7. Elizabeth
Ken Levine was clearly very excited about Elizabeth when we met up and talked about the game a few weeks back. Promising a character that was designed to engage with the player outside of combat and scripted cutscenes. While I am perhaps the tinniest bit disappointed with her limitations through my first run through, she is a rewarding and exciting innovation. Elizabeth is always doing something, whether it be investigating the scenery of a room, throwing you supplies in combat or just leaning against a wall and thinking. Several times I stopped what I was doing to see what she was doing and I could see the AI would match my gaze for a little while before looking away. She is definitely one of the best pieces of evidences of an AI as an actor that I have ever encountered and one who invites you into the story. I just wish there were a few more variables for her to really come to life. However, on a story level she shines though. With the ability to "tear" holes between our realities, as you might imagine, she is quite a hot property for all the conflicting forces in the game. She drives the narrative as well as any emotional impact of the playr as you begin to form a partnership bound by friendship. While maybe not entirely revolutionary, she is a fine companion for your stay in Columbia. However, with video gaming companions having a chequered past, she won't be disappearing from Best Video Game Companion lists for a long while.