Is there actual lore behind Joko's voice change?

[Yitsul.8342]

There hasn't been an explanation. I know it's an insignificant detail but I preferred his GW1 voice

[Pax.3548]

I think gw2 Joko's voice was greatly superior than his gw1 voice.

[VAHNeunzehnsechundsiebzig.]

250 years change things.

[Weindrasi.3805]

They probably just couldn't get the same actor back. Although you could also argue that Joko spent a bunch of years imprisoned with no one to talk to--his voice got rusty, which is why it sounded rougher in GW1. GW2, he's had 250 years to drink throat calming tea.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Most likely new voice actor, and they have higher technical capabilities for altering voices. In GW1, that was likely straight up the voice actor's alterations, while in GW2 they added effects to it.

Same with Glint, really.

[starlinvf.1358]

@Weindrasi.3805 said:They probably just couldn't get the same actor back. Although you could also argue that Joko spent a bunch of years imprisoned with no one to talk to--his voice got rusty, which is why it sounded rougher in GW1. GW2, he's had 250 years to drink throat calming tea.

@"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:Most likely new voice actor, and they have higher technical capabilities for altering voices. In GW1, that was likely straight up the voice actor's alterations, while in GW2 they added effects to it.

Same with Glint, really.

On the same note for both of those, in GW1 Joko's voice was mostly hoarse, and Joko's villain/threat status was purposely in question. For GW2 in POF and especially in the LS arc, they had to make him a specific type of Menace.... one that can unnerve you with his dissonance in tone. An apt comparison is the Thundercats Reboot from 2013. 80s Mum-Ra was a pretty standard cackling bad guy that was standard at the time, and something thats been around since the 60s. 2013 Mum-ra had a much smoother voice, calculated speech, and meant to convey an intelligence and cunning that anyone who is familiar with bad guy trope profiles will recognize as being a legitimate threat. He goads his opponent in a fight, can make very precise threats, and has ample strength to match or exceed brute force thrown his way. You can't simply overpower him, and hes incredibly difficult to outsmart..... If it sounds familiar, thats because its a combination that made Thanos a force to be reckoned with in his own right, but magnified by having a resolve that rivaled his opponent's.

If you look at shows and movies, the most intriguing, and often most effective villains are ones that are smart enough to not fall into the Evil Overlord trappings. ( see http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html for more information) As shows started getting better writers, this type of villain started showing up more often; and even entire show concepts about a battle of wits gained more traction.

Knowing this, what they did with Joko was incredibly deliberate. Joko wasn't out to destroy the commander, he was out to completely dismantle them. Killing you would simply make you a Martyr... he wanted you to be an Example. He had to ruin your reputation first, destroy confidence in you as a leader, and make the world question you as a hero, much less a savior. He wanted the people of the world to know you struggled as hard as you could, in what would ultimately be a futile attempt to oppose the True God King of Tyria, and prove he is the only thing that could possibly save the world from the threat of the Elder Dragons. And that would just be the beginning.... in time, he would rewrite history to "clarify" your role in the epic saga that is "Palawa Joko". He would never be so petty as to let the world forget you.....

In a lot of ways, Joko represents the most dangerous aspects of Dragon corruption. Subversion, Domination, Persuasion, Doubt, Coercion. A life span to be methodical and thorough, creative enough to innovate his method of oppression, and a stage presence that just oozes with personality. A smooth, calming voice, with the gurgle of tar, a gentle rumbling resonance, and a sweet succulent reverb. They didn't just want him to be a threat.... Tyria has enough of those to go around as is. He had to be Charismatic enough to get your attention, dangerous enough on principle for the audience to feel stakes, smart enough to produce a convoluted plan that could actually succeed, and confident enough that his arrogance doesn't feel entirely misplaced. And given the setup, the writers could realistically followed through with some serious fallout from the event, despite his defeat being as inevitable as the tropes they were playing with. Alas... that is my greatest disappointment. Just as the Sylvari prejudice faded after Mordremoth's demise, so too was Joko's propaganda campaign against the Commander. Its a shame that only one Villain can be a looming influence at any given time; because I would love to see the lasting effect of the Commander's failures haunt them from time to time, and not simply shrugged off as an off hand reference.