If you think that’s impressive, Jeremy Brett did that on his own!
Brett was approached in February 1982 by Granada Television to play Holmes. The idea was to make a totally authentic and faithful adaptation of the character’s best cases. Eventually Brett accepted the role; he wanted to be the best Sherlock Holmes the world had ever seen.[37] He conducted extensive research on the great detective and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, and was very attentive to discrepancies between the scripts he had been given and Conan Doyle’s original stories.[38] One of Brett’s dearest possessions on the set was his 77-page “Baker Street File” on everything from Holmes’ mannerisms to his eating and drinking habits. Brett once explained that “some actors are becomers—they try to become their characters. When it works, the actor is like a sponge, squeezing himself dry to remove his own personality, then absorbing the character’s like a liquid”.[39] Brett was focused on bringing more passion to the role of Holmes. He introduced Holmes’s rather eccentric hand gestures and short violent laughter. He would hurl himself on the ground just to look for a footprint, “he would leap over the furniture or jump onto the parapet of a bridge with no regard for his personal safety.”[40]
Yes, Jeremy Brett was the best Holmes ever, his personal issues and depression augmented the role and he sunk so deeply into it that he sometimes referred to Sherlock the character as a real person.
Other portrayals shows healthy detectives full of vitality and charm but Jeremy Brett understood the brilliant but self abusive sometimes obsessive character with many layers to his complicted personality.
Yeah, I the flaws define the character, more even than the relationship with Watson in my eyes. I quite enjoyed Johnny Lee miller in “elementary” the same way for actually being shown struggling.
Superhero Downey Jr type holmes’ are fine in their own way but sort of misses the point.
They went to the trouble and presumably significant expense to hire Patrick Stewart to play a character who doesn’t live past the tutorial?
The cost to have him work longer than the tutorial would probably have been even more significant :)
Exactly - the guy who played Crewman #3 would have done the whole thing for a fraction, and would have made coffee runs.
Makes sense to spend most money on the tutorial. All players see the tutorial. Fewer players see the side quest characters or final boss.
Yup. But by the gods, does it set the tone.
Let me see your face… You are the one from my dreams… Then the stars were right, and this is the day. Gods give me strength!
By Grabthar’s Hammer, it surely does!
I doubt he cost that much. He’s just a Mirfield lad.
I mean the tutorial can be seen as the most important part of the game cause if it socks nobody is gonna play the rest
It did rox my socks!
Hence, they brought in Patrick Stewart.
It’s also ostensibly the root of the main plot, hence his character should leave an impression.
Oblivion’s start was so much more memorable than Skyrim’s. Getting taught the basics by escaping prison and then immediately being served the full open world after that was magnificent.
The best start is in Morrowind, where you’re released from prison and fill out paperwork!
Followed by “Go to Balmora and visit someone. Balmora is north of us.”
That’s one of the best things about Morrowind vs. the later games (and I’m not even joking this time). It makes you explore the world, not just warp to quest objectives. It has fast travel, but it makes you earn it and think about how to use it effectively.
This video about Morrowind fast travel and this one about mini-maps are both so good and I wish all open-world game designers would take heed.
Okay, now I’ve watched the second video. That’s a good one, too!
My main takeaway is that I’m a big fan of “diegetic navigation” and have now learned the name for that concept, which is cool.
I also not only agree with the author that (non-diegetic) UI elements like minimaps and quest objective markers should be off by default, I would maybe even go further and say they should be considered “player assists” in the same way as things like auto-aim, and enabling them should count as turning down the difficulty. Hopefully, that would solve the problem of the game developer using them as a crutch/substitute for immersive quest navigation instructions.
I think a (UI, not diegetic) compass that just points north (i.e. without having quest markers on it) is a special case, though, because it could be given an in-game justification and turned into a gameplay element. For example, maybe if you choose to play as a bird-person you get a compass as a racial perk to represent your ability to sense magnetic fields. Or maybe the game’s magic system has a spell to augment the character’s sense of direction temporarily, or something like that.
I’ve watched that first video (haven’t had time for the second yet), and I agree, it’s great!
I do kinda wish it had mentioned how you can
spoiler
earn access to the propylon network
though, although I suppose
spoiler
the propylon network isn’t as useful as the other forms of transit because it doesn’t connect to any of them. If only Abelle Chriditte could’ve been convinced to be a Mages Guild Guide (only after you reached her by other means, so as not to be too easy)…
The lack of quest markers create the most memorable adventures and the most frustrating adventures.
Stumbling upon ruins and caves while you stumbling around trying to find where you are suppose to go.
Frustrating as sometimes those directions were so vague…also you always find yourself in an area of cliff racers.
…also you always find yourself in an area of cliff racers.
Speaking of which, having the honor of meeting Jiub (pre-sainthood) is the real reason Morrowind’s start is the best. 😍
That’s amazing
As opposed to Skyrim where you learn the basics by escaping a fucking dragon, guards(because you’re a prisoner), and a creature as well(I think it’s a bear?). And then immediately served the full open world.
Buddy, like what you like and all but Skyrim’s tutorial sequence is at least the same and arguably better.
I definitely see your point, and I had to think about why I found the Skyrim tutorial so much less memorable. And I think, to me, it’s that it’s the tutorial, so you just know that the dragon isn’t going to kill you. Similarly, you know that the prison guards and assassins in Oblivion won’t kill you, but you don’t know that about the emperor. And unlike the dudes that ride with you on the carriage during the opening scene of Skyrim, I’ve got at least the faintest connection to Oblivion’s emperor dude. Like, I really couldn’t have cared less when it was said that Ulfrik, the rebel leader, was on the carriage, too. I don’t know anything about the rebellion, so if the guy would’ve been executed right then and there, I just couldn’t have cared.
You put to words how I felt about it. I couldn’t have given less a shit about these people, I don’t know them nor their troubles and dilemmas about their country.
“Choose who you’re gonna side with!” brother I know nothing about either of your organizations, me going with you isn’t me siding with your whole organization, I just want to get the fuck out of here.
I remember my first playthrough similarly - I joined the Stormcloaks thinking the rebels are usually the good guy underdogs… that was before they started spouting their racist ayrean views, lost all sympathy for the cause at that point and made that storyline less enjoyable.
Congratulations, you experienced what it’s like to be a member of MAGA.
it’s the tutorial, so you just know that the dragon isn’t going to kill you
The first time I played it, I definitely didn’t know this. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t kill me, but I didn’t know it couldn’t. I assumed that if I didn’t actually hurry, it would get me.
But I agree re Ulfric. The game sets you up to make this important-seeming early decision about Imperial vs Stormcloak, but it doesn’t give you any of the tools needed to engage with that story that early. Heck, I’m sure I can’t be the only one who, because I was hurrying away from the dragon, didn’t even realise you can enter the building with a Stormcloak escapee or with an Imperial, and just went with whichever I happened to notice first.
Skyrim makes an attempt to keep you on the main quest, sending you to that little town/tavern in the valley, trying to push you to Whiterun and some intro sidequests.
Oblivion just dumps you out of the sewer pipe with Kvatch being a faint background thought, smack dab in the center of the open map.
And then Morrowind actually tells you to stop doing the mainquest and sandbox for a while.
Followed by linking up with that wet noodle Martin.
Who you know for a fact will die because he is voiced by Sean Bean.
“Let’s continue on to Weynon Priory”
Instantly ruined by the ability to teleport to the main city
To ANY city.
Fortunately, I discovered that an hour or two in, so I still got some free roam in!
I played Oblivion for 10+ hours. Game was fantastic, I was hooked. I complained to my friend who had recommended me the game about how much walking there was. He explained fast travel.
To this day it’s still a running joke: “You can fast travel?!?”
You mean more memorable than nearly getting executed and having to escape a dragon attack?
Yeah, not really. And I’ve played both.
Even this should tell you enough:
I think people just give Skyrim a lot more hate because it’s been the last in the series for so, so long.
Oblivion was probably the #2 most memorable intro/tutorial of its’ rough time period to me. #1 is stealing a bike in an alleyway.
Ah shit, here we go again.
All we had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!
Maybe the Oblivion intro feels more memorable because the rest of the games was such a step down from Morrowind in a lot of ways. Skyrim, for all its continued dumbing down of Elder Scrolls, was a well made fun game. And you got to be the main character again!
I actually love Oblivion for the reason you are NOT the main chosen one character. Oblivion’s people love you regardless, while they treat you like a fetchdog in Skyrim.
Oblivion’s curse is the broken leveling system.Oh god, that leveling system is abysmal isn’t it?
I found that to be successful I had to primarily focus my main skills in silly shit I could easily level.
All hail the master of jumping and unarmed combat, defeater of dremora lords!
Idk, Skyrim seemed like a fun house opening. With big things coming at us we know won’t kill us. In Oblivion, we are greeted by the fucken emperor, and he wants to talk to US, a prisoner, and then he hero’s journeyed us into importance. It just seemed a lot more impactful than Skyrim’s.
That didn’t load for me so I’m going to pretend it was the macho man Randy Savage dragon mod.
But you basically just described skyrims beggining as well lmao
Not knocking oblivion I love them both.
Skyrim doesn’t have the hype opening cinematic with both monologue and orchestral music. The monologue makes us familiar with the emperor before we the player get a connection with him.
And his character has been a thing in all previous games.
Now, play Starfield and try to wrap your head around the fact that both of these titles were made by the same company.
Starefield
It’s been decades between them. I choose to believe none of the devs and designers (and the synergy they had) that made the games I love still work there.
Well at least designer was still there. The same one who mandated the use of procedural generation to make Oblivion’s dungeons and Skyrim’s radiant quests.
I blame Todd on that. I blame Todd for a lot of stuff.
Stubbed me toe. Todd did it. No content to watch. Gotta blame Todd. Friends unavailable to play games?
Better believe it’s Todd’s fault.
The things that happen when you don’t have the Skyrim and Fallout money yet.
This brought to mind the Mr. Plinkett TNG mistakes video. Many times the mark on the floor indicating where the actors should stand is visible in the HD remasters, and at one point he said something along the lines of “Patrick Stewart’s a consummate professional, always hits his mark.”
This is great! Thank you for sharing it
It was amazing to me how I never noticed a single one of these when watching them in SD back in the day. They did great work for shooting on such a tight schedule!
I’ve now watched in HD like a hundred times, and I’ve still never noticed most of these. Random shapes in the background on a set full of doodads and gadgets? Give me a break. Those hands with the flute, though, I’ll never unsee, lol.
Did you notice any of the black paper?
Did you notice the moonwalking bear?
A game containing the voice of Patrick Stewart AND a mod with contributions from the legendary Terry Pratchett.
Stole this from somewhere
I’m pretty sure that is from the Ricky Gervais show “Extras”. Or maybe I’m confusing it with Ian McKellen in the same show.
It’s from American Dad.
Does it have any nudity?
But it’s too late… I’ve seen everything!
Their clothes… All burned off.
So many great guest spots on that show. Daniel Radcliffe was a personal favorite of mine.
May have died in the tutorial, but he was probably one of the most memorable characters in the game. I don’t even remember the name or dialog of any of the other characters in the beginning of the game while his performance stands out substantially.
“Let me see your face…”
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE?!
opens secret path for get out of jail free card
Oh. Carry on. >_>
I don’t get it. Is 90 pages supposed to be a lot of text for a professional actor?
90 pages of backstory? Entirely aside from the actual script containing the dialogue he has to read?
I don’t know whether that’s a lot—not having conversed with any professional actors—but I strongly suspect the answer is yes.
This is the internet. Simply proclaim you are an actor and confidently answer yes!
Hello, I am Paul Newman, the famous actor.
stares into the camera
90 pages of backstop is significant, yes. When I got the role of Theodore in Alvin and the Chipmunks, I was bitterly disappointed by the lack of depth of the character. Almost no backstory was given to me.
more staring
On the other hand, my rendition of Dig’em the frog for Smacks was greatly improved by the 400 hundred pages lore of the character. I became the frog.
intense staring
Wake up, Nerevar!
