Yeah I thought he sounded different, but passed it off as maybe being a different inflection or something.
Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way, the game becomes really shallow when you're just following a waypoint and making overpowered weapons. Even the bosses look like they provide little difficulty.
That interview I linked earlier talks about the inspiration for DR4 being DR1. Aside from the fan pandering/nostalgia factor of Frank and Willamette, doesn't look like they're bringing anything from DR1. Anyone who played the original would tell you that the timer was the most unique feature of the game.
The developers themselves confirmed no timed missions, I've seen a few videos and my guess is that the timer is just a demo timer, because it cuts to a trailer as soon as it ends.