The Dial of Destiny was Indiana Jones down doesn’t mean he’s out of the count. Wolfenstein developer MachineGames has now unveiled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which allow players to don that fedora and crack that whip.
But, while the in-game Indy faithfully recreates Harrison Ford’s Raiders of the Lost Ark-era visage, Ford isn’t providing the voice. That falls to veteran voice actor Troy Baker and, judging by the trailer, he’s absolutely nailed both Ford’s voice and Indy’s character.
Whether you know Troy Baker’s name or not, you’ve almost certainly heard his voice. So, here are his most famous roles and why he’s the perfect voice actor for the role.
Joel Miller – The Last of Us Part 1 & 2
The Last of Us‘s tormented father figure is easily Baker’s most famous role, with his gravelly, worn-out performance filling in the blanks of this closed-off character. Despite being primarily a voice actor, Baker also provided motion capture for Joel, resulting in arguably the single greatest dramatic performance in gaming.
Baker’s work was recognized in HBO’s adaptation. While their Joel was Pedro Pascal, Baker was cast as a minor character in the episode “When We Are In Need”, and he and Pascal compared notes on how to best play Joel.
Agent Jones – Fortnite
Fortnite actually having a plot is usually a surprise to those who don’t play it, but there’s a surprising amount of lore bubbling away behind the scenes. At the core of it is Agent Jones, who is effectively the protagonist of the game and the prime mover behind its plot.
And, you guessed it, Troy Baker voices him. ittedly Fortnite lore says that those stuck in “the loop” (i.e. the battle royale) can’t talk, but when Jonesy does get to open his mouth it’s Baker doing the voice. This makes Troy Baker the de facto lead voice of the biggest game on the planet. Not bad.
Higgs – Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima’s bonkers post-apocalyptic ghost-sensing baby delivery man sim has an impressive cast including Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, Mads Mikkelsen, and Margaret Qualley. But he also made some room for Baker, who’d previously played Ocelot in Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Higgs is a typically bizarre Kojima villain with a penchant for chewing scenery and Baker ably delivers the goods. In a fun twist, as the game’s characters are modelled on the actors playing them, this is a rare game in which Baker’s own face is used. He’ll reprise the role for Death Stranding 2 and we can’t wait.
Batman – Telltale series & LEGO series
Baker’s deep voice and knack for gravitas make him an ideal Dark Knight, as proven by his extensive voice-acting work across both Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within, as well as three LEGO incarnations. His Batman takes some cues from Kevin Conroy, though really comes into his own in the Telltale games with their malleable plot.
Aside from Batman himself, Baker also voiced Robin in Arkham City, Nightwing in Injustice: Gods Among Us and Jason Todd in Arkham Knight. But he’s not always on the side of the Gotham heroes…
The Joker – Arkham Origins
Let’s face it, if you can play both Batman and the Joker you’ve officially got range. Baker stepped into Mark Hamill’s shoes to play a younger version of the iconic villain in Arkham Origins. And, though he’s very much following Hamill’s lead, he does a damn good job. The only real shame is that Arkham Origins hasn’t gotten the HD remaster treatment, leaving it quite hard to actually play.
That’s a shame, as Baker’s Joker deserves to be heard!
Booker DeWitt – BioShock Infinite
Time has not been kind to BioShock Infinite. At launch, it was heralded as a new frontier in interactive storytelling and praised for its political metaphors. A decade and change later and that shine has been tarnished as, with the benefit of hindsight, the game’s story a) doesn’t make much sense b) the whole Daisy Fitzroy thing is… odd and c) whatever political message it has is rendered incoherent by the focus on quantum mechanics.
All that said, while Infinite as a whole has aged like a slice of brie left out in the sun, Baker’s performance in it is still great.
Talion – Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War
Baker wouldn’t necessarily be our first pick to voice a character from Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but he does a typically good job as Captain of the Watch of Gondor Talion. In the opening sequence Talion, and his wife and son are captured and sacrificed, though Talion ends up bonded with elven wraith and spends two games carving his way through Mordor.
Sad dad characters and squarely in the middle of Baker’s wheelhouse, though the fantasy setting results in a performance that, once again, showcases his impressive range. We prefer Shadow of Mordor to Shadow of War, though sadly there’s been no indication that a third instalment is coming.
Samuel Drake – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End / The Lost Legacy
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series is undeniably influenced by Indiana Jones so, in a way, Baker appearing in both neatly closes a circle (perhaps even… a Great Circle?). Baker plays Nathan’s disreputable older brother Samuel, introduced in the fourth game in the franchise. This gives him ample opportunity to bounce off fellow voice-acting legend Nolan North, with whom he later started the YouTube show Retro Replay with.
While the Uncharted franchise is currently dormant, we doubt it’ll stay dead forever. And, though Nathan Drake should be allowed to enjoy his happy ending in peace, if the adventuring baton was ed to his daughter we’d love to see Uncle Sam show her the ropes.
If you’ve enjoyed this, check out our extensive piece on how poorly they’re treated.
Published: Jan 19, 2024 10:00 am