The most distinct voices in videogames are really those we don’t “recognize” from somewhere else. I actually had a problem getting behind Tommy Vercetti because he was voiced by Ray Liotta. On the other hand you have David Hayter, an unknown actor and now big time screenwriter, voicing the iconic Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games. Hayter’s Solid Snake is a distinct and unique character, and that’s likely in large part due to the actor’s ability to disappear behind a voice. Greg deBeer, Sony’s dialogue manager, believes games should avoid celebrity voices.

"My personal reasoning for that -- which I've discussed with a lot of people, and a lot of people disagree with me -- is for me, hearing an identifiable celebrity voice takes you away from the game,” deBeer told Gamasutra in a recent interview. "Instead of being immersed in this environment with these characters who are supposed to be a part of whatever world you're playing, you say, "Oh, I recognize that voice," and it brings you back into the real world. It's a very disruptive experience for me personally."

My own personal thoughts on the matter are that any company hiring for a voice only part needs to take the Pixar approach. You don’t hire the guy who has the marquee name – like a Brad Pitt – you hire the guy with right voice. Pitt is a damn good actor, but what you pay that extra money for is him. With voice acting you lose out on the face recognition, thus you may have passed on a superior voice actor just to say you have Brad Pitt in your game. In some cases it makes sense, such as Sean Connery in From Russia With Love. Overall deBeer’s theory has merit; you just have to be sure to account for a number of variables. In other words: things aren’t always as clear cut as we hope they will be.