We all know how much incredible talent there is in today’s video game voice-acting industry. From Steve Downes' iconic role as the heroic legendary Master Chief to Nolan North’s charismatic and lovable portrayal as Nathan Drake, there has been no shortage of outstanding performances throughout gaming history.
Yet, for every performance that earns a spot in the video game Hall of Fame, there are plenty of portrayals that go underappreciated. From performances that unfortunately share the screen with other historical characters to the generally overlooked, these gifted video game actors give incredible portrayals in these underrated roles.
10Andrew Kishino As Ishi Sato - Bulletstorm
Developer People Can Fly’s 2011 Bulletstorm is no stranger to being in underrated video game discussions. Praised for itsexciting, high-octane gunplayand lovable, crude-mouthed characters, there was a lot to love in this sadly overlooked first-person shooter.
While the central cast of characters are great across the board, Andrew Kishino’s performance as Ishi Sato is a huge stand-out. Cool-headed and a voice of reason, Kishino does a wonderful job portraying a man who is slowly succumbing to a cybernetic takeover.
9Sam Worthington As Alex Mason - Call Of Duty: Black Ops
TheCall of Dutyfranchise has a long list of memorable characters. From Modern Warfares' Captain Price to Tank Dempsey, there’s no shortage of memorable Call of Duty icons who have become treasured pieces of the long-running series' illustrious history.
Regarding the main characters, it’s Alex Mason, played by actor Sam Worthington, who remains the most deep and layered protagonist in the franchise. Unfortunately, sharing screen time with theendlessly quotableViktor Reznov and foul-mouth Frank Wood has kept him just out of the spotlight.
8Nazneen Contractor As Jade Aldemir - Dying Light
Techland’s zombie parkour series Dying Light has been a gameplay-centric series first and foremost. While there have been attempts to give the games intriguing narratives, ultimately, the primary objective has been to perfect the hack-and-slash combat. As such, any character development is secondary.
Dying Light 2might have deeper characters overall than its predecessor, but when it comes to the strongest character, it’s Dying Light that has the edge with Jade Aldemir. Played by actress Nazneen Contractor, Jade is the heart and soul of Dying Light.
7Roger Cross As Ulysses - Fallout New Vegas
It’s not controversial to sayFallout New Vegasis the high watermark of the post-apocalyptic series. While the gameplay has aged, Obsidan’s writing, world-building, and storytelling will always be unparalleled. With such a surplus of incredible characters, some get minimal interaction.
Enter Ulysses, one of the most vital characters in the Courier’s overarching story. While many fans remember Roger Cross’s excellent performance, his physical presence being exclusive to Lonesome Road makes the DLC quite impactful but also leaves him as a more underappreciated character.
6Gianpaolo Venuta As Jason Brody - Far Cry 3
Everyone knows Vaas. The antagonist ofFar Cry 3, played by Michael Mando, is one of the video games' greatest villains and spawned the series' tradition of featuring unforgettable antagonists. As remarkable as Mando’s performance is, he’s not the protagonist; that would be Jason Brody.
Voiced by Gianpaolo Venuta. Brody is easily Far Cry’s best player character. Throughout the campaign, we witness Brody become increasingly bloodthirsty, slowly losing his old personality and friends. Venuta’s ability to portray that descent is to be applauded.
5Sam Witwer As Starkiller - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
One of the last great original Star Wars games developed by LucasArts, theStar Wars: The Force Unleashedgames focus on the adventures of Starkiller, Darth Vader’s apprentice turned Rebellion hero. While Starkiller’s story might not be official canon, it’s certainly well-acted.
Starkiller is voiced by Sam Witwer. Although he’s known for his excellent role as Darth Maul in the Star Wars Animated shows, Witwer first won over the fanbase with voicework so good fans have clamored for him to reprise his role in live-action.
4Robert Davi As Rtas ‘Vadum - Halo
While their reputation has taken a blow with how inconsistent Destiny has been, during their days steering theHalofranchise, the team at Bungie were the masters of character writing. While Master Chief, Arbiter, and Cortana are gaming icons, they also excelled with the supporting cast.
Halo 2 gave usthe Arbiter, one of the gaming’s greatest characters. But along with him, we got Rtas ‘Vadum voiced superbly by Robert Davi. ‘Vadum is both the Arbiter’s closest ally and provides a fascinating and humanizing glimpse into Elite civilization.
3Erin Yvette As Sasha - Tales From The Borderlands
Telltale Studios are responsible for some of the greatest story-driven video games ever. Masters of the point-and-click genre, Telltale games are both revered for their storytelling and character work. As such, Telltale games also feature incredible voice acting.
Tales from the Borderlandsis Telltale’s overlooked masterpiece, boasting some of gaming’s finest performances. While Rhys and Fiona are fantastic protagonists, Erin Yvette’s role as Fiona’s sister Sasha is equally excellent. As one of the two deuteragonists, Sasha is as lovable as she is full of heart.
2D.C. Douglas As Legion - Mass Effect
You will be hard-pressed to find a finer ensemble cast than the one from Bioware’sMass Effecttrilogy. Across the board, each of the series’ many superbly talented actors gives fantastic performances that do wonders at bringing the Mass Effect galaxy to life.
While it might be unfair to call any of Mass Effect’s iconic characters “underrated,” some certainly get shortchanged somewhat. That is the case with Legion. Actor D.C. Douglas voices the trusted synthetic that gives players a reinvigorated perspective of the Geth race, and he made a terrific job.
1Jonathan Noble As Scarecrow - Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series is beloved by gamers and the passionate Batman fanbase alike. With Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker from the Animated Series, suffice to say fans got quality Batman and Joker performances.
Given Conroy and Hamil’s outstanding dynamic, any other member of Batman’s rogue gallery was second fiddle. That changed with the final entry,Batman Arkham Knight. Scarecrow served as the primary foil to the dark knight, and actor Jonathan Noble delivered a chillingly unforgettable performance.
