David Hayter has penned a rather touching missive regarding his feelings around missing out on Metal Gear Solid V, stating that if it were up to him, he'd happily play the role of Snake forever, and that the though of hearing someone else playing the role is making him feel "a little ill".

Fan favourite voice actor, David Hayter, won’t be reprising his role as the voice of Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V. That’s the official word from Hideo Kojima himself, who told Gametrailers, “What we’re trying to accomplish here is [to] recreate the Metal Gear series. It’s a new type of Metal Gear game and we want to have this reflected in the voice actor as well.”

Controversial stuff from the maestro, especially given that he was lucky to get away with sneakily ditching Snake for Raiden in Metal Gear solid 2 which many fans still feel sore about.

It's not long before videogames make the leap beyond the so-called 'Uncanny Valley' and enter the realm of true drama, with the likes of Red Dead and Heavy Rain utilizing advanced mo-cop and lip-sync to startling realistic effect. Technology continues to advance at such a rampant rate, Pixar-quality animation isn't an impossibility, it's an inevitability.

We're not lacking in the audio department, however, with a roster of recognised screen, radio and theater actors breathing life into our pixellated puppets. And so, in honor of their craft, we at Dealspwn have collated a list of the ten best voice-actors to lend their vocal charms. So, read on, for the Top 10 Videogame Voice-Actors.

10. Billy Murray (Captain Price)

Finally, an American-produced title with an English character sans that 'quintessentially British' accent the Yanks love, and we detest. Price is a great character, and Murray, best remembered as Eastenders crook Johnny Allen, lends a soft, likable edge to the grizzled veteran. I can't help but impersonate him when requesting a bar of alkaline-treated hydrolyzed vegetable oil. Soap. Geddit?

9. Jodie Forrest (Jade)

The name might not be familiar, but the voice of Jade, Beyond Good and Evil's intrepid photojournalist, most certainly is. Jade was a fun, lovable character, brave and bold in equal measure, and Forrest imbues her with a charm and wit we don't often see in female protagonists. We hope if the Beyond Good and Evil sequel does materialize, in whatever form, Forrest isn't overlooked for a return.

8. Michael McConnohie (Voice of the Agency)

The Voice of the Agency, Michael McConnohie, is a prolific voice actor, having lent his reassuring baritone to over 170 English language dubs, according to Wikipedia. Your omnipresent companion never shows his face, but is always at your side to offer advice, often when stuff is blowing up. "Agent, I'm warning you..." Oh, Michael, you and your harmless threats. I'm a superpowered monstrosity of nature, what could your inept police force possibly do?

Team Ico HD Collection to Launch Next Year?

Recent reports indicate that a Blu-Ray bundle of pure gaming joy (and a fair bit of misery) may be headed to the PS3 early next year. According to a TSA report, a reskinned HD collection of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus could well be with is as soon as Q1 2011.

It's still all relayed rumours and whispered prophecies at this stage- but with mulitple sites reporting the same story, there's probably some weight to this one. The Team Ico titles were some of the finest and most nuanced experiences ever coded and we'd be delighted to see them make a next-gen appearance. [TSA]

Solid Snake Says: Game Movies Must Learn Respect

Due to a combination of laziness and gaming's ever-increasing popularity, movie adaptations of videogames are becoming more and more prevalent in today's cinema. Our recent game buzz and movie news bulletins have chronicled Hollywood's increasing desire to bring our gaming heroes to the silver screen, with Uncharted, Hitman 2 and even a newly-announced Mass Effect movie on the horizon. These films are typically viewed with a mixture of resentment, fear and disappointment (due to the fact that they tend to suck beyond all reason).

However, David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake and writer of the original (and best) X-Men movie, believes that the videogame movie genre can learn from comic book adaptations. According to the legendary voice actor, recent successful comic adaptations (Iron Man, X-Men, Dark Knight etc.) have learned the value of  the original comic book stories and source material- learning lessons from early failures.

"If you don't take the source material seriously, then you're never going to adapt it well. And you're certainly never going to adapt it to the standards of video game fans, who are pretty exacting and have come to expect a pretty serious product when they put down their money. [Executives] don't really appreciate how elevated that medium has become, and how far beyond studio movies video games have become."

Wise words indeed. Studio execs need to learn that game movies will continue to suck until the writers respect our beloved source material. [Kotaku]

Microsoft Reshuffle: Bach Out, Allard Sidelined

We've been keeping a close eye on the Microsoft management reshuffle- and it's finally happened. In a surprise move, Robbie Bach has stepped down from his post, apparently because he could not commit to another three years of contractual Xbox development. J Allard has also resigned- but will remain in the Entertainment & Devices Division as an official advisor. Considering that he sired the Xbox and played a key role in Microsoft's first foray onto the internet, his expertise will be sorely needed with Natal around the corner. [1UP]

Insomniac EA Partnership Roundup

Bungie's recent deal with Activision has been dominating the recent headlines, but EA isn't to be outdone. Ratchet and Clank developers Insomniac Games has signed a multiplatform deal with EA, opening up their gaming audience threefold. Now that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, here's a quick roundup of what we know!

• One deal, one game. At the moment, Insomniac only has one multiplatform game in the pipeline, and the deal only covers that. We don't know anything about what that title actually is, but you'd better believe that we'll be watching it like a hawk. Insomniac will retain full rights to the IP.
• Insomniac will continue to develop PS3 exclusives. Insomiac's 14 years of Sony development haven't gone to waste. According to the latest Sony press release, Insomniac will still be delivering exclusives on a regular basis.
• Ratchet and Clank will not go multiplatform. This was a bone of contention for many hardcore fanboys- but don't worry. Sony owns the rights to the IP- so the duo won't be gracing the Xbox or Wii any time soon. Though they'd arguably be a great fit for the Wii's game library and control scheme, mind,