Best Lead Performance of 2024 - Article
by Lee Mehr , posted on 15 January 2025 / 1,842 Views
As game scripts expand in size and the technology to capture performances improves, blockbuster game companies are under tremendous pressure to get the right fit for a leading role. In some cases, said actor essentially becomes the face of that franchise; their mug may be digitally altered or cropped in select ways, but they're – more or less – in the same spot as a film actor at this point. As a result, there's also a keener interest in how those performers sound if they're replacing somebody else.
Perhaps the most glaring example of that was Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake. Alongside a bevy of other gameplay & story alterations, Luke Roberts replacing Guy Cihi's original James Sunderland was a major point of distress for long-time fans before release. Sure, Cihi wasn't a trained actor at the time (and it shows), but he carried a type of unique charm that meshed perfectly with the game's strange world. A similar situation was Troy Baker assuming the mantle of Indiana Jones. How similar could he actually sound to a younger Harrison Ford? Judging by the collective staff & community acclaim, both of them fared quite well, and so too did the others who made up our final five.
The Shortlist:
Kazuhiro Nakaya as Ichiban Kasuga (Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth)
Troy Baker as Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)
Melina Juergens as Senua (Senua's Saga: Hellblade II)
Cody Christian as Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
Luke Roberts as James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
The Runner-up:
Cody Christian as Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)
Sharing a similar sentiment to the one I brought up in this year's Best Supporting Performance article: if we had split nominees between Lead and Supporting in 2020, Cody Christian would've been among the Lead finalists. Just as with Britt Baron (Tifa) and Briana White (Aerith), what makes his performance as Cloud so impressive stems from voicing what was once the voiceless. To see him inhabit that role in one of the most voluminous games scripts of the year earns him widespread praise.
The Winner:
Melina Juergens as Senua (Senua's Saga: Hellblade II)
I'll even go a step further than I did for Cody Christian: if VGChartz had a Performance category award of any kind back in 2017, Melina Juergens would've won for her work on Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. I would've put money on it too. A bold claim to make given how much smaller scripts were then compared to today's big-budget titles. So, what gives me the boldness to make such a claim?
It's crucial to emphasize this one word: performance. It's not merely the sounds of Juergens' Senua that pull us into her world, but also the sights. The sheer terror and anguish as she wrestles with her psychosis, alongside her physical fights against Northmen slavers, wouldn't feel the same without an actor fully committed to that role. The way the camera leers close to Juergens' face during bouts of psychological terror is an incredible example of the special collaborative nature between actors and performance capture technicians. All of our finalists are a testament to how quality performances can so effectively pull the player in. Melian Juergens' example shines brightest.
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I'm surprised Troy Baker wasn't at least the runner-up. That shows just how the steep the competition was this year.
Well deserved! Melina was really good at capturing psychosis and everything else in the game.
Luke Roberts performance is so underrated...
Luke Roberts killed it and deserves it for 2024 best performance
So, having not played it, I can only assume that FF7 Rebirth direction took the time to remove all the "anime grunts" that Remake had? Because it's getting a lot of praise from people for voice acting over the guy who basically copied and replicated a young Harrison Fords voice.
Why are you throwing shade at a great performance? Super lame. It didn't even win over your prefered choice lol
I'm not, generally interested if it was better than in FF7Remake. I preferred another doesn't mean they weren't good but I have no reference other than the first of the 2 games, which I thought the direction made the voice acting kinda poor.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting your post. I was referring to your comment about Troy Bakers Indiana Jones, which came off as a dig when I read it.
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