Video games have evolved a lot since the Pong and Pac-man days and with each passing year, the developers create new things to give us a whole new experience. Nowadays, video games can give us layered and interesting narratives, good motion-capture performances, realistic graphics, and also, voice acting that can create something spectacular and everlasting.
Several video games can pull your heartstrings by the voice performances of the actors, and today we are here for that. Today, we are ranking the 10 best voice acting performances in video games. Let’s begin.
10. Jen Taylor – Cortana (Halo 4)
Everybody knows that Cortana is one of the most famous, most beloved, and more important characters in the acclaimed Halo series, and while she appears in almost every game in the series, her appearance in 2012’s Halo 4 is the strongest one.
Jen Taylor’s performance in Halo 4 as Cortana is by far the best one in the series. As an unstable A.I. breaking down, Jen is able to perfectly portray a more human Cortana; a Cortana who is struggling to cope with her impending and eventual fate. Thank God, Cortana returns in Halo 5.
9. Rob Wiethoff – John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
2010’s Red Dead Redemption is one of the best video games of the 2010s, and Rob Wiethoff’s performance as the protagonist John Marston is fantastic.
Wiethoff’s performance as the former gang member who tries to find his old gang and see his family is very credible. We can see how all the trials that happen to Marston throughout the game affect him, and also because we can see him transitioning between a loving father, a mercenary, and an outlaw during the game.
Thanks to this, Marston is one of the most remembered protagonists of the last decade.
8. Dameon Clarke – Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2)
Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2, is one of the most infamous, beloved, and acclaimed villains in video game, and all of that is thanks to Clarke’s amazing voice performance.
Filled with witty and sarcastic one-liners and great vocal improvisations, Handsome Jack is one of the most acclaimed aspects in Borderlands 2 and despite being considered a comical villain because of Jack’s voice.
He obviously has his more sinister moments, where Clarke can easily show how sadistic Handsome Jack really is. If you haven’t played Borderlands 2 yet, then do it, is a cool experience.
7. David Hayter – Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
Metal Gear Solid is one of my personal favorite video games franchises and from the first time I played a Metal Gear game I was amazed by Hayter’s vocal performance as Solid Snake.
David Hayter can easily portrait the battle-hardened, emotionless, and cynical Solid Snake to perfection, and while he usually shows this side, he can still have his moments where he shows his emotions and also a more sarcastic side.
Hayter is able to execute both personalities extremely well, and we hope that Hayter will continue portraying both Solid Snake and young Big Boss.
6. Christopher Judge – Kratos (God of War)
While Kratos was voiced by Terrence C. Carson in the original God of War games, when the franchised changed and went to the Norse mythology they also changed Kratos’ voice actor. Stargate star Christopher Judge was the one who became Kratos.
Judge’s vocal delivery is perfect for Kratos: his voice is deep and manly, the kind of voice you imagine a Titan would have. Whenever he is talking to his son in a calmy tone, or whenever he is fighting against a monster and unleashes a rage-fueled scream; Judge has the voice of a God.
5. Mark Hamill – Joker (Batman Arkham Asylum)
Long after he saved the galaxies and became the greatest Jedi ever, Hamill decided to portray one of the greatest villains in pop culture. He voiced Joker in the Batman animated series and later on he voiced Joker again in the acclaimed Batman Arkham Asylum where his performance was universally acclaimed.
His performance is what everybody would expect: a sadistic, sarcastic, and malicious performance but filled with dark jokes and humor. Voicing the Joker is a very hard task and Mark Hamill is one of those few people who can execute this task to perfection.
4. Ashley Johnson – Ellie (The Last of Us)
The Last of Us is a masterpiece and while some people argued that this game should not receive a remake, those same people can deny that Ashley Johnson gave us a fantastic vocal performance as the protagonist Ellie.
Ellie is a young girl who is immune to the virus ravaging the world, making her the key to humanity’s survival. Johnson portrays this role to perfection and as the video game progresses, Johnson’s performance becomes more determined and also more traumatized. Her interactions with Troy Baker’s Joel are some of the highlights of the game.
3. Ellen McLain – GLaDOS (Portal 2)
Portraying a robot is not an easy task and being the voice of a robot is very hard too. Ellen McLain’s performance as GLaDOS is beautiful; she added a more emotional side to the robotic voice of this tyrannical and sadistic robotic entity.
So good was her performance as GLaDOS that the certain gamer and universally acclaimed director named Guillermo del Toro got the rights to use GLaDOS’ voice in the 2013’s film Pacific Rim as the voice of the A.I. of the Gipsy Danger.
2. Michael Mando – Vaas Montenegro (Far Cry 3)
One of the main reasons why Far Cry 3 received so much acclaim is because Mando’s performance as the mentally unstable and violent Vaas Montenegro. Some people remember Mando as Nacho Varga from Better Call Saul, but us the gamers remember him as Vaas.
Originally the character didn’t exist but when Mando auditioned for the role, Ubisoft loved so much his audition that they decided to create Vaas. His vocal delivery is crazy, sadistic, unstable fueled with dark humor and frenetic tones. Vaas influenced more villains than you can imagine.
1. Nolan North – Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
Nolan North set new standards when he began voicing the treasure hunter Nathan Drake back in 2007 because he embedded his own personality into the character making his performance as Nathan extremely natural and real. Drake is funny, whimsical, quipping, and always says what’s on his mind in the most difficult moments.
Nathan Drake feels like a real person thanks to North’s performance, and Uncharted franchise wouldn’t be same if it weren’t for North. Everybody enjoys this franchise and Drake’s lines and personality make this game more fun.
