With so many games out there, it can be tough to narrow downwhich voice performancesare the best. Sure, there are certainly characters who have become iconic in large part because of their voice actors. But that doesn’t necessarily mean those roles have the best acting, in the purest sense of the word.
It’s easy to overlook the fact that to be a successful voice actor, you need toknow how toact. The best roles happen when an actor is able to not only deliver their lines well, but truly get into character. Here’s some characters whose actors went the extra mile.
It’s tough voicing stoic characters. You have to be able to keep an even tone during even the wildest of circumstances. At the same time, you can’t risk sounding robotic, nor can you risk making yourself into a parody of bad acting. This is a tightrope that Champenois has managed to walk masterfully in his role as Kim.
Disco Elysium is a gamefull of colorful characters, each with their own quirks and inner dialogs. Kim Kitsuragi is the protagonist’s partner on the police force, acting as the calm and collected straight man to Harry’s weird and unpredictable nature. Champenois makes Kim an unforgettable sidekick, but never risks stealing the show.
While “not sounding robotic” is a goal most voice actors have in mind when voicing stoic characters, sometimes a robotic demeanor is exactly what you need. GLaDOS, the malevolent AI in Portal who’s behind much of Chell’s misery, is one such case.
GLaDOS is an aloof, derisive computer, but she’s not entirely heartless. Underneath her surface is years of pent-up resentment towards those who hurt her. Ellen McLain does a fantastic job of portraying the seething hatred bubbling in GLaDOS' shiny metal cauldron.
Every comedy needs a straight man. The Stanley Parable is a game that’s all about derailing the narrative with your antics, sothe game’s narratorneeded to have a strong presence throughout the story. Enter Kevin Brighting, whose posh voice and unflappable demeanor give The Stanley Parable much of its charm.
No matter what you do, Brighting’s voice almost never wavers. And regardless of the decisions you make as the player, the narrator will never cease to be disappointed in you. Brighting manages to always sound exasperated without it grating on you, which is no small accomplishment.
7Wario
Charles Martinet
It’s no secret that Mario is Charles Martinet’s best-known role. But Martinet has voiced plenty of other characters in the series, including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. While Mario is a joyful, kid-friendly mascot brought to life through Martinet’s voice, Wario iswhere Martinet’s talentstruly shine.
Wario is a wild force of nature, a riddle trapped inside an enigma. He’s a greedy capitalist, but he’s also a disgusting gremlin of a man who brings his enemies to heel with his farts. It’s a high-energy role, but Martinet does Wario justice by sounding absolutely unhinged at every opportunity.
The Last of Us
WHERE TO PLAY
In Naughty Dog’s award-winning hit The Last Of Us, grizzled smuggler Joel must escort the mysterious teenager Ellie across a devastated United States to safety.
Ashley Johnson is an actor capable of handling a wide variety of roles. From Critical Role’s Yasha to Teen Titans' Terra, her characters span a diverse range of personalities. Her most iconic role, however, is probably Ellie Williams, one of the main characters in The Last of Us.
Ellie is clever, brash, and unafraid to say what’s on her mind. But her crude nature belies the trauma that’s bubbling beneath the surface. It’s no secret that Ellie is one of the series' youngest characters, and her early years have been married through the experiences of living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
God of War
Sure, Kratos is certainly the most iconic character in the God of War series. But one of the games' most underrated roles is that of the Narrator, also known as Gaia. Without her voice, the games wouldn’t have quite the same epic tone that they do.
A few different actors have voiced Gaia throughout the series, but Linda Hunt has been in the role since the beginning. Her voice is calm, but still carries a majestic weight that makes the entire game have just a bit more gravitas.
It’s tough picking just one character from Baldur’s Gate 3 to put on this list, butAstarion has definitely made a splashever since the game’s debut. He’s the very definition of a “problematic fave”, encouraging the player to engage in some rather morally questionable behavior. Actor Neil Newbon voices Astarion, lending some flamboyant edge to the character.
His performance is a complex and layered one. Vampires, like onions, have layers, and beneath Astarion’s sardonic exterior lies a man troubled by his own traumas and complexes. Newbon captures that essence with every word he utters, always being dramatic without veering into melodrama.
Lori Alan
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a prequel game in Hideo Kojima’s stealth action series. Set during the Cold War, it follows Naked Snake on a mission to rescue a rocket scientist from deep within the Soviet Union.
Lori Alan is an actor best known for her role as Pearl in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon, as well as its various movies and video games. She also has an extensive portfolio in other children’s media, which makes her role in Metal Gear Solid 3 all the more surprising. That being said, it’s a pleasant surprise. David Hayter might be the most iconic actor in Metal Gear history, but Alan is still memorable.
The Boss is an enigmatic character, serving as Naked Snake’s mother figure as well as his mentor. Her heart weighs heavy with the burden of sacrifice, as she tarnishes her own reputation for the world to have a chance at peace. Alan’s voice work in this roles contains multitudes. It’s all at once comforting, authoritative, and melancholy, befitting The Boss' role as a mentor to future soldiers.
2Jeanette/Therese Voerman
Grey DeLisle
Whilesome aspects ofVampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines have aged poorly over the years, the game’s voice acting remains excellent. Grey DeLisle lends her voice to the Voerman sisters, a pair of Malkavian vampires who own the Asylum nightclub in Santa Monica.
While Therese and Jeanette differ from each other in line delivery and tone, their voices are almost identical. If the sisters sound just a little too similar, it’s because they’re both actually the same person. DeLisle does a flawless job of making these two sound like separate entities, while still sounding seamless when they speak to each other.
Handsome Jack is an experience. He’s also the main villain of Borderlands 2, and a memorable one at that. Every word that passes through Jack’s lips is a testament to how utterly horrible this man is. Jack is a monster, but he has so much charisma and panache that you just might not even mind.
Dameon Clarke’s work as Handsome Jack is certainly impressive. Not many actors can manage the delicate balance of evil and pizzazz that Jack requires, but Clarke makes it sound effortless. Without Clarke’s voice, it’s probably safe to say that Handsome Jack would be nowhere near as memorable as he is now.
