Top 6 Legendary Rare Voice Actors
Hardly content with finding their voice in the mediums of programming, design and composition, Rare‘s multi-talented staff of overachievers have also had the opportunity to lend their vocal chords to some of the studio’s most recognizable characters as well. Barring the silky smooth voice work for Mr. Pants in his eponymous Game Boy Advance adventure, which undoubtedly set a new bar for low-resonating baritones, the rest of Rare‘s catalog features a few choice voices that have given new definition to an eclectic pallet. We’ve taken the liberty of rounding up our favorite voices and by extension staff who supplied proper esophagus’s and then painstakingly narrowing down all applicants to a lonely six.
Who speaks for the winners? They do, obviously. These are the Top 5 Legendary Rare Voice Actors.
#6. “VOICEOVER MAN” PETER DICKSON FACTORS IN SOME WINNING SPORTS COMMENTARY
If you’re a fan of the UK series of X-Factor, or any television program that demands announcements saturated in dramatic emphasis, it’s likely you know Peter Dickson by his voice alone. Failing that, you would have certainly heard his electrifying elocution when he found himself host of Rare‘s athletic-romp, Kinect Sports. Armed with a booming cadence so powerful that the man himself winces with each delivery, Peter Dickson commentated on everything from menu selection to embarrassing replay highlights, making them seem an event in themselves. After proving to everyone that he could say literally anything and make it sound brilliant, Dickson made a triumphant return in Kinect Sports: Season Two with predictable gusto, lending his talents to narrate gameplay and introduce the DLC Challenge Packs. Nice!
#5. CHRIS SUTHERLAND VOICES DUO’S, MATCHES AND C-C-C-C-COMBOS ALL ROUND!
While Rare‘s own Chris Sutherland may be known internally as a programmer, his double-life as one of Rare‘s most prolific voice actors serves up an impressive bill of instantly recognizable personae. Arcade aficionados will likely recognize Sutherland as the omniscient announcer of the Killer Instinct series, recounting each Ultra Combo, Supreme Victory and C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER as they present themselves. Proving that opposites attract, Sutherland has also provided the grunt work for mild-manned Banjo as well as his brash partner Kazooie of titular Banjo-Kazooie fame. With further voice acting credit from extremes like Daniel Carrington in Perfect Dark, it seems that Sutherlands‘ ranging tones only broaden his ability to play an array of unique characters. Or, as Banjo would say: Guh-huh!
#4. TRICKY BUSINESS TO BE HAD WITH GRAPHIC AND VOCAL ARTIST KEVIN BAYLISS
Joining Rare at the incredibly young age of 16, Kevin Bayliss began working on the artistic assets of the NES, lending his voice talents to the Rare‘s successful beat-em-up, Battletoads wherever audio could be afforded on the limited cartridge space. While Chris Sutherland was announcing each combo in arcade smash Killer Instinct, choosing either Jago or Glacius would provide insight to further voice work by Bayliss who managed every grunt, shout and No Mercy finisher with ease! When technology first provided some lengthy speech roles, Diddy Kong Racing became Bayliss‘s outlet, though his most memorable speaking role quite possibly belongs to the insufferable Prince Tricky from Starfox Adventures whom players would rather lead through an open flame than rescue. Fox! I lost ya in the blizzard!
#3. VOICE ARTIST STEVE MALPASS GOES FROM GRIMSHAW GEEK TO STONE COLD FOX
Hardly alien to the Perfect Dark universe, Steve Malpass designed Joanna Dark‘s world on the Nintendo 64 while providing the unique adenoidal vocals to both ‘Hacker Central’s Grimshaw and Maian diplomat Elvis. With one successful spacefaring role under his belt, Malpass ventured beyond the cosmos a second time to star as Fox McCloud of eponymous Starfox Adventures fame. Proving himself to excel in quantity just as well as quality, Steve Malpass took on nearly the entire starring cast of Grabbed by the Ghoulies, managing to voice protagonist Cooper, antagonist Baron Von Ghoul, Master Chef Ma Soupswill, Butler Crivens, Groundskeeper Fiddlesworth and even the flamboyant Chef’s assistant, Mr. Ribs! Enough voices to fill the whole of Ghoulhaven Hall and then some! Diddily-Doo!
#2. ANIMATOR LOUISE RIDGEWAY LEAVES US WITH LEAFOS AND CONQUERS WITH CONKER
They say that you only have one chance to make a good first impression, and with Louise Ridgeway thrown headfirst into the vulgar world of Conker’s Bad Fur Day as her first title with the task of animating a slew of odd characters and providing her voice to every female character, we can say that we’re very impressed! Ridgeway has lent her talent to valley-squirrel-girl Berri as well as the throw-back prehistoric pin-up, Jugga just to name a few in Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and in recent years provided the calming cadence of Viva Piñata‘s Leafos which blagged her an Interactive Achievement Award for Outstanding Performance. She’s extremely versatile as well; this Piñata outtake shows her swapping from Leafos to the tittering Sunflower of Bad Fur Day in seconds flat! Ohh… Keep that tail away!
#1. CONKER HIMSELF, CHRISTOPHER SEAVOR INSISTS ON TALKING WITH… HIMSELF
Supplying his voice work and artistic prowess on the original Killer Instinct arcade, Chris Seavor offered only a taste of impressive things to come, and after voicing the likes of cackling Gruntida from Banjo-Kazooie and sapient-driven Dr. Caroll of Perfect Dark fame, he took on the ambitious role of reworking Conker’s Bad Fur Day from its earlier roots. Somehow managing to find time between designing, programming and writing, Seavor voiced nearly every single character in the game – excluding the Great Mighty Poo voiced by Chris Marlow – totaling to more than twenty-six unique voices, including that of the regal Queen Bee! During the development of Conker: Live & Reloaded, each role was reprised by Seavor and Ridgeway to deliver the daunting lines a second time. Conker…the king. King of all the land.
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