By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
The voice work by various actors and actresses in the “Batman: Arkham Trilogy” is iconic. The performances by Mark Hamill as the Joker and John Noble as the voice of the Scarecrow are on the Mount Rushmore of video game voice acting.
As I was watching the recent film “The Long Walk,” where Mark Hamill portrays the Major, the sinister overseer of the deadly walking contest, I couldn’t help but think how Hamill has given us so many memorable performances on film, on television, and in video games. The Major was so interesting in “The Long Walk,” I wish he had more screen time. His voice acting as the Joker in the “Arkham Trilogy” is the industry standard of what an outstanding actor can do with a video game role. He’s been highly praised for his work as the Joker, going all the way back to “Batman: The Animated Series.”
Scarecrow, the primary antagonist of 2015’s “Batman: Arkham Knight,” is voiced by the Australian actor John Noble. Noble has a face that’s instantly recognisable. I remember him from Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. He’s an actor when I see him, I say, “Oh, I like him.” He seems to always give an absorbing, restraint performance. But there is nothing about his voice acting as the Scarecrow that’s restraint. The Scarecrow is extremely menacing in “Batman: Arkham Knight,” and that’s because of Noble’s acting.
image source: vg247.com
The touch of distortion in the Scarecrow’s voice adds to the danger of the character. In “Arkham Knight” Noble as the Scarecrow sounds a little like Vincent Price. I loved that. I’m a big Price fan, and I watched many of his classic horror films this year, leading to Halloween. The Scarecrow seems like he wins at the end of “Knight” when Batman and he have their final confrontation.
In any Batman video game, the villains always heighten the ominous tension throughout the Cape Crusader’s journey.
Tara Strong’s vocal performance as Harley Quinn in “Batman: Arkham City” was outstanding.