By RYAN SMITH, special to WRAL Tech Wire

Editor’s note: Ryan Smith is a longtime gamer and freelance writer who lives in Raleigh, N.C. A graduate of East Carolina University with a degree in business and marketing, he has written in the past for WRAL Tech Wire and GameArgus.com. He currently plays Xbox 360 and PC as well as Nintendo DS. For story ideas, tips and feedback, he can be reached via e-mail (ryannicksmith@gmail.com)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.  — Bethesda, developers of the upcoming probable Game of the Year contender (as their games tend to be) and RPG juggernaut “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, have announced some of the voice acting talent to be present.

In “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” we were blessed with some of the best spoken dialogue in a game to date. Some complained of lack of variety in voice talent, but to me, the voice actors were perfect to build immersion, and the consistency of the actors just added to its charm. Some of the legendary actors they had present in Oblivion were none other than Sir Patrick Stewart as the Emperor Uirel Septim VII, Sean Bean as his son Martin Septim and Terrance Stamp as the villain Mankar Camoran.

So can they up the ante in “Skyrim” with their voice talent, as they seem to have done with everything else? Well according to their recent blog post, they very well may. A personal favorite screen actor of mine, Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer (“Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” “Inside Man”) will star as not only the game’s narrator, but also as “Arngeir, a powerful Greybeard elder. An order of philosopher monks who are masters of the Way of the Voice, the Greybeards live in silent isolation atop Skyrim’s largest mountain.” The Greybeards are part of the game’s main storyline as the hero must seek out their guidance in his quest to stop the return of the dragons.

Another personal favorite of mine, Academy Award nominee Max von Sydow (“Conan The Barbarian,” “Dune”) “stars as Esbern, a chronicler and agent of the Blades who has survived in hiding.”

The Blades are an important organization in the world of the Elder Scrolls, tasked over the centuries as bodyguards to Tamriel’s (the continent of the Elder Scrolls games) emperor. However, set 200 years after the events of “Oblivion,” “Skyrim” has no more imperial successors and the Blades were left without a purpose, eventually being killed and driven off. Esbern leads the last of the Blades, those who have taken refuge in Skyrim. However not only has Skyrim erupted in civil war, but the Nordic god of destruction, Alduin, and his fellow dragons have risen to cleanse the world in flame. The Blades, ever loyal to the realm and its people, have their work cut out for them, but the game’s protagonist will ease their burden as he/she is Dovahkiin (Dragonborn), and it is their destiny to destroy Alduin.

Three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen (“Face/Off,” “The Bourne Ultimatum”), will be making a video game voice-acting debut as Delphine, another Blades member and someone who is also tasked with unraveling the mystery of the Dragon’s return. I am having trouble picturing her character, but I am a fan of the work she has done in the past. The emotion she displayed in “Face/Off” and especially in “The Crucible” is very memorable.

Perhaps most exciting to me is the addition of Vladimir Kulich (“The 13th Warrior,” “Smokin’ Aces”) as “Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm and charismatic leader of the Stormcloaks, who aims to make Skyrim independent of the Empire.”  ”The 13th Warrior” is the best movie I have seen that brings to life Norse culture, and Kulich was central to that movie’s being so good. The things that make Norse culture so appealing and the reason that you can find Norse culture even in most high fantasy settings (The Nords in “Skyrim,” Norsca in “Warhammer,” the Ironborn in “Game of Thrones”) are readily evident in both “The 13th Warrior” and Kulich’s performance as Buliwyf (Michael Crichton’s version of Beowulf). It is no wonder Kulich is in “Skyrim,” and the experience is going to be even more vivid thanks to his addition.

Above all else, Bethesda knows how to create a vivid fantasy setting, and from 2002’s “Morrowind” to 2011’s “Skyrim,” The Elder Scrolls are second to none if you want to be immersed in a high-fantasy world. The voice acting they have announced might be the best they have done to date. Combined with the overhauled in-game character expressions, it will be more immersive than any fantasy RPG before.

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