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On The Secret Life Of Videogame Voice Actors

Posted by simoniker on from the snaaaaaaaaaaaaake dept.

Thanks to GameSpot for its 'Spot On' feature discussing the world of the videogame voice actor, as the article notes by way of introduction: "Their contributions are never seen, but their work can make or break the spell a game casts upon the gamer." The piece continues: "Brilliant performances, like those in Mafia and Freedom Force, help totally immerse players in another reality, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds and some Resident Evil games have voice work so bad they offer up unintentional B-grade-movie-style chuckles", before ending by pointing out: "A good voice actor can earn between $850 and $1,000 for a four-hour recording session. Well-known celebrities command tens of thousands of dollars for a single session." What are your favorite voice-acting performances in recent games?

5 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic by jebiester · · Score: 5, Informative

    The voice acting in this game was brilliant, and it really helped make the game.

    Some of the voices were loops of star wars alien-speak, but the fact that all dialogue was spoken and sounded reallistic and in character really helped make the game.

  2. Favorite? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What are your favorite voice-acting performances in recent games?

    Monster #72 from Doom. The way he howled when I blew his friggin' brains out was really moving. I nearly cried over that performance.

    A close second place has to be whoever had the vocal stamina to do "wacka-wacka-wacka-wacka..." for hours straight when they were recording the soundtrack for Pac-Man! Someone with talent like that should move to Hollywood and be making Police Academy movies!

  3. Best celebrity voice "acting" by Drathos · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I gotta hand this one to Bruce Campbell as the "Tour Guide" in the Spiderman game. The only bad part about it was the fact that I was paying more attention to him than the game.. ;)

    I haven't gotten around to trying Evil Dead: A Fistfull of Boomstick yet, but I imagine he's just as good in that one (even though the game got some pretty bad reviews)

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  4. My Fav by pat_trick · · Score: 5, Informative

    David Hayter, voice actor for Solid Snake of Metal Gear Solid / Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. Also, incidentally, the writer for X-Men and X-Men 2. Filmography at imdb.

  5. Duke Nukem! by GypC · · Score: 5, Funny
    Duke Nukem 3D. I still get a chuckle remembering Duke's one-liners, and the deadpan delivery.

    "I'm going to tear your head off and shit down your neck," in the final battle... and then HE ACTUALLY DOES IT!