Marvel’s Spider-Man
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
Marvel’s Spider-Man set a high new bar of quality for superhero games, presenting us with a massive open world version of New York to swing around in. On top of that, however, was a riveting story that put as much emphasis on the life of Peter Parker as it did Spider-Man.
At the heart of everything are some truly fantastic performances by its main cast, chief of which is Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker. Lowenthal brings serious spirit and enthusiasm to the role, absolutely nailing Spidey’s sarcastic nature.
He’s backed up by equally impressive performances from William Salyers as Otto Octavius, Stephen Oyoung as Mister Negative, Laura Bailey as Mary Jane, Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, and more. Out of all the surprises Spider-Man brings, its gripping story is the biggest surprise, and the performances have a lot to do with that.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
The amount of care and attention to detail that’s gone into Red Dead Redemption 2 is truly astounding. From the way fog rolls off of the landscape in the morning, to the different skinning animation for each and every animal. This same amount of care also went into the game’s acting and motion capture, which is truly something to behold.
Many of the characters from the first Red Dead Redemption return again with even better performances, like Benjamin Byron Davis as Dutch Van Der Linde (see our interview with him here). A whole new cast of characters is introduced with the Van Der Linde gang, each of which is charming or off-putting in their own ways.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is filled with countless memorable moments, from the hilarious bar scene with Arthur Morgan and Lenny, to the climactic and emotion-filled final showdown. Of course, deserving of special mention is Roger Clark, the actor of the main character Arthur, who fills his role with some serious charisma and helps make the entire experience truly memorable.
As we found out from the aforementioned interviews, each actor spent quite a bit of time also doing facial and motion capture, investing themselves further in the role. As Roger Clark described in our interview, this allowed him to put in plenty of little details, like coughs and spits, that helped flesh out Arthur’s character a little bit more.
On all fronts, the actors of Red Dead Redemption 2 gave 110 percent to their roles, which translated to some unforgettable performances across the board.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
A Fire Emblem game seems like a strange choice for best voice acting, and boy was Fire Emblem Echoes a surprise when it came out.
As the very first Fire Emblem game to feature full voice acting, Echoes did a standup job, especially considering it lets you get to know many of its side characters even better.
The game features an impressive voice cast of talented actors from anime and games, like Kyle MCarley as Alm, Robbie Daymond as Tobin, and Erica Lindbeck as Celica. A particular standout is Ian Sinclair as the villain Berkut, who fills his character with as much fury and rage as seems humanly possible.
It’s truly impressive to see a 3DS game sport fantastic voice acting, and it still remains the very best example of voice acting in Nintendo games.
Final Fantasy XV
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
Final Fantasy XV’s main cast is one of the most compelling parties of any RPG out there, and the four main voice actors do a tremendous job of making them likable characters.
Ray Chase as Noctis has the naïveté of a typical JRPG hero before turning into a strong and confident leader, Robbie Daymond as Prompto brings a lightheartedly childlike innocent, Christopher Parson brings a gruff tough guy attitude to Gladio, and Adam Croasdell is the intelligent voice of reason as Ignis.
It’s immediately clear that these four actors loved playing their characters, something that’s been made even clearer by promotional videos and how involved each actor has gotten with the FFXV community.
As great as the bros’ performances are, Darin De Paul’s performance as the game’s villain, Ardyn Izunia, is just as riveting. De Paul really makes Ardyn seem like an insane demented villain, hellbent on causing Noctis as much pain as possible. His greasy smarminess just oozes off of De Paul’s voice, and the character is made even better by the Episode Ardyn DLC.
Side characters may not display the same level of quality, but the main characters of Final Fantasy XV are only as beloved as they are because of the stellar actors behind them.
Firewatch
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
What makes Firewatch such an impressive feat is that, for the most part, there are only two characters you’ll ever hear throughout the entire experience. You play as Henry (Rich Somner) who’s taken a job as a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park. The only other human interaction Henry has is with a fellow park ranger named Delilah (Cissy Jones) over radio.
The two develop a fascinating relationship as they’re stuck alone in the Wyoming wilderness, especially considering they’ve never seen each other in-person. Everything about Firewatch is supposed to make you feel lonely, and to a degree, paranoid.
It’s a wildly successful experience in those regards, and the fantastic voice performances by its two characters help the story keep surging forward.
Portal 2
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
Who can forget Glados? One of the greatest robots in sci-fi history returns once again with an even better performance in Portal 2, with just as much biting humor and satire as ever.
Ellen McClain once again does a fantastic job of lending her voice to the Aperture AI, and Portal 2’s writing is consistently funny.
This time around, however, Glados is joined by even more equally memorable characters. Stephen Merchant plays the sarcastic but stupid AI core Wheatley that you travel around with, while J.K. Simmons has some absolutely hilarious monologues and voice recordings as Cave Johnson. The now well-known Lemons rant is a particular highlight.
On all fronts Portal 2 is a huge success in video game writing, humor, and voice performances.
The Last of Us
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
The Last of Us is one of the most harrowing, emotional video game experiences ever created, telling a heart-wrenching story set in a zombie-like post-apocalypse. While there are plenty of stellar performances, the real starts of the show are Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie.
From the very start, Baker shows that The Last of Us is his best performance yet, with an absolutely devastating opening that’s sure to bring some tears. As Joel and Ellie travel together the pair start off with an almost hostile relationship, before becoming co-dependent on each other, to an almost negative degree.
While Baker might play the main character, Johnson provides just as compelling of a performance for Ellie, bringing serious layers to her character, and constantly keeping you guessing as to where her development is going. Naughty Dog has a long history of quality and strong performances by actors, but The Last Of Us still puts everything else to shame.
PlayStation has released multiple videos detailing the performance capture of The Last Of Us, which by and large was performed by the actors themselves. This, and the facial capture, is why Joel vaguely resembles Troy Baker, while Ellie vaguely resembles Ashley Johnson.
This means that every part of both characters comes from the actors, making the performance even more visceral. The Last Of Us remains a high point in video game storytelling and presentation, and it’s exciting to think of what Baker and Johnson might be able to do in The Last of Us II.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the closest thing games have ever had to a fantasy epic on the level of The Lord of the Rings. The game is lauded for many of its elements including the dynamic open world, strategic combat and preparation, and phenomenal art style and graphics. However, equally impressive are the actors behind the many beloved characters.
Of course, there’s Doug Cockle as Geralt of Rivia, whose gravelly voice and grumpy demeanor have become iconic at this point. He helps make Geralt a fantastic and believable hero, who despite being a supernatural Witcher seems more human than most other video game characters.
Alongside him are performances from a great supporting cast like Denise Gough as Yennefer, Jo Wyatt as Ciri, and Michael Maloney as Avallac’h, among many others. Even smaller one-time characters feel fitting to the world, and it’s just one of the many reasons the Witcher is such an immersive open world title.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
Realistically, you could pick practically any Metal Gear game to go here, but Metal Gear Solid 4 takes the spot simply because of the emotion its main cast puts into their performances. First and foremost among them is David Hayter, the longtime voice of Solid Snake, who does a phenomenal job of portraying the aging video game icon.
MGS 4 is a harrowing story for Snake, and his last hurrah, and Hayter makes sure to send the beloved character out on a high note.
Of Hayter isn’t the only longtime actor returning, as you also have the likes of Paul Eiding as Roy Campbell, Cristopher Randolph as Otacon, Quinton Flynn as Raiden, and Kim Mai Guest as Mei Ling. All of these actors provide some of the best performances of their career, which is saying something.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is a seriously emotional experience for fans of the series, and the amount of acting and cutscenes in the game is truly staggering, especially when you factor in the quality of it all.
NieR: Automata
Games That Have Amazing Voice Acting
NieR: Automata is the game that blew away everyone’s expectations, a sequel to a super niche cult classic that ended up selling gangbusters, over 3 million copies, and getting nominated for multiple Game of the Year awards.
Among all the other great aspects of Automata, is a surprisingly strong voice cast that helps make the game’s characters truly memorable. With well-known actors like Ray Chase as Eve, Greg Chun as Adam, and Alexis Tipton as Pascal things are off to a great start, but the true stars are Kira Buckland as 2B and Kyle McCarley as 9S.
McCarley, in particular, gives a fantastic performance that really helps turn 9S into a conflicted, vulnerable character. At the same time, Buckland turns 2B into a seriously strong-willed and badass main character, and both actors play off of each other super well.
There are plenty of reasons to love NieR: Automata, but make sure you give a special thought to its great cast of actors.
About the author
