Eight of the Best Gaming Performances in 2019
With 2019 coming to a close, we find it fitting to give credit where it’s due in the gaming industry and right now, we’re discussing the best performances of 2019. Which actors sold the emotions of their characters the most effectively? Which person spoke the best dialogue? Which characters could we really attach ourselves to? These may be anyone from an NPC that won’t leave you alone to the main character or a villain from games released in 2019. These are the eight best performances we recognize to cap off the year:
Mads Mikkelsen – Death Stranding
Mads Mikkelsen was one of the high-profile actors that Hideo Kojima handpicked for his ambitious first title with Kojima Productions, Death Stranding. His ability to play a convincing villain officially transcended the film industry as the events of the game unfold and we discover more of his twisted psychology. Many of the scenes with Mikkelsen in Death Stranding are from the perspective of a Bridge Baby in an incubator, adding mystique to the plot. Mads Mikkelsen is a renowned actor in the film industry and he’s officially renowned for his legendary performance in Death Stranding as Cliff. We aren’t the first to award Mads Mikkelsen the best performances of the year, but we mean it when we say it’s a deserved throne for him to sit on while we await his next gaming project. Mads Mikkelsen has proved his mettle on film, television and now has his likeness in a top selling video game, what can’t this man do?
Sam Witwer – Days Gone
Sam Witwer is an American actor and musician who played the main character Deacon St. John in Days Gone. Deacon is a bounty hunter and mercenary, fighting the zombie outbreak with his best friend Boozer as they make their way across the Pacific Northwest. Deacon St. John is believably gritty and dark as Sam Witwer delivers a believable post-apocalyptic performance. Being one of very few humans left alive after an apocalyptic outbreak, the world has become very lonely for Deacon St. John and Sam Witwer does an impeccable job conveying the emotions people may go through after losing so many friends while trying to make new ones. It isn’t easy acting out an apocalypse but Sam Witwer knocked it out of the park.
Courtney Hope – Control
Maintaining the theme of high-profile film actors, Courtney Hope has starred in The Bold and the Beautiful and Mob Rules but her performance in Control arguably exceeds both. Control is a game that focuses on the psychology of protagonist and the player character Jesse Faden who is voiced by Hope. Getting a glimpse inside the mind of an animated character is often an arduous task but Courtney Hope’s performance sells it brilliantly. Crazy redheads don’t typically get the spotlight but Jesse Faden was so convincingly crazy, yet charming, that we thought Courtney Hope deserved a tremendous amount of credit for her performance in Control. Courtney Hope continues to deliver in her career and we’re looking forward to her next role in a videogame.
Tommie Earl Jenkins – Death Stranding
What’s this? Yet another Death Stranding actor? We’ll admit that Hideo Kojima went a little overboard with movie actors in his first title with Kojima Productions but each of them transcended their real-life personalities in Death Stranding. This is no different for Tommie Earl Jenkins who played Die-Hardman, current President of the United Cities of America and Director of Bridges in the game. Despite Tommie Earl Jenkins having equally recognizable features as Mikkelson and Reedus, Die-Hardman is always seen wearing an intimidating black mask with text on the forehead that says BR-10-14P-9999 LUDENS. For his complex role as Die-Hardman in Death Stranding, Tommie Earl Jenkins has earned a spot in the top five performances of the year. The ability to convey such emotion while wearing a mask is truly admirable and something many actors can observe Tommie Earl Jenkins to learn more about. We have a lot of questions about Death Stranding after playing it, but most notable is how does someone named Die win an election?
Click on through to PAGE 2 for more fantastic performances…