343 Industries turns a talk show host into a space marine supplier.
Whether he likes it or not, Conan O’Brien keeps getting dragged back into some of the most underappreciated roles in gaming. Last time around, the former Simpsons writer and current host of Conan became an ill-fated gnome in Kingdoms of Amalur. Now, 343 Industries wants to offer O’Brien a spot in Halo 4 – at least to get some laughs. In a sketch on Conan, O’Brien and comedic-actor-cum-Conan-writer Andy Richter took on the roles of two passive-aggressive, cowardly, discontented loading bay guards with fairly hilarious results.
O’Brien, who admits that Pong was probably the last game he played with any skill, begins the segment by interviewing Frank O’Connor and Kiki Wolfkill, the franchise manager and executive producer, respectively, for Halo 4. After poking some fun by suggesting that Wolfkill is a Viking warrior and O’Connor is her Celtic bartender, the Halo staffers get back at O’Brien by offering him a spot in the upcoming game’s voice cast. Rather than a heroic space marine, O’Brien voices, as he describes it, “a clerk in a loading dock.” While Master Chief is out saving the galaxy, O’Brien and Richter must guard vital crates containing invaluable resources like “office supplies” and “space peanuts.”
“If [someone] did kill us,” says O’Brien, slipping into his guard role, “I’m sure they’d show our bodies only the ultimate respect.”
“Yeah,” Richter agrees. “No victory crouching on our faces!”
The sketch contains quite a few memorable bits, including an irreverent sneak peek at some Halo 4 footage (spoiler: it’s not really Halo 4 footage, but it may be even more entertaining), some shots of O’Brien’s character in action, and a hopeful Wolfkill inquiring after Richter’s hotness (“Big Hollywood type,” O’Brien replies reassuringly). While O’Brien and Richter’s voices most likely won’t see the final version of the game, it seems fair to ask, “why not?” Halo has never taken itself super-seriously, and their performance is considerably funnier than a few Grunts running around in circles, screaming like Jawas. O’Brien has shown some interest in making smart, respectful gaming comedy; it seems like high time for the industry to repay the favor.
Source: Team Coco
