Whenever a modern game is driven by story, the quality of its voice acting can usually make or break the narrative's effectiveness and believability. At first glance, our list of 10 Great Gaming Voice Performances may appear to boil down to preference, but there are certain intricacies involved in a voice actor's work. There's more to being a badass character with a gruff voice. Great voice over performers do not simply read dialogue from a page with an emotion at the forefront, they must make us believe. Listen closely to your cutscenes from now on, because today we recognize the 10 Great Gaming Voice Performances.

Lori Alan as The Boss - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

The Boss' voice made her deception believable to the very end. She had the loving care expected of Naked Snake's teacher along with the integrity expected of such a strong, devoted character.

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Nolan North as Nathan Drake - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

With his recent performance as Deadpool, Nolan North has repeatedly proven that he is one of the greatest voices in gaming. We believe that the third time he voiced Nathan Drake was his best work.

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Jen Taylor as Cortana - Halo 4

It's hard to think that the strong, encouraging voice of Cortana is also that of Princess Peach. Cortana's dialogue in Halo 4 was reflective of her A.I. breakdown, and left us genuinely concerned for her well-being.

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Mark Hamill as The Joker - Batman: Arkham Asylum

Forget Nicholson and Ledger, Mark Hamill has been, and always will be, the definitive version of the Joker, simply because of his voice. The Joker's cutscenes and his random taunts throughout Arkham Asylum's PA system were nothing short of perfect.

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Sara Kestelman as Kreia - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2

Kreia's voice had a distinct, Kenobi-like guidance along with the various qualities expected of her character during her big plot-reveal in KOTOR 2. 

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David Hayter as Old Snake - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Hayter's voice over work as Old Snake reflected his accelerated aging, tired psyche and the frustrations expected from his character. Metal Gear Solid 4 might have had dozens of hours of cutscenes, but Hayter made every second of it entertaining. Despite being a well-known actor, Kiefer Sutherland has some very large shoes to fill as we anticipate Metal Gear Solid 5. 

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Rob Wiethoff as John Marston - Red Dead Redemption

John Marton's voice made us very sympathetic to his plight. Wiethoff had the right amount of gruff in his dialogue for us to take him serious, with just enough emotion in his vocals whenever the topics of his family and his old posse were being discussed.

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Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth - Bioshock: Infinite

Draper's portrayal of Infinite's tear-manipulator was nothing short of stellar. Troy Baker could have easily made this list as well, but one of the reasons why Elizabeth was chosen over Booker was mainly because of her performance in, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". 

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James McCaffrey as Max Payne - Max Payne 3

Max Payne's inner-monologues and narrations have always been amazing, but McCaffrey's voice in the third title reflects growth, albeit a detrimental one. In Max Payne 3, Max has aged, can't outrun his demons and is entirely dependent on painkillers, booze and cigarettes. McCaffrey's deep voice captured Max Payne's dry wit, humor and apathy.

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Jennifer Hale as Commander Jane Shepard - Mass Effect 3

Given the vast-multitude of dialogue choices and personalities each player's specific version of Shepard can amount to, the dynamic range of emotions Jennifer Hale could vocalize is astounding. Without a doubt, Hale delivered one of the greatest voice acting performances ever in gaming history.

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Any game voices you feel should have been recognized on this list? Let us know in the comments and on our Facebook!

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