Leonary Nimoy died this morning at his home in LA at the age of 83, and the geek world has been left shattered. As Mr. Spock on Star Trek the man became an icon and an inspiration, and by all reports he was exactly the great man you would hope he would be.
He was an actor, director, writer, poet, singer, and photographer, but many people may not know about his many video game appearances. Whenever a developer wanted a narrator for a game whose powerful voice could instantly lend it credibility, they immediately went to him. While his body of work wasn't expansive it was always memorable, even if it included some of the more ridiculous games ever made…
Here are our favorite Leonard Nimoy appearances in gaming. Live long and prosper, sir.
Seaman: This Dreamcast cult classic is unlike anything else ever made. Nimoy didn’t voice the man-fish, he guided you through the process of preparing the tank and growing it. Every day you started up the game he would let you know how things were going and what you needed to do to that day. He was a comforting voice in a strange, weird land.
Civilization IV: There are only two people who would work as the voice of God- Morgan Freeman, or Leonard Nimoy. His voice is the perfect setup for Civ 4, which gives the history of the world. He also pops up throughout the game whenever you make a tech advancement, narrating the various famous quotes that would otherwise have just laid still on the screen.
Star Trek Online- The game had a rocky launch, but one smart thing they did was getting Nimoy to voice the dialogue during the game’s tutorial. What better way to feel like you’re in an authentic Star Trek world than hearing from Spock himself?
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: One of Nimoy's rare villain turns, he plays Master Xehanort, an evil Keyblade Master and the primary antagonist across two Kingdom Hearts titles. Even though it's a fun performance it doesn't seem right to hear him play a bad guy, as if his underlying goodness couldn't help but shine through.