Best and Worst Voice Acting in Video Games

[KurtW95]

Don't know, the people who voiced in Dishonored did a good enough job and weren't most of them actual actors?

Wait a second. Are you implying that voice actors aren't real actors?

[Basara]

Wait a second. Are you implying that voice actors aren't real actors?

To be fair to MrHashabeen, you were implying that actors whom usually do movies and TV shows could not voice act. That isn't quite true. There are a quite a number of actors whom are very famous for their acting roles whom provided some very memorable game voice acting (Clancy Brown, Mark Hammill, Bruce Campbell and Michael Ironside come to mind here). Heck, one reason to Halo 3: ODST is that it is a mini Firefly reunion with Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tyduk providing three of the voices of the squad.

You are correct that there are more bad voice acting from celebrities than good (usually because of movie tie in games that are rushed through production), but the ratio is actually probably closer to 40% good to 60% bad than it's all bad.

[Alastor]

The Arkham games, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Spider-Man: Edge of Time had some pretty darn great voice acting.

[MikeP]

The Arkham games, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Spider-Man: Edge of Time had some pretty darn great voice acting.

Oh, good call on Eternal Darkness. I still get chills when thinking about some of the great characters.

[Alastor]

Oh, good call on Eternal Darkness. I still get chills when thinking about some of the great characters.

Well, most of the voice actors are also part of the MGS cast. This is, hands down, the scariest game I've ever played. Eternal Darkness doesn't rely on jump scares or gory images. It creates tension on a psychological level instead.
"May the rats eat your eyes! The darkness comes..."

[Citizen Chaos]

The Arkham games voices were just abut pitch perfect in nearly every way. I liked that most of the actors didn't try to blatantly impersonate the DCAU Animated Series cast, for the most part. Nolan North's Penguin is exactly how I imagined him to sound when reading a comic, and Maurice LaMarche's Mr Freeze voice was able to stand on its own two feet as a great performance that did its own thing from Michael Ansara. Can't forget Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill/Troy Baker either.

Sonic the Hedgehog games tend to get a bad rap nowadays, especially when it comes to voice acting. Starting with Unleashed, the voice direction started to feel competent, and the new cast is doing a pretty bang up job. But yeah, I really have no defense for his early 3D titles, especially the Sonic Adventure games. Despite most of the voices fitting the characters, most of the actors weren't really all that experienced, and the voice direction was awful. It clearly showed in their performances too, which is a shame, because the original voice cast had potential to fully grow into their roles had they been around longer.

[Alastor]

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are imo the definitive voices of Batman and the Joker but I was also surprised by Troy Baker's performance in Arkham Origins. He did sound just like a younger version of Hamill's Joker. And we shouldn't forget Grey DeLisle-Griffin's Catwoman.

I think the only exception would be Eggman's voice actor who unfortunately passed away after Sonic Heroes. I felt that he did a good job at making Eggman appear menacing, Mike Pollock seems like a worthy successor.

[Citizen Chaos]

I think the only exception would be Eggman's voice actor who unfortunately passed away after Sonic Heroes. I felt that he did a good job at making Eggman appear menacing, Mike Pollock seems like a worthy successor.

Well, to be fair, the original voice cast did have its share of good actors. I had virtually no problem with Deem Bristow as Eggman most of the time, and Rogue and Knuckles' VA's are still my favorite for them to this day. As I said earlier, 'tis a shame the way they were directed was so shabby, because they had potential to really click with their characters, especially Ryan Drummond. I freaking love the voice he put on, but his actual acting just ruined it for me.

[gobSIDES]

Probably the best for me is the Uncharted series. Those games have a real cinematic edge over most other I've played.

Worst-well maybe not the worst-but Heavy Rain was pretty funny voice acting-great game-but the voices were too funny.

[Endless_Legend]

Oh, good call on Eternal Darkness. I still get chills when thinking about some of the great characters.

Yes. Yes. Yes. That game. Masterpiece.

[Endless_Legend]

Probably the best for me is the Uncharted series. Those games have a real cinematic edge over most other I've played.

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Also, half the main cast stars on the show "Haven". Which made it confusing because I watched Haven first, and then later played Uncharted, and realized that it was Emily Rose.

[Endless_Legend]

The Legacy of Kaine games have always had utterly superb voice acting. Simon Templeman as Kaine... yes. He always managed to deliver the perfect mix of over-the-top gothic melodrama and serious Shakespearean monologue.

You know how with most games, you'll say "Well, it isn't Shakespeare" when describing the dialogue and/or writing? Not in this case. The LoK games pretty much are Shakespeare. Well, a demented Shakespeare with time travel and vampires.

[Primetime Harder]

The Legacy of Kaine games have always had utterly superb voice acting. Simon Templeman as Kaine... yes. He always managed to deliver the perfect mix of over-the-top gothic melodrama and serious Shakespearean monologue.

I came in here to say that LoK deserves at least an honorable mention for Best because it has Tony Jay. He made everything he was in better, even when he wasn't trying (Megabyte).

Kingdoms of Amalur also deserves a mention. I wouldn't say it's #1, since it has its share of problems, but its use of professional VA's (James Garrett, Cam Clarke, Jim Ward, Eliza Schneider, Jim Cummings, even Adrienne Barbeau) makes it stick out. The vast majority of NPC's are actually memorable and have personality.

Another mention goes to Rogue Galaxy. It's a cheesy Star Wars ripoff with cheesier dialogue, and it acknowledges this. You can tell the VA's really had a good time - especially Greg Ellis, who plays an alien with a Scottish accent.

[Endless_Legend]

Kingdoms of Amalur also deserves a mention.

I loved that game. It was so underrated. KoA was essentially the Fable game that Molyneaux always promised us, but never delivered. 38 and Big Huge did deliver. Shame how their CEO ran them into the ground.

Did you know that KoA was actually a side-project they made to try to recoup some losses from the wasteful overspending on their MMO project? Imagine how good that MMO would have been if they'd actually managed to finish it.

[Primetime Harder]

I loved that game. It was so underrated. KoA was essentially the Fable game that Molyneaux always promised us, but never delivered. 38 and Big Huge did deliver. Shame how their CEO ran them into the ground.

Couldn't agree more. I liked it better than Skyrim or Dragon Age.

Did you know that KoA was actually a side-project they made to try to recoup some losses from the wasteful overspending on their MMO project? Imagine how good that MMO would have been if they'd actually managed to finish it.

Oh yeah, Copernicus. If the combat was as fun as KoA, it might have actually gotten me to play an MMO - and that is saying something.