Cool games you didn't know had your favorite voice actors

One of the sad truths of voice acting is that most people in the field will never get the same real shot at stardom as screen actors. Even the most famous voice actors are household names, especially in geeky households, and those who stick to video games are even more niche.

It's even sadder because every voice actor out there has a positively stacked resume of roles, many of which you don't even know about. So why not shine a light on the obscure and take a look at some lesser known projects involving your favorite voice actors?

10 Full throttle

Trace MacNeille

Despite her legendary status in the voice acting field, while you may not know her name, you've heard Trace McNeil's voice. Perhaps most famous for playing Daisy Duck in every Disney project, she's also been a mainstay on shows like The Simpsons and Futurama for decades.

You can also hear it in the classic LucasArts adventure game Full Throttle as Suzy, the leader of the Vulture motorcycle gang. She doesn't sound like Daisy here, but if you listen, you'll hear that familiar gravelly voice that fans of Futurama's megalomaniacal CEO mom will instantly recognize.

9 Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Matthew Mercer

Matthew Mercer has been a constant presence on the voice-acting scene for years now. More recently, he has been voicing characters such as Vincent in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Goro Majima in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, maintaining his position as the incredibly charismatic DM of the popular Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role.

But back in the day, he was already doing his thing, as seen playing the lead role of Edge Maverick in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The surprise here may come from the fact that the English dub of this game has been rather heavily criticized. But hey, you make the best of what you've got, and the emotional disaster that is Edge was with Mercer, so all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.

8 Crash Nitro Kart

Steve Blum

Steve Blum is the master of the sexy low voice. You've heard him as Wolverine in Marvel's Midnight Sun among other appearances of the gruff mutant, and his anime and western cartoon resumes are so strong that you've heard him more often than most immediate family members.

So when you have a guy with such legendary deep vocals, naturally you want him to go “Whoa!” Just want to play the high-pitched bandicoot that speaks. That's right, Blum actually played Crash Bandicoot himself in the PlayStation 2 racing game Crash Nitro Kart, and he does a pretty good job too. So if you ever start to think he's a one-trick pony, boot this classic.

7 Saint row 4

Ashley Birch

Ashley Burch seemed to come out of nowhere in the voice acting scene, with her clearly impressive range, nailing roles like Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn and Borderlands 2 (which her brother Anthony exclusively wrote). But it was only surprising if you weren't familiar with his previous Internet presence as host of the web series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?

That family series was so popular that it got cameos from Ashley, Anthony and their dad David (Papa Burch) who you could call anytime to back up Saints Row 4. This was before his big break in. More notable roles, but you can already hear her unique energy that keeps her a beloved and slightly chaotic presence in gaming to this day.

6 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Troy Baker

If any voice actors can claim to be a household name, then Troy Baker may be able to make the most convincing argument. You've already been hearing him everywhere for over a decade at this point, with notable roles including Joel from The Last of You Games, and others counting too many to do him justice.

While some may remember Baker from his role as Yuri Lowell in Tales of Vesperia or his extensive anime resume, others may have forgotten that he was the original voice of the dramatic prince Oliver Reis Arnor (disguised as dramatic bard Olivier Lenheim). Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Considering how little voice acting there actually was in those games, it's fascinating learning who participated.

5 Arcade Souls

Mark Mir

While Mark Meir is not the most notable presence in the voice acting world, he is one of those actors who made a big splash with just one role. The role in question is the male version of Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect games, and even though it's his biggest video game role to date, it's been enough to keep fans coming.

More recently, he can be heard as Deko Nami, the chilling main villain of the romance visual novel Arcade Spirits. So while you're out there finding love between the shiny screens, just remember that Commander Shepard is around, waiting to make things really weird.

4 Bloodrain

Laura Bailey

Much like Troy Baker, Laura Bailey has been around the voice-acting block so many times that you've probably heard her name. She recently made waves as Abby in The Last of Us Part 2, capturing the attention of fans who praised her for her complex performance.

While Bailey's voice acting resume stretches back as far as the days of the original Dragon Ball anime, her mainstream video game debut actually came in 2002's Bloodrain as the titular lead vampire, Rayne. Fittingly, the sequel also featured one of the earliest video game performances by fellow voice acting giant Troy Baker.

3 Sly Cooper: Thief in Time

Gray DeLisle

Some voice actors have a very specific type of voice, where it is very different but also easy to blend in with others. Gray DeLisle shines, with a style that can fit into any project, and yet you always know it's him. Remember Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City? Yes, that magic is there.

But just because she's good at that particular tone doesn't mean she can't shine beyond it. DeLisle took over as the voice of Inspector Carmelita Fox in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time , keeping with the possibly redundant theme of the character having a different voice in each game, and she knocked it out of the park. Other creative decisions regarding the portrayal of Carmelita, of course.

2 Baldur's Gate

Jennifer Hale

As one of the most prominent voice actors in the business to date, Jennifer Hale truly deserves to be more recognizable in casual conversations. In video games alone, she established herself with high-profile roles such as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and Samus Eran of Metroid Prime.

But before that, Hel appeared at the original Baldur's Gate as the recruitable summoner Dianaher. The game was a magnet for long-lived industry veterans, as both Frank Welker and Gray Delisle also appeared as potential companions to Viconia and Xzar, respectively.

1 Final Fantasy 12

Nolan North

If you've played video games, you've heard of Nolan North. This is a rule at this point. If nothing else, you may recognize him as the voice of Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series, though you may also recognize his particularly energetic take on Deadpool in his many video game appearances.

So many people focus on Uncharted as their entry point that they often forget to look back and see where he came from. You can hear him in Final Fantasy 12 as Vossler York Azelas, a loyal friend, and… nothing else. If you can't remember the character, try to remember the guest character with the big long sword. A tough ask in a Final Fantasy game, granted.