Christopher Judge – Kratos (God of War)
Top 5 Best Voice Actor Performances of Q2 2018
Stargate fans familiar with Christopher Judge’s iconic portrayal of Teal’c would have been waiting patiently for the moment when Kratos paid homage to his iconic catchphrase in God of War. Indeed, they weren’t disappointed. His deep, powerful baritone voice worked superbly well during both the roar of the game’s most intense set-pieces and the more poignant moments of its emotional cut-scenes. And that’s what Judge does so brilliantly as a voice actor — he’s able to balance the booming aggression he’s capable of with the soft, almost broken burble that reflects Kratos’ more mature, somewhat fatigued personality in this latest entry in the series.
In a single performance, Judge has surely cemented himself as the definitive voice of Kratos, and we fully expect him to reprise his role moving forward. Let’s hope it’s not too long before we hear Kratos bark commands to his Boy once again.
Mirmir – Alistair Duncan (God of War)
Top 5 Best Voice Actor Performances of Q2 2018
Adding a bit of cheery treble to the bass of Christopher Judge’s Kratos performance is Alistair Duncan’s portrayal of Mirmir, the whimsical head attached to his belt. Mirmir really is one of the game’s most compelling characters. Playing the role of narrator as well as companion, he adds some comic relief to proceedings, which is less about the writing of his one-liners and more about their sharp delivery, which always felt on point. His Scottish accent, too, had a folky tune to it that was well-suited to his storytelling as we rowed across the Lake of the Nine.
Mirmir is another character that we certainly hope makes a return in the inevitable sequel, and that’s almost entirely due to Duncan’s performance. Mirmir could easily have fallen flat as a personality —an unwanted third-wheel that too transparently acted as the game’s instruction manual. Instead, he’s been received fondly as a central pillar of the game’s likable cast.
Connor – Bryan Dechart (Detroit Become Human)
Top 5 Best Voice Actor Performances of Q2 2018
Of all Detroit Become Human’s intriguing android protagonists, Connor stood out to us as the most engaging, and that’s largely down to the superb portrayal by Actor Bryan Dechart. Connor’s character surely wasn’t easy to play —he’s the most calculated and robot-like of all the game’s characters, unlike Markus and Kara whose qualities are human-like almost instantaneously. He’s hunting rogue members of his kind, after all, to which he shows little emotion. Yet, there’s a soul to him that shines through in moments of compassion. It’s Dechart’s clean-cut voice and motion capture performance that helps to convey this sense of balance between clinical and emotional so brilliantly.
Audience response to Connor as a character has been overwhelmingly positive, and Dechart’s first credited performance as a video game voice actor has perhaps put him on the industry map. Check out this fascinating let’s play with his fiance and peer, Amelia Rose Blaire, in which he explains how he was able to balance playing a character that grew differently according to player-decision.
Hank Anderson – Clancy Brown (Detroit Become Human)
Top 5 Best Voice Actor Performances of Q2 2018
If Connor is the modern, clean-cut, detective, Hank is his gruff, rugged, and disheveled partner who looks like a washed-up PI from a ’50s crime movie. The dynamic between the two is perhaps the most fascinating relationship in the game, and the dialogue between them fluctuates between intense and downright hilarious. Clancy Brown’s performance is equally as brilliant as Dechart. The magic is the way in which he captures Hank’s cynicism, and his irritation toward his android partner to produce something that ends up actually being very charismatic.
Clancy Brown draws on years of voice acting experience in the video game industry, having starred in over 30 different games from God of War 3 to Call of Duty: Blacks Ops 2, to deliver what is a standout performance in a game full of brilliant actors.
Dr. Reid – Anthony Howell (Vampyr)
Top 5 Best Voice Actor Performances of Q2 2018
Dontnod Entertainment’s Vampyr was a left-turn from its successful Life is Strange series in terms of setting and gameplay, but the emphasis on story and characters was just as involved. No surprises, there was some engaging writing that strung everything together, but the lion’s share of what was a huge amount of dialogue fell on its protagonist, Dr. Reid. Voiced by Anthony Howell, this challenging task was delivered to an exceptional standard. From the exposition of its opening chapter to the emotional twists and turns of the story, Howell manages it all in an engaging tone that remains compelling throughout.
Howell’s previous credits really only span fairly minor characters, albeit across some notable franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, so here’s hoping his time center stage in Vampyr earns him the recognition he deserves.
Published: Jul 11, 2018 11:48 am