14 Best Acting Performances In Video Game History

10. Jennifer Lee Taylor - Cortana (Halo 4)

Though a large quantity of Halo fans may harbour a distinct disliking for Halo 4 as a whole, the story's focus on the Chief's relationship with Cortana was absolutely stellar, and built upon all the past games in the series in a constructive and innovative manner. The fourth main instalment in the franchise saw Chief's AI companion mentally deteriorating at an unprecedented level, which in turn led to some of the most emotive scenes in a Halo title ever. Cortana had been a mainstay of the Chief's escapades since 2001, so to see her in such a dilapidated state - wrought with grief at the prospect of no longer being able to accompany her friend anymore - was palpably sorrowful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACvIxGpzGs8 The level of emotion displayed wouldn't have been made possible without Jennifer Lee Taylor's acting talent though, who managed to make the slow winding descent of an AI into madness feel believable and above all empathetic. It's a sombre end for such an iconic character, but at least she went out with a bang.
In this post: 
GTA GTA V
 
Posted On: 
Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.