"New" Nessa and Tarkleigh

So, let's open this Pandora's box... I'm actually surprised this apparently hasn't been touched on that much yet (unless I'm blind or the search engine lies).

While I absolutely understand that probably their voices had to be re-recorded with new voice actors, and things had to be adapted a little to the storyline in the new acts, I'm not really happy with how they sound in act 1. It's not that the actors didn't do well - not at all, they did great, only... different, and not necessarily in a good way.

The "old" Nessa and Tarkleigh gave a lot of atmosphere to Lioneye's Watch and why the first impression of the game was so powerful - Nessa obviously had a heart of gold, but was often brutally realistic and straightforward seeing how bad things are, Tarkleigh seemed like just an ordinary guy who somehow ended up in command and wasn't really too happy about it, even if he was doing his best.

Now they basically sound like Nessa is a happy girl who emanates sunshine and rainbows (we've already got Yeena for that...), and Tarkleigh is Captain Badass who crushes armies of zombies for breakfast with his left hand, and the only thing stopping him from getting rid of zombies, cannibals, Brutus and Merveil is that he's too busy being awesome and eating his burger. A lot of their lines are just way happier, with almost none of their old melancholy, and the few lines that have a bit of it left (like Nessa's "what have you become when even nightmares fear you") seem almost out of place compared to the rest.

I'm exaggerating a little, but I honestly feel the way their dialogue is delivered now made them lose quite a lot of what made the characters unique, and what made Lioneye's Watch such a melancholic place. I don't know how many people feel the same way, but I'd love if at least some of the act 1 lines were re-recorded a bit closer to their original "spirit" - these were some of the best-written characters in the game and they helped PoE leave such a strong first impression. It's not that "change is bad", but... I feel that something unique has been lost. It sounds to me like the new voice actors should have no trouble pulling it off.

If the "new" dialogue remains as it is, I will definitely get used to it... but I honestly feel this is worth some consideration.

Just my two cents as a total lore nerd.

100% agreed, I'm running all those lines again and again and it's just... wrong. Too shiny. Too hopeful.

Thank you for the (so far only) input. :)

After finishing Act 6, I still feel the same way. I'm quite sure Tarkleigh is the same voice actor as before, so I'm not even sure why his Act 1 lines were re-recorded, and I swear his old Act 1 voice suited his personality in Act 6 far more. Act 6 Tarkleigh is the good old "grateful for help but none too happy" Tarkleigh again.

Nessa obviously has a different voice actress, and I really feel re-doing the Act 1 lines closer to their original spirit would be great. My shock from the events in Act 6 is mostly because of remembering the "old" Nessa and how contrasting that is. Currently, she's just a happy, nice girl in Act 1 who went crazy. Please bring her back.

Tarkleigh does seem to be the same voice actor, although I agree that his original lines gave a better feel.

Nessa is the biggest disappointment. The original Nessa gave an incredibly subtle, evocative performance. I loved the quiet clearing of her throat you'd sometimes get.

The new Nessa sounds stiff and stilted. And even given how she's used in Act 6, I don't think the change is worth it. Use the old Nessa for acts 1-5 and use the new one for act 6.

Wholeheartly agree on topic and all other posts. Nice to see some other lore-lovers that share my feelings about new voiceovers.