6 Best Actor Cameos And Performances In Video Games
1. Ellen Page And Willem Dafoe As Jodie Holmes And Nathan Dawkins - Beyond: Two Souls
One of the most significant examples of actors' performances in video games comes in Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls. The work of this studio blends decision-based gaming with photorealistic dramatic sequences, such that this piece of 'interactive storytelling' premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.
Ellen Page portrays the game's main character, Jodie Holmes, while Dafoe is NPC Nathan Dawkins, her doctor and guardian. The acting in this is superb and is possibly the best fusion of film and gaming as a medium to date. The many decisions in the game mean the player can take multiple pathways to result in any of eleven main endings; the amount of work involved for the actors therefore exceeds most conventional films and games, and Page's dedicated performance should be considered some of her best work.
Incidentally, at the same time of Beyond: Two Soul's announcement, Page battled with her unauthorised likeness being portrayed in Ellie, in Naughty Dog's critically acclaimed game The Last of Us. Following Page's complaint, Ellie's character design was modified to more closely resemble her voice actress, Ashley Johnson.