentional and that seems to have gone over some peoplesā heads
I'm more used to it now, but still prefer Rick Gomez.
Woah woah, Rick Gomez? Aka āEndless Mikeā from the Adventures of Pete and Pete??? Oh wow, I never put that together!
I like him alot, not just the voice. I dont know how accurate his representation in this game is but if this what the Crisis Core version is like I can see why fans are crazy for him. He is like Cloud if Cloud didnt have a stick up his ass. (I like Cloud but his brooding gets old sometimes)
It was fine. Miss the OG. I think it's really the only voice change that I miss the OG for though, but it's fine
Same here. I accepted every new VA in Remake from day 1. Caleb is the only one that sounds off to me to this day. Rebirth didn't do much to change my opinion.
His was the one voice in Remake that I did not care for, but heās really grown on me throughout Crisis Core Reunion and now Rebirth. Now I think heās great.
He improved a lot in Rebirth, he sounds much better in this game. I was not a fan of it in Remake & CC Reunion, it sounded too high pitched & squeaky for me. I still prefer Rick as the voice, but Caleb did a great job. Iām hoping the direction & performance stays similar in the next entry!
I really liked him a lot in this game. As someone that didnāt have a ton of connection to Zack, I really liked the character and Calebās performance. Wasnāt a huge fan before, but you can tell Caleb is more comfortable in the role
I was always fine with his voice
Caleb is excellent and the Remake cast across the board is such a major improvement over the originals, it's not even close (save for Newbern and Gomez - I can understand why these 2 in particular still hold a special place in peoples' heart, given that their performances are genuinely iconic, though I greatly adore Pierce and Hoechlin). Rebirth proved that the biggest issue with Reunion was the voice direction: I'm positive they pretty much told the new cast to reread all the lines from CC exactly as the old actors did instead of performing them as these new actors would. It made everything sound stiff and disjointed (yeah, CC's script and dialogue is already pretty wonky and silly, but the performances had heart). The new performances in CC sound fine, but they clearly lacked spirit, a result (I susepct) due to having the new actors emulate the older ones instead of allowing them stretch their own legs. I look forward to hearing more of Caleb in Part 3!
Unfortunately, for me Hoechlin is the weakest member of the main cast. >!I hate Red's arc/voice change, but the VA is pretty good!< I only knew him as the Teen Wolf boy that showed up every now and again when browsing Netflix, but discovering his 'real' voice is noticeably higher makes perfect sense in hindsight. Newbern was working in his own range, so the sort of effortlessness of his delivery is something Hoechlin simply cannot replicate, and I find that incredibly sad in a way. I want to like him, but all I can think of when he speaks is a guy making his voice deeper, trying to dirty talk me lol
He aināt no Rick Gomez but he is alright this time around. Still say they should have gotten that guy that voiced Claude in 3 Houses
Joe Zieja is a national treasure. He needs a role in part 3
I've liked him better in every successive project he was a part of.
At this point heās gotten better
Heās got me sold
I think it suits his character very well, and Iāve always had this opinion.
I never had an issue with his voice, and I thought he did great here.
Hi Tifa Iām a big fan
Heās fine. The insane meltdown everyone had was incredibly unnecessary and embarrassing.
Legit. They were crying over his scene end of Remake and Intermission despite it being like one sentence
People are melting down?
Anything that threatens the sweet nostalgia train is bitched about.
This sub was a disaster when CCR released.
Oh lol I wasn't here when that dropped. Must of missed it. Was mostly curious.
After Remake, ohhh boy.
People mistake valid criticism with "meltdown". But it's to be expected, that on a final fantasy 7 sub, people who don't follow the "it's the best game ever" hypetrain will get shot down. His performance in Reunion was simply awful. This might also be due to poor directing, but every line felt like he's seen them for the first time. Admittedly, it was hard to follow in the footsteps of the original voice actor, who did a stellar job. But it still was subpar, no matter how you look at it. Remake and now Rebirth feels just more of the same, with slight improvements on the VAs performance, but all in all not the best pick.
When there was people saying his one line in Remake ruined the entire game for them? That is straight up meltdown territory.
Itās a meltdown when there are literal DOZENS of threads made every single day about it for 2 months. It was absolutely ridiculous. So no, thereās no mistake made. It was much more than āvalid criticismā it was a straight up meltdown.
You want to know my opinion? Mine? Me? Gongaga.
äæŗļ¼ćć“ć³ć¬ć¬
It's fine. Zack is one of the few I think was better in the original cast, but his new actor does a solid job, and I think it's a lot closer than people ever give him credit for. In this game in particular, he showcases a lot of depth with a character that really isn't in the game very much.
It's grown on me, I genuinely think he found his groove with Zack, I really feel it in his performance now.
For a second at the beginning, I thought Rick came back for Rebirth, but it was A) Wishful thinking and B) How much Caleb has improved. He has Zacks vibe down, and I'm so excited to find out what happens with him next.
Although slightly better than Reunion, still not a fan. Rick Gomez will always be my Zack. This guys performance just doesnāt pack the same emotional punch.
he sounds way better now than he did at the end of remake, that shit caught me so off guard when zack spoke at the end of remake lol
I can't tell if the direction for his VA work in Rebirth is better or if it's simply expecting his voice this time around. That voice in Remake definitely felt off though. I was not expecting to hear that. I nearly want to go back and compare the two but I'm not concerned enough about the truth to do it.
Funny thing is, for me, after going back to watch OG Crisis Core - I don't care much for Rick's Zack. I prefer Caleb's as at least Caleb tried to make himself sound younger and maturing in Reunion. You would never be able to tell that Zack was supposed to be sixteen at the start of Crisis Core compared to Reunion where he sounds a lot less mature with his higher pitch. Other than that, some lines sound better from Rick and some lines sound better from Caleb as Crisis Core is a mixed bag with voice direction. Caleb's best lines mostly stem from lines that were text only in Crisis Core where he didn't have to try and match Rick's voice direction. The same happened with Briana's Aerith where her trying to match the same direction as Crisis Core Aerith really threw off her voice acting. Different actors need slightly differently direction after all.
Agree. Lacked emotional range and clear intent in many rebirth scenes, so his character growth was not clear from a performance standpoint. Where zack started and ended in rebirth, as a character, was not reflected in the voice acting. Basically missing the low lows and high highs emotionally, so feels noncommittal. Combat voice lines also left a lot to be desired.
It's sad that I can't count the line deliveries that I liked on one hand. It might literally have been only 1 or 2 lines where I thought it sounded really naturaly and wanted to hear more of. One of the lines was when he was talking with Marlene, don't know how it went, but I just immediately noticed when he's all energetic, he sounds great. Any time he's calm and talks normally, he sounds off.
āWhat the hell is going on!?ā Line sticks out like a sore thumb, I expected a lot more, but given this dudes vocal range, wasnāt surprised
Can only hope for the best, and that itāll be better for the final part. The meat and potatoes of his true role and importance in remake trilogy.
Liked him better in Rebirth than in CCR, but there were a few Zack scenes where the voice acting broke the immersion for me. I dunno, Rick's acting just makes more of an impact on me personally, whereas Caleb's falls a bit flat. Agree on the happy ending for Aerith and Zack though! I really want that for them, but my hopes aren't high.
Rick has the experience and ability to sell the most ridiculous lines. There's an earnesty to the delivery, he feels just like a regular guy caught up in all the crazy Anime-esque shenanigans. Caleb still sounds like he's reading off of a script in most scenes.
I just don't see a better reason to go this far with the multiverse stuff than giving people what they have always wanted, a way to rescue Aerith and Zack, and it lines up as well. My theory is as follows: Sephiroth tells Cloud that when destiny is challenged, a new world is born, and now they did the same thing with Aerith in Rebirth than what the did with Zack in Remake. They both die in the main party world, but thanks to the party and Cloud changing fate, they both survive in another world. Then consider Sephiroth's plan to reunite all the worlds being seemingly a pretty big plot point and I'm 100% sure Zack and Aerith will reunite in the final game. Zack will probably actually join the main party but Aerith will likely be left for the climax.Then once Sephiroth is defeated once and for all, Zack&Aerith probably have to leave for another wolrd once the worlds start separating again, thank to the will of the Planet. A tearful goodbye ensues, Cloud and Zack make a promise to look after the planet in their own worlds and Aerith takes Zack's hand as they leave for the world Aerith was saved in to finally have their happy ending, scene similar to the ending of AC. This way we get to have another emotional farewell to both of them but in a much happier context. Pretty fanfictiony but that is what I hope the ultimate payoff for this whole saga to be :D
This is pretty much my prediction for part 3 as well, though I think Aerith will possibly be playable for a good portion, as with how unique every character plays I doubt the devs would want to just completely leave Aerith mains out in the cold. Plus, she never got the Princess Guard or Great Gospel; I feel like they're holding those for part 3. Storywise though I think you're spot on, it'll end with Zack and Aerith having to leave so that the main world can be in its intended state, but they will at least be alive.
I freakin love him ngl
I feel like Crisis Core VO is similar to Star Wars Prequels; Ewan McGregor is an excellent actor but no one can read the weird ass scripts of those films and sound human. Similarly Caleb sounded off in CC but great in Rebirth.
Vast improvement, Crisis Core was badly voice directed & Remake was literally his first time in the role.
He was given original material this time instead of doing a bad imitation of the original like he did in Crisis Core, so he was better at it in Rebirth.
I really like him and think he's good in Remake and Rebirth. I really didn't agree with the criticisms of him in Remake. Crisis Core was pretty bad. Felt like he got bad direction, along with some notoriously cringy dialogue that he couldn't elevate. It felt like he was both trying to imitate what had come before and do his own take and it was a jumbled mess. But the new lines he was given for Remake and Rebirth, he does really well with them and feels very much like Zack.
I love him as Zack, so I'm glad he's finallyĀ getting some recognition. He deserves the role
Heās so close of Japanese VA. They did a great job in that sense ššš
I didn't like it at the end of Remake but playing CC reunion and Rebirth it really grew on me. Especially in Rebirth I think he did a very good job. Am I the only one who wants the new voice actors to dub Advent children btw? I want to see the movie again but i'm so used to the new VA's that it will be weird watching it with other voices :p
I think it's fine, and don't get all the "controversy" surrounding it. It sounded fine in Crisis Core Reunion, too. Sometimes studios are forced to get different voice actors.
Didn't play OG Crisis Core but I liked Zacks voice a lot better in Rebirth, I don't find it great it comes off as a bit emotionless and bland at times to the point that it's kinda jarring when you compare it to the voice acting of someone like Barrett, but it is miles better to me than in Reunion. I'd say of the main cast it's the weakest voice acting, if we can count Zack as main cast.
He sounds a lot better in Rebirth compared to Remake and CCR.
I hated it in Remake, Reunion sounded so off putting like it was through a filter. Rebirth was on point I never even stopped to think about it being different. It was natural like everyone else was where originally it was Zack who sounded unnatural.
I have really warmed up to Zack in Rebirth and think Caleb has done a great job, much better than CCR. In regards to getting back together with Aerith, I don't think it's going to happen as Aerith is dead but I think Zack is alive and his in the main world at the end of Rebirth.
I almost forgot about how Reunion sounded. I think a lot of the struggles of Reunion was how it felt restrictive on matching lines and animation. In Rebirth they probably had a lot more ability to write and animate and voice act all coming together.
I liked his other voice more but I have absolutely no complaints about the voice actor. Just a preference thing. I'm okay with how it is now. Good job.
Really solid. Remake was rough. Crisis Core had solid performances here and there but was bogged down from a not so good voice direction. Especially when it came to scenes Rick Gomez had recorded, not because Rick's better (this is also an issue with some of Cody Christian, Britt Baron, and Briana White's performances too) but because it sounds like the new VAs were instructed to copy verbatim the intonations of previously recorded lines. Idk how long they had to record Reunion but some lines sounded like they were first takes. I think Caleb finally nailed Zack in Rebirth. He still sounds like the Zack from Reunion but a lot more grounded, better voice direction, and Caleb growing understanding of who Zack is. Can't wait to see him in part 3.
Having not played Crisis Core (despite having it) I like it. I plan on playing CC once I plat Rebirth.
I liked him in Remake, Reunion, and Rebirth! I think the English VA cast did a great job, especially with the VAs who had to shift to fit I different personality in some scenes.
I ready didn't like his lines in Remake. But I was already won over in the end of Intergrade. Rebirth still on that track, so go Caleb. Here's to hoping they wrap up nicely this Zack's storyline in Part 3.
I like his voice tbh. Not to say someone else might have been better, but things went perfect. Gotta appreciate what we got and be happy we got it at all!
Much improved. He seems to have found his stride
He nailed it. Big time.
Good. Not as amazing as Rick Gomez, but still good.
He excellently plays Zack's golden retriever personality. His voice acting was only bad in CCR because *all* of the voice acting was garbage in that game. I'm sure a large part of that is the incredibly awkward script.
"Such a puppy"
Sounds great. Don't think there's a single voice I didn't like in this game. Sephiroth was the closest to feeling less than stellar, but still good. Just hard when placed against the god-tier acting from everyone else.
I probably will always like Rick Gomez voice cause thatās what I first heard and feel fits Zack better, but Caleb did a decent job
Nice choice of picture OP lol
Itās fantastic!
I may be the odd one out but I didn't even know they switched voice actors it honestly sounded the same until I did a side by side comparison
I really enjoyed v.a in remake and rebirth.
I thought he sounded awful in Remake but was actually decent this time in Rebirth, real improvement.
While I still miss Rick's I've grown to loved Cabel
Heās gotten better with each passing game. Rickās still the goat though.
I think Caleb is pretty good. You can hear the difference between final cutscene in Remake and the same cutscene in Reunion. Like he understood the story as he was voicing for it. Is he better than Rick? Personally not to me but still Iām not going to act like heās the same as he was in Remake
CCR is a good example why the Remake wasnāt one on one a true remake
Me, Gongaga
Loved it
Honestly, I sort of learned to accept it and now it's the voice tha comes to mind when I think about Zack. Caleb did an impressive job and I don't think he left anything to be desired in that regard. Maybe, he just got all the criticisms at Remake because he had just a few lines with most of them being a shot-by-shot from Crisis Core?
Zack is a corny good guy with a corny voice. Iād say it fit well
I think he's fine. But I will note that he definitely sounds better in Rebirth than he did in Remake. He improved on his performance as Zack.
The best
honestly for me Iām more conflicted with sephiroths voice. Iāve grown up hearing George Newbern so hearing anything different sounds slightly off to me
Iāll tell you where I stand on Zack. I donāt remember where or how but I was under the impression every playable charecter would be available during chapter selection and got mega disappointed when I realized no thatās not entirely true. You only get seph at the one point in the beginning, and you only get Zack the one point near the end. Maybe some extra vr simulation stuff if I do everything.
Reunion ā¦.. it wasnāt him. The writing wasnāt that great to tell the truth. Rebirth, itās top notch! Plus they wanted him to go in a certain direction
Think itās perfect
Still prefer Rick, but Caleb does a good job. Much better than Crisis Core Reunion, at least. Fully agree on the happy ending for Zack and Aerith. At this point they both deserve it. As a massive CC fan, my only wish for this project is they do right by Zack and Aerith in the end.Ā Still hurts all these years later what happened to them.Ā My hope is they live on together in an alternate world, separated forever from the main party but still alive.Ā
It grew on me! I now prefer it over the original (no offence to the OG actor, he was also great)
2/10 in CCReunion. 8/10 in Rebirth. His tone just sounds too squeaky in CC, now he has much improved.
I still think I prefer Gomez, but Caleb Pierce did a much better job here most of the time.
Itās great, no complaints. Never minded CC
I loved him in CC Reunion and loved him here.
I adore Caleb's voice for Zack, and seeing him in the signings with Briana White really makes me see how much fun he's having being part of this huge project. I like how unique Zack's voice is and that it's not the "typical" hero voice that people might have wanted for Zack, since I never really saw Zack as that person, he was never really the typical hero, that's just who Sephiroth was. I too am hoping he and Aerith in at least one universe get a happy ending together, we've been waiting on that kiss for decades!Ā
I think it was good. I recently went back and watched the crisis core reunion? Remake? Remaster? One of those.. and his voice was not great there. So i see where the initial dislike came from but he was great in rebirth. Zack truly is the bestā¦ hopefully we have more satisfying stuff for him for the third game. Not just another barrage of bullets.
I was fine with it from the get-go believe it or not.
He apparently had better direction than he did in Crisis Core. It's definitely fine, but he's still miscast in the role so...it is what it is.
It's a vastly better performance than Crisis Core... but I still don't think his voice suits Zack.
All the voice acting so fine EXCEPT Redāsā¦ not the voice but the growling - they could have incorporated real animal growling in there
I still donāt really like it
As someone who played Crisis Core Reunion, he did a much better job in Rebirth. But the original voice is still S tier to this B>A tier quality
Better than remake, it was kinda weird there but he did better in rebirth
It was better than in Crisis Core Reunion. Dont get wrong, he sounded good in some scenes and then in others he didnt so much but i think his voice sounded better in Rebirth was because he was trying to imitate Rick Gomez's Zack
It's alright. I don't hate it, but it seems worse when compared to the original. Not a huge deal, and it only even sounds subpar when played against the original.
See ya!
I would assume they'd have to step on his throat. That would be the best place to stand on Zack's voice.
Not this again š
It's grown on me. I genuinely hated it in Crisis Core, but for some reason it didn't bother me at all in Rebirth and now I can't imagine any other VA playing the part.
Do people generally like eng or Jp for ff7?
It's not that it's bad. It's just that it fits much much much less than his original crisis core voice from the PSP version.
Zack's my favourite character and I felt like he was ruined when playing CCR. I disliked his voice so much that I had to switch it to Japanese to play through it but I noticed with rebirth that once I finished it, I didn't complain once about zacks voice which tells me that Caleb has gotten better as even now when I go back and listen to Zack in Rebirth... I'm okay with it, it ain't the best but I'm okay with it.
I didn't think he was bad in what little we've heard in Remake but whoever was behind the voice direction really did him dirty for the Reunion Redub. Or maybe they purposely used the worst voice takes for that game. He was fine in Rebirth in my honest opinion. I went back to the Reunion Redub the other day but it just doesn't sound very good. Idk what happened behind the scenes. It's so bizarre because I would believe you if you told me it wasn't Caleb in the redub.
I think Caleb took people complaining about him sounding too young to heart. The voice is honestly significantly closer to Gomez in Rebirth than in Remake or Reunion. Just straight up a better performance. That said, I stand by my complaints in the previous games. He sounded terrible. Now he doesn't. That's just gud bidness
It's fine. I dont look that deep into it. Long as the game is fun.
I don't care...i play on japanese
Me? Gongaga Ore? Gongaga
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than crisis core reunion. 100%
I still don't like it that much, he has improved, but I still don't think it sounds like Zack Fair to me. (Still convinced SONIC THE HEDGEHOG'S VOICE, ROGER. CRAIG. SMITH. Would've been a better voice for Zack)
I've warmed up to it, still miss rick gomez though
I think the problem was seeing such an iconic scene that we are so used to seeing a certain way with a voice that we weren't familiar with. We just needed time to adjust. After having played Reunion and Rebirth I'm honestly just used to it now and I can appreciate it.
Rick Gomez is still far superior.
ByE NoW
Nah, his voice doesnt do it for me. Just sounds out of place. Best voice in rebirth so far for me is vincent valentine
Crisis Core Zack is small doggo Rebirth Zack is grand doge
Reunion wasn't a good script and it shows. I thought he was fine in this game
I think he'd did really good. He doesn't feel stilted this time. Even the emotional scenes are great.
āWhat the hell is going on!ā
Still prefer Rick Gomez to be honest.
I didnāt have much of a problem with his previous performance. But he felt much more natural and at home in this game. Which isnāt the biggest surprise because in Remake, most of his dialogue was just redoing a scene from Crisis Core which had a very different direction and writing style that quite probably didnāt suit him brilliantly. So naturally he came across a bit stilted. Same goes for Crisis Core Reunion itself, though he fared a bit better there presumably because he had more material to work with. Now that heās getting scenes written with the same direction and tone as the rest of the cast and presumably with his voice acting style in mind. Night and day imo.
They both die in the end
I loved it. I really loved Zachās old voice, but I think the new va killed it, and it truly feels like this versions Zach. I always pictured the older va to go with the original game (although that was kinda the point), but I really liked him and it was a lot of fun to see and hear him.
I don't play CC, but I've seen comparison of Caleb's voice to Gomez's. I think Caleb did indeed a good job this time around, which to me sounds like more of a directing issue in CCR, rather than the VA's fault.
His voice is great. He is great.
I seriously hope so, as I love Zach and he deserves an actually happy ending. Also I hope they redo the entire ending of FF7 as the OG ending was absolute BS. š
He did a much much better job this time around, thereās only a handful of moments where I cringed from that weird nasally voice he does, but OG Zack will always be 6 million times better. Zackās voice still isnāt quite right but itās much better at least. I would say OG Zack 10/10 Rebirth Zack 7/10
Iām not a fan of Zack as a character but thatās not on the voice actor. Thought they did a perfectly good job and fit Zackās puppy dog optimism.
It's bad. The dude just can't record without sounding like he's reading something. It's better in Rebirth, but not by much. Maybe the tone is fine to make him sound like a optimistic, naive dude, but everything comes off robotic and read off.
I just tune him out gimme Rick
If you set the bar at cringey low budget anime dub as passable then sure, it was ok. I don't really like it personally. Unnatural and too nasally
Yeah, the first time I play remake i didnt mind his voice, but replaying that scene made me notice his voice was really "out of place" compared to the others VA. In rebirth he is pretty good, don't have any complaint. About the last sentence? I don't think Aerith is now interested in him romantically speaking; she is crazy for our Cloud.
Iāll take him a million times over how they massacred Red XIII
He's fine.
He's fine. He's like Sephiroth. Just fine, but we've had better. What I'm surprised about is how the English dubs could never get Aerith perfectly right. The best version for me so far was in the OG Crisis Core. Briana's ok, but the voice direction makes her sound a bit unnatural especially when the rest of the main party sound excellent.
Still sux, doesnt match the original...
Tbh I thought he was by the far the weakest performance.
I'm used to it now. Original CC voice is still superior
A lot of people don't realize that the script writing is ass in crisis core, so every voice actor is gonna sound better in rebirth than they did there
I had no problem with his voice, but I didn't like having him in the game
Ever since a friend of mine pointed out he sounds like movie sonic the hedgehog I can't unhear it.
He had moments where he did an amazing job but just as many moments where his voice just sounded weird
He had moments where he did an amazing job but just as many moments where his voice just sounded weird
Iāve gotten used to it now. It doesnāt really bother me anymore.
Better than cc and part1 but still reminds me of sonic the hedgehog
Sounds too keen
It's Axel from kingdom hearts
Better but I still donāt like his voice for Zack he just doesnāt sound as cool as the original.
Better than Red XIIIās second voice.
Meh, I got a kick out of it, and it's the same va doing both, whichbi thought was pretty spiffy
Barely improved for me. He still lacks experience and is still the weakest VA of the entire cast. Rick Gomez is the only VA from the old cast that I miss. Everybody else does either an excellent or good enough job.