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Link Could Have Had Mario’s Voice

by Tim Turi on Nov 16, 2009 at 05:22 AM



It’s hard to forget the first time you heard Mario’s high-pitched, Italian voice greet you at Mario 64’s title screen. Believe it or not Charles Martinet, the voice actor responsible for Mario’s pipes, made a pitch to voice Miyamoto’s other darling, Link.

"I spoke to Mr. Miyamoto and said, 'I wanna be Link, I wanna be Link,' and Miyamoto told me that Link isn’t going to have a voice; he is going to stay the way he is," Martinet tells ThatGamingSite. "Of course Mr. Miyamoto is always right! The way it works right now is the way it is supposed to be.”

"It’s the genius of Miyamoto and he knows just the right formula for making his games more fun and more exciting. For example in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, if things slowed down for Mario to express his inner feelings it just wouldn’t work and this way it keeps our hearts pounding with enthusiasm."

I have to agree with Mr. Martinet, Link should remain mute. However, I find it disappointing that Mario is being neglected the opportunity to express his inner feelings.

If Link had to have one voice actor, who would you want it to be? John Di Maggio channeling a grittier, more world-weary version of Marcus Fenix?