14 Best Acting Performances In Video Game History

12. Aaron Staton - Cole Phelps (L.A. Noire)

Team Bondi's swan song for all things pulp, L.A. Noire possessed numerous traits that made it that summer's dramatic centrepiece - not least of which its tremendous utilisation of motion-capture, amplified eloquently by actors like Keith Szarabajka and in particular Aaron Staton. Staton took on the role of the game's main protagonist, Cole Phelps, as he navigates his way through the Los Angeles Police Department in a manner extremely reminiscent to 1997's L.A. Confidential. Phelps, a former marine officer ravaged with guilt, took on multiple cases ranging from traffic violations to arson attacks as the title's story progressed, all very severe in nature. Staton's performance as the detective is rooted in the context of the 1940s and his stalwart no-nonsense attitude - though not his defining feature - is paralleled with other officers in the department to great effect. Said role is also benefited by the aforementioned facial-capture technology used in recordings, which translates every dimple and expression into the title remarkably. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a97dtTQmhY Cole may be a man of contradictions at certain points, but that just makes him evermore compelling.