#far cry absolution

What he had already mentioned includes:

how the team built smaller spaces for him in the performance capture studio to create the sense of safety and intimacy he needed for certain scenes

why he initially didn’t feel like auditioning for a video game, but changed his mind when he read the script they sent him

the fact the game was about to be cancelled when he was finally cast

the way they wrote the character with and for him

what it was like to shoot Inside Eden’s Gate while Montana was on fire and he had just received the script for the eulogies

the fact he knows Steve Byers (Nick Rye) in real life

his opinion on Michael Mando and Giancarlo Esposito (and Troy Baker too, this time)

how little he got to interact with the actors who played the Heralds

the reason he insisted on carrying Ethan at the end of New Dawn

the fact his oldest son Dempsey was in the Collapse DLC

how passionate the fandom is, and why he thinks the game (and the Father) resonated with so many people.

What I had never heard him talk about before, however, was his opinion on Far Cry Absolution, what he imagines Joseph would have done had he not gone “down the path of madness”, and whether or not he thinks the Voice was real.

About Absolution, he said that, while there’s “a loyalty to the source material”, every time new writers get involved in a project, the story will be told “through the lens of that particular storyteller”. Ultimately, he considers that he doesn’t own the characters he plays and that, more than people, they’re also larger ideas. He’s “totally cool” with artists “taking it and running with it”, like in fanfiction.

To the second question, he answered that he thinks Joseph would have had a garden, been connected to the ground, and built things with his hands. He would most likely still have a family around him and a community, live “a more analog existence”, tell stories around the fire, cook, etc. He would still have a “spiritual curiosity” and be a leader, but his community would be happier, an example of harmony, love, discipline, and authenticity, not “motivated by paranoia and fear of an encroaching world”.

As for whether of not Joseph actually heard a voice, it’s up to people’s interpretation, but Greg chose to believe he did. In the end, because the Father genuinely thought God was talking to him and that he was right, that doesn’t really make a difference. Whatever the reality of the situation was, his belief was sincere, basically.

He also said he enjoyed recording the voicemails for the post-credits scene of the Collapse DLC because that allowed him to explore yet another side of Joseph and another time in his life.

A pretty easy read to kick things off. Was almost a 4/5 but it wouldn't be as good without the foreknowledge of the game to fill in gaps. There are several inconsistencies between the book and the game-- It felt as though Waite had a specific story he wanted to tell, and sort of mashed the Eden's Gate cultists into the shape he needed.

Of the two main characters, Mary May Fairgraves and William Boyd, William is the more fleshed out of the two. I had to keep reminding myself that Mary was supposed to be thirty years old in this, because the narrative pretty much treated her like a teenager. Her grief and motivations, despite being the primary plot driver, took a back seat to Will's crisis of faith. It felt very clear that Waite had more interest in him than Mary May, which did kind of remain with me as a minor annoyance as I read through the book.

Likewise, John and the Father didn't feel right either, and Waite seemed more interested in them as archetypes than of characters in their own right. John lacked his charm and volatile temperament, and spends a large amount of time chasing Mary May through the brush. Quite frankly, I can't see John doing that. That's Jacob's job (who was notably absent, save for a few small mentions). Joseph was barely in the picture as well, and the narrative describing them both as large, powerful men kind of bothered me, because Joseph is wirey and not really that tall. It felt like they were described as what the author thought cult leaders should look like, with superficial dressings of our villains on top.

Still, it was an enjoyable read, exploring themes of faith and grief and family. Slow start, but it picks up considerably in the back half, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the mountains and Will's hunting. It didn't feel super rooted in the game, but that may not all be Waite's fault, I don't know what stage of development the game was in before he started writing, and there are enough in game inconsistencies to demonstrate that things changed significantly at least once.