Insomniac Games's Spider-Man 2 is almost here (releasing on 20th October), and we can't wait to carry on with the epic storyline of Peter, Miles and company.
27.09.2023 - 01:11 / pcgamer.com / Jennifer Britain / Amelia Tyler / Neil Newbon
The voice actors behind Baldur's Gate 3's origin characters—Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Shadowheart, Wyll, and Lae'zel—gathered for a two-episode D&D game that was livestreamed this past weekend. An hour into the first 160-minute episode, I can confidently recommend it to fans of our favorite new RPG. I don't know if I'll make get to the end of the whole session anytime soon, but it's a charming bit of fan service. Replays are available on YouTube, Twitch, and as podcasts.
After calling on Baldur's Gate 3's narrator, Amelia Tyler, to set up the scenario with an uncannily-good script read, DM Mark Hulmes smoothly introduces the actors to the game, keeping things snappy by prompting them with ideas for actions without overdirecting, and succinctly explaining rules to avoid the head-in-the-handbook pose common to new D&D players.
The scenario sees Tav—the default player character name in Baldur's Gate 3—taken out of commission by a mysterious paralyzing spell, and watching our now-sentient companions decide among themselves what to do imparts the Toy Story-like sense that we're spying on a secret world of NPCs-come-to-life that only exists when we aren't looking.
The actors play along enthusiastically, particularly Shadowheart's Jennifer English, who describes her character as «god's favorite princess» and whose very first action is to cast Guidance, and Astarion's Neil Newbon, who attempts to surreptitiously loot Tav's pack, but upon failing a roll to find it, improvises becoming distracted by the fine stitching on Gale's boots.
It's hard to ask for more from a promotional D&D session. A less-skilled DM might've struggled to keep inexperienced players on track, and there was no guarantee Baldur's Gate 3's actors would have tabletop gaming chemistry and an eagerness to improvise scenes as the characters they spent so long recording (Newbon says he unconsciously adopted Astarion's «giggle» due to the role).
Then again, maybe it shouldn't be any surprise that a group of voice actors make for entertaining D&D players, given the precedent set by the ultra-popular Critical Role D&D group, which is made up entirely of voice actors as well. (Critical Role DM Matt Mercer voices a character in Baldur's Gate 3, too.)
The stream also ought to be a boon for the host channel, High Rollers, which streams its regular campaign on Sundays at 5 pm UK time, also DM'd by Mark Hulmes. (Hulmes also once guest starred on Critical Role, as it happens. The voice actor/D&D livestreamer world is a small one.)
The obvious popularity of these characters has me wondering if Baldur's Gate 3 spin-offs are inevitable. Larian has said it doesn't have plans for a big expansion right now, but that's hardly the only way we can see the
Insomniac Games's Spider-Man 2 is almost here (releasing on 20th October), and we can't wait to carry on with the epic storyline of Peter, Miles and company.
Even my crusty old heart has melted at seeing how much everyone loves Baldur's Gate 3's companion characters—especially the actors who portrayed them. As reported by Polygon, after some reprised their roles for a High Rollers tabletop one-shot, many in the cast have been sharing playlists tailored to their characters.
does an admirable job accounting for player creativity and experimentation, but certain possibilities are blocked off by limitations that can be immersion-breaking and lead to some head-scratching moments. The task of emulating the experimentation of tabletop is a challenging one, as the lack of a dungeon master that can respond naturally to improvisation means that the game has to account for a surplus of scenarios ahead of time. Many of 's biggest failures to manage this are all tied to the same mechanic that feels like it has a uniquely incomplete implementation.
In between playing (andreplaying) Baldur’s Gate 3, you might find yourself wanting to connect with the game’s iconic characters a little more. As it turns out, there’s a very easy way to do that, thanks to the stellar voice cast: some of them made character playlists!
may be a long experience, but developer Larian Studios found some smart ways to make it engaging across the full course of its runtime. It's possible to play through the game in an efficient manner, skipping sidequests and random activities to focus on the main story experience, but focusing on speed doesn't feel like the most rewarding way to take on its challenges. Although the ways in which maintains interest and variety may not always be immediately obvious while playing it, stepping back to think about its design reveals just how smart it really is.
includes countless choices to make through the game that change the party's path as they try to solve the problem of the Absolute along with the Mind Flayer tadpoles in their brains. Naturally, not every choice has positive consequences. Instead, some result in characters leaving the party, too upset or disgusted to continue traveling with the group, and that might mean losing out on quests or a skill set that rounds out the team in combat.
After playing more than a hundred hours of Larian Studio's Baldur's Gate 3, we finally captured what we believe to be every major romance scene with every origin character and beyond.
has wowed everyone with its attention to detail and nuanced characters. The third installment in the beloved -based RPG series continues the adventure in Faerûn, this time tasking its heroes with stopping a mind flayer plot.
Shadowheart's actor has suffered the ultimate betrayal recently during a stream of Baldur's Gate 3.
A recent Dungeons & Dragons session hosted by High Rollers saw the voice cast of Baldur's Gate 3 superbly bring their characters to life, but the true star of the show was a baby imp called Bing Bong.
Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t short on NPCs, companions and otherwise, but fans are now clamoring for the addition of a new character. And it’s all thanks to the recent live-action Dungeons and Dragons session which saw the game’s origin characters acting out their roles.
If you’ve finished Baldur’s Gate 3 and want to see even more of Astarion, Lae’zel, Karlach, Gale, Wyll, and Shadowheart interacting with each other while abiding by the laws of Dungeons and Dragons (who doesn’t?) then do we have a treat for you. The Baldur’s Gate 3 companion cast of Origin has just started their own game of DnD, and it’s as heartwarming and frantic as you’d expect.