10 Best Lead Voice Acting Performances In Video Games
4. Troy Baker & Ashley Johnson - Joel & Ellie (The Last Of Us)
Another dual lead performance, both Troy Baker's Joel and Ashley Johnson's Ellie are just as memorable as one another, the pair working as one throughout the majority of the game.
Standout scenes come from Baker's gutwrenchingly emotional portrayal of Joel crying whilst his daughter passes away, or the late-game turn where a very much "done with this sh*t" Joel takes the fight to a number of enemies imprisoning Ellie.
As for Ellie, Johnson plays the pugnacious, desensitised teen survivor with just the right amount of relatability and empathy - a tricky thing to get right, being as a character she's initially quite standoff-ish towards Joel (as he is to her).
Over time the pair come out of their shells, start to share some very subtle in-jokes and essentially remind each other of the joys of human interaction. The Last of Us is just as much about bricking Clickers as it is scenes where Joel teaches Ellie how to whistle - a remarkably realistic portrayal of two damaged individuals wandering the apocalypse together.