The 10 Best Voice Performances in Video Games. There was a time when video games didn’t have any voices, firstly because the technology didn’t allow it, and secondly, because gaming back then wasn’t considered a form of storytelling so much.
But then things started to change: videogames matured and began telling stories with some depth, physical media also improved allowing higher resolutions, and, as a natural consequence, professional voice actors started to get involved. And thus, what we all know happened: videogames finally provided us with fully immersive, surrounding interactive experiences that matched, if not surpassed, those of going to the movies.
That’s how it’s been for quite a while, so this is a good moment to look back on such glorious legacy. Here we’ll cover the best voice performances in English that made us vibrate, laugh, cry, get emotional, love or hate fictional human beings.
The 10 Best Voice Performances in Video Games.
this is just our list, with the ones that come to our mind today, but we invite you to share with us your own selection in our comments section. So, here we go with the 10 most impactful voice performances in video games.
10.Nolan North as Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake in the Uncharted saga.
One game? It’s impossible to choose only one, because all the games from this saga, even the lesser-known ones, like the PS Vita one, have an outstanding voice acting level. In them, Nolan North gave us his most dazzling performances to date (and by the way, his cameo in the movie didn’t go unnoticed by fans).
Of course, Nolan North is one of the most prolific voice actors in videogames, we can hear him in Assassin’s Creed, Mafia III, Spec Ops: the Line, Destiny, God of War (PS4), Deadpool, The Last of Us… The list is endless and increasing day by day thanks to his immense versatility.
9. James McCaffrey as Max Payne in Max Payne 3.
Another acting titan if there ever was one. Do yourself a favor and listen to him as Max Payne (particularly in the franchise’s third installment), and check out how good he is. In his resumee, there are other important contributions to very popular games like Control, Alan Wake or Alone in the Dark, so Max Payne wasn’t just a one-off as a videogame voice actor. He’s one of the true masters of the craft.
8. Andrea Deck and Sigourney Weaver as Amanda and Ellen Ripley in Alien: Isolation.
Wait a minute: Ellen Ripley in a video game? Yes!!! Our dear Sigourney had a small speaking part reprising his by now legendary Alien character. Of course, she couldn’t be left out of our list!
However, the longest and most intense performance of the two is that of Andrea Deck, who perfectly played her daughter Amanda. By the way, she’s not a newcomer: we can hear her in some other great games like Hitman, Quantum Break, Batman: Arkham VR or A Way Out.
7. Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption II.
Yes, we know, it’s a bit unfair not to highlight the first Red Dead game, but the cast of RDR2 did such a terrific job that we have opted for it. And folks, Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan and THAT accent is, if you’ll allow us the wordplay, hats off. It has to be said that Clark is not very prolific in videogames, but his performance here is superb, in fact it’s one of the most acclaimed aspects of this game. Clark was nominated for multiple awards for his role as Arthur Morgan, including The Game Awards, the most important prizes in the video game industry.
6. Shawn Fonteno, Ned Luke, and Steven Ogg as Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa, and Trevor Philips in GTA V.
There’s very little we can say about this game that hasn’t already been said: it’s one of the best-selling games in history with some of the greatest performances ever. Such prestige is undoubtedly due to the charisma of its three protagonists, but also to the rest of the cast; no actor is out of place in GTA V.
Fonteno had already done a great job in the previous game, San Andreas, but he surpasses himself in the fifth game; for Ned Luke it was his first videogame voice acting job, and RockStar fell in love so much with his performance that they gave him another role in RDR2; and Steven Ogg has provided his talent for games like Alone in the Dark or, of course, RDR2.
5. Camila Luddington as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider saga.
Immense, wonderful and spectacular are some of the adjectives that we can use to describe Camila Luddington, as Lara Croft’s voice. And mind you, it wasn’t an easy job: the hype was very high, because Lara is an icon of videogames and she had to transmit the confidence of an explorer who has, however, a lot to learn along the way.
Without a doubt, she succeeded, so much so that Camila was also Lara Croft’s voice in all the next games of the saga. Those of you who want to see her acting, instead of just listening her, can do so in CSI, The Defenders or Californication.
4. Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding.
If Hideo Kojima strives for something with each new game, it’s to take technical quality one step further. Such was his aim with his first creation after his abrupt departure from Konami: Death Stranding, for which he once again recruited the great Norman Reedus (co-star of The Waking Dead series), to star as the body, face and voice of Sam Porter. And we say “once again” because Reedus was his choice for P.T. and for the sadly canceled Silent Hills. But, folks, when Kojima wants something, he can’t be convinced otherwise, and he wanted Reedus for his project, so there we have him in Death Stranding.
His performance is perfect, and for a good reason: Reedus has an extensive TV and film career behind him: Robot Chicken, American Dad!, Hawaii Five-0, Law and Order, 8mm, Mimic, Young Savages… He has the chops!
And by the way, the cast includes so many other actors who also did a great job: Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley and even the film director Guillermo del Toro.
3.Hannah Telle and Ashly Burch as Max Caulfield and Chloe Price in Life is Strange.
Here with a dramatic, rather tragic story, told by DotNod and led by two protagonists who touched our souls: Hannah Telle and Ashly Burch. A sensational work that deserves a prominent position on this list.
We could also hear Telle in Murdered: Soul Suspect and Burch in LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation and in Horizon: Forbidden West in up to three different roles.
2.Dominic Armato as Guybrush Threepwood in the Monkey Island Saga.
His name is back in trend thanks to a new installment of the legendary franchise that delighted children, teens and young adults in the 90s: Monkey Island. These humorous, tongue-in-cheek pirate adventure games have made us laugh time and time again with the insult sword fights and the puzzles that seem unsolvable, at least within logic.
Aside from voicing beloved leading character Guybrush Threepwood, Dominic Armato has an enviable resumee: Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Star Wars Racer Revenge, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast or Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. He has even appeared in various TV series like Geneshaft, Rocket Power, Godzilla: The Series.
1. David Hayter as Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid saga.
Another industry legend, thanks to his incredible work including his delivery of such landmark lines as: “Here’s Snake, kept you waiting, huh?”.
Hayter is mainly famous for his work in MGS from the first to the fourth installment (for the fifth one he was replaced by a magnificent Kiefer Sutherland, but Hayter’s presence was still missed), although he has other appearances such as in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Marvel Heroes, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty!, Dragon Age: Inquisition or Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
And with this, we finish our Top 10 Best Voice Performance in video games list. We know, we’ve left out of it many great performances, so we ask you: which would you say is the video game with the best voice work and who’s your favorite voice actor?
