While not every video game features voice acting, it’s hard to deny how much a great cast of voice actors can help a game stand out from the crowd. Video game voice actors have the power tobring fictional characters to life, which also allows them to shape the overall story in some regards.
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Voice actors tend touse different voicesdepending on the character they are playing, but some are capable of going above and beyond to the point where it can be hard to recognize them. These particular voice actors strive to use their voices to createunique and interesting video game characters, which can be extremely difficult to do. Even though most video game voice actors have unique ranges, some are greater than others.
5Steve Blum
Steve Blum is one of the most versatile voice actors in the video game industry. Since the beginning of his career, he has lent his talents to countless franchises and helped breathe life into some remarkable video game characters. He is most commonly known for the deep and gravelly voice he uses while portrayingWolverine in various video games, but he isn’t limited to this acting style.
Considering Blum mostly uses a deep voice to portray video game characters, it can come as a shock to learn how much range he has. InCrash Nitro Cart, he portrayed Crash Bandicoot, a genetically enhanced bandicoot known for his ability to overcome obstacles and for his eccentric way of speaking. Blum uses Crash Bandicoot to showcase how he can bring both low and high voices to whatever character he feels requires them.
4Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal, most commonly known for his performance as Peter Parker inMarvel’s Spider-Man, has an incredibly impressive voice-acting range. When playing Peter Parker, Lowenthal succeeds in presenting the young web-slinger as a cocky yet charming man. He helps to makethis version of Spider-Manfeel approachable, but he never shies away from vocalizing Peter’s darker moments.
While Lowenthal’s voice can sometimes be recognized through different video game characters, he is much more than a one-trick pony. InDragon Age: Origins, Lowenthal lends his voice to two characters named Sandal and Finn. While Finn speaks much more eloquently than Lowenthal’s other characters, the most notably different voice belongs to Sandal, a dwarven merchant. Lowenthal’s voice is unrecognizable through Sandal, which is strange considering how subtle the change is. While Lowenthal prefers to use a specific tone in most of his roles, it’s hard to deny how impressive his range can be.
3Troy Baker
Troy Baker is mostly known for his compellingperformance as Joel MillerinThe Last of Us. In this title, Joel begins his journey as a cold and ruthless anti-hero, before eventually embracing his fatherly urges and attempting to be better. Baker’s portrayal of Joel captures exactly what Joel is feeling throughout the story. He speaks mostly with a rasp or in a whisper, but he will often unleash the full grit of his voice during the game’s more emotional scenes.
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While most fans know Baker fromThe Last of Us, he has actually contributed his voice to countless video game characters. One of his most bizarre roles saw him playing the Joker inBatman: Arkham Origins, the follow-up toBatman:Arkham City. It’s nearly impossible to tell that Baker voices the Joker, as his performance is so reminiscent of Mark Hamill’s. Baker is an incredibly gifted voice actor whose range appears to be limitless.
2Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey is one of themost experienced voice actorsin the video game industry. Her performance in certain roles has helped various games stand out from the crowd, thanks to the effort she puts into bringing video game characters to life. She has worked on countless titles throughout her career, but it can be difficult to tell she is the voice behind certain characters due to her unique range.
InFinal Fantasy 13, Bailey lent her talents to Serah Farron, a supporting character with a bubbly personality. Bailey helped bring Serah to life through the endearing voice she chose for her, but this isn’t the only voice she is capable of doing. Fans ofThe Last of Us: Part 2may be surprised to learn that the voice behind Serah Farron is alsothe voice behind Abby Anderson, the ruthless antagonist-turned-protagonist of the story. Bailey has such an incredible voice-acting range that it’s often difficult to tell when she’s present in a game.
1Ray Chase
Ray Chase has lent his voice acting talents toseveral video game characterssince the beginning of his career. He has become a fundamental part of numerous franchises thanks to the life is able to breathe into fictional characters, and though he has a particular style of acting, it can be quite difficult to tell that it’s Chase’s voice behind a character’s face because of his impressive range. Chase has experience in playing both heroes and villains in video games. He’s primarily known for his roles in JRPGs, but he has also voiced multiple characters from different genres.
Most fans of his work will know Chase forhis performance as NoctisinFinal Fantasy 15. In this role, he portrays Noctis as a stubborn young brat who matures slowly over time. This reserved performance is effective in shaping Noctis' character, but Chase has also been known to bring a lot more spirit to his performances. InNieR: Automata, he plays Eve, one of the game’s main antagonists. Eve is an unhinged and chaotic character who poses a severe threat to 9S and 2B. While he’s already an intimidating villain, he becomes even more unsettling thanks to Chase’s chilling performance.
