Troy Baker And Nolan North Will Be Just Fine….In Time.

There’s only one thing more banal than the vacuous enmity of a “celebrity bust up” (whatever that means!) and that is the embellished sincerity of “fans” mourning the public annulment of a famous marriage. Or in this instance a presenting double act. In the case of Retro Replays beguiling hosts, acclaimed actors Troy Baker and Nolan North, the apparent dissolution of their resounding partnership is immensely saddening. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, let me summarise. Retro Replay is (was?) a YouTube channel featuring prominent computer game performers Troy Baker (Joel from the Last Of Us) and Nolan North (Uncharted’s Nathan Drake). Together they participate in various irreverent discussions while playing classic, and not so classic games from yesteryear.

The heart of this show had always been Troy and Nolan’s chemistry, as they exchanged humerous anecdotes like 2 best friends meeting up for a drink. We were just lucky enough to be eavesdropping on their absurd ponderings. Evident from their nonsensical banter, effusive interactions and more than a handful of questionable Christopher Walken impersonations, there was a genuine innate kinship between them that you simply cannot manufacture. Differing yet earnest perspectives from friends who have built a friendship around a mutual respect for one another. The same kind of rapport you’d expect to see from brothers. But like siblings there’d always be disagreements, which sadly seems to be the reason for Troy’s hasty departure.

During an online Q&A session Troy alluded to the difficulties he’d been having with Nolan. When asked if they were okay, Troy replied with a cryptic admission that they’re not “….but they will be”. And as sad as that statement is, it shouldn’t be surprising. The consistency and rate at which episodes of Retro Replay are propagated is unusually rapid. Having to be around someone for prolonged periods at regular intervals, whether professionally or personally will inevitably cause friction. Familiarity breeds contempt, and no doubt 2 very gifted actors will at some point have opposing views that simply cannot be ratified without some resistance.

With Troy removing himself from what could be a volitile situation, he is taking the necessary precautions to ensure that their friendship endures. And not provoke a media furvour. Both Troy and Nolan are professional, mature adults, with decades of experience between them, that given time will reconcile. I doubt there’s any lasting annomosity between them. And if there is we as a community need to allow them the time and space necessary to resolve whatever differences they have. If they haven’t already.

Did you watch Retro Replay? If so how do you guys feel about Troy leaving the show? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

How “Retro Replay” Healed Me.

Let me give you some context. Around May of last year I was enduring a rather hideous time in my professional–and by extension– private life. The company I was working for were suffering from a severe financial crisis. Having been hemorrhaging money for such an extended period, the company had no alternative but to seek alternative assistance. The company was of moderate size, with employees that communicated with one another earnestly, with no compunction for professional discretion. We were friends more than we were co-workers, which reflected in our workaday discourse and the way in which we chose to communicate. As a result of our friendly, honest conversations we were already vaguely aware of the companies struggles with solvency. We just didn’t realise to what extent. “Strategic planners” (this is how they were introduced to us) were consulted to try and market the business to prospective investors. For the next couple of months we tried to carry on as if it were business as usual, gossiping anxiously amongst ourselves and hoping that a solution was being finalised between the necessary parties. I’m sure there were many critical meetings and discussions going on to ensure the continued existence of the business. Yet despite several companies expressing a keen and legitimate interest, with one in particular coming close, the company was unable to secure a buyer. And that was it. The company was plunged into liquidation. Redundancies were made. And a once thriving business was no more.

Fortunately for myself I had managed to secure employment somewhere else in the interim, allowing for an immediate move away, yet still allowing me to claim my rather moderate, but no less beneficial redundancy. However those couple of months of uncertainty were so demoralising, that it affected me both emotionally and mentally. The thought of not being able to provide for my family was palpable, which was always my primary consideration. So to feel publicly exposed as a failure, even though this was an indirect consequence of other people’s negligence, was incredibly agonizing for me. This was one of the rare occasions in my adult life where I felt that control, or at least the perception of it, was taken from me. Now what does this have to do with a YouTube channel, featuring two of the worlds most ubiquitous voice/motion capture performers? Well, quite a lot actually.

Sitting on a leather upholstered sofa, surrounded by a plethora of desirable curiosities of distinct cultural significance, that if I could “would” decorate my own home, two men discuss the psychological implications of being humped by a dog. These kind of anecdotal confessions are what most lesser content creators would shy away from. Yet Troy Baker and Nolan North confront these critical issues with sensitivity and sincere conviction. And it’s bloody hysterical! The official premise of “Retro Replay” for the uninitiated is that the aforementioned Drake brothers play classic, and not so classic games from yesteryear. A more accurate description however is that these two encouragable “Sunset Riders!” stray down conversational rabbit holes, with many sinuous tangents that bare little relation to the original topic they were discussing ten minutes ago. Oh, and play games, occasionally. Its like meeting up with your best friends for a midweek chat, except you’re not interrupting them with excerpts about your own boring week.

Its refreshing to watch two actual friends engage with one another the way friends actually would. Especially friends that aren’t being moderated by their respective partners. There’s an organic gregarity that resonates through their interactions. Conversing with a natural fluidity and spontaneity that you’d expect from people that have a genuine interest in what the other is saying. There’s no false pretense. No scripted diologue. Just two icons of the gaming industry, that just happen to be good friends, blessed with the fortunate opportunity to work together on a show that affords them the chance to drink, play games and talk crap. All with a sincerity that alludes far more popular YouTube channels.

Retro Replay got me through those rough couple of months illustrated above. Eliciting great comfort at a time I was at my most anxious. I remember getting home from a job interview, which I didn’t get, settling down on my sofa with some comfort food I’d purchased post interview. Exhaling deeply, stifling an exacerbated sigh and wasting close to 3 hours watching past episodes I’d missed just to alleviate the burden of impending unemployment. Retro Replay provided solace from the precarity of my life and continues to assauge the debilitating monotony of my current job.

Troy Baker. Uncle Noly (sounds creepier than I thought?). Thank you. I can’t wait to see what you play next.

Nolan North; The Infinite Degree’s Of Seperation

Some actors become so comparable with their work, characterised by the characterisations they portray that people associate them so fervidly with their familiarised, fictional representations that the actors become so synonymous with these distinctive roles that they begin to form emotively irreparable, resentments to their recognised notoriety and thus increasing degenerative stability for their careers. Keifer Sutherland’s career defining role as infamous, nonchalant interrogator Jack Bauer, must invariably arouse a stoic, oblique rotation of his retinas in recognition of yet another bellowed “Damn It!” Directed with intentional motivation to illicit validation for their clearly unique, observation of their presence. Of course being so notably compatible with a recurring, fictionalised character can eventuate a relatively ambiguous actor to intrusive notoriety. But for some such recognition is a beneficial commodity that can aid you in heading down a more prosperous avenue. Say for instance, oh I don’t know,hmm…..Ah! The contented individual depicted above. How convenient.

“Not sure about those corrective lenses? He Should have gone to Specsavers!”

Does the name “Nolan North” initiate any form of comprehension? No! Well Mr North is often beguiled by fans for his gifted rapport with his roles and heralded as the hardest working, as well as most precipitable man in the gaming industry. Chances are– whether a familiar impassivity gamer or vaguely familiarised with gaming, you have presumably played a game that has benefited from his vastly creative, pliable, multi faceted larynx. Assassins Creed, Arkham City, the recent Deadpool interpretation and most notably, his distinguished role as the ambidextrous and conspicuously disproportionate physicality that is Nathan Drake. Nolan North has ascended to an auditory A-lister quicker than Drake can scale a vertically perilous cliff face, and a name now intimately correlated with reliability for the quality of the contribution that resonates with narrative poignancy. This defining role has bestowed plaudits for his dynamic vocalisations, verbalised with sincere transparency while retaining a believable, yet elaborate creation. But has tendered further, lucrative work that requires buoyant versatility. Adding energetic fortitude to emotionally intense circumstances and a real palpable sense of distinction to lamented characters such as the nominative hero Nathan Drake. Accentuating his diverse quirkiness with an affinity for puerile imaginings representative of the ballistic expert Deadpool, versed with all the subverted malignancy and jovial retorts, accompanied by crude observations relating to any feminine presence, largely with radiant acknowledgement of visibly, accented bosoms.

“Probably a good thing that you can’t see what the girl on her knees is doing to Deadpool….”

The postulating intensity and calculated malevolence, infused with the equally grotesque visage of the diminutive, bottled eyed Penguin. It isn’t a marginalised presence, or an acoustically nominal contribution, but further validation of his talented relevance with his varying operatic distinctions, elevating his comparative superiority over most conventional actors. The personification of Drake’s personality would have been a negligible directive, if not for the measured contribution of NN, with an exemplative nurturing of his more embellished musings, coupled with subtle emotive resonates that truly engage the player. Perhaps the sensitive conversations can be measured by the quality of the script which have been scrupulously rendered, but employing the usual remedial, automated sterility of other vocal contributions would have been an erroneous folly. Nolan North’s more obvious contributions that exude pronounced masculinity, is only amplified by the ambiguity of his distorted tones that allows his familiar and distinct voice to become shrouded by the anonymity of his contorted, larynx presence. For instance, I was completely unaware of his involvement in The Last Of Us, despite the enormity of the role and intimate impact that this character has in the context of the story. To achieve such a nullified sense of familiarity from someone so distinguishably recognisable, with the volume of contributions allocated to his profile, suggests that Mr North has contributed to almost every game ever conceived, which is a measure of his diverse stature.

Nolan North has contributed to a variety of diverse, enigmatic characters with construct sophistication, dynamic paucity, and more often than not, embellished charismatic prestige. Such is his importance, that without his flourishing contributions, pragmatic approach to his differing roles there would certainly be a notable absence and possibly, less emphasis on refined narratives in gaming.

Have you played a game with Nolan North? Why am I asking such a needless question after my public appraisal of his recurring presence in almost every game? Just check out how many games Mr North has contributed to. It’s staggering! Cheers.