The stars behind gaming's voices

[Rs0n1sT]

What do Bender from Futurama, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War and Wakka from Final Fantasy X all have in common? Amazingly, they're all voiced by the same guy - John DiMaggio. In fact, once you get looking around, it's amazing how many stars do games voiceovers for a bit of extra cash. Of course, in some circumstances, getting professional actors in is essential - just look at Heavenly Sword's excellent cutscenes for proof of that. We decided to find out who's done what - and the results are quite surprising. Check out this little lot, starting with John...

Game: Gears of War (Xbox 360, PC)
Star: John DiMaggio as Marcus Fenix
Best known for: The voice of Futurama's Bender

John is probably best known for being the voice Bender the robot in Futurama. But a quick look at his credited appearances reveals a very impressive scope of roles. As well as Wakka in Final Fantasy X and X-2, he also voiced Kimahri Ronso. Then there's Tiny Tiger in Crash: Nitro Kart. Bizzaro in Superman Returns. Juggernaut in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse. It's amazing how varied the work can be for a voice actor - and not just in videogames.

The list goes on - Jackie Chan Adventures, Kim Possible (not as Kim - that really would be versatility), Ultimate Spider-Man... we're impressed. If we were giving out awards, John would win. But we're not, it's just for fun. Yeah, "Bite my shiny metal ass", we know...



Above: John DiMaggio (bottom-left) who plays Wakka, Marcus Fenix and Bender. And that's just for starters...


Game: SSX Tricky
Star: Lucy Liu
Known for: Ally McBeal, Charlies' Angels, Kill Bill
Also starring: David Arquette, Oliver Platt, Bif Naked, Macy Gray

Lucy Liu, best known for her role as Ling in Ally McBeal but also for the Charlie's Angels movies and her 'level-headed' performance in Kill Bill, has also appeared in one of PS2's best games. Yup, SSX Tricky. In fact, the game is heavy on the star talent, with singer Macy Gray, actors David Arquette and Oliver Platt (Lake Placid) and even heavy metal heroine Bif Naked appearing as Elise, Eddie, Luther, Zoe and Seeiah respectively.



Above: Clockwise from top-left - Macy Gray (Seeiah), Lucy Liu (Elise), David Arquette (Eddie), Oliver Platt (Luther) and Bif Naked as Zoe.

Oddly, Lucy Liu's voice is the only showing of her in the game. Where other stars had full interviews and studio footage on the DVD extras (PS2 discs had been on CD-ROM until then, so DVD extras were a new thing), Liu's appearance was voice-only. But we're assured it was her.


Game: Heavenly Sword
Stars: Andy Serkis
Known for: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong

Even slimier than Gollum? Andy Serkis' portrayal of King Bohan in Heavenly Sword is certainly a powerful performance - perhaps one of the best examples of real acting in videogames. But of course, we know him best as Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. Maybe less so for being the giant ape in King Kong, but he did that too. Talk about versatility...



Above: Andy Serkis lends his voice and physical movements to Heavenly Sword's King Bohan


Game: The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog (cartoon)
Star: Long John Baldry as Dr Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik
Known for: Blues legend

OK, so he wasn't actually in a game, but games fans will know his voice from the Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon from the early nineties, in which he voiced Dr 'Eggman' Robotnik. But in terms of star status, his credentials can't be faulted. How about being the leading act on the bill the Rolling Stones first played on at the Marquee club? Or recording the first British blues album in the 1960s? Or inspiring Eric Clapton to take up music?

Sadly, Long John (so named for his towering height of 6ft 7in) died in 2005, coincidentally in the same year Deem Bristow - the voice of Dr Robotnik from Sonic Adventure and several subsequent Sonic games - died of a heart attack.



Above: Long John Baldry provided the voice for Eggman in the nineties Sonic Cartoon


Game: Omikron: The Nomad Soul (PC, Dreamcast)
Star: David Bowie as Boz
Known for: The Man Who Fell to Earth, Ziggy Stardust

Not only did David Bowie provide the game's soundtrack, but also appeared as a virtual being named Boz in the game too. We must admit, he did look rather cool, with a polygon face that broke into sections of colour... but the game itself was a bit pants. Especially with a text font so alien it was impossible to read. Bah.



Above: David Bowie lends his unearthly likeness to Boz in The Nomad Soul (left) and Tom Baker (right) as Doctor Who

Game: Ecco The Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Star: Tom Baker
Known for: Doctor Who, Little Britain

Tom Baker - Narrator (Ecco The Dolphin - Dreamcast, PS2)
Tom Baker's had a bit of a resurgence recently. We'd imagine it's hard to be known for anything else after being Doctor Who, but in Britain at least he's probably known more now for narrating TV comedy series Little Britain. Either way, he managed to bring much gravitas to the opening of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future. And we suppose he had to accept the job of narrating the awful Little Britain: The Video Game.


Game: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Star: Ray Liotta
Famous for: Goodfellas
Also starring: Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Deborah Harry

The GTA cast list reads like a who's who of film and music talent. Casting Ray Liotta (best known for his role in Muppets from Space... oh, and something called Goodfellas) as Tommy Vercetti was a masterstroke, raising the bar for not only cut-scene quality, but also production values in games as a whole. The trend continued with San Andreas, with Samual L. Jackson and Ice-T among the cast. Obviously when you've got as much money from wild sales success as Rockstar and a game so popular everyone and his dog wants to be in it, getting talent like this on board is easy. But very much worth the effort, we're sure you'll agree.



Above: Ray Liotta's superb performance of Tommy Vercetti made a fantastic game even better


Game: Yakuza (PS2)
Star: Mark Hamill - Goro Majima
Known for: Star Wars as Luke Skywalker

Mr Luke Skywalker himself appeared in Yakuza. Who'd have thought it, eh? Just goes to show that real actors can avoid being typecast. But that's not all the Star Wars star has done for videogames. He's been in the Wing Commander series as Colonel Christopher Blair, voiced The Joker in a couple of Batman games (including Sega CD/Mega CD game The Adventures of Batman and Robin) and as Emporer Griffon in Dark Cloud 2 on PS2. Then there's Grandia Extreme, Full Throttle and Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix... and more. Surprisingly prolific for someone who could easily have been content with being Luke Skywalker and nothing more for the rest of time. Kudos to you, Mark.



Above: Look! It's Luke Skywalker disguised as a Japanese mobster! What's that? Mark who?


Games: Area 51 and XIII (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube)
Star: David Duchovny as Etahn Cole/XIII
Best known for: Playing agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files

We all know him as Fox Mulder from the X-Files, of course, but he's done some games work too. His performance in Area 51 was a little too understated for our liking (a little enthusiasm, David - please), but still, his voice is familiar to any sci-fi fan... which probably accounts for quite a large portion of Area 51's audience demographic anyway.

And, we have to admit, we had forgotten that he was in the decent cel-shaded first-person shooter XIII as XIII himself. It's as if the Men in Black erased our memories. Spooky indeed.



Above: David Duchovny with Area 51 (top-right) and XIII (bottom-right) for which he voiced the lead roles


Game: Driv3r (PS2, Xbox)
Star: Michael Madsen as Tanner
Best known for: Reservoir Dogs' Mr Blonde

Michael Madsen is iconic as Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs - but he's not always been in violent films - he was in Free Willy, after all - and he's apparently against violence in real-life. Probably uses safety razors too.

He also voiced Toni Cipriani in GTA III, which we suppose makes up for him having anything to do with Driv3r, for which he voiced lead character, Tanner. A subsequent appearance in Yakuza will no doubt help his post-Driv3r resume. Talk about bouncing back...



Above: The awful Driv3r - but Michael Madsen's performance as Tanner was alright.


Game: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (PS2, PC)
Star: Joss Ackland as Pieter Van Eckhardt
Best known for: Loads of films including Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

Ever see Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey? Remember Chuck De Nomolos, the evil dude who made the evil robot Bill and evil robot Ted? That was Joss Ackland, who has starred in over 130 films, including Lethal Weapon 2. But apparently he reckons Bill & Ted was 'awful'. We disagree. In fact, he told British TV listings/lifestyle mag The Radio Times "I do an awful lot of crap, but if it's not immoral, I don't mind. I'm a workaholic." That would explain Angel of Darkness, then.



Above: Pieter Van Eckhardt in Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness is voiced by Joss Ackland (right)

[Rs0n1sT]

Game: The Darkness (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Star: Dwight Schultz as Uncle Paulie
Best known as: Captain 'Howling Mad' Murdoch from the A-Team

This guy's worked on no fewer than 22 separate videogames. That's quite some going. The list is full of quality titles too (is there anyone who hasn't worked on Yakuza?) and his Uncle Paulie voice was suitably menacing, we felt. Psychonauts, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Final Fantasy X, X-2 and XII are more highlights in this distinguished career.

But what else is he famous for? Captain 'Howling Mad' Murdoch from the A-Team, that's what. And a recurring role as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Add in a cartoon resume including Johnny Bravo (sadly not as Johnny - that would be ultra-cool), Family Guy and the Animatrix and you've got yourself a star.



Above: Dwight Schultz in The A-Team and his character Uncle Paulie in The Darkness


Game: Buzz! The Music Quiz
Star: Jason Donovan
Best known for: Aussie soap opera Neighbours and a pop music career

Jason Donovan was a heart throb in the late 1980s, particularly finding fame for an 'are they, aren't they' relationship with Neighbours co-star Kylie Minogue after recording a duet with her (see pic). There was also the stage production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - the theme song from which our headmaster made us sing in school assemblies. To us gamers, however, he's known for voicing Buzz - the host of the rather ace Buzz! quiz games on PS2. So all - Kylie duet included - is forgiven.



Above: "I closed my eyes..." Jason Donovan cuddling Kylie and being virtual quiz host Buzz. Some people get all the fun...

Hungry for more celebrity gaming action? Want to feed Zac Efron to an alligator? Ladies and gentlemen, wait till next time.

[Grahf16]

Michael Clarke Duncan, Tia Carrere, Daniel Dae Kim, David Carradine, Keith David, and Mila Kunis were in Saints Row.

[kharmon]

at them saying driv3r was horrible, i thought it was a pretty decent game.

[Son Of LA]

Keith David is also in Mass Effect
Michael ironside is in Spilnter Cell as Sam Fisher and in Command and conquer 3

[Rs0n1sT]

they killed driver.. the 1st & 2nd game was iight

[Grahf16]

Originally Posted by kharmon

at them saying driv3r was horrible, i thought it was a pretty decent game.

You fail hardcore sir....