Twenty years ago, the idea of a game winning an actual BAFTA for a voice performance would have been preposterous. But the video game industry is one that has since cemented its creative and financial worth over recent years, to the point where games are now competing with film for place in pop consciousness. As a result, we expect more from our games than ever before; we want explosions that rip our ears off; action so real that it sucks us in and slaps us around; we want our toes tickled seductively by romantic sub-plots; we want heart, soul, and something that leaves us spellbound. Memorable, believable characters are central to this quest for suspension of disbelief, and in a medium where the majority of characters are computer renders instead of flesh-and-blood superstars, it's up to the script writers and voice actors to breathe life into them. Good old Pac-Man's "waka-waka-waka" might have done the trick back in the eighties, but these days only top-notch, Hollywood-esque voice talent will do to satisfy the masses. And it's these voices that add weight to the stories and characters - the good, the bad and the ugly - which stick in our minds long after the credits have rolled. Whittling decades of iconic game voice performances down to barely a handful is no easy task, but there are stand-out actors who poured personality into their characters in such unforgettable fashion that they can't be ignored. Read on for 10 of the finest...
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
