Every once in a while, a game comes along that has everything: a great plot, excellent gameplay, exceptional graphics, incredible replay value – the works. And every once in a while, the company in charge of such a gem allocates so much money to the design, development and implementation of the game that the task of naming the game gets left to the graphic designer’s 4-year-old nephew.

We’re not talking about games with awesomely awful titles, like “Battletoads”. We’re talking about good games that, for whatever reason, just have truly terrible titles. Don’t get me wrong, these are really great games, and there are dozens of games with much worse titles than these (“Ninja Hamster”, “Wargasm” and “Irritating Stick” to name a few) – but these are games that manage to be simultaneously really good and really bizarrely named.

#10: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

We’ll start out with Dirge of Cerberus, only because I may be the only person to consider it a “great” game. Let’s dissect the title: Dirge of Cerberus. What exactly is a ‘dirge’? According to Wikipedia, a dirge is ‘a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral.’

So to start out, this is a game about a really sad, mournful song. Off to a great start, aren’t we? Just want I want, to pop in a game into my console and immediately get depressed. But what else do we know? Whatever this dirge is, it belongs to Cerberus. Cerberus, as you might know, is a three-headed demon dog that guards the gates of hell. If you’re a three-headed demon dog, what the heck do you have to be sad about? You have three vicious heads, and you get to eat anyone that tries to escape from hell. How awesome is that? But we must remember, in Dirge of Cerberus, Cerberus is also the name of one of Vincent’s guns.

So the title either means that the awesome demon dog guarding hell for some reason has something to whine about and is doing so quite lyrically, or that Vincent’s gun somehow grew a pair of vocal chords and a melodic ear and is mourning the deaths of all the faceless people it’s killed. Either way, what the heck?

But don’t let that stop you: Dirge of Cerberus is an underrated third-person shooter with a refreshingly innovative plot for the genre. Plus, Vincent’s a total badass, and Steve Blum is the greatest voiceover artist ever.

#9: Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

This title has two problems. First and most obviously, you need to pause to breathe just to say the entire title outloud – there ought to be an 10-syllable limit on game titles, and this one comes in at a resounding 13.

Not the longest we’ll see by a long shot, though. Secondly, and this is just a personal opinion, you don’t need to give a sub-title to the first game in a series. Sub-titles should be used to differentiate subsequent iterations in the series. However, for the sake of fairness, I have to say that while using foreign phrases as titles is often gimmicky, it actually serves a purpose in the case of Baten Kaitos. The literal translation – “the belly of the whale” – has plot significance, and the star theme (“Baten Kaitos” is the traditional Arabic name of a constellation) is used quite frequently throughout the game.

But don’t let that stop you: Baten Kaitos is the most gorgeous games on the GameCube and one of the most breathtaking ever, and its unique battle system, vibrant locales and fresh plot twists make for a one-of-a-kind gaming experience.

#8: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Bear with me for a second. With its immense popularity, its common consideration as one of – if not the – best game of all time, and its place in the most popular game series ever, the title has become so commonly read or spoken that the meaning is lost. But try to rewind with me all the way back to early 1998. The title’s been announced, and it’s been in development for years, but aside from a few short gameplay movies you don’t know much about the game.

Now, with that in mind, think about the title: “Ocarina of Time”. If you’re like I was, two questions crossed your mind: what the heck is an ocarina, and what does it have to do with the passage of time?

The release of one of the most epic games in video game history answered these questions and more, completely altering the knowledge of ocarinas for an entire generation: but examining the title alone, without any knowledge of the game, yields some very interesting questions.

But don’t let that stop you: Ocarina of Time is one of, if not the, most popular game of all time for a reason, and it’s one of only a select few games I believe every gamer of every age should play at some point in their lives.

#7: The World Ends With You

Now here’s an interesting one. Two games ago, I said that it’s a bit silly for the first game in a series to have a sub-title associated with it – sub-titles should be saved for sequels for extra differentiation. But in the case of The World Ends With You, the name of the game itself reads like it’s a sub-title.

The typical video game title is rooted in a noun: the LEGEND of Zelda, Final FANTASY, DIRGE of Cerberus. But in the case of The World Ends With You, they opt not for a noun phrase, but for an entire sentence. And not one of these you-understood sentences like “Kill All Humans!”, but a full-on, subject-and-predicate sentence.

But what really puts The World Ends With You over the edge is its oddly awkward acronym: TWEWY. Sounds like a Looney Tunes character.

But don’t let that stop you: with an incredible unique graphical style, an innovative active battle system and a twisting, anime-esque plot, The World Ends With You is one of the best portable gaming experiences there’s ever been.

#6: Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

The game that inspired this list for me is Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. Not only does it fall into the trap we’ve seen before (and will see again) of having a title that requires a deep breath in the middle of it just to finish reading, but its subtitle is also simultaneously too vague and too wordy. How is that even possible? A ‘grimoire’, in case you are unaware, is a magical textbook. Not a chemistry book that flaps around and yells at you, but a textbook that teaches magic.

Fine, there’s magic in the game, that makes enough sense, though next time let’s leave the SAT vocab lesson out of it. But somehow this grimoire belongs to a rift. How can a rift own a book? And more importantly, what rift are they talking about? The game really only alludes to its existence, and overall it comes across more as a necessary plot device to facilitate the rest of the game rather than a truly integral part of the plot. A bit odd to include something like that in the actual title for the game itself.

But don’t let that stop you: Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is a whole new and incredible twist on the classic Tactics formula, keeping enough the same to hold the same appeal while adding enough new features to keep everything fresh and interesting. It’s a surprising must-play.

#5: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

It’s tempting to chalk up the bizarre title of this game to simple Japanese use of an online translator to release an English title for their game. After all, we know that Japanese titles differ wildly from their typical American counterparts. But that’s what sets Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together apart – that is the actual Japanese title of the game.

Released in America under the truncated title Tactics Ogre, the official Japanese title was also in English and carried promises ogres defeating their enemies through the power of hugs. Sadly, that was not the case. I can only assume that the publishers meant something along the lines of “Let us stick together”, “…stand together” or “…unite together,” but the lesson is not to use online translators to name your game.

But don’t let that stop you: one of the first strategy games of its kind, it’s still a shining example of the appeal that tactical games still hold on us all.

#4: Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom

For those who frequent lists of worst video game names, this one will comes as no surprise – except for the fact that as a game, it’s actually surprisingly good. Boasting surprisingly good graphics and an extremely long character list, Princess Tomato was one of the strongest games of its click-and-choose genre. But none of that changes the fact that almost every character was named after a vegetable, including the game’s namesake.

Princess Tomato, living in a kingdom named Salad. What in the world? But it does beg an interesting question: the main female character of the Mario series is also named after an edible, varying between Princess Toadstool and Princess Peach. Why do those sound more normal? Is it because the game became more popular? If Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom reaches Mario Bros.-level popularity, would ‘Princess Tomato’ roll off our tongues as easily as ‘Princess Peach’? Alas, these are questions we will never know the answers to.

But don’t let that stop you: Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom is a fantastic relic of the older age of video games, and a truly nostalgic journey for anyone with a bit of time to kill.

#3: Elevator Action

One of my favorite games of all time has perhaps the most boring title of all time. ELEVATORS?! IN ACTION?! What could be better?! The problem with this game is, again, two-fold. First of all, the name they chose doesn’t refer to the game’s content in any useful way. Yes, there are elevators, and yes, they make up a key part of the gameplay. But maybe we should also allude to the fact that you play a spy armed with a pistol, and your goal is to sneak into building crawling with enemy spies, steal some documents and get out.

So not only is the game title rather unrepresentative of the actual goal of the game, but it’s also a really boring-sound title in itself. When I hear elevator action, I don’t think of spies – I think of a guy in a control room nomming on a jelly donut and sending elevators to their destinations. And that doesn’t strike me as exciting. “Shoot, there’s people waiting for elevators on both floors 2 AND 9, but the people on 2 want to go up while the people on 9 want to go down! What do we do what do we do?!?!” Yeah, no. Stick with the spies.

But don’t let that stop you: Elevator Action is one of the most surprisingly entertaining games from the NES era, yielding a perfect combination of strategic planning and reaction ability.

#2: Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam

In this Gundam game, you control a Gundam that has to Gundam-fight with other Gundams in order to save the Gundams that comprise the rest of the Gundam universe. Your Gundam is outfitted with Gundam weapons, Gundam armor, Gundam engines and Gundam fuel and is perfectly well-equipped with Gundam accessories to fight the other Gundams that other Gundam pilots fly to try to destroy your Gundam.

You can customize your Gundam with plenty of Gundam add-ons to build the most Gundamtastic Gundam of your imgundamation. Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam. Gundam. Oh, and Gundam Gundam. Gundam! Rule #1 of video game naming: If your title is 6 words long, three of them should not be the same darn word.

But don’t let that stop you: Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam Gundam. Gundam!

#1: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army

Remember the 10-syllable-or-less rule I suggested under Baten Kaitos? This title took that rule and ate its very soul. Ringing in at a resounding 23 syllables, this is the longest video game title I’ve ever found. Its sequel – Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon – rings in at the same 23, though the numeral makes it slightly more acceptable in my eyes.

But man, talk about needing to take a deep breath before speaking the title. Colons and hyphens are overused in video game titles as it is, but two in one title is taking it to a whole other level. What’s even more amusing is that while we’re used to seeing exorbitantly long titles for Japanese games, here the English title is even longer than its Japanese counterpart.

But don’t let that stop you: with impressively realistic graphics, an anime-style believably-supernatural plotline, and interesting ties to real-world events and legends, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army is… hmm. It seems I forgot what I was saying in the time it took me to type the game title. Darn.

There you have it – conclusive evidence that the naming rights to your video game should not be left to your 5-year-old nephew, your accountant, or anyone with a degree in English and a penchant for writing very long-winded essays. If you ever make a game, remember these simple rules. Rule #1: Don’t use any single word more than twice.

Rule #2: The first game in the series doesn’t need a sub-title. Rule #3: Your game name is a noun, not a sentence. Rule #4: 10 syllables or less. Rule #5: Don’t use the words ‘elevator’, ‘tomato’, ‘cling’ or ‘grimoire’ unless your game is really about mechanical engineering, salads, laundry day or the SAT. And Rule #6: unless your game gets HUGE, no one’s going to have any idea what that obscure instrument in the title is – so if you’re going to publish a game called “The Glockenspiel of Ages”, you better be dang sure it’s good.

One of the most make-or-break elements for modern video games comes in the voiceover artists. It’s not just some little tacked-on detail that provides fodder for the game’s critics — the skill of the voiceovers in a game has a direct impact on the player’s immersion in the game universe, and thus are directly related to the player’s overall enjoyment of the game.

How many times have you played a game with that one voice that just made your ears bleed? It could be a great game, beautiful graphics, fantastic plot, great battle system, everything could be perfect — but if there’s that one voice that just drives you nuts, odds are that’s what you’re going to most remember from the game.

Take the GameCube beauty Baten Kaitos for example — it has among the greatest graphics ever shown on the GameCube, a twisting plot, cohesive battle world, and I do remember that right after playing the game I really enjoyed it. But right now, a couple years later, the only thing I remember is how painful a couple of the voices were. Voiceovers are a crucial part of any game that features them, and it’s high time that the greatest voiceover artists were recognized. The artists below are each among the most versatile, recognizable or talented voiceover artists that have graced the video game industry.

I also have to issue a disclaimer: there are so many great voiceover artists out there that it’s really impossible to guarantee that these are somehow the ten “best” ones. These are just ten prominent, notable voiceover artists that I feel deserve recognition. Did I miss some? Let me know, maybe there’ll be a Part 2. And if you see a glaring omission, wait a few days — they might be featured in another voiceover-based list in the near future.

#10: Nolan North — Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

The truth of the matter is that it’s difficult to find gaming voiceover artists that aren’t famous at all for some other task as well. Most also do voices for TV shows or movies, and some — like Nolan North — also do some live-action acting. This list will focus on artists whose main claim to fame, though, is their voiceover resumé, and in my opinion, that is Nolan North’s most recognizable career aspect.

Nolan North is also a popular soap opera actor, but his video game credit list is far longer: he has lent his voice to nearly 50 different games. North got his voiceover start in the 1999 release Interstate ’82. He took a handful of voiceover jobs over the following five years before shifting to full-time voiceover work near the end of 2004. Since then, North has given his voice to several prominent video game characters, including several voices in Everquest II, Hades in God of War, Sergeant Randall in Call of Duty 2, and the narrator in both Lost Planet games.

North’s most prominent roles, though, have been as the lead character Nathan Drake’s voice in Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves; and as Desmond Miles in Assasin’s Creed. Nolan North also voices the main character in the latest Prince of Persia games. Judging from the increasing prevalence of Nolan North’s roles in recent years and his incredibly well-controlled voice inflections, we can expect to see Nolan North in more and more title roles in coming years.

#9: Michael Bell — Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

A quick glance will reveal that Bell’s listing is significantly larger than North’s, with good reason: Bell has been performing since 1957, and started his voiceover work with one of the earliest successful animated TV series, The Jetsons. Bell can be seen in cameo roles on Dallas, Three’s Company and Star Trek, but his primary role remains voiceover work.

His first game voiceover credit came much earlier than most other artists on this list: Michael Bell was ahead of the curve, giving his voice to the character Dark Fact in the 1990 Turbografix-16 game Ys: Book 1 & 2, a game that has recently made a reappearance on the Nintendo Wii. Most of Bell’s roles are not quite as recognizable as North’s Nathan Drake and Desmond Miles, but the breadth of his roles is astounding: he’s heard in Warcraft III (Necromancers, Medivh), Diablo II (Nihlathak, Druids), Age of Empires III (John Black), and Lost Odyssey (Sed). Michael Bell’s most prominent roles are likely those of Raziel in the Legacy of Kain series and The Fear in Metal Gear Solid 3. You might also recognize him as the voice of Drew Pickles and Chaz Finster on the Rugrats, or as Bruce Banner in the old Incredible Hulk series. Most recently, Bell has appeared Condemned 2 as the President, and will voice Alan Parker in the upcoming release Alpha Protocol.

#8: David Hayter — Metal Gear Solid

One of the most recognizable voice artists of all time is David Hayter. Hayter is best known as the voice of Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series, and while I’ll detail his performance in the series on a later list, here it’s important to note what his performance did for the series’ success. The original Metal Gear Solid was one of the few true revolutionary games to hit the industry, and while due credit must be given to the game’s gameplay, environment and graphics for that, a large portion of its success comes from its believable, twisting plotline.

When a game hinges on the plot, it also hinges on its characters: and characters’ believability depends on — you guessed it — the voice, as part of a whole package that expresses the character to the player. The character’s appearance, history and voice all must match together perfectly for the character to be believable. That’s where David Hayter succeeds: his portrayal of Solid Snake leaves such a distinct, cohesive picture of the character in the player’s mind that it carries the whole series to a new level of believability.

David Hayter is truly spectacularly talented — the only thing keeping him this low on this list is the relative brevity of his gaming voiceover resumé, which entails only one other role (that of the Angkor Thom Guard in Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem). But when you’re offered roles in writing some of the biggest movies of the last few years (a screenplayer writer for X-Men, The Scorpion King and Watchmen), which would you choose?

#7: Quinton Flynn — Kingdom Hearts

One great way to guarantee yourself an ongoing role in voice acting, especially in video games, is to channel James Earl Jones and master a deep, menacing voice. We’ll get to the most prominent actor of this style later in this list, but Quinton Flynn does a darn good Vader impression as well. You’ve heard Quinton Flynn’s pleasant baritone in several games: as Isaaru in Final Fantasy X, as Croix in La Pucelle, as Tatsumaru in Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, as Scorn in Romancing SaGa, and and arguably his most famous roles as Axel in Kingdom Hearts and Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4. But what sets Quinton Flynn apart from the other deep voices on this list is his flexibility — he’s also known to provide a much wider array of talents, and you might be surprised to hear he also voiced Mr. Fossey in Monkey Island 3, Bickson in Final Fantasy X, Abyss in X-Men Legends II, and Spiderman in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

Most recently, Flynn voiced the character Henry in No More Heroes (and is reprising the role for the sequel) and Venom in the 2007 release Spider-Man: Friend or Foe. You might also recognize him as the voice of Reno for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Jonny Quest on the Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Marcus Damon on Digimon Data Squad, and Iruka Umino in both the Naruto anime and its video game spin-offs. Flynn got his voiceover start late in life, but landed a starring role early as the voice of Timon on Disney’s Timon and Pumbaa, and has reliably been chosen for prominent roles ever since. He’s sure to be around for a long time, but with his versatility, you might never realize it.

#6: Fred Tatasciore — The Incredible Hulk

What did I just say how a deep baritone is nearly guaranteed a career in voice acting? Fred Tatasciore is another popular voice actor that has mastered the art of that deep, intimidating snarl. Unlike Quinton Flynn and another artist mentioned later, Tatasciore’s voiceover voice is more of a growl, and the roles he’s recognized for reflect this: you’ll certainly recognize his characteristic snarl as Damon Baird in Gears of War and as Saren Arterius in Mass Effect.

His style has also won him roles as the nameless monstrous characters in several games, such as the ghost in Ghostbusters, the zombies in Left 4 Dead, and multiple robotic characters in the most recent Transformers games. Unlike Flynn, Tatasciore rarely plays the typically-voiced main character, and usually receive roles of a more monstrous nature, such as Poseidon and Typhon in the God of War games. He’s most recognized for playing The Incredible Hulk in the game by the same name, a role he’ll reprise in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Sound familiar? He also plays the Hulk in both TV series and direct-to-DVD movies.

You might also recognize his voice from Robot Chicken (where he shows considerably more versatility than other roles allow him to show) and Naruto, and can be heard as the voice of 8 in the upcoming Tim Burton movie 9, as well as the voice of Zeratul in the highly-anticipated StarCraft sequel.

#5: Dee Bradley Baker — Viewtiful Joe

Among all the voiceover artists listed here, Dee Bradley Baker likely has the most balance between his gaming voiceover roles and his voiceover roles for television. With a characteristically low voice as well as the versatility to switch it up, you probably first heard Baker in Michael Jordan’s Space Jam, voicing both Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil, followed by several roles (including Appa) on Avatar: The Last Airbender. But his most recognizable role to us in the gaming world is that of the title character in the Viewtiful Joe games, taking the role in 2003 and reprising it for two subsequent sequels.

He also provided the voice of Eric Sparrow in the 2005 release Tony Hawks’ Underground, the Gravemind in the latest two Halo games, the blobs in de Blob, and Nightcrawler in several different X-Men and Marvel games. In recent years, Baker has slid more toward TV voiceover work, with only one 2009 gaming voiceover credit (the voice of Numbah 4 on FusionFall).

Instead you can hear him as the voice of Mooch in the recent theatrical release G-Force, as Klaus in American Dad and as all the Clone Troopers in The Clone Wars. But if you’re from my generation, here’s the kicker: he played Olmec on Legends of the Hidden Temple. Yes, Viewtiful Joe voiced Olmec (or should I say Olmec voiced Viewtiful Joe). That’s more awesome than a barrel full blue barracudas.

#4: John Di Maggio — Gears of War

Like Dee Bradley Baker, John Di Maggio’s resumé features plenty of balance as well. In fact, his most recognizable roles, even to video game fans, themselves aren’t gaming roles: chances are, you most know him from his role as Bender on Futurama. And if you’re man (or woman) enough to admit that, yes, you do secretly watch Disney Channel sometimes, you may recognize his name from American Dragon (as Fu Dog) and Kim Possible (Dr. Drakken).

What might surprise you are some of his prominent gaming roles. You’ve heard Di Maggio’s voice on far more than Comedy Central — he was both Wakka and Kimahri on Final Fantasy X and X-2. He was both Gilgamesh and Migelo in Final Fantasy XII. He was Kreese Kreely in MadWorld, Rhino in multiple Spider-Man games, Juggernaut in multiple X-Men games, and Sideways in Transformers. But his most notable role is that of Marcus Fenix in the Xbox 360 hit Gears of War — Di Maggio takes the role of the primary character and somehow takes the “grizzled old marine” archetype that has been done to absolute death and breathes a bit of new life into it, and would also reprise the role in Gears of War 2.

As with any voice actor that dabbles in different mediums, there’s never a guarantee that Di Maggio will make another notable splash in the gaming voiceover world: but you can hear his more recent work in the Penguins of Madagascar TV series, as Aquaman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and as Hammerhead on the Spectacular Spider-Man.

#3: Jen Taylor — Super Princess Peach

Nothing could stop this from being a male-dominated list — after all, the vast majority of video game protagonists, antagonists and pretty much everyone else are male. But two female voiceover artists do deserve the same level of recognition, and both are featured in this list’s top 3. The first of these two is Jen Taylor.

Taylor actually has one of the shorter resumés on this list with 33 games to her name and 37 voiceover credits total. My recognition of Jen Taylor, though, is based largely on how pervasively she has portrayed a handful of characters, and the impact that it’s had on those characters’ recognition. You have no idea how often you’ve heard Jen Taylor: she voiced Princess Peach in every Mario game from Mario Golf 64 in 1999 to her title role in Super Princess Peach in 2006. What we’ve found since then is despite the talent of the other actresses who have begun playing Peach (mostly Samantha Kelly) is that the voice of Peach as played by Jen Taylor simply can’t be duplicated. Taylor’s voice makes the character, and any other voice is simply another actress voicing Taylor’s character. The same can be said for another Mario character: Toad is also voiced by Taylor, and although the new actress (again, Samantha Kelly) is wonderfully talented, the Toad we know will always be Jen Taylor’s.

In all, Toad and Peach comprise almost half of Taylor’s voiceover credits — you’ll also recognize her as the voice of Cortana in the Halo series and Zoey in Left 4 Dead.

#2: Jennifer Hale — Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The second female voice artist on this list is Jennifer Hale, who has one of the longest resumés of anyone I’ve talked about. Hale began her career as a live-action actress, holding several roles in the early 90s. She received her first voiceover role in the fourth Quest for Glory game in 1994, and transitioned to doing voice work exclusively shortly thereafter.

In her career, Jennifer Hale has voiced some of the most famous female characters in gaming history — the most prominent is, obviously, Samus, for whom she provided the voice for the three Metroid Prime games. Her other prominent roles include Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear Solid series; Trinity in the Matrix spin-off video game; Bastila Shan in Knights of the Old Republic; Sheena Fujibayashi in Tales of Symphonia; and Alexandra Roivas in Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. The crowning achievement (well, in my opinion anyway), though, was receiving the lead role as the female version of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, undoubtedly one of the biggest gaming voiceover jobs ever awarded.

You can also hear Hale as Aayla Secura in The Clone Wars, Jean Grey in the X-Men animated series, and Cinderella in several recent Disney spin-offs. In total, Hale has provided her voice to over 100 video games and numerous TV series and movies, giving her by far one of the longest resumés of anyone listed here.

#1: Steven Jay Blum — Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

I mentioned at the beginning of this list that the rankings here don’t mean much — they’re mostly just my passing whims and brief moments of thought on the topic, so it probably won’t be a surprise that it’s my personal favorite voice actor who’s listed at the top. Fortunately, it’s not total bias that leads to this ranking: Steve Jay Blum has flat-out the longest resumé of anyone I’ve talked about, even though Michael Bell — the second-longest — started a full 25 years earlier.

Like many on this list, Blum does both TV and gaming work, but for him, gaming solidly outweighs his other pursuits. While his most recognizable role may be for his work as the main character in Cowboy Bepop, his gaming resumé is enormous and features many prominent roles. While other voice actors on this list are so different in different roles that they can’t be pinpointed, Blum brings an incredible smooth, low tone to every role he plays. It’s not hard to pick out his voice as it’s one of the deepest that you’ll ever hear, but somehow despite its recognizability it never takes away from the character he plays. His list of famous characters is enormous — I recognize him here for playing Vincent Valentine in Dirge of Cerberus, but perhaps you know him as Jack Cayman from MadWorld. Ba’Gamnan in Final Fantasy XII. Or Ares in God of War. Or Orochimaru from Naruto. Or Zegram from Rogue Galaxy. Or Canaan from Xenosaga. Or Wolverine from nearly any Marvel game since 2003. Or, heck, Wolverine from the TV series. Or Roger Smith from Big O.

The point is, Steven Jay Blum has one of the most recognizable voiceover voices in gaming, but still perfectly matches whatever character he plays, lending a fitting dark, brooding attitude to characters like Vincent and Zegram. You know Blum’s voice when you hear it, but it always works in the scene just the same.

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I really hope this list has made you go “woah, [character] was played by the same voice as [character]?!?!” as often as I have. Certain voice actors voices’ are fairly recognizable over their multiple roles, and I’m pretty sure we all spend the first hour of a new game going “holy crap, where the heck do I recognize that voice from?” when it’s just on the tip of our tongues. But as we’ve seen with some of the voice actors on this list, some are so versatile that you have no hope in heck of realizing on your own that two certain roles were played by the same person.

Who among us would’ve realized that Viewtiful Joe and Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple are the same voice (or that any mortal could voice something as awesome as Olmec)? But lost in the awesomeness of these realizations is just how much these voiceover actors bring to their games. For any game with a plot, its believability hinges on the believability of its characters. It’s success at this is why we still recognize Solid Snake as something more than just a video game character — he’s a gaming’s equivalent of a literary icon.

Without a focus on voice acting, you can quickly take a well-constructed character like Tidus from Final Fantasy X and turn his death into Dissidia’s main attraction. It’s not just a matter of hiring the right person — James Arnold Taylor, voice of Tidus, does a great job with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Clone Wars and nearly every Star Wars video game. Instead, it’s a matter of careful, thoughtful, and thorough recognition of the role of voiceovers in a game’s success. It’s about carefully choosing an actor, walking them through the story, giving their motivation and taking the time to get it right — not just throwing someone in a studio to read some lines. The games that do this — the Mass Effects, the Gears of Wars, the Metal Gear Solids — can thank their voice actors for taking their quality and popularity to a new level of recognition.

Final Fantasy cosplaying has become a stablemate of any gaming convention, I myself have been guilty of a few times dressing up as a FF Character(Yuna.. shh).

After scouring the web looking for cosplay ideas, I have collected together what I think to be the best looking girls donning Final Fantasy costumes.

10. Final Fantasy IX – Princess Garnet

It’s cute, it’s simple, and it works really well.

9. Final Fantasy VII – Aerith Gainsborough

Possibly the best known western Final Fantasy cosplayer, cute definitely, hot.. iffy.

8. Final Fantasy X – Yuna

The photo appears to be photoshoped beyond belief, but it still makes for a super fine snap.

7. Final Fantasy XII – Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca

Hot because of the huge amount of effort put into the costume, it’s great seeing what gamer girls can achieve.

6. Final Fantasy X – Rikku

Hawt, again a simple outfit but it works really well on her body.

5. Final Fantasy VIII – Selphie Tilmitt

Extremely simple outfit, but her body easily makes up for anything the costume is lacking.

4. Final Fantasy VIII – Quistis Trepe

Awesome pose, fantastic hair-do, and a body to die for.

3. Final Fantasy VIII – Rinoa Heartilly

The classic Rinoa, this image has been circulating for a few years now and it is definitely still one of the best.

2 & 1. Final Fantasy 7 – Tifa Lockhart

Okay I apologize for counting 1&2 together, but I seriously love Tifa cosplaying, and these two girls both do a fantastic job of delivering the ‘Tifa package’.

Do you have a favourite cosplay? If you do, link to the photos below.

Well, I can’t think of a more fitting first list entry then a background of my favorite PC games from the 90′s. It’ll give anyone reading a brief insight into the games of my youth (without boring the crap out of anyone).

So without Further a due I give you my top 10 PC games of the 90′s

10. Warcraft: Orcs vs humans 1994:

This is the game that broke the genre right open and made a small software company named Blizzard into one of the most profitable game companies of all time.

Though this game didn’t support many features we’ve come to expect in standard RTS’s. And it’s critics said it was a direct rip off of Dune II we still came to all love this game. It helped pave the way for all future RTS games and made the genre popular.

9. Wolfenstein 3D 1992:

Thinking the game had some 3d glasses with it, I spent some of my paper route money and picked this game up. I then spent the next 8-10 hours straight playing through the entire game. I remember because I had to convince my father that I couldn’t sleep and that the game would help me relax and get tired, when he came down to use the bathroom at 3am.

Though it lacked any real replay value past the 2nd time through and it didn’t have multiplayer options this game opened up the whole new genre of FPS. Now I debated putting Doom or Doom 2 in the list, but I think I’m going to have to go for Wolfenstein. Not because it was the real first FPS or it helped launch ID software, but because it the first game I had ever played through in one sitting and the first time I convinced my father to let me stay up all night on a non school night.

8. Diablo 1997:

And Blizzard, opening it mighty hand bestowed the gift of Diablo to the world of men and yay it was good and the people doth smile and relish in their contentment. Besides it had Battlenet and you could aoe one shot mobs, whats not to love?

I don’t feel that I have to say very much for this one, it speaks for itself unless you were under a rock and never played it.

7. Daggerfall 1996:

Ok ok technically its called “The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall” but come on people, that’s just way to long. Speaking of long, this game was epic. It was the first real RPG and nonlinear/sandbox game I really got into.

You could do anything!!! AN-E-THING! Want to kill guards? shop keepers? townsfolk? What to steal from shops? buy houses, boats, horses? Want tons of cool weapons, magic, quests, and an absolutely HUGE kingdom to explore? NO PROBLEM. Daggerfall was where it was at. If the game had multiplayer options back then, no one would have heard of WoW we’d be playing “Daggerfall: expansion 27″ and loving ever moment of it right now.

6. Dune II 1992:

Years before Warcraft this game/genre was being laughed at as being an OCD game developers baby. Yes it was the first TRUE RTS, but the level of micro management in the game drove a ton of gamers away (my brother and cousin included).

Which was fine for me as PC multiplay wasn’t exactly supported in 92 anyway. If you could get past the micro management of units the game was really VERY good. Though I will concede to my brother that only being able to select and control one unit at a time was completely asinine.

5. Reunion 1994:

At the time this game was the epitome of what I was looking for in a PC game. It had space travel, it had aliens, it had resource and technology research management, it had colony and mining options for planets, it even had some RTS elements. Through all that into a game where you could build massive fleets of space ships and DING DING DING you had my attention.

Though it was little known, and even less played it still firmly has a spot in my top five games.

4. Planet’s Edge 1991:

ZOMG, a graphical DEEP RPG set in space with trading and a huge sandbox feel in 1991!! Yes, at the time this game knocked many a sock off in the PC gaming community. Though the game was extremely difficult to master and contained over 100+ hours of game play to fully beat in it’s entirety.

Wellll and the fact that you needed a massive manual to figure the quests out, and there were some bugs. All that aside this game provided me many wasted hours of exploring a vast diverse galaxy.

3. Starcraft 1998:

Ahhh yes, Starcraft a game that has almost single-handedly spawned the entire competitive gaming industry in Korea and has a very wide fan base. I for one spend countless hours OWNING (“pwning” was not yet invented) noobs on Battlenet via my 56k dial up connection and evil laughing while I zerg rushed.

2. Master of Orion 1993:

I really don’t care if the genre never really took off, or that people bitch and moan about 4/5x micro management. This game kicked ass, plain and simple. I’m sorry if you “didn’t get it” or your ADD didn’t allow you to pay attention, if so you really missed out. In fact I credit most of my adult asset/money management, multitasking, and managerial skills in general to playing this game for countless hours everyday for years on end.

Within an almost infinate replay value this became my go to game whenever I got sick of whatever else I was playing at the time. Ah and the management, OOOOHHH the management. How do I build up a big enough fleet to crush my enemies? Do I neglect new research or my planet development? Should I stop expanding? Do I try to make peace with them and go after them later? I could write questions like that for ever.

In 1993 MOO forced my 12 year old brain to think about thinks completely different, and for that it will always have a special place in my heart.

1. X-COM: Enemy Unknown 1993:

There has yet to be a game that has come even close to X-COM. Many have tried. Tried and failed? NO tried and died!! In all seriousness just thinking about how fun this strategy game was and how far ahead of its time it was will make me cream my pants a little.

It’s the only game on the list that I have played just about every year since its release. I even go as far as to buy every game title release that claims to be like, or have any X-COM roots or play style. For those of you who give a flying f*ck the closest game I’ve found IMO has been: UFO: Extraterrestrials

When I started making a list I had almost 50 games on it. It was very hard for me to cut that down to a top ten, but I wanted to share a few that didn’t make it.

Near misses:

Civilization
Heroes of might and magic
Lords of the Realm 2
Command & Conquer
Mechwarrior series
Total Annihilation

Honorable mention:

Duke Nukem 3D
Unreal Tournament
Baldur’s Gate
Doom
Fallout
Grim Fandango
Descent
SimCity
Half Life
Freespace
Tie Fighter
Star Wars: Rebellion
Quake
Ultima
Rainbow Six

What about you? What was your favorite game or games of the 90′s?
Visit my blog for more of my lists.

If you’ve read my last two voiceover-related top ten lists (assuming these get posted in order), you might be wondering about a certain broad, glaring omission: I’ve left out several artists altogether that have delivered great performances, and really done quite well for themselves moonlighting as voiceover artists from more illustrious careers.

For the sake of fairness, I’ve separated these artists out into a third list to take a little extra time to consider them. It’s really hard to compare the vocal work of a specialist like Steven Jay Blum with the familiarity that comes with work by Kiefer Sutherland, John Cleese and other big-name stars. So, they’re considered here, separately from the others.

Below are listed, in my opinion, ten of the best video game voiceover performances by stars you’d likely know separate from their voiceover career. One thing you’ll probably notice is that the qualifications here are much more broad — in different places, actors are recognized for everything from a small near-cameo role to their entire lifetime achievement. But what they all have in common is that they are all much better known for their acting roles, yet have had a profound impact on the games they’ve lent their voices to. Oh, and they share some really unexpected geographical similarities as well.

#10: The Entire Cast — James Bond: Quantum of Solace (X360)

In picking the performances for this list, I tried to avoid times when an actor portrayed a character in both a movie/TV series and in a game based on that series — I’m not sure why, but it just feels like it’s against the spirit of the list. But there’s one such portrayal that I couldn’t ignore, partially because of the quality of the voice acting, but more due to the breadth of participation in the project.

I’m not an authority on movie-based games, but I’ve never encountered a game that had such universal participation by the movie’s actual cast. Every major character in the Quantum of Solace movie reprises their role in the game tie-in: Daniel Craig as the hero, James Bond; Judi Dench as the boss, M; Olga Kurylenko as the leading lady, Camille; and Mathieu Amalric as the antagonist, Dominic Greene.

The absence of Giancarlo Giannini (René Mathis), Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields) and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) is a shame, but is compensated by the inclusion of three cameos from Casino Royale characters — Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd and Joseph Millson as Carter. As a game, Quantum of Solace was largely criticized (though less so than most movied-based games), but does manage some respectable scores. But more importantly, it plays as a faithful member of the Bond franchise, and one major reason for that is the authentic voice and character models that went into it.

While the gameplay of the game might be the subject for debate, the quality of the characters’ portrayals largely saved the game — at least as a member of the larger Bond brand name.

#9: Brian Cox as Scolar Visari — Killzone (PS2)

Brian Cox might not be a name you’ll recognize immediately, but you’d be surprised how many films you might recognize him from. You’ll see him as William Stryker in the X-Men sequel, X2; as agent Ward Abbott in the Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy; as Agamemnon in Troy; and as the original Hannibal Lecter in the character’s first film, Manhunter.

Generally, he is a mainstay in the classic role of an older, wise, worthy antagonist. What we’re interested in here is his portrayal of Scolar Visari in Killzone and Killzone 2, a role that fits squarely alongside his more visible acting roles in the aforementioned movies. Scolar Visari is the main implicit antagonist of the Killzone series, although he is actually heard relatively rarely — his only prominent vocal bit in the original is in the introduction of Killzone, though he sees a bigger role in the sequel. As the main antagonist, Brian Cox perfectly executes the voice we have come to expect from the secret mastermind behind a great and sprawling organization.

The voice represents the perfect balance — suitably intimidating, suitably evil, suitably believable, and suitably intelligent. Not a low growl that implies a ruthless, mindless killer; not an over-inflected accent suggesting pure intelligence; but an excellent combination of both. The role in Killzone is not Brian Cox’s only notable video game voice role either; you might also recognize him as the voice of Lionel Starkweather, a creepy film director, in the game Manhunt.

#8: Stephen Fry as Reaver — Fable II (X360)

Stephen Fry might be another actor whose name you don’t immediately recognize, but whose face you’ve certainly seen (in fact, the actors on the list largely ascend in order of visibility and recognizability). To me, his most visible role is in V for Vendetta as Deitrich. You might also recognize him as Gordon Wyatt on the FOX series Bones, or as the narrator from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie.

Fry’s fame is exponentially greater across the pond in Britain, though, where he has become one of England’s most famous actors, appearing with House’s Hugh Laurie in a multitude of roles. Fry’s first several voiceover roles for gaming reflect that last role recognizable by American audiences, though — he narrates three Harry Potter video games (Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire), though is even more recognized as the narrator for the PlayStation 3 smash hit LittleBigPlanet.

The role I’m recognizing him for here, however, is that of Reaver in Fable II. The portrayal of Reaver is not easy — the character himself is vain, selfish and borderline androgynous, but yet exists arguably on the ‘protagonist’ side of the character spectrum. That dichotomy forces Fry’s portrayal to walk a very fine line to avoid overemphasizing any particular element and thus ruining the character’s multi-dimensionality, but in the end the voicework provides perfectly encapsulates the complicated character.

The impact is important to note — an absence of believability in the character’s portrayal would have ruined this portion of the game, but Fry’s masterful vocal work suitably displays the character as intended.

#7: Eliza Dushku as Shaundi — Saints Row 2 (PS3)

The last of our actors whose names you might not immediately recognize is Eliza Dushku — but like the ones above, you’ve definitely seen her face. Older readers will most likely remember her as the character Faith in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and its spin-offs, or as the title character Tru Davies in the 2003 series Tru Calling. More recent and visibly, though, is Dushku’s role as the producer and star of the latest Joss Whedon project, Dollhouse, airing on FOX.

Between these projects, though, Dushku lent her voice to the character Shaundi, one of the primary figures in the recent release Saints Row 2. The role isn’t what one often sees actors dipping into gaming voiceovers to do — it is not comedic or satirical like Cleese’s Sir Roderick or Samuel L. Jackson’s Officer Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto, nor does it fit in with the actor’s typical role like Brian Cox’s Scolar Visari or Kiefer Sutherland’s Sgt. Roebuck in Call of Duty. Instead, Dushku stretches notably outside her typical zone (though not in complete contradiction to it) in voicing the promiscuous, mischievous Shaundi. A slightly masculine, borderline-alcoholic, un-lady-like drug user, Shaundi stands in stark contrast to Dushku’s usual characters, and the quality with which she pulls off the role is a testament to her ability. Dushku shows off her flexibility in the role and plays a potentially difficult character perfectly, deftly walking the fine line between a mischievous ditz and a competent, hardened gang member.

#6: John Cleese as Sir Roderick — Jade Empire (XBOX)

Younger audiences will recognize John Cleese for a collection of more recent roles, such as Inspector Dreyfus in the new Pink Panther movies, the King in the second and third Shrek movies, and as Q in Die Another Day, the only actor besides Desmond Llewelyn to play the role in an official franchise movie.

What younger audiences might miss, though, is the true depth of John Cleese’s fame. He was one of the founding members of the comedy troupe responsible for Monty Python; he has hosted several television and award shows; and he has received award nominations for a vast array of jobs, including as a movie actor, television actor, producer, and writer, many for his role in writing and performing the hit A Fish Named Wanda. But surely the highlight of Cleese’s illustrious, successful career was a small guest role in the BioWare game Jade Empire.

In the game, Cleese calls upon his iconic British accent to play the ultimate caricature of a British colonialist: a haughty, arrogant Brit who sees the land he lives in as full of savages in need of enlightenment, and likely a bar of soap. His name hilariously reflects the nature of his role — commonly referred to as Sir Roderick, the full character name is Sir Roderick Ponce von Fontlebottom the Magnificent Bastard. And there’s really nothing to not love about a character with a piece of cheese painted onto his armor. But what’s most telling to me about this role is the comedic nature: Cleese’s forté is obviously comedy, but his willingness to take on such a brief cameo in a comedic role, especially for an actor of his incredible caliber, is truly laudable.

#5: Sir Christopher Lee as DiZ — Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s an inordinate number of British voice actors on this list. In fact, Eliza Dushku is the only non-British actor mentioned thusfar. The next Brit on this list, however, has one credit that none of the others can claim: he’s been knighted.

Sir Christopher Lee has had a wildly lucrative career spanning over 60 years. Younger audiences will recognize him instantly as both Count Dooku from the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Saruman from the Lord of the Rings trilogy; older audiences will know him for much more classic roles, including Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man, the antagonist Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun, and Count Dracula in several films.

Lee has a more significant video game voiceover resumé to his credit than most other actorson this list with 12 roles total; several of these roles reprise his movie roles, but he also voices new roles in Everquest II and other games. His most notable voice role, though, is that of DiZ (or Ansem the Wise) in the Kingdom Hearts sequels. The role fits with Lee’s previous roles, in which he frequently plays the ‘wise old man’ Jungian archetype. That’s not a knock against his performance — he fits the role absolutely perfectly, and brings a definite edge of believability that a character like DiZ relies on to be taken seriously in the role he plays in the storyline.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the Kingdom Hearts series has seen several other great performances by big-name artists, including Haley Joel Osment, Hayden Panettiere and Jesse McCartney.

#4: Patrick Stewart as Emperor Uriel Septim VII — The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)

The British invasion couldn’t possibly continue any further than that, could it? Oh, but it could. Patrick Stewart is a man that needs no introduction, except that ironically he is so well-associated with his characters that often he is known better by his face and character name than his actual name.

So in case you don’t immediately make the connection based solely on his name, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and Professor Charles Xavier of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (X-Men). Hopefully that’s jogged your memory. Patrick Stewart has reprised his movies roles in several (16) games over the years, but this role was separate and apart from any movie franchise. The 2006 blockbuster game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion opens with a very memorable scene of the arrival of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, voiced by none other than Captain Jean-Lu– er, Patrick Stewart.

The performance is undeniably short, and to the best of my knowledge Stewart’s only appearance in the game is in this opening scene — but the important thing to note is the way Bethesda used their celebrity voice artist to the fullest extent it could. The two most memorable parts of any game are the beginning and the end, and the beginning also serves to set the tone for the entire game. Including Stewart’s rich voice as the vocal talent for the Emperor in the opening scene set an undeniably strong tone for the rest of the game, and really made the most out of a relatively limited part.

It should also be noted that Stewart provided his voice to one other non-movie-based role, that of Khelban Arunsun in Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, and that you can hear him as Zobek in the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

#3: Mark Hamill as the Joker — Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360)

Please tell me Mark Hamill isn’t British. Concord, California? Fantastic. The second person on this list from somewhere outside the United Kingdom is Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill’s a bit difficult to categorize between this list and the previous ones. His most famous role is certainly an on-screen one — you know him as arguably the single most famous movie character of all time, Luke Skywalker.

After that, though, his film career dropped off notably, and he went into voice acting. His voice acting resumé is absolutely enormous, and has formed the majority of his career — but given that his most recognizable role is still that of Luke Skywalker, I feel it’s fitting to include him here. And once included, there’s no doubt that Hamill delivered one of the greatest vocal performances in gaming in the recent release, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

To be fair, Hamill had plenty of preparation for the role: he’s voiced the Joker in different TV series for over 16 years now, and is consistently re-hired for the same role for how closely his iconic representation has been associated with the character himself. His role in Batman: Arkham Asylum had a different background to it — he follows Heath Ledger’s indescribable performance of the same character, and voices the role for a game based so closely on the movie. Despite the enormously raised expectations, Mark Hamill delivered one of the most memorable vocal performances in gaming history.

And in case you’re curious, it’s also pretty interesting to realize some of the other things “Luke Skywalker” has done. He’s voiced everything from Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender to Wolverine in the Wolverine’s Revenge video game; and yes, he voiced Skywalker for various Family Guy and Robot Chicken parodies of the classic trilogy as well. It really adds some authenticity, doesn’t it?

#2: Kiefer Sutherland as Sgt. Roebuck & Gary Oldman as Sgt. Reznov — Call of Duty: World at War (X360)

Honestly? Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman are BOTH from the United Kingdom? Really? Honestly, the dominance of English voice artists in this list is getting downright absurd. Eight of the ten slots. I didn’t expect that at all. Anyway, on to this slot — it’s impossible to decide which actor’s portrayal in this game is better or more notable, so let’s recognize both of them. Kiefer Sutherland has only recently become a household name with his starring role in 24, but Gary Oldman has a much longer resumé, most recognizable for his roles in the newer Batman films (as Jim Gordon) and the Harry Potter films (as Sirius Black).

Oldman is the pinnacle of versatility, portraying mostly antagonists early in his career before shifting to protagonists and mentors more recently. Similarly, Sutherland’s game voice resumé is dwarfed by Oldman’s; this game is the former’s only original role, while Oldman has played several roles, most notably Ignitus in the Legend of Spyro series. The two actors took vastly different paths, but both ended up on the cast for Call of Duty: World of War. Neither voice playable characters (suspected to be because no gamer in the world is awesome enough to play a character voiced by either man), but both voice characters crucial to the plot, assisting the playable character at many junctures.

What’s interesting is that, in line with their very different histories, Sutherland and Oldman bring wildly different notoriety to the game. For Sutherland, he brings a celebrity voice to the game — the moment Roebuck speaks, the player immediately finds himself in an alternate universe where Jack Bauer is saving them. For Oldman, though, you could play the entire game without ever realizing that it’s him — such is the versatility he brings to the role. Sutherland provides a notable performance in bringing the echoes of his other roles into the game, while Oldman provides more simply an incredibly high-quality performance, enhancing the game immensely.

#1: Liam Neeson as James — Fallout 3 (X360)

We’ll return to Britain one more time for the top spot on this list. This place goes to a man that certainly needs no introduction once you read his name — but just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years, Liam Neeson has several incredible roles to his credit.

He played the title character in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, and Ra’s al Ghul (or Henri Ducard) in Batman Begins. You might also recognize his voice as Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, a role initially offered to Brian Cox. Aside from reprising his film role in the Batman Begins video game, Neeson has only one gaming voiceover role — but it’s a great one.

Ever typecast as the mentor, Neeson’s role in Fallout 3 is similar, playing the father of the playable character’s father. But what’s notable to me about Neeson’s role in Fallout 3 is the depth with which Bethesda, the developer, incorporated Neeson into the writing process.

The executive producer of the game once famously said, “This role was written with Liam in mind, and provides the dramatic tone for the entire game.” Other games have seen famous actors come in and provide a bit of credibility, notoriety or simple entertainment to a video game, but Bethesda did something more — like Hollywood writers, they actually wrote the part with a specific actor in mind, and relied on his abilities in advance. It shows the potential for a new trend in game voiceover casting — rather than characters being created in hopes that a voice actor might be able to play them adequately, characters are actually written with the actor already chosen.

Their strengths can be parlayed directly into the character, forming a more cohesive and direct link between voice and character. As voiceovers become a more and more legitimized side job for big-name actors, we can expect this trend to grow more and more.

Clearly, in the future, every video game character will be voiced by a famous British actor. That’s the only possible result that can come from this. Honestly, when I chose the actors for this list, I had no idea it was going to be 80% from the UK. I knew some would be, and Brian Cox wasn’t a huge surprise, but Kiefer Sutherland? Really?

Anyway, while celebrity voiceovers for video game characters is not a new phenomenon, it has certainly been increasing in recent years. Buoyed by the proliferation of actors reprising their movie role in games, a trend has begun that sees those actors playing original roles as well. The appeals are obvious: for the game company, the extra notoriety can be well worth the extra money (especially for small roles like Stewart’s and Cleese’s); and for the actors the roles require notably less of a time commitment than on-set commitments, with many voice performances completed in a mere two days at the studio.

I won’t venture to compare celebrity voiceovers to those by the industry’s specialists — there are naturally superior instances on both sides — but I will say that this trend is sure to continue and grow. I’m speculating here, but I believe Disney’s increased involvement in video game development will definitely bring in an even larger era of celebrity voiceovers, where their sway over a large body of actors (every Disney Channel and ABC performer) could lead to the types of all-star casts seen in Kingdom Hearts.

This list concludes my three-list series on voiceover artists — hopefully I have given credit where credit is due, and brought to the forefront some of the unsung heroes of the video game industry. These artists play a truly critical role in ensuring their games’ success, and I hope I’ve done my part in drawing attention to their names, careers and spectacular performances.

[Written by DetroitDJ, republished with permission]

Bunnies, rabbits, call them whatever you like – but with as video games turn to personification to quench their everlasting thirst for new and interesting characters, it’s only inevitable that often-cute, occasionally-vampiric, and always-carrot-loving rabbits should see an increased presence in the video games industry.

For this list, we’re only going to consider rabbits that made their debut in video games – sorry, Roger Rabbit and Bugs Bunny, but here are the Top 10 rabbits and bunnies to make their debut in video games.

#10: MIPS – Super Mario 64

First on the list is the minor but lovable character from Super Mario 64, MIPS.

MIPS doesn’t play a huge role in the game, holding two Power Stars for Mario to obtain, but he continues a long-standing Nintendo tradition of naming characters after bizarre hardware characteristics – in this case, Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages. Just a clever little tidbit about MIPS the rabbit.

#9: Rabites – Secret of Mana

Rabites are the de-facto of the Mana series – as much as a cute, cuddly, footless puff of fat can be a mascot. They’re really rather adorable, until you viciously tear them apart with your bare hands. Or weapons. Point being, they’re cute and cuddly and probably taste really good with barbecue sauce. But they represent the Mana series quite aptly.

#8: Buneary & Lopunny – Pokemon Diamond

No offense to Plusle and Minun, but compared to Buneary and Lopunny, they’re mere rodents. Buneary and Lopunny are the Pokemon universe’s version of rabbits in its never-ending thirst to have a Pokemon equivalent for every animal known to man (except no platypus? Come on!). And while some Pokemon can overcome the weakness of their real-world equivalent to actually remain formidable (Blastoise is the most intimidating turtle not of the teenage and mutant variety ever), Buneary and Lopunny are not among these.

Maybe they should’ve added in some fangs.

#7: Rabbids – Rayman Raving Rabbids

Or maybe more like the Rabbids. Have you seen those commercials of those Rabbids ambushing the guy in his living room? Creepy, man. You throw those into a Pokemon battle and I’m running the other way.

Those things are terrifying. The Rabbids are pretty fantastic themselves as well – I mean, how often does a mob of minor characters actually take over the series from the main protagonist? Heck with you, Rayman, all we need are these awesomely-terrifying apparently-bloodthirsty Rabbids. I guess they’re not called Rabbid for nothing.

#6: Alice – Bloody Roar

Did you ever really think that a rabbit could be this believable as a character? Play for a few hours and you’ll start to expect giant walking rabbits to pass you on the street. And kick your butt. But come on, if you could choose to transform into some half-human, half-animal beast, what would you choose? A wolf? A bear? A tiger? And is there anything that would rank higher than cute little bunny rabbit? Probably not.

But in a true accomplishment in the field of badassery, Alice becomes a rabbit – and actually makes it believable. Talk about earning your B.A.

#5: Bianca – Spyro the Dragon

Bianca is the obligatory bad-guy-turned-good for the Spyro series. Well, bad-girl-turned-good. You know that every series needs one, and as soon as you see a cute little bunny on the opposing side, you know that’s who it’s going to be. A bunny just can’t be that evil without those bloodthirsty red eyes.

Bianca also proves that bunnies can actually be competent at something, even if they’re not anthropomorphic half-human half-beast martial arts machines like Alice. And then in one final act of awesomeness, she pulls the animal kingdom equivalent of a waitress marrying a corporate CEO and hooks up with a Cheetah. I wouldn’t want to mess with their offspring.

#4: Peppy Hare – Star Fox 64 (N64)

Peppy is the remnant of a darker age in the Star Fox universe, where main characters actually died and somehow people were too dense to realize that the short, squatty pig with the mischievous, whiny voice and beady eyes was – get this – evil. Surviving, Peppy went on to mentor Fox, pulling the sidekick-to-mentor turn better than anyone since Obi-Wan. But what really sets Peppy apart – aside from his noble tutelage of the younger McCloud, his selfless willingness to serve as a support despite his seniority, and persistent calm in the face of adversity – is his ability to come up with the most awesomely and bizarrely memorable quotes in video game history.

“Never give up. Trust your instincts.” “You’re becoming more like your father.” And of course, “Do a barrel roll!” Who needs courage, selflessness and skill when you can have really awesome catchphrases?

#3: Jazz Jackrabbit – Jazz Jackrabbit (PC)

One of the rare rabbits to actually serve as the title character for his series, Jazz Jackrabbit takes the tortoise-and-the-hare fable to new heights. Except for, you know, not losing. Unlike many video game protagonists’ reliance on less violent weapons, Jazz used an actual gun to battle against his opponent, the evil turtle Devan Shell. Hopefully that’s the only time you’ll have to read the phrase “evil turtle” today. Overall, Jazz Jackrabbit comes across as a bunny version of Rambo, complete with red bandana and, of course, the aforementioned gun.

That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a pretty putrid shade of green, though. Surprisingly, Jazz Jackrabbit wasn’t the first rabbit to serve as the title character for a video game. Who was? Read on…

#2: Max – Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC)

What do you get when you put a rabbit, Dick Tracy, Tommy Vercetti and a gallon of sugar in a pot, then stir it up? A small hyperactive rabbit that solves crime with complete disregard for traffic laws – or any other laws, for that matter. Max is the overly hyper, politically-incorrect, hygienically-deficient, weapons-crazed bunny sidekick to Sam in the Sam & Max series.

Max encompasses a little piece of all of us – that piece that watches NASCAR races just for the crashes, or spends hours watching YouTube videos of people faceplanting on the sidewalk. Max is just a bit more in touch with his destructive side. And he also joins our list of rabbits that are more intimidating than frickin’ Lopunny.

#1: Reader Rabbit – Reader Rabbit (PC)

Back before the age of the Leapster, video games and educational games weren’t quite as separate as they are now. Educational video games really were games, just with an educational twist. That was the age of Math Blaster, of Super Solvers, and of Reader Rabbit. Yes, Reader Rabbit – just hearing that name likely inspired a sigh of nostalgia if you’re in the 18 to 25 age bracket. The red-and-blue-clad protagonist starred in 18 games from 1986 to 1998, teaching kids the basics of reading and phonics.

For many of us, Reader Rabbit was the first video game experience we had, opening a gateway not only to gaming, but to learning. Many teachers are viciously opposed to the idea of teaching using games, believing that rather than teaching they only encourage continued video game playing – however, games are an extremely effective teaching mechanism, as Reader Rabbit demonstrates. We’re always learning when we play games – the question is not whether we’re learning, but what we’re learning.

Rabbits. Bunnies. Hares. Call them what you want, they represent a surprisingly large subset of anthropomorphic video game characters. I don’t know what it is about rabbits that make them more common than dogs, turtles and other common animals, but for whatever reason, rabbits are a favorite of video game character designers. I guess we’d better just be hoppy with it. Now I’m going to go jump off something high to compensate for that pun.

[Written by DetroitDJ, published with permission]

WARNING: **MAJOR SPOILERS** Throughout gaming history, and your own personal gaming experiences, I’m sure there are moments that you will never forget. The death of your favorite character, a sudden plot twist, a beautiful romance reaching fruition, or whatever else suits your fancy, there are certain moments that are etched indelibly into your memory.

This list explores 10 of my most favorite scenes/moments from video games. I make no effort to claim that these are THE top 10 EVER. They are simply 10 moments that I shall never forget, and that I encourage you to seek out and experience for yourself. This list does contain major spoilers, so beware.

#10: The Gravity Gun upgrade: Half-Life 2 (PC)

The entire game, Gordon Freeman has been using normal, everyday (well, almost) weapons to take down his foes. Shotguns, pistols, smgs, etc. Everyday fare. The power of these is such that it makes you feel as though you really were just another guy doing what’s right, instead of an uber-soldier. The normal weapons are not overpowered, they’re just right, and the ammunition supplies you’ll find for the more powerful weapons are rare enough that you won’t get used to using them.

After you enter the Citadel, though, Gordon walks into a security room and is held in place by a stasis field as his weapons are disintegrated. All except for the Gravity Gun. Up until now, the Gravity Gun has been rather low-powered: You can’t really punt things big enough at combine soldiers to kill them in one hit like you can with the Magnum or Crossbow. The disintegration field somehow supercharges the Gravity Gun, though, and Gordon gains the most overpowered weapon since the Gauss Gun from HL1. It’s got infinite ammo, and can pinpoint kill any soldier from long range. You can punt soldiers up close to pretty much wipe out an entire group with one shot. You can rip giant pieces of machinery out of the wall and bowl over legions of soldiers.

This is such a sweet moment, and the wicked fun you get to have with the Gravity Gun from then on is so awesome.

#9: Ridley X battle: Metroid Fusion (GBA)

Metroid Fusion is the direct sequel to Super Metroid, and was released 8 years after the latter. Of course, graphics have improved amazingly since then, and one of my favorite moments is the Ridley X battle in Fusion, because it demonstrates this perfectly. Ridley, a large space dragon and co-leader of the space pirates, has been defeated by Samus many times before. He’s very powerful, and is often the second-to-last fight in the game.

In Fusion, Samus has a mission on the Biologic Science Labs space station. She’s here attempting to defeat a deadly parasite named “X” that can mimic the powers and appearance of foes it absorbs. She happens across a cyro-freeze chamber, where Ridley is kept in storage. Here, he appears with the exact same graphical look as he had in Super Metroid. Later on, Samus makes her way into the chamber, only to watch helplessly as an X parasite absorbs Ridley and flies off. Much later, she falls into a room that has Ridley X sitting at the bottom; still frozen, still with his old graphical look. He appears to be dead until his eyes glow red, and the parasite attacks! The moment it attacks, though, Ridley X gets a significant graphical boost, and he looks suitably awesome.

I love this moment, because in just a few seconds, you can see 8 years of new technology being applied to the same character. I never get tired of seeing it; it’s that awesome.

#8: Arthas’ Fall: Warcraft III (PC)

Prince Arthas, once a Paladin, now a Death Knight. The first time I played Reign of Chaos, I certainly didn’t expect him to do what he turned out doing. I was operating under the impression that Paladins are invincible, and cannot possibly compromise their moral code. Arthas certainly surprised me in that regard, murdering scores of people as he fell deeper and deeper into evil, eventually murdering his own father and taking up the demonic blade, Frostmourne.

Arthas then went on to help summon the Burning Legion to Azeroth, and seduce the Night Elf Illidan into consuming the skull of Gul’dan and becoming a half-demon. The most memorable moment for me, though, is in The Frozen Throne, when Arthas finally confronts Illidan in a one-on-one duel to the death. Arthas demonstrates the extent of his power as he easily defeats Illidan and leaves him for dead (though he does survive), and climbs the mountain and approaches The Frozen Throne itself. Smashing Frostmourne into The Frozen Throne, at first, I thought Arthas had redeemed himself and destroyed The Throne, but my hopes were dashed to the ice as the crown of the Lich King was released and Arthas and the Lich King merged into one.

The game ends on a very somber note, as Arthas surveys his frozen kingdom, with nothing living in sight.

#7: Maxim and Selan’s Death: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (SNES)

In what game have you seen a main character die? Several, right? How about BOTH of the (happily married, no less) main characters? Maxim, Selan, Guy, and Artea have finally come to the Fortress of Doom where their enemies await: The four Sinistrals. The party defeats them, one by one, and after the last of them, Daos, falls, Daos summons the energy of the other 3 in a last-ditch attempt to kill the party. The party combines their energy in an effort to push back and finally defeat the Sinistrals, but Artea realizes that Selan probably won’t survive the ordeal. Selan claims she can hold, and the party does indeed crush the Sinistrals, only to leave the floating Fortress of Doom collapsing, and Selan practically dead.

Artea and Guy are separated from Maxim and Selan, and the nature of Artea’s escape spell is that for the entire party to be magically teleported out, they have to all be together. Maxim realizes that he cannot leave Selan, and so Artea and Guy teleport out, after hearing Maxim’s promise that he’ll get them both out alive. Selan dies in Maxim’s arms, and Maxim starts his reluctant escape, only to realize that the Fortress is going to crash atop the town where he lives, and where his infant son is sleeping at that very moment!

Maxim goes off to alter the Fortress’ course, and uses the last of his spiritual and physical strength in this task which ends up claiming his life. Maxim and Selan’s spirits embrace each other in death, and float over their home town to see their son one last time, before ascending into the sky. A tragic ending already, but made moreso by Artea and Guy planning a celebration that they expect Maxim to be at. After all, he promised…

#6: The Final Boss: Final Fantasy III (SNES)

Kefka, the villain of Final Fantasy III (or VI, as it is more properly known), achieved what few villains could: He actually destroyed the world. Most graduates of villain school rarely get as far as Kefka did. Kefka, through his mad designs, ascended to godhood by absorbing the source of all magic in the world, the Statues.

He then proceeded to remake the world as he wanted it to be: a bleak, dead expanse. He constructed a tower for himself, where from on high he could destroy anything that opposed his might. The party, finally confronting him, is drawn into the battle to end all battles against the mad dictator.

Who could forget “Dancing Mad”, one of the best final boss music themes ever composed? Who could forget the deep organ chords as Kefka made his final appearance? Who could forget his maniacal laugh as he promised to crush all hopes and dreams? Who could forget the intensity of the battle that was to follow? The party’s escape upon his defeat, and the disappearance of magic, is timeless.

#5: Malus’ Revelation: Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (N64)

This could’ve been attributed to the first Castlevania 64, but Legacy of Darkness had much better gameplay and more options and pretty much the entire first game in it, so I’m using this game. Now, the moment: While on a mission to Dracula’s castle to kill him, your character (Reinhardt or Carrie) has to wander through a hedge maze while being stalked by a giant that resembles Frankenstein’s monster wielding a chainsaw. While in the maze, you happen across a young boy with purple eyes and clothing, that is very scared and very lost. He explains that Dracula’s minions burned his town and killed his family, while looking for a certain child. The boy, Malus, upon remembering this horrific event, starts sobbing. As your character tries to comfort him, two large, animated stone dogs from hell creep up behind you. Malus notices this, shrieks in terror, and runs off.

You then have to find where he’s run off to and lead him to the exit. The back door of the hedge maze leads to the forest, and it should be an easy escape that way. Malus walks off, and that seems the end of it. (Keep reading, we’re getting to the interesting part.) However, much later and much deeper into the castle of darkness, your character comes across some shelves that you can see through… with Malus standing on the other side. Upon being questioned as to why he’s still here, he asks whether you are planning on defeating Dracula and avenging his parents. Your character swears it, only to be answered with an evil chuckle from Malus. His eyes have changed slightly; they’re a lighter purple than before. He yells at you that you have no chance and you will die in the castle, and then runs off.

Your character is quite confused, but it is apparent to the player that Malus is just another possessed human or vampire. After all, you’ve seen several strange creatures up to this point, and will see many more. A long time and many levels and bosses pass, and you forget Malus. You come to the highest point of the tower, and meet Dracula himself! You defeat him in an epic battle, and start to escape, as is the custom of many games. On your retreat, though, an arrow is suddenly fired at you.

Where could an arrow have come from, though? You’re high up on a falling staircase in midair! Your character looks up, and sees Malus himself, with his normal eyes, riding a black demon Pegasus. He stares at you for a second, and then spurs his mount on. You continue down the falling staircase, only to find the door is locked ahead of you. No choice: take the small elevator off to one side. It leads you to the roof, where Malus confronts you. Your character can feel a much stronger evil aura than that of even Dracula, and is thoroughly confused by this point. Malus’ eyes turn light again, and reveals that that which you had defeated was merely a guardian of Dracula’s true, slumbering spirit, and Dracula has possessed Malus’ body !

Suddenly transforming into a fully adult vampire, Dracula attacks. Your character defeats him, and it seems that Malus is no longer possessed: He looks up with normal eyes and seems confused. Your character reaches out to help him up, but suddenly Malus is attacked by Vincent! (Assuming you’ve gotten the good ending.) Vincent, an NPC vampire hunter, is not fooled: This child really IS Dracula! Dracula curses Vincent and is forced to reveal his true form: A monstrous, horrific, Dragon/centipede creature. This is the true final boss. The many plot twists involving Malus and Dracula, leading up to the appearance of the (totally awesome) final boss, are perfect, and definitely deserve to be on this list, imo. I’ll never forget how I felt the first time I experienced this.

#4: Dhaos’ Real Motive: Tales of Phantasia (SNES)

Tales of Phantasia remains to this day one of my most favorite RPGs, ever. Stupendous gameplay, graphics, and one one of the deepest plots I’ve ever seen, all in one cartridge. The plot is simply too deep to describe here, and the final, climactic revelation is one of the best moments ever in gaming. Most games, you learn what the villain’s motive is early on or midway through, and your ingame characters learn it as well. Revenge, wanting to dominate the world, power, etc. Motives are hard to not be cliched nowadays. But in Tales of Phantasia, Dhaos’s (Dhaos is the villain of the game, and apparently very evil) motive is never mentioned.

Your ingame party can’t even figure it out. All they know is that whatever he’s trying to do, he’s going about it the wrong way: killing scores of people, etc., so they need to stop him. At one of the many points in the game where the party confronts Dhaos, their motive theories are all put down by Dhaos.

He even thanks Mint (the healer) for saving the life of the Mana Tree, the source of magic in the world. The party and player remain confused up until after the final boss! It is revealed that Dhaos came from a different world that needs magic to survive, and he was attempting to create a Mana seed to take back to his world. Since the party killed him, it’s likely that they’ve doomed Dhaos’ entire planet to extinction. (Luckily, though, Martel, spirit guardian of the Mana Tree, makes a Mana seed to send to Dhaos’ planet. ) To Dhaos, He was the good guy and the main characters were the bad guys! I still have yet to see a plot twist to surpass this anywhere else.

#3: The Wind Fish’s Awakening: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB)

The direct sequel to A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening takes Link on a sea journey that goes wrong, leaving him stranded on the little island of Koholint. Along the way, he makes many friends, and attempts to find a way home to Hyrule. Nightmare creatures are on the island, and Link is enlisted to help clear them out. He discovers that on the highest mountain of the island, there is a gigantic egg, and within sleeps a mythical creature named the Wind Fish. It becomes apparent that the Nightmares know something Link doesn’t, and it isn’t until late in the game that everything becomes clear: The island is not real.

It’s being dreamed into existence by the Wind Fish. Link has a choice to make: Awaken the Wind Fish and leave the island, or remain on the island forever. Dream or not, there are many people on the island that Link has grown attached to. The Nightmares don’t want the Wind Fish to wake up, as they’ll cease to exist, but the people don’t even know they’re not real. Link has no choice: He has to awaken the Fish. He enters the egg and defeats the Nightmares, and then awakens the Wind Fish. Link watches as the island simply disappears, even as Marin, a girl that helped him out, sings her favorite song. Link suddenly awakens on a piece of driftwood from his ship. Was EVERYTHING a dream?…. No, Link looks up and is gladdened to see the Wind Fish flying through the sky. The melancholy moment of the island’s disappearance is impossible to forget.

#2: Mother Brain Battle: Super Metroid (SNES)

The first time Samus saw Mother Brain, in the original Metroid, M.B. was just a brain in a jar with some lasers for defense. She appears to be the exact same boss in this game, too. Just wait until the jar breaks, though. Mother Brain sprouts a gigantic, alien body and starts shrieking like a banshee. Samus curses silently to herself, and starts pumping missiles into M.B.’s head. After awhile, though, it’s obvious that Mother Brain is simply too powerful now. She charges up a gigantic psychic blast, and lets loose on Samus, draining almost every last point of energy from our heroine, and leaving her unable to move. M.B. starts charging up again, and it’s unclear whether Samus will survive this, until the last living Metroid comes in to save Samus!

The Metroid drains M.B. almost dead, and starts transferring the energy to Samus. Meanwhile, Mother Brain is regaining her health. She stands up and starts firing at the Metroid that is busily healing Samus. The Metroid charges in for the attack, only to be shot down by M.B. The Metroid’s body falls on Samus, and Samus gains the last thing that the Metroid absorbed: Mother Brain’s psychic blast power! Samus utilizes this energy as the hyper beam, and every shot that connects with Mother Brain makes her recoil hugely as she screams in pain. This hugely overpowered weapon almost makes you afraid of your own power. Mother Brain doesn’t stand a chance against her own energy; her head is blown off and disintegrates into dust. Samus is left thanking the Metroid for saving her life, until she has to escape the exploding planet.

#1: Frog is Glenn: Chrono Trigger (SNES)

This moment marks the only time I’ve ever cried about something that happened in a videogame. I’m not a sentimental guy (well, not much), but this really moved me. In the game, Crono and Lucca, looking for the kidnapped queen, are approached by a swordsfrog that names himself as “Frog”. He helps you save the queen, and then leaves, but it is apparent that the queen knows him from previously. Later on, Frog joins you as you fight against the main threat to the kingdom: The evil wizard, Magus. Along the course of the game, you see various flashbacks in which two characters are introduced: Glenn, a young boy that is much picked on, and Cyrus, an older teen that befriends Glenn. The two become best friends, and grow up together, Cyrus wants to join the royal military, and suggests that Glenn join as well, claiming that Glenn is better with a sword than even he.

Glenn is reluctant, but the two join. Cyrus becomes captain of the guards, and Glenn his right hand man. The two set off on many missions, retrieving the Hero’s Medal from the frog king, and finally confronting Magus himself. Magus kills Cyrus, leaving Glenn in tears, and then curses Glenn with the shape of a frog. These flashbacks are not in chronological order, though, so one of the very last ones is the one that shows how Glenn and Cyrus met (at which point I cried, at seeing how deep a friendship they had and how brutally Magus had slaughtered Cyrus). Glenn/Frog is left with no self-esteem whatsoever, and rejects the obvious fact that he is the legendary hero, destined to wield the mystical sword, Masamune. Eventually, though, he takes up the Hero’s Medal and the Masamune, and the cutscene in which this happens is still my #1 favorite cutscene, ever. This is my #1 memorable moment. No matter what happens, I shall never forget this.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed typing it and remembering these moments. If you were reading an entry and said “Oh, yes! I remember that! That was awesome.”, then my purpose for this list is complete. If you’ve never experienced these moments, then I think you should! You won’t be sorry.

[GameFaqs List written by The_Mighty_KELP, republished and modified with permission.]

Ah, the horse – long the noble steed of humanity, horses are wildly prominent in video games of all kinds. Some games revolve around the horse, whereas in other it just facilitates to simplify other aspects, like simply transportation.

For a rare few, the horse is truly a character all its own, taking on a life and personality unseen in even human characters. But enough horsing around with needless semantics – on to the Top 10 Video Game Horses.

#10: Horse – Horsez (DS)

The first entry to this list is included not for the horse itself, but for what the game represents and how horses play their role. Horses are, for whatever reason, a strong draw to the female audiences that are often left under-targeted by the video game industry. A simple GameFAQs search on the term ‘horse’ yields literally dozens of female-oriented horse games, ranging from raising as pets to basic breeding to racing.

Most of these games enjoy the more war-oriented themes that horses in subsequent games rely on, but it would be completely preposterous to list top video game horses without at least alluding to their role in gender-neutral game development. The specific choice here, Horsez, is simply one of the most popular games within this realm, combining its gender-neutral pull with the DS’s varied audience.

#9: Horse – Stampede (2600)

Secondly, another mostly shout-out placement on this list. #9 goes to the horse from Stampede, if for no other reason than for being one of the first – if not THE first (I can’t find any earlier) – horse in video game history. Rendered in extraordinarily simple graphics on the Atari 2600, it actually represented some interesting gamplay advancements, with its pseudo-overhead “camera” and interesting twist on the standard side-scroller.

The horse in it was your typical trusty sidekick, tirelessly trotting around under your booty as you wandered the game field. It even had some loose semblance of actual horse traits, as it would become harder to control if your directions faltered. But overall, the most important contribution but this horse is its role as one of, if not the, first horses in video game history.

#8: Horse – World of Warcraft (PC)

As we’ve seen and will see again, the most common purpose in for horses in games is their position as support to the main character. They rarely talk like other animal characters, but stay fast at your side. To this end, they often are named and shaped by their creator, rather than playing a specific plot role.

The horse in World of Warcraft is no exception – facilitating your faster travel, it serves as both a reward and an enhancement, opening up easier access to new worlds. It’s in World of Warcraft that the horse is perhaps depicted as closest to its original domestication purpose – quickening travel. Its relatively small importance and role, however, relegates these noble steeds to #8.

#7: Horse – Harvest Moon (SNES)

Shortly after humanity discovered that horses were the best transportation that would come along until the car, they also discovered horses are also the best piece of farm equipment that would come along until the tractor. The Harvest Moon horse doesn’t pull a plow like it may actually do in the world, but it plays a notable role in farming, alleviating the repetitiveness of harvesting one’s seasonal crops. Loyally carrying a shipping bin on either side, the horse sticks around and faithfully hauls your haul to the market for continued income.

What’s most interesting may be that as the Harvest Moon series moves on, the horse takes on some new roles – horse racing, most notably – but abandons its role as a farm tool, sacrificing the saddlebags.

#6: The Black Horse – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360)

First it’s transportation, then it’s farm equipment, then finally the horse becomes a tool of war. In Elder Scrolls, the horse starts out as a simple transportation mechanism, but as the game goes on – or more specifically, in a later downloadable add-on – the horse can strap on some armor, giving it a gleam of ferocity as it carries you off to your next epic battle. With a vicious mask and a neck plate to match, woe on he who dares mess with this beast of war.

Not only do these horses look ferocious with the armor plating itself, the game also supplies a sort of ultimate horse – a terrifying black horse to carry you off to your next battle.

#5: Ponyta & Rapidash – Pokemon Blue (GB)

The diamond-hooved equine entries to the Pokemon series, Ponyta and Rapidash ride on a trail of fire. Is it just me, or would that be fantastic? In the Pokemon series’ never-ending thirst to copy every animal on earth (except the platypus!), Ponyta and Rapidash get the horse out of the way early.

Typically docile – or at least not blatantly violent – this pair of horses breaks the mold by fighting for themselves rather than facilitating the fighting of those riding on their backs. Not that you could ever get me to straddle something that was on fire. That’d just be painful.

#4: Hudson Horstachio – Viva Pinata (X360)

A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and in an industry obsessed with anthropomorphic characters based on every imaginable animal, horses are surprisingly underutilized for this purpose. In fact, Hudson Horstachio is the only horse (piñata or otherwise) on this list to actually speak. But his ego more than makes up for the absence of speech on the part of his fellow equines – lovable, agreeable, and more than a little self-indulgent, Hudson is the popular blue horse figurehead of the Viva Piñata franchise. His anthropomorphic speaking ability alone grants him a prominent spot on this list. Olé!

#3: Vast Delight – Gallop Racer 2004 (PS2)

Past the generic, unnamed horses and past the one anthropomorphic entry on this list, we finally enter into the three actual named horses, with true reputations of their own separate and apart from the characters they support. Well, reputation may be too strong a word for this first entry. Vast Delight is the fastest horse from the underrated Gallop Racer series’ 2004 entry. Possessing incredible strength, speed and agility, Vast Delight is the ultimate example of the fourth horse occupation: racing.

Rendered in gorgeous 3D graphics and pushing horse racing mechanics to a new level of realism, Gallop Racer 2004 shines as one of the ultimate examples of under-appreciated video game horse racing, and Vast Delight is the best it has to offer.

#2: Epona – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

In every battle of top video game equines, two surface to the top. The winner amongst the two is always debatable – one hails from a far more popular game, but the other plays a more significant role in its game’s plot. While many pick the first, those familiar with both almost always pick the second – and so will I. Epona, originally from the Ocarina of Time, is mostly Link’s travel buddy – mainly for faster transportation around the overworld.

Epona’s pervasiveness throughout the game and a few poignant moments combine with the overall popularity of Ocarina of Time and the relative absence of other true character horses to bump Epona up on the overall horse popularity list, and in later games, Epona takes a larger role – but nothing that can match the #1 horse on our list.

#1: Agro – Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

I won’t play the spoiler – not for a game that many still haven’t played – but for those who have, Agro’s influence and sacrifice is unmistakable. He is, in many ways, more human than many of the human characters out there, and his role in the plot of this masterpiece only shows the depth of character that a horse can possess. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, play the game – spoiling it for you would deprive you of one of the most poignant and touching video game moments since Final Fantasy VII. And if you do know what I’m talking about, you know that this little paragraph can’t possibly do Agro any justice at all.

While the presence of most animals in video games errs on the anthropomorphic side, horses typically are depicted much more realistically – and with good reason. Their usefulness and flexibility make them legitimately valuable tools in their own right. But no one can talk to a horse, of course, unless if that horse, of course, of course, is… Hudson Horstachio? Stranger things have happened.

[Written by DetroitDJ, republished with permission]

Throughout gaming history, there have been a large portion of main characters that don’t talk, aka silent protagonists. It is interesting that games are practically the only way of successfully portraying these mute heroes. In a movie or book? No chance. And it is interesting that sometimes, unspeakable characters can actually be identified with better than the speaking variety! This list shows the top ten characters that don’t speak or speak very little, and can still pull off a believable performance and make a great game.

Also in most cases, the game would probably not be as fun if the character spoke. ( I will abbreviate Silent Protagonist as SP.)

#10: Will: Illusion of Gaia (SNES)

Squaresoft certainly has a thing for SPs. There’s 3 on this list alone, and Will is probably the most vocal of the three. Well… it depends on how you define vocal, I guess. Will doesn’t talk, but he does think in text to himself a bit, mainly to state obvious things like “The party headed towards the Angel Village”, when you’ve just selected the “Go to Angel Village” option. B

ut besides that, he doesn’t talk. He’s an awesome character, too. He can turn into a Dark Knight with much more powers than his boyish frame, and even become a demi-godly Aura Being or whatever near the end of the game.

#9: The Angel: Soul Blazer (SNES)

The Angel, servant of the Master, the supreme deity of Soul Blazer’s world. This angel never says a word, although like many SPs, he may answer a multiple choice question. This heroic character single handedly saves the entire world, one piece at a time.

He travels throughout massive dungeons, killing monsters to save individual humans, plants, and animals, with nothing beside him but his trusty sword. Without speaking, he rescues kingdoms and countries, and even gets a girl to fall in love with him.

#8: Prince of Persia: Prince of Persia (SNES)

You’ve gotta feel for this guy. All he wanted was to lounge around with his girlfriend, the princess… until he got thrown into the absolute deepest dungeon that could possibly exist in ancient Persia. And he doesn’t even complain, as he spends hours climbing out through the deadliest traps and battling the most skillful swordfighters, with shoving a few skeletons off a ledge for good measure.

I would be screaming my head off by now, or at least yelling at the guards, but the Prince doesn’t even mumble, although he’ll grunt a bit when he falls face first onto a bed of spikes. What a guy.

#7: Kirby: Kirby series (various platforms)

While other SPs could probably have the ability to talk if they WANTED to, Kirby physically CAN’T talk. He can say the cutest “Hi!” you’ll EVER hear, and maybe copy a “Falcon Punch” sound, but for the most part, Kirby can’t talk.

This little pink puff ball doesn’t need to, though. His cuteness speaks for itself. And in Amazing mirror, there’s four times the… um… muteness! The game would suffer if Kirby spoke.

#6: Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog series (various platforms)

He talks more in his newer games, but his original incarnation doesn’t speak. If he did speak, we probably wouldn’t hear it anyway; he’s breaking the sound barrier when he runs, I’m sure. The oddest thing is that Sonic seems to perpetually be rescuing cute animals from Dr. Eggman. Dr. Eggman doesn’t speak either, now that I think of it.

#5: Link: The Legend of Zelda series (various platforms)

Link’s probably the oldest SP on this list that has REMAINED an SP. Since game one, he’s never said a word, although he does a bit more yelling when he’s in 3D. There have been many different Links, but they all share the same role: (insert name of land here)’s only hope! From Hyrule to Holodrum, Koholint to Labrynna, Clock Town to the Gerudo Valley, Link’s saved it all.

His age varies a bit, also, and he can be anywhere from a kid to an adult. By far, his kid form is the most courageous, because Link never lets his small form stop him. Sometimes, saving the world even requires getting smaller… if you know what I mean. Wearing his trademark floppy green hat and wielding his sword, Link goes through countless dangers and comes out unscathed, all without muttering more than one syllable (assuming his 3D sound effects are all one syllable). Definitely an SP to love.

#4: Samus: Metroid series (various platforms)

A character from back in the NES days, when MOST characters didn’t speak, even in text. Samus talks a bit more nowadays, as in Super Metroid when she introduces the game, and in Fusion, when she talks quite a bit more.

For the most part, though, she is a true SP. And you gotta admire her – in most games, she’s going to an alien planet, with no backup, no way to contact someone if she gets stuck deep inside the planet, and nothing to defend herself with but what she brings in and what she finds. Samus is a truly courageous person, and if she spoke even a bit, I’m sure it would take away from her appeal.

#3: Mario: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)

I wasn’t going to put Mario on this list at all. I’ve already covered Nintendo’s other bigs (Link, Samus, Kirby), and a main character of a platformer doesn’t need to speak anyway. Besides, he voice talks quite a bit in his more recent games. But then, I realized I had forgotten SMRPG:TLot7S. Mario pulls off one of the greatest SP roles in the history of videogaming.

It was very hard to place him at only 3rd. Now, to explain why he even got third: He can’t talk. “Sure,” you say, “This list is ABOUT guys that can’t talk.” But Mario handles his speech impediment in a totally awesome way: he ACTS OUT what he wants to communicate. For instance: Mario is trying to explain to the Mushroom Kingdom Chancellor that a Sword has crashed into Bowser’s Castle. He acts out THREE parts at once, disguising himself as Peach or Bowser when he needs to, and acts out what happened at Bowser’s Castle. The Chancellor gets Mario’s meaning instantly, of course (kinda like Lassie).

I simply cannot describe how FUNNY it is to watch Mario do this. This and shaking his head are the only ways he communicates. Later, when he gets more party members, they help him out in his acting. When Geno is trying to explain to Gaz, the kid in Rose Town, how wishes are granted, Mallow and Mario act it out while Geno narrates. It’s just awesomeness that I can’t describe. This element of an already perfect 10 game just makes it even better.

#2: Crono: Chrono Trigger (SNES)

You probably saw Crono coming up somewhere on this list. What you probably DIDN’T see is that he didn’t make number one. I had a hard time choosing the top three, but I think I’m justified to put Crono in second. Anyway, Crono is probably my absolute favorite SP from RPGs. He doesn’t even have any SOUND EFFECTS, for crying out loud! Most other SPs will at least have grunts when they take damage or whatnot, but Crono doesn’t seem to even have a larynx.

It’s also interesting that the “mute” status will stop Crono from using magic… Crono is a truly awesome SP, and delivers a very dynamic performance. He endures everything, from getting tossed in a dungeon for a crime he didn’t commit, to getting thrown into the future where he realizes the world will be destroyed, to decide to take down this world destroyer (Lavos), and finally get KILLED by Lavos when he finally confronts him! Has that EVER happened in another game? What would Final Fantasy VII be like if Cloud DIED when he fought Sephiroth? What would Ocarina of Time be like if Link got killed by Ganon? Crono, luckily, gets brought back to life, and gets a second chance at taking down Lavos.

Can you imagine what must’ve been going through his head? He’s already died against this thing once, and he’s going back for another try, without so much as a “Oh good, I’m alive again!” Truly an awesome character that would take up too much space to describe here. I think the game also would’ve been worse, had Crono talked (although he says a few words in one of the 15+ endings).

#1: Gordon Freeman: Half-Life series (PC)

Who ELSE could I put here? Gordon is just so awesome BECAUSE he doesn’t speak, something not a lot of other SPs have going for them. In HL2, the NPCs even crack JOKES about Gordon not speaking! That’s just awesome. Gordon was an average scientist at a top-secret U.S. research facility. Something went horribly wrong, and aliens from another dimension started coming through portals and overrunning the base!

While other scientists got killed or hid, Gordon grabbed the only available weapon – say it with me – a Crowbar – and went out to stop the aliens. He never says a word. Ever. He just coolly tramples anyone who gets in his way; aliens, the military, and finally ends it by going to the alien’s home turf and bumping off the overlord of the aliens. Gordon doesn’t need to crack wise or chat with his cowardly colleagues. He’s a man on a mission, and he doesn’t need words to express that.

The One Free Man himself is the ultimate Silent Protagonist.

In conclusion, I would like to say: …………………………………………………..

[GameFaqs List written by The_Mighty_KELP, republished with permission.]