Best voice-over work in a video game, All-Time.

[Rich Swanson]

This came up in the "Best FPS" thread and it got me thinking.

Was it Mike Patton as The Darkness? That was certainly memorable. Ellen McLain as GLaDOS? Her voice was perfect for the part but was it her or the fantastic writing? David Hayter as Snake? He would certainly win if amount of dialogue was a factor, but he does have the memorable voice thing going as well. Or will everyone say Soap! and Cortana! because we all victims of corporate bludgeoning? I admit, I thought of those last two because they were good performances that stuck in memory, but you get my point right? That said, I am curious what y'all have to say, so...

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Just Cause 2.

That chick who played Bolo Santosi.


Best voicework ever.

For real?

Whoever the fuck played Niko in GTA4.

 

[Tdc2182]

Just Cause 2.

That chick who played Bolo Santosi.


Best voicework ever.

For real?

Whoever the fuck played Niko in GTA4.

You cant tell it's good because of the oh-so-dramatic pauses.

OT: I did like John Marston.

And maybe the script for CoD wasn't the greatest, but they had some damn good voice acting.

 

[Rich Swanson]

Just Cause 2.

That chick who played Bolo Santosi.

Wow. I'm trying to look that up but IMDb doesn't even have the game listed, and GameFAQs doesn't have the cast. Not much love out there for Yahtzee's GotY.

 

[Rich Swanson]

I agree that John Marston was great, but Jack kinda cancels that out. The whiney Raiden to his gruff Snake. Niko Belic is also a fine choice. My favorite Nico line: "For an annoying dick you're really an annoying dick!". That's classic perfection.

 

[Wolfenbarg]

The Legacy of Kain series has always stood out in this regard I think:


Also, I think Final Fantasy XII deserves an honorable mention. Pretty much any scene with a judge was just about enough to stop hearts.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

The best that I've seen would have to be Andrew Ryan or Atlas from Bioshock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDcY-z2bi-8

"Was a man sent to kill, or a slave?"

 

[Rich Swanson]

The best that I've seen would have to be Andrew Ryan or Atlas from Bioshock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDcY-z2bi-8

"Was a man sent to kill, or a slave?"

Good one. I forgot about the whole "A man chooses, a slave obeys" thing. And for me Atlas may as well have said "Would you kindly play through the game again for an entirely different view of the dialogue?" I'm a sucker for GOOD plot twists. Makes me want to watch Fight Club and The Usual Suspects again.

 

[RatRace123]

Just Cause 2.

That chick who played Bolo Santosi.

Relevant:

OT: I'm quite fond of Claudia Black in Dragon Age and Uncharted 2.

 

[Irridium]

Sovereign in Mass Effect. When you speak with him... damn that sent chills down my spine.

 

[Roxas1359]

I say Armin Shimerman, the voice of Andrew Ryan in Bioshock, Razputin's father in Psychonauts, and Dr. Narud from Starcraft II . But not for that. No I say him for his portrayal of one of my all time favorite villains: Dr. Nefarious.

Spoiler: Examples from A Crack in Time

 

[SimuLord]

GOOD voice acting? OK, I shouldn't make fun, I've directed voice talent before and it's hard as hell to get the effect you're after (though mind you, my stuff was community-theater quality...)

A few standout performances come to mind:
- Wes Johnson as Lucien Lachance, Oblivion.
- Mike Rosson as Colin Moriarty, Fallout 3.
- James Horan as The King, New Vegas.
- Rene Auberjonois as Mr. House, New Vegas.
- Dave Foley as Yes Man, New Vegas. (my personal favorite voice acting performance in any game)
- Ron Perlman. Just. Ron Perlman.

(why the heavy emphasis on Bethesda RPGs? Simple. Ain't much for voice acting in SimCity.)

 

[Obrien Xp]

Guild Wars: Factions!

Jk, had you there for a moment didn't I?

Guild Wars: Eye of the North was pretty good, especially if you flip between english, german, and spanish.
But I'd have to say that I really enjoyed Mr. Nemoy in Civ 4.
Resident Evil 4 was great (Minus Ashley).

 

[MGlBlaze]

Bolo Santosi from Just Cause 2 for being hilarious [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlethsq3mffp09i].

I liked Harold from Fallout 3, though maybe that was just because almost all the other voice acting in that game is average at best (not counting your Dad or "War, war never changes" etc).

 

[Macabre9037]

I though Liam Neeson in Fallout 3 was pretty incredible, but then again I'm always a sucker for Liam Neeson's voice.

 

[vxicepickxv]

I'm going to have to go to John Cleese as Japser in Fable 3.

"You're dressed as a chicken. Why are you dressed as a chicken?"

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Mass Effect series and Dragon Age wins in my book.

Specifically Claudia Black as Morrigan in Dragon Age,Martin Sheen's "the Illusive Man" in Mass Effect 2 and Sovereign in Mass Effect 1 were one of the best voice acting I've heard.

 

[Shade184]

I liked a lot of the voice acting in the Modern Warfare games. Captain Price has one of my favourite combinations of writing and voicing in any game. Also Jennifer Hale did a great job with FemShep in the first Mass Effect (haven't played the second one yet), and both Sean Bean as Martin Septim and Terrance Stamp as Mankar Cameron (nobody ever seems to remember him!) in Oblivion.

Sovereign in Mass Effect. When you speak with him... damn that sent chills down my spine.

"You exist because we allow it. And you will end, because we demand it."

*shudder*

 

[Cheesepower5]

Overall in a game, my favourite voice cast is in the Metal Gear series. As for the best character voice... Teddie in Persona 4 had an amazing range, and never failed to deliver his lines in character. Best VA is Ron Perlman.