Josh Miller – Gelatinous Snake

Cameron Clarke (Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid)

While David Hayter typically gets all the voice acting praise in Metal Gear Solid, one voice actor stood out to me more. Cameron Clarke (also known by his pseudonym James Flinders in the game) put on one hell of a performance to go along with Hayter’s wonderful Solid Snake. While Solid Snake was more gruff, Liquid had an air of sophistication and confidence in the most pompous of ways. Solid Snake was Wolverine to Liquid’s Apocalypse or Mr. Sinister.

Between how he was written and the performance given by Clarke, Liquid Snake became one of my favorite villains. His smugness and intelligence stood out due to his determination in proving he was superior to Solid while throwing anyone under the bus when their usefulness was over. Clarke highlighted all of these characteristics with the acting. Liquid felt like an over-the-top villain without coming off as inept and a joke. Contrast that with the more gravelly voicework from Hayter and the two played off each other so well throughout the games.

To this day, the rivalry between Liquid and Solid is still one of the best in gaming. Yes, a good amount of that is from the writing. However, so much of that writing shines through because of the performances given as well. And as much acknowledgement that Hayter receives, its equally important that Clarke gets his credit as well. His role is fun and memorable without detracting from how vile and sadistic Liquid can be. Liquid Snake is bar-none one of the greatest villains in video games. Cameron Clarke just makes him even better.