Announcers

Each game in the Super Smash Bros. series features a different voice actor in the role of the announcer, but they follow many of the trends established in the original Nintendo 64 version. The actual commentary in the Super Smash Bros. series doesn’t look like anything special on paper, but the announcers approach the material with incredible enthusiasm. The manner in which they shout their lines almost makes it feel like they are trying to force the players to echo their rabid intensity. The announcers provide commentary from off-screen, but there are interesting theories pertaining to their true origins. In each game, Master Hand is voiced by the same person as the announcer. This might suggest that the announcer and Master Hand may be one in the same. The fact that the announcer has no dialogue during the fights with Master Hand seems to add credence to this theory. The fact that fan theories about the announcer even exist in the first place just goes to show how iconic he is. In any regard, Smash wouldn’t be Smash without its spirited announcer.

The original announcer in Unreal Tournament is legendary, but he was ultimately paying homage to the Quake III Arena announcer and didn’t necessarily offer a lot in the name of originality. Unreal Tournament 2004 mixed things up a bit by offering a variety of different announcers to choose from. The most interesting choice was the “sexy” female announcer who appeared to be on the verge of orgasm with every line she spoke. As kill counts increase, the quiver in her voice becomes more pronounced as she’s thrust into a state of delighted euphoria. Some might question if it’s appropriate to mix sex and violence together, but these people are missing the point entirely. Despite her fervent tone, there’s nothing sexy about the “sexy” announcer. She’s intentionally absurd and exaggerated for comical effect and almost comes across as a parody of all of the overly-excited male announcers that the genre was known for.

Without question, Killer Instinct has the most energetic and passionate announcer ever heard in a fighting game. The nature of tournament fighting games creates situations where matches seldom last for more than 30 seconds, so there’s not exactly a lot of room for play-by-play commentary. The announcer in Killer Instinct only announces significant events, but the frenetic combo system in the game gives him many opportunities to chime in. The announcer gets increasingly excited in accordance to how many moves are chained together, and half of the reward for performing a large combo is hearing the announcer work himself into a frenzy. It’s especially noticeable when you achieve an “Ultraaaaaa Cooommmbbbooooooooo!” He seems to become equally excited when a player counters an attack, and the phrase “C-c-c-c-combo breaker!” has taken on a life of its own outside the game. Killer Instinct would have been the single most successful video game of all time if its fans had 1/10th of the enthusiasm for the game as the announcer did.

The stage is set, the green flag drops! Rock n’ Roll Racing was noteworthy for its incredible chiptune renditions of classic rock songs like Highway Star and Paranoid, but the announcing by commentator “Loudmouth Larry” was an equally important part of the sound design. Nearly every line he says is quotable, but Larry’s play-by-play also has a practical purpose of keeping players in the loop. Thanks to Larry, players will know who’s in the lead, who’s in danger, and who’s headed in the wrong direction. The game’s mini-map lets you see the position of the other racers at a glance, but Larry provides context. There’s nothing quite like hearing Larry announce that your opponent has been lit up by a missile you fired blindly from halfway across the course. It’s hard not to be taken in by Larry’s enthusiasm, and his unbridled passion is downright contagious. Let the carnage begin!

Unlike its predecessors, Quake III Arena didn’t bother with a plot-based single-player campaign. Rather, it emphasized the multiplayer experience and focused on computer-controlled bots. The premise of the game involves the greatest warriors of all time fighting for the amusement of an alien race, and the game’s announcer was the perfect fit for the arena setting. The announcer could almost be described as a manlier version of Duke Nukem, and his deep voice oozes authority and commands respect. The announcer uses straightforward language for the most part and doesn’t attempt to coin any new phrases, but everything he says seems to carry great importance. This makes sense, given that he’s basically the announcer of violence and death. The sound pack for Quake III Arena has been modded into basically every modern first-person shooter, so its announcer almost feels like the official announcer of an entire genre. The announcer in Unreal Tournament had a very similar voice and was clearly trying to channel the same energy, but he kind of comes across as a knockoff of the Quake III Arena announcer. The voices are similar enough that many people assume they were performed by the same person. Both announcers are iconic in their own right, however.

MadWorld is yet another fine action game from PlatinumGames, but I’d be lying if I said the game didn’t start to feel somewhat repetitive after a few hours. That said, the hilarious play-by-play commentary keeps things interesting and prevents the game from ever seeming monotonous or boring. In the game, players assume the role of a chainsaw-toting mechanic who is thrust into a game show called “DeathWatch” that is not unlike what you’d see in The Running Man or Smash TV. As players contend with near-endless onslaughts of enemies, announcers Howard “Buckshot” Holmes (Greg Proops from Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and Kreese Kreeley (John DiMaggio from Futurama) provide hilarious commentary. MadWorld is an extremely violent affair, but the over-the-top announcers remind us of how absurd the game really is. Whether the announcers are making lewd comments about the busty female participants or spewing out non sequiturs about how they like to wash down scotch with more scotch, the irreverent humor is more unpredictable than the gameplay itself. Somehow, it just feels right to hear the voice of Bender make comments about boobs and alcohol.

There really didn’t appear to be anything special about Mortal Kombat‘s announcer. He’d signal the beginning of each match, declare the winner, and announce when fatalities had been performed, but there was nothing extraordinary about him in any way. In Mortal Kombat II, however, the role of the announcer was filled by the game’s final boss! As the Emperor of the Outworld realm and the host of the Mortal Kombat tournament, Shao Kahn is one of the most iconic villains in video game history. He could have simply hired someone to announce the tournament for him, but he seems to take great pleasure in the failures of others. He will often mock or taunt his opponents in battle, so I guess it only makes sense that he’d want to watch over other fights and openly judge everyone from his throne. The evolution of Shao Kahn from unseen announcer, to final boss, and eventually to playable character makes him the most versatile announcer in video game history.

The announcer in Bastion isn’t as quotable or excitable as some of the other individuals on this list, but the smooth-talking narrator was an important ingredient to the game’s success. Bastion doesn’t break a lot of new ground in the gameplay department, but it takes a very innovative approach to sound design with the implementation of a film noire-style narration during gameplay. Many games use narration during scripted events, but Bastion was noteworthy for dynamic play-by-play announcing that referenced what was happening on screen. The narration itself is handled by an elderly man named Rucks who you meet during the game. Whether the players were fighting enemies, exploring new areas, or falling to their doom, Rucks reflected on what was happening on screen. Rucks would also guide players through the game by drawing their attention to certain set pieces or background elements. Dialog was recorded referencing nearly every action the player can take in the game. Even though the story in Bastion is fairly understated, the narration provides emotional depth. Much in the same way a good narrator can make even the simplest story book seem more interesting, the announcer in Bastion adds tremendous value to the game.

From downtown! The legendary NBA Jam script was written by Jon Hey and voiced by Tim Kitzrow. Drawing inspiration from Marv Albert, Kitzrow’s announcing has permeated popular sports culture. Several of the lines from the game have been entered into basketball lexicon. Phrases like “He’s heating up,” “He’s on fire,” and “Boom-shakalaka!” will forever be associated with NBA Jam regardless of how often they’re used outside of the context of the video game. Many of the calls in the game are over-the-top, which fits well with the arcade-based gameplay. Even simple calls like, “It’s good!” are delivered with gusto. Tim Kitzrow would go on to voice other Midway sports titles like NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, and MLB Slugfest, but his razzle dazzle work in NBA Jam is the most iconic. Marv Albert is commonly referred to as “the voice of basketball,” but Tim Kitzrow is undoubtedly the voice of video game basketball. Is it the shoes?

The Stanley Parable is an experimental mod that runs on Valve’s Source engine. It uses the same first-person perspective that most other Source games do, but there are no combat elements. The Stanley Parable could best be described as an interactive story, and players merely react to exposition delivered by the game’s narrator. Players assume the role of an office worker named Stanley and are expected to respond to the voiceovers performed by British actor, Kevan Brighting. The narration guides the player through the game by describing what Stanley will do next, but players are free to ignore the narration and make their own choices. The story splits off into numerous branches based on the player’s choices, but the narrator will become annoyed if Stanley doesn’t take the path that he’s being pushed toward. The narrator almost acts as a bridge between the developers and the player, and will even break the fourth wall on occasion and address the player directly. The Stanley Parable is ultimately a thought-provoking story about the nature of choice, freedom, and reality.