Many times when I sit down to play a game, I often wonder what the person behind the voice actually looks like. As players, we come to know the characters in a game so intimately, so it’s hard for us to imagine them as someone else. When you see some of the faces behind these video game characters, you’ll be pretty shocked.
1. Pikachu
Pikachu, from Nintendo’s ever-popular Pokemon series, has an adorable little voice that can be recognized almost anywhere. In a clip of an interview with the voice actor herself, the host of the show asks the young woman to say one of Pikachu’s most famous lines, which is a direct chirp of the Pokemon’s own name. The nostalgia upon listening to the very familiar call of Pikachu is enough to send true Pokemon fans back to the 90’s when Pokemon was a major hit.
2. Life Is Strange Cast
Life Is Strange is a different kind of game and has gotten criticism from some players for “not being a video game” or for being too pre-teen-feeling. But what the voices behind Life Is Strange characters do is breathe life into the game and the characters. From Chloe’s potty mouth to Max’s strange teenage lingo, it’s all a part of Arcadia Bay’s universe. The voice actors in Life Is Strange for Chloe and Max are Ashley Burch (Chloe) and Hannah Telle (Max). NK Shriner plays one of the game’s villains, Nathan Prescott, and Dani Knights plays another more classic villain, Victoria Chase.
3. Super Mario
The first time I saw the voice actor for Super Mario was at E3 last year and it was amazing to put a face to such an iconic voice in the video game industry. There has been others who have been able to do a similar voice for Mario, but nothing will ever quite be as memorable as Charles Martinet’s Mario voice. In the above video, you can hear the Super Mario voice for yourself, and then you should go practice in a mirror.
4. Joel From The Last Of Us
In The Last Of Us, Joel Miller has a rough voice that amazingly tells its own story before the story even gets going. Just by the tone in his voice, you can tell he has seen things, has been through some stuff. The voice actor, Troy Baker, doesn’t look anything you might expect Joel to look like. Instead, he’s an average-sized guy who looks almost nothing like he sounds. It’s amazing to see people creating these voices for different kinds of characters and it shows a true mastery of the human voice.
5. Halo 2 Cast
I kept this video for last for a reason. In the above video, there is a multitude of voice actors, both major and minor, that appeared in Halo 2. From Resident Evil’s Michelle Rodriguez, to That 70’s Show’s Laura Prepon, I never would’ve thought that these actors and actresses were even in a video game. Maybe now you can go back and play Halo 2 and listen for the voices you actually recognize, because there is a ton of notable voices in this game.
While it’s interesting to see the faces behind some of video game’s most popular and interesting characters, it’s fascinating even when their voices don’t match what they look like. Sometimes you may never know who really lurks behind your favorite video game character’s voice.
