Patrick Stewart is a master of the stage and screen, and even received a knighthood for his contributions to acting. But not many know that this classical actor has appeared in more than nerdo favorites like Star Trek.
It turns out, Sir Patrick Stewart has appeared in a few video games as well! From the Bethesda epic, The Elder Scrolls, to smaller and lesser-known titles, our friend and yours, Sir Patrick Stewart, has appeared in many video games over the years. Here are Patrick Stewart’s top ten video game roles, ranked.
10 10. Lands Of Lore: The Throne Of Chaos
Patrick Stewart’s first video game was, unfortunately, not his best. Video games had less of an emphasis on performances in 1994, and there was clearly only so much vocal direction he was given. His role as King Richard was completely fine, if unmemorable, but his narration sounded more like he was narrating a nature documentary than a fantasy epic. As much as he can put his Shakespearean background into his role as the king, it doesn’t make up for his BBC-style narration in the introduction.
9 9. Shadow Point
This engaging puzzler features Patrick Stewart as the narrator, but woefully underutilizes his talent. His small role doesn’t expand into anything larger or kick off anything important like some of the other roles on this list. There’s not much to write for this section, because he isn’t bad at all, just mostly absent. There must be cheaper voice actors than Patrick Stewart if he’s not going to be used for anything.
8 8. Felix The Reaper
In this puzzle game, Patrick Stewart voices the mentor of the eponymous Reaper. He lends a dignified voice to the character, a tired bureaucrat who tries to steer his trainee away from some of his more idiosyncrasies. Yet Stewart keeps the character from being unsympathetic, a task that a lesser actor may find daunting. Still, the game’s seemingly truncated story prevents Stewart’s role from developing more, so it has a similar problem to Shadow Point, if less so.
7 7. Oblivion
Patrick Stewart cites Oblivion as one of his favorite acting experiences, due to the acting prep that Bethesda gave him. Before recording, Bethesda gave him a 90-page booklet on the entire history and backstory of the character he was playing, Emperor Uriel Septim, and even worried that they overdid the character prep.
It might have been a little excessive for a character that dies during the introduction of the game, but it’s impossible to argue with the results. Uriel Septim is one of the most realistic performances in the game, although given that the game is Oblivion, that’s not the highest bar.
6 6. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
In this D&D-based video game, Patrick Stewart plays the classic character from the D&D Forgotten Realms universe Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun. He does justice to the character, in no small part thanks to the game's writing by the celebrated author of many Forgotten Realms books and creator of the popular character Drizzt. The game was praised for its writing and performances, so clearly Patrick Stewart and writer R.A. Salvatore bring the character to life. It’s a great performance for a fairly simple hack-and-slash fantasy game, and D&D fans are sure to enjoy it.
5 5. X-Men Legends II: Rise Of Apocalypse
This 2005 video game is based on the same comic that was adapted into the disastrous 2016 movie. However, unlike the movie, this game is considered one of the best X-Men games in existence. Patrick Stewart reprises his earlier live-action role as Professor X, the only member of the cast of the X-Men movies to do so.
Patrick Stewart has actually appeared in several X-Men games, but this is by far the best, and his performance almost reaches the level of performance in some of his best X-Men movies. Of course, being an X-Men game, he’s one in a cast of many, so he doesn’t get the same focus of some of the other games on the list.
4 4. War Of The Worlds
Patrick Stewart’s narration in this game lets him truly put his history in classical acting to good use. The game is an adaptation of War of the Worlds but is not based on either of the popular movie versions, letting Stewart return to the original roots of the classic H.G. Wells story. His narration has a very literary feel to it and lends itself perfectly to the tone of the game. The game feels like the most faithful adaptation of War of the Worlds in a long time, in no small part thanks to the distinguished role that Patrick Stewart plays.
3 3. Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity
If Patrick Stewart’s Land Of Lore performance suffered due to the difference in direction in 1994, his role in the Star Trek game A Final Unity avoided the issue altogether. Partially, this is because if there’s one thing Patrick Stewart is uniquely qualified for, it is playing Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise.
Stewart had six and a half years of preparation for this role, so of course he delivers a quality performance. A Final Unity suffers somewhat, mainly because it is difficult to turn Star Trek: The Next Generation into a tonally consistent point-and-click adventure game, but Stewart’s role doesn’t contribute to the game’s faults.
2 2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
In this installment of the Castlevania series, Patrick Stewart plays the main antagonist, Zobek. Zobek is the Dark Lord of the Dead and commands a gravitas that only Stewart can deliver. Between the central role that takes advantage of Stewart’s narration chops and the compelling performance that he delivers, Stewart’s role as Zobek earns its spot on the list.
1 1. My Memory Of Us
My Memory Of Us is far and away Patrick Stewart’s best role. He plays an older version of the protagonist in the frame narrative of this puzzle game that explores memories of the Holocaust through a fictional robot apocalypse. His professionalism and subtlety in handling the heavy themes of the game is extraordinary, and he delivers a powerful performance in the game. It is a game that absolutely requires a master actor at the center of the story, and Patrick Stewart steps up to the challenge.