A great video game is comparable to a timeless book, movie, or show, in the way you can get encapsulated by the story, making it addicting.
Like every great story, a great video game is more than just graphics, mechanics and artwork, the writing and execution of the script can make the world of a difference.
This post is going to go through some of the most iconic video game characters, highlighting the voice actors behind the role that helped make the games what they are today.
Voice of Mario (Super Mario Bros)
Kids and grown ups alike are bound to have played a Mario game at least once, with this infamous plumber finding his way into people’s hearts from young, alongside his brother Luigi.
In fact, both Mario and Luigi, since 1991, have been voiced by the same person, an American actor, Charles Martinet. He’s also the voice talent behind the other, lesser known characters, Wario, Metal Mario & Shadow Mario.
Voice of Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
Unlike the actual movie series, Angelina Jolie doesn’t actually voice Lara Croft in the game series. In the classic released on xbox and ps2, Keeley Hawes was the voice of Tomb Raider: Anniversary.
As of the most recent version, in the 2013 rendition for ps4, the voice actress for this was Camilla Luddington. A true heroine in the video game world, she also played Dr. Josephine Wilson in Grey’s Anatomy.
Voice of Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
A legendary video game character calls for a legendary voice actor to depict him. Snake, the main character in the Metal Gear Solid game series, was voiced by David Hayter, a Canadian-American actor.
Also commended for his writing work in X-men and Watchmen, and has also done other voice over work as King Shark in The Flash.
Voice of Faith Connors (Mirror’s Edge)
One of the PS3’s debut games, Mirror’s Edge, had a great impact on the early adopters of the console. The first person game featured the main character, Faith Connors, as the protagonist, voiced by Faye Kingslee.
This voice actress has also voiced various other characters, in games such as Far Cry 6 (as Citra Talumai), Nico in Devil May Cry 5 and Hala in Guardians of the Galaxy: Telltale series.
Voice of Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)
From 2002 onwards, the iconic voice of Sam Fisher, the main protagonist from Splinter Cell, was voiced by Michael Ironside for 11 years, until he stepped down from the role upon the release of Splinter Cell Blacklist.
Ironside was also the voice of Darkseid from the DC universe, as well as Ultra Magnus from the Transformers cartoon series.
Voice of Ellie (The Last Of Us)
Before the TV series there was the cult classic, The Last of Us, a Playstation fan favourite. The beloved Ellie, who was the main female character of the game was voiced by Ashley Johnson, leaving a mark on the hearts of many for years to come.
Apart from the last of us series, Ashley Johnson has also gone on to voice Shiseru, a character from the Naruto Shippuden series, aired from 2007-2017.
Voice of Raiden (Mortal Kombat)
Raiden, the god of thunder and the netherrealm in the “Kult Klassic”: Mortal Kombat, has an iconic voice from the popular, extremely gory game series.
In fact, the deep, resonating voice of Raiden has changed many times over the years. As of recently, in Mortal Kombat 11, he’s voiced by two voice actors, Richard Epcar & Christopher Lambert.
Voice of Supergirl (injustice 2)
One of the most legendary games to come out of the DC universe, Injustice 2 is a game with a Mortal Kombat-like feel with much less morbidity.
Laura Bailey was the voice of supergirl from the most recent game, Injustice 2. This isn’t her first rodeo, as she also has starred in roles such as Resident Evil Degeneration, Monster High, and Lego Marvel Superheroes.
Voice of Ezio auditore (Assassin’s creed)
As the most iconic character of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, it’s only right we include the iconic Ezio Auditore in this list, the character that had a whole 3 games following his storyline.
The legendary Ezio was voiced by Devon Bostick, also unexpectedly starred in roles such as Diary of a wimpy kid and Dead before dawn, who’d have thought it?
Voice of Clementine (The Walking Dead: Telltale Series)
If you’re a real Walking Dead fan who also plays games, there’s no way this game slipped under your nose. The Telltale Series of the Walking Dead follows Lee Everett and the young Clementine, an adorable young girl who’s followed in both seasons of the game series.
The innocent, young voice of Clementine was expertly delivered by American voice actress Melissa Hutchinson, truly invoking the character exactly how it was intended. Apart from Clementine’s voice, she’s also depicted Bianca in the 2018 Spyro remake, as well as starring roles in Monster Hunter and Lego dimensions, to name a few.
Voice of Crash (Crash Bandicoot)
Fun fact: Crash Bandicoot’s design is actually based on a real animal called a Bandicoot – no, that animal sadly can’t actually talk.
During the golden years of the Naughty Dog game series, Crash Bandicoot was voiced by the late Brendan James O’Brien (sadly passed away in March of this year) responsible for depicting the unparalleled iconic voice, making up many a childhood, he will be missed.
Voice of Catwoman (Batman Arkham Series)
Catwoman played a key role in the Batman Arkham series and even has a DLC playable character version!
This character was voiced by none other than Grey DeLisle, who also played Vicki Vale within the same gaming universe. Not only has she starred in the DC gaming universe, she’s also played Daphne in the Animated Scooby Doo series, Vicky from Fairly Odd Parents also starred in Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy!
Legendary voices in the gaming universe
We hope you enjoyed our list of iconic video game characters and the voices behind them. Some of them are more popular than others and some were solely hired for their iconic roles.
Having made multiple people’s childhoods and brought so many characters to life, these voice artists are among the best of the best. This post is a guest post written by Voicebooking, a voice over agency in Amsterdam.
