These performances made us want to play our games on mute. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for performances that prove not everyone can bring their A-game to the world of video game voice acting.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we are monotonely looking into some of our finest working actors
00:11and seeing when they gave their worst work for gamers.
00:15These are the Top 10 Worst Performances in Video Games.
00:18Let's see who needs to take some acting classes to refresh their chops.
00:22Bruce Willis Apocalypse
00:23Back in 1998 having a star like Bruce Willis headline a video game was a major novelty,
00:39it drew in audiences, it added legitimacy to your title, it was good for everyone, except
00:43for in this case, the player.
00:46His involvement couldn't disguise the mediocrity of Apocalypse, originally Willis was intended
00:50to be a sidekick character the player would fight alongside, but during testing developers
00:54quickly realised that players wanted to control Willis himself.
00:58As a result his dialogue was hastily reworked to make him the central character, this resulted
01:03in some clearly rushed and very flat line delivery.
01:07Throughout gameplay he occasionally throws out a cheesy one liner, but his lack of enthusiasm
01:11is evident, a hint of what would come in some of his later film roles.
01:19Unknown The House of the Dead 2
01:24It's hard to find the right words to describe this one, once you've watched this compilation
01:27of Goldman's dialogue from House of the Dead 2, you'll understand.
01:32Even though the actor is unknown, the impression has stayed.
01:35Every line is delivered in a flat, almost robotic tone, with emphasis placed on random
01:40words in each sentence.
01:42It's like the actor learned how to use their tongue that day.
01:45In an era where games like Metal Gear Solid offered cinematic storytelling it's baffling
01:50that this passed for professional voice acting.
01:52Some people will argue that this is charming and that it's reflective of the era, those
01:56people are stupid.
02:03Sam Worthington Call of Duty Black Ops
02:13Sam Worthington seemed like the perfect actor to excel in a role like Alex Mason, but his
02:18leading man looks couldn't distract from his performance.
02:21He looked perfect for the role, but it turned out he wasn't.
02:24Whether it's the material or his approach, his performance in Call of Duty Black Ops
02:27feels flatter than day old beer.
02:29On paper, Mason is a compelling figure, a brainwashed assassin with ties to the JFK
02:35assassination.
02:36However, Worthington's interpretation leans heavily on shrill line delivery and constant
02:41the numbers.
02:42It's an unconvincing, jittery American accent.
02:45His performance in the sequel was admittedly better, but that's like saying, well this
02:49meal of bugs and dirt still tastes better than what I ate yesterday, because yesterday
02:54I ate dog shit.
03:0050 Cent 50 Cent Blood on the Sand
03:13Imagine having the audacity to centre a game around yourself and then coming out the gate
03:17with a mediocre performance.
03:1950 Cent's acting range has always been somewhat limited, but we never quite realised that
03:23until it was too late.
03:24The same monotone delivery from his films carried over into his video game venture Blood
03:29on the Sand, which became even more glaring when so much of a video game performance in
03:34this era of gaming relied on the voice.
03:37The game's absurd premise has 50 performing a rap concert in the Middle East, getting
03:41paid with a diamond encrusted skull, and then embarking on a violent quest to recover it
03:46after it's stolen by terrorists.
03:48While this setup had potential for over-the-top fun, the game ends up as a dull, repetitive
03:52shooter with a very dull performance from the main man himself.
03:57I hope he got paid 50 cents for his acting job.
04:00Boom, what a joke, too late for a clapback, 50 cent, I'm moving on, for one fact, look
04:03motherfucker, I'm here to meet with Yazeed, the owner of this pisshole, that's me, I'm
04:07Yazeed, but all my friends, they call me Eddie, 50 cent, I don't believe it, so how can I
04:13help you, Saeed Kamal.
04:16David Duchovny, XIII David Duchovny's relaxed demeanour translates
04:26perfectly to voiceover work, often coming across as either disinterested or detached,
04:31wait, that's a bad thing, let me take that again, David Duchovny's relaxed demeanour
04:35sucks for voiceover work.
04:37His performance in Area 51 could serve as a sleep aid, but his work in XIII sets a new
04:42low for lack of effort.
04:44While the game features a unique comic book aesthetic, enjoyable gameplay and an engaging
04:48plot, it's held back by Duchovny's monotone delivery.
04:52He brings the same flat energy to every scene, whether it's a quiet exchange or a high stakes
04:56gunfight, which saps so much of what the game is trying to make.
05:00Don't get it twisted though, game, good, voice acting, bad.
05:07Christopher Walken, True Crime, Streets of LA
05:21This is a terrifying list for me, because with each and every entry, there is a small
05:24group of defenders, lovers and passionate believers in the performances given, none
05:29more so than probably Christopher Walken in True Crime, Streets of LA.
05:33Even when Christopher Walken is phoning it in, his charisma often carries the day, and
05:37I'm not saying he phones it in much, it just happens from time to time.
05:40However, his charisma doesn't translate as well to voiceover work, where his visible
05:44presence is absent.
05:46This is the case with True Crime, Streets of LA, where Walken's poorly written and
05:50lacklustrely delivered opening narration immediately sets a shaky tone for the game.
05:55Now it should be made clear, like I said, some people are fans, so if you're watching
05:59this and thinking, wait a minute, I think he did good, more power to you.
06:03But it's not a 50-50 split, it's more like 20-80.
06:06The underwhelming car chases and shootouts don't do the game any favours, and while Walken's
06:10role is relatively minor, his awkward, hand-me-performance whenever he does show up keeps the game from
06:16being great.
06:17Nah, not like Nick.
06:19First his mother died, she was a dear soul, then his father Henry got fingered in a drug
06:27trafficking scandal and simply disappeared.
06:32Mickey Rourke, Rogue Warrior.
06:34We're ass running this opposite the dumb desk jockey named Admiral Travis Payton.
06:40He tells me the mission is beyond classified, so I'm running a skeleton crew, minimum footprint,
06:45maximum impact, SOP for assholes like me.
06:48Now I know I've crammed this particular game into so many lists of mine, so I apologise,
06:52but it's not because it's good, it's because it falls into so many wild categories.
06:57Something clearly went off the rails during the development of Rogue Warrior.
07:01Originally envisioned as an ambitious first-person shooter, it devolved into a dull, poorly designed
07:06third-person game that can be completed in just a few hours.
07:09The game's big selling point was the voice work of Mickey Rourke.
07:13Unfortunately, his performance sounds like it was recorded during a brutal hangover.
07:18His character is a raspy, foul-mouthed jerk, making him outright unpleasant to listen to,
07:23and the only emotion Rourke seems to convey is frustration, probably at having to read
07:27the script.
07:45Bill Murray ghostbusters the video game.
07:49Bill Murray is undeniably a living treasure, but it's easy to tell when his heart isn't
07:58fully in a performance, and here is a performance that's been a point of argument since its
08:03release.
08:04And a lot of it comes down to the same problem that we've seen a few times on this list.
08:07Dull charm doesn't translate to voiceover.
08:10For years, Sony tried to persuade him to return for a third Ghostbusters movie, but he repeatedly
08:15turned down their scripts, so we were all colored shocked when he, along with much of
08:19the original cast, lent their voices to the 2009 video game.
08:23Murray even claimed to have enjoyed revisiting the role, which might surprise anyone who's
08:28heard his performance.
08:29His low-energy, mumbled delivery is often hard to make out, and the sharp, cynical wit
08:34that defined Venkman in the movies feels absent.
08:37He does, however, give one of his most animated performances.
08:40God, I hate myself.
08:45He drew Gozer to our world so he could attempt to destroy it.
08:49He had a nice view of the park, though.
08:51Jack Evans' Mega Man 8.
09:01I can't express this clearly enough, but every time I'm having a bad day, I go and watch
09:05a particular Jack Evans Mega Man 8 compilation, and it turns my mood immediately.
09:11Every time Jack Evans, as Dr. Light, speaks, his slurred words, awkward delivery and unpolished
09:16syllables make it hard to take him seriously.
09:18It's truly some of the most comical voice acting that's ever been recorded.
09:22On top of this, he even stutters, which reaches peak comedy when he stumbles over Mega Man's
09:27name, as if he's momentarily forgotten his own robot son's identity.
09:31Just do a second take, guys.
09:33He clearly messed up.
09:34When we find that media, we'll find Dr. Wily.
09:37You must recover all the energy immediately, Mega Man.
09:40But where is Dr. Wily?
09:42That's a good question.
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10:00Various Actors' Chaos Wars
10:03Let's see.
10:04What am I hungry for?
10:07Don't buy anything yet.
10:09We have a shopping list.
10:11We need to hurry.
10:13Everyone is waiting for us.
10:15This is so unbelievably funny that even now, while writing the script, I can't stop re-watching
10:19scenes from this game.
10:20There's a certain charm to the chaotic mess that is the English dub of Chaos Wars, but
10:25the voice acting is undeniably terrible.
10:29Everything from the inflection of words to the tonal delivery feels completely out of
10:33place, especially in scenes meant to be tense or emotional.
10:35It's hard not to suspect serious issues with direction and casting behind the scenes.
10:40Rumour has it that the voice actors weren't professionals but were instead connected to
10:43the production team, with some sharing surnames with members of the localisation staff.
10:48Though the game has gained a cult following due to its infamously poor voice work, I can't
10:53help but imagine the novelty wearing thin by the time you hit hour 14.
10:57I just checked reviews and I'd like to report back, it did.
11:00Monsters.
11:02That's too bad.
11:04They're gone now.
11:05You smell good.
11:09Hey, don't leave me.
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