3. The Longest Journey
Often a bit of an unsung classic, The Longest Journey is one of the better point and clicks of recent years, with a deep and involving story combined with some challenging brain teasers. The voice acting is often unrecognised, but it is its unassuming nature that makes it so refreshing. Rather than trying to impress, the voices in The Longest Journey successfully convey the game’s narrative in a naturalistic style. It helps give the game an impressive flow that makes it so engaging.
2. Grim Fandango
I initially set out to avoid populating this list with too many Lucas Arts adventure games, but the pull was just too great. When you consider the quality of voice acting in games like Grim Fandango, I hope you can see why it had to be done. Grim Fandango has some of the most creative game worlds and characters ever conceived, and they are all brilliantly conveyed by the voice cast. What’s most impressive is how, despite the heavy Spanish influence on the game’s narrative, the voice acting never comes across as hammy or racially insensitive. A pure slice of story-telling bliss that often goes unheard of.
1. Half-Life 2
A fairly obvious one, but important all the same. The voice acting in the Halg-Life games has always been top notch, but it was in the second one that it really became the core driving force of the game’s narrative. The whole thing had a polish that went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to presentation. Granted, Half-Life 2 was later ported to Xbox and 360 and PS3 as part of the Orange Box, but it’s still primarily a PC game at heart.
Any other great PC exclusives that you loved the voice acting in? Tell us in the comments.
