|
|
 |
|
The Best Voice Acting in Games
|  |
 |
 | | | | |
Full Throttle
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts
Released: 4/30/1995
LucasArts adventure games have always been, above all else, funny. From Maniac Mansion to Escape from Monkey Island, great characters and hilarious situations have consistently populated LucasArts games. But of all the memorable characters that have appeared in these games, the most memorable were the ones in Tim Schafer's Full Throttle.
Full Throttle took a common premise and made it unique. Your character, Ben, was framed for a murder he didn't commit. As the leader of a motorcycle gang called The Polecats, Ben had to expose the real killer and free his gang. The victim was Malcolm Corley, president of the last motorcycle manufacturer in the US, Corley Motors. The murderer was Adrian Ripburger, who needed Corley out of the way in order to transform Corley Motors into a minivan company.
Click to enlarge |
Also populating the world of Full Throttle were the other motorcycle gangs. You had the Rottwheelers, the Vultures, and the Cavefish. And all these characters were great. Tim Schafer's hilarious dialogue helped, and the great voice acting made it work.
Roy Conrad had the perfect voice for Ben, a sort of gravelly, smoky Tom Waits after a long night growl that really defined the character. Ben's comments were always funny, and even the most throwaway line seemed like a perfect gem just because the voice was so great. Hearing Ben say, "That's a good-lookin' bike" about his own ride or, "I'm not putting my mouth on that" in regard to just about anything was funny every time. The regular dialogue was great as well, such as an exchange between Ben and a nose-ringed bartender. "You know what would look better on your nose?" asks Ben. "What?" asks the bartender. "The bar," says Ben as he pounds the guy's face down. The scene is funny, but it's funnier with Ben's rumbling voice.
Click to enlarge |
The other voices were just as great. Kath Soucie as Maureen Corley was excellent, giving her a sort of sexy tough-chick voice that made her perfect as Ben's love interest. And no one who played the game will forget Mark Hamill's excellent, slimy voice for Adrian Ripburger. Hamill also provided voices for Todd and Emmett, two minor but great characters.
Adventure games are all about story, and story is all about character. And what made Full Throttle great were its unique and funny characters, which were brought to life by some of the best voice acting ever heard in a game.
Next: "Yes sir. I mean no sir. I mean yes to the
first part and no to the second part, sir!"
| | | | | |
|  |
|