Last month, the voice behind Team Fortress 2‘s Soldier, Rick May, passed away at 79, after contracting Covid-19 throughout rehabilitation from a stroke in February. This week, Valve’s vibrant battlefields grew just a little sombre, as an replace introduced official tributes to the voice actor throughout TF2’s farms, forts and combating pits.
For some, May can be eternally often known as the voice behind the notorious “do a barrel roll” line in Starfox 64. But for us PC people, his voice is greatest recognised because the roaring bloodthirst of TF2’s Soldier, screaming “maggot!” from throughout gravel-pits and payload tracks. Some TF2 gamers have already despatched off the Soldier with their very own farewells, together with a 21-gun salute atop the bridge on 2fort.
This week, Valve paid official respects to May with a small game update that, nestled quietly amongst minor bug and exploit fixes, included “a tribute” to the Soldier voice actor. Valve’s tribute takes the type of statues dotted throughout what looks as if all of the official maps, notably together with rocket-jump playgrounds Hightower and Doublecross. The bronze statues present the Soldier saluting, with a plaque studying “Rick May 1940-2020 – That was a hell of a campaign, son”.
That statue will sometimes play one of many Soldier’s in-game taunts and voice clips. For my cash, although, none of them holds a candle to the easy class of May’s greatest line within the position: “I have done nothing but teleport bread for three days”. The game’s title display screen has additionally been up to date with a new piece of music – a Team Fortress-inspired tackle remembrance staple The Last Post.
It’s arduous to say that May’s been immortalised in Team Fortress 2. One day, even Valve’s servers will shut down. But it’s a hell of a gesture for one in every of our medium’s most definitive voices.
