Official Playstation (February 2003)

Rock Steady

No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani gets her game on

Lending your vocal uniqueness to a game is one thing, but actually becoming that character is another. Just ask No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani. who voices the heroine in Sierra's upcoming Malice. "It's weird. Everyone says Malice and I are so much alike. Hearing that is flattering, but also kind of strange. Picture what it'd be like if it happened to you."

But for Stefani and her bandmates, Tony, Adrian, and Tom. who also spent time doing voiceovers for the game, it was completely worth it. "Games are an amazing medium for getting both messages and music across,'' she tells us. "I'm flattered to be a part of this project."

Not that it was all fun and games. “I spent hours in the studio getting things just right," moans the exasperated songstress. "I swear to God. it took like six hours of screaming ‘Watch out, they're gonna get you' or 'Hit ’em!' There are so many details to the storyline, and trying to get the right tone in my voice to match what's going on is really complicated. I was totally exhausted by the end."

Gwen seems pleased with her work, though, and hopes her involvement may actually serve a larger purpose. "It'll interest females. Ask yourself why the only other games featuring girls are stereotypical stuff like Tomb Raider. I hope you like it—and that I didn't make a fool of myself."