There are many reasons why the original Metal Gear Solid is considered one of the best PS1 games ever. Its brilliant stealth gameplay and the engaging story certainly played a part. But a lot of credit has to be given to the characters. Both the heroes and the villains are highly compelling and well-written. And they're brought to life by the amazing voice cast.
Video game voice-acting in 1998 could be hit or miss, but those who signed on to the stealth game were clearly pros. So, to give them their deserved props and allow you to see what they really look like, here they are.
10 Roy Campbell: Paul Eiding
Roy Campbell is one of Snake's most useful allies throughout the Shadow Moses incident. He provides tips, reveals critical information, and is all-around a brilliant asset for Snake to have.
For an actor, the role of Campbell is more strenuous than most of the others, as he's involved in a tremendous amount of codec calls. Luckily the extremely experienced Paul Eiding provides the tones. He also voices many other animated characters including, Perceptor from the original Transformers cartoon, Max Tennyson from Ben 10, and Incredible 2's Reflux.
9 Vulcan Raven: Peter Lurie
Vulcan Raven is one of the strongest enemies that Snake faces in the game. Not just because of his size but because he makes use of some extremely powerful weapons like a tank and a minigun. That's when he's not giving his enemy spiritual life lessons.
The boss is voiced by Peter Lurie, who has a litany of VO credits on his resume. A few of them include the 2010s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon and American Dad. But his most notable role is as Kidomaru in various pieces of Naruto media.
8 Sniper Wolf: Tasia Valenza
In many fans' eyes, Sniper Wolf is among the greatest characters in the series. Not only is she a badass combatant, but her backstory and motivations are deeply complicated, which makes her a compelling villain.
Tasia Valenza's vocal performance makes the character even better. And the wolf isn't the only famous video game character that shares her voice. She's also Poison Ivy in several different Batman games, from the Arkham titles to the LEGO ones. Even though the actress is known for her voice acting, her first big role was in the live-action soap opera, All My Children.
7 Psycho Mantis: Doug Stone
Another outstanding villain is Psycho Mantis. The boss battle against the talented psychic is unique and one of the most difficult fights in the series. Although, it's after the fight when you truly learn how interesting the character is.
His voice actor Doug Stone is a regular in anime films and TV shows. My Neighbour Totoro, Naruto, and Ghost in the Shell are just of few of his projects. His tones can be heard in plenty of other video games too.
6 Gray Fox: Greg Eagles
Throughout the first game, Gray Fox rides the line between good and evil. In fact, he is the perfect example of Metal Gear's moral greyness. By the end, though, you'd have to consider him a hero, a strong one at that.
Despite the character appearing in a couple of entries in the series, Greg Eagles only voices him in the first one - besides VR expansions. And the actor also provides the vocals for Donald Anderson in the same game. Outside of Metal Gear, his biggest role is Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.
5 Ocelot: Patric Zimmerman
Straight from his debut in the series, Ocelot's true allegiances are kept secret. What isn't hidden, though, is his expert revolver skills and his entertaining personality. Like always, he plays a major part in the game's story.
The Ocelot role has kept Patric Zimmerman busy as he's the voice of the character in multiple different games as well as some of the graphic novels. Although, he has found time to do other things, such as provide vocals for Tom & Jerry Kids Show and join Greg Eagles in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.
4 Meryl: Debi Mae West
There have been some badass heroines in gaming history, and Meryl is certainly one of them. Despite being fairly young, she manages to assist Solid Snake in stopping Liquid's evil plans. Not only that, but she also becomes the protagonist's main love interest.
Debi Mae West is the woman who voices the compelling character. She's also the voice actor behind Tsunade in Naruto: Shippuden and Sailor Lead Crow in Sailor Moon. In fact, the latter was her first major acting credit.
3 Otacon: Christopher Randolph
Otacon is the most loyal friend Snake has throughout the series. This game depicts the first meeting between the two as the legendary hero finds the scientist hiding in a closet. After his questionable introduction, Otacon ends up being more useful and brave than he initially seems.
The actor to bring the character to life is Christopher Randolph. Randolph is a regular in the Metal Gear Solid series as he even portrays Otacon's father in the games in the prequels. He does do other things in his career besides voicing members of the Emmerich family. For instance, he's seen in the flesh during an episode of Will & Grace.
2 Liquid Snake: Cam Clarke
Snake's brother Liquid is the main antagonist in the game and the leader of the team who takes over Shadow Moses. Executing the insurrection takes a lot of intelligence, but as a clone of Big Boss, Liquid's brains are matched by his incredible brawn.
It's no surprise that Cam Clarke gives such an excellent performance as Liquid as he'd already shown his voice acting credentials before the game was released. For example, he's the voice behind Leonardo in the late '80s, early '90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In more recent times, he voices characters in Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption 2, and a couple of Assassin's Creed titles.
1 Solid Snake: David Hayter
The legendary hero Solid Snake faces a difficult challenge trying to stop Liquid's plans. He comes up against advanced soldiers, a gunship, and a giant Metal Gear, But of course, this is Solid Snake, so he uses his unique talents to get the job done.
All of Snake's memorable lines are delivered by David Hayter. He's arguable the voice of the series, as he also provides vocals for the franchise's other protagonist, Big Boss - in most of the games at least. While it's hard for MGS fans to imagine the actor as anyone but one of the Snakes, he's actually done a lot of other vocal work. King Shark in the Flash TV series, Captain America in the '90s Spider-Man series, and Lieutenant Renn from Dragon Age: Inquisition are some of his more notable ones.