The Best and Worst of Video Game Voice Acting

[Sixcess]

Good Voice Acting isn't quite the contradiction in terms that it was in the 90s, but it's still very hit and miss. Even good games still suffer from bad voice acting - lengthy plot exposition and unnatural animation making it worse in many cases (I'm looking at you, Fallout 3)

So what's your view of the best voice acting in a video game, and the worst?

My favourites:

Portal: Needs no explanation. GLaDOS is just brilliant from start to finish, and being shot to bits by uber cute gun turrets has never been so much fun.

Postal 2: I love the Postal Dude's voice. Great combination of snarkiness and just-not-giving-a-shit.

Fear Effect 2: The first instalment had great performances but the second is even better. I'm giving this one extra points because it came out on the PS1, when the standard of voice acting was... well, speaking of which...

Worst:

I really want to say Resident Evil. I mean it's the benchmark for bad voice acting in video games, but it's so bad it becomes brilliant. Think about it. Is there a single line in the later games of the series as memorable as anything and everything that comes out of the mouth of Barry Burton?

So if I exclude RE I'm torn between Half Life or Fallout 3. HL more for the weird one sided conversations that make it seem stranger than it actually is, and FO3 because almost everyone sounds stoned or bored out of their minds. Okay, it's the apocalypse, but even so can I get some life here?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Best? Mass Effect series, especially FemShep, Tali and Garrus. The combination of a great script and brilliant voice acting puts it at the top of the list for me.

Worst? I can't think of one specifically, but there are plenty of terrible JRPG dubs that make my ears bleed.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Best: Mass Effect, Heavy Rain, Uncharted

Worst: Just Cause, Other M

 

[GoWithDAFro]

I thought FFX had pretty good actors, laughing scene aside. The game had BENDER in it for crying out loud! I could also include the actors of Jak, Sands of Time, and Axel of Kingdom Hearts. To me, good voice acting is just hearing the characters speak and never think "wow, this voice actor sucks." or "It was weird how they said that" That said, I feel I have to say Metroid Other M had some terrible acting, which the bad writing only made more apparent.

 

[XXLightning08xx]

Best:

Armin Shimerman as Andrew Ryan in the original Bioshock


Worst:

probably 'Other M'

 

[Ashcrexl]

i really like killer7's voice acting, but grandia (the original) had some EAR BLEEDING line deliveries.

 

[Sleekgiant]

Best:
Grand Theft Auto series

Worst:
Fallout 3

 

[Mr. Omega]

Best: Heavy Rain. (There are dozens of others, but I'm just picking one)
Worst: The CDi games. (No f***ing contest...)
Funniest: LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!

 

[Kiefer13]

The worst, of course:



But yes, you're right that it does go so far it goes into the "So bad it's good" category. It gives it that B-movie charm that I don't think the game would be quite as good without.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Best-Metroid Other M

Worst-Mass Effect

Best-No More Heroes

Worst-Heavy Rain

Best-Halo Series

Worst-Tekken series

 

[archvile93]

Best: Heavy Rain. (There are dozens of others, but I'm just picking one)
Worst: The CDi games. (No f***ing contest...)
Funniest: LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!

Yeah that sounds about right. Heavy Rain really needed since it had nothing else, and CD-i..yeah I don't know what to say it's just horrible, especially the Zelda games. It doesn't even have the so bad it's funny that RE1 has since it goes past that and ends up back on bad.

Example: "You killed me."
"Good."

And Hotel Mario? Just imagine the worst, deep throated, italian accent you can think of (If it makes your ears bleed you're doing it right) coming from the world's most stereotypical Italian and then picture that five times worse.

 

[DanDeFool]

Worst: The CDi games. (No f***ing contest...)

O RLY?

<youtube=Mv8uTePIEXs>

Don't mess around with RAD, mother f***er. This game's voice acting is bad enough to melt cats.

EDIT: The game itself is pretty good though.

 

[Romidude]

Best: Mass Effect (Haven't played it, but I've seen videos)
Worst: Just Cause 2(I AM BOLO SANTOSIII I AM DA LEEDER OF TEH REVOLUSHIONARY ARMEE KNOWN AS DA REEPAZ.)

 

[Cogwheel]

Having never played JRPG dubs... I'd say the worst for me may well be Deus Ex.

Best is a toss-up. Planescape: Torment is very, very good. That said, I'd have to hand the title to Legacy of Kain.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Best-Metroid Other M

Worst-Mass Effect

I can think of only four possible explanations for this - either you're deaf, you're an idiot, you're a fanboy, or your got those backwards.

The best and worst VAing I've ever seen... The prize for best would probably go to either Dragon Age or Half-Life 2(though Mass Effect, KotOR, and BioShock all deserve honorable mentions), while the worst in recent memory would be Just Cause 2.

More like...I have taste.

 

[Durxom]

Best: Anything by Johnny Yong Bosch or Reuben Langdon

Worst: Anything not done by Johny Yong Bosch or Reuben Langdon
Jokes aside...hmmm...Probably The Witcher..Geralt starts to grate on you after a while =S

 

[EarthBoundGiygas]

Best: CD-i games
Worst: not alot i know of.

 

[Arcanist]

More like...I have taste.

Then it would seem your concept of taste would be outright toxic to most human beings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdSwWZZ15ek

FOR FUCK'S SAKE LADY, EMOTE!

 

[Dark Prophet]

Best: Half-Life 2, Mass Effect
Worst: Painkiller, Resident Evil 4

 

[jamradar]

The guy who voice acted the shadow warrior from Sacred 2 deserves a medal.