15 Iconic Final Shots Of Beloved Video Game Characters

13. Ellie - The Last Of Us

The first character on this list to actually survive their game, Ellie also happens to be the newest character in this whole list, such is the instant classic status that The Last Of Us has well and truly deserved. For those of you who haven't played TLoU (for shame), Ellie is immune to an infection that has decimated the world's population and turned people into horrifying monsters. Joel is charged with taking her to a medical facility to examine her and hopefully find a cure, but when he finds out that they will have to kill her to do the research, he kidnaps her, lays waste to the base and then lies, saying they couldn't use her for a cure. What's striking about the scene is that Naughty Dog have so expertly crafted the look and feel of Ellie that you know in the very last shot that she's aware Joel is lying, but after his speech about doing what it takes to survive and live with it, she accepts what he has done. It's all done with a subtle movement of her face. The thoughts behind the character are shown through her eyes as she thinks about what to do, whether to believe Joel or not, and with a shrug of the shoulders, she does. The technology behind TLoU is phenomenal, the detail in the motion capture and the amount of fidelity that is gained from a seven year old console is unparalleled. But given the hoopla around the facial expression technology used in L.A. Noire and it's eventual wonkiness, what Naughty Dog accomplished with that last shot alone is nothing short of an actual miracle. They even managed to give Ellie a stare so human, you wouldn't think you were looking at a digital rendition of a girl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkk3tEYaKqs