As an avid movie and video game fan, I always get giddy when I hear about a famous celebrity voicing a game character before a game’s release. A wide variety of celebrities have lent their voices to video games in one way or another. Some are there for just the introduction sequence and most will stay until the game’s credits roll. But what kind of effects does having well-known voice actors in games have? Does it put the player in the mindset of that actor, other characters the actor has played or the game character? Does it benefit the game in anyway?
It was during this particular generation of video games that big name celebrities were voicing characters in video games. In 2006’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Patrick Stewart, also known as Captain Picard on Star Trek and Professor X in the X-men films, voiced Emperor Septim. Septim was the target of an assassination and told the player that he/she was prophesized to save the world. However this was short-lived, as the assassination attempt was a success in the first 30 minutes of the game and Septim was no more.
In 2008’s Fallout 3, three famous celebrities lent their voices as some key characters. Ron Perlman (Hellboy and The City of Lost Children) served as the game’s narrator reminding the player that “war never changes.” Liam Neeson, (Taken and Schindler’s List), voiced the player’s father and Malcolm McDowell, (A Clockwork Orange and Halloween (2007)), voiced the president of the United States in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. Other than Ron Perlman, who was only narrator for the intro and epilogue, both Liam Neeson and Malcolm McDowell were heard continuously throughout the game.
In 2010, Mass Effect 2 was voiced by a whole multitude of celebrities including: Carrie-Anne Moss [The Matrix] and Seth Green [Robot Chicken] with the tip of the spear being Martin Sheen [Apocalypse Now and The Departed] voicing the ever-present Illusive Man. The game even took from Martin Sheen’s likeness, which brought up the fascinating question of: When does a game character stop standing on its own and completely depend on the celebrity?
At bnbgaming.com, the question, do games benefit from celebrity voice acting, is inquired. Pascal, whom the others agreed with on the subject, expressed his opinions. “I don’t think I’ve ever been star struck by a game with top-tier actors; there’s just something about the medium being interactive that lets you move right past the “who” and focus on the “what” and “how” of the dialog (as opposed to film where it’s inevitable that you can immediately put a face with what other movies you’ve seen it in).”
Like I said, I get excited when I hear that a celebrity is voicing a character in a video game because, to me, that says that games are being recognized by celebrities as a worthwhile outlet for income and having celebrities in games raises awareness for those non-gaming folk.
Leave a comment below with your opinions of celebrities doing voiceovers for video games.
