In honor of Women’s History Month Gritty Gamer is giving their take on some of the best female voice actors and performances in gaming.
Performances in video games have evolved over the years. We’ve seen actors get equipped in full-body suits in front of large camera crews giving their best acting performances to make games come to life. The emotions they portray are felt by viewers with each and every scene they perform in, and the same is true for the women who have performed in some of the most iconic and memorable roles ever.
Lara Croft – Camilla Luddington
You can’t talk about female video game characters and not bring Lara Croft into the conversation. Lara Croft may be one of the most iconic female video game characters but Camilla Luddington’s performance in the Tombe Raider Reboot series was unprecedented.
If you’ve ever played Tomb Raider 2013 then you can agree that Luddington gave an impressive performance. Starting back from before Lara became the badass that she was in the previous Tomb Raider games, we get to see inexperienced and eager Lara face the dangers of the jungle, mercenaries, and super-natural presences.
Aloy – Ashly Burch
Horizon Zero Dawn is a game that pushed boundaries and gave gamers a truly unique experience. The open world is beautiful, the enemies are monstrous and the story is impeccable. However, the highlight of the game was Ashly Burch’s performance as Aloy.
Ashly Burch is a prominent voice actor who has played many roles you may remember, but her performance as Aloy landed her a few awards. Aloy’s journey was enticing as we got to see how Aloy grew up as she went through her journey.
Ellie – Ashley Johnson
The Last of Us portrays the story of Ellie and Joel as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The Last of Us has an amazing story to offer. All of the characters prove to be some of the most promising performances we’ve seen in gaming. The same reigns true for Ashley Johnson, the voice actor of Ellie.
Ellie is a smart, sassy and deeply troubled girl. Ashley does an amazing job of displaying all of Ellie’s emotions throughout Ellie and Joel’s journey. Naughty Dog has truly given fans something to enjoy, hopefully, the second one will continue to improve upon this formula and blow fans away.
Sadie Adler – Alex Mckenna
Leave it up to Rockstar and the developers behind Red Dead Redemption 2 to show players the complex transition of a happily married woman to an enraged widow.
Played by Alex McKenna, Sadie Adler goes through the pain of losing her beloved husband as she soon finds herself in Dutch’s Gang. The once timid and weak woman has nothing to lose after everything she loved was burned to the ground, Sadie becomes a relentless killer all in the efforts to protect her new family and kill those who have ever done her wrong.
Farah Karim – Claudia Doumit
Modern Warfare did some amazing things with the newest addition to the Call of Duty franchise. Getting back the roots of why many people enjoyed the modern warfare series, the story behind the relentless squad was told impeccably. In order to have a story as rich as this one, you need to have strong actors, which holds true for the role of Claudia Doumit who plays Farah.
Modern Warfare told the story of the war from two different perspectives. You got to see things from the rebel’s perspective and things from the American army perspective. Farah’s story was the most personal and inspiring story of them all. Watching her climb from a prisoner of war to the leader of her regimen is a gaming experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Any Call of Duty fans will find this story to be an entertaining one.
Kait Diaz – Laura Bailey
Gears 5 aimed to do something different with the latest story. Not only were their mechanical upgrades, new game modes, and new enemies, but we also got to see the story behind Kait as she embarked on a new journey.
You could argue that the gameplay of Gears 5 is the most enticing part of the game with the intense action sequences and heavy battles, but the performances by Kait and the supporting cast was superb. Going deeper than any other Gears of War ever has, Gears 5 erupts with emotion that many fans may not have been expecting.
Madison Paige – Jacqui Ainsley
When you think of a game that plays like a movie, one game that may come to mind is Heavy Rain. Sony sought to do something special with this masterpiece. You play as multiple players all entwined into the same plot to stop a menacing killer. One character who finds herself directly in the center of all the danger is Madison Paige.
Played by Jacqui Ainsley, Madison is a reporter who uses her sleuthing skills to uncover as much as she can about a serial killer who targets children. Before long, Madison is thrown directly into the middle of the story and finds herself in increasing danger. Heavy Rain features intense and disturbing scenes at times, and Ainsley does a good job of portraying all the necessary emotions throughout the entire story.
Honorable Mentions:
Cloe Frazer/Claudia Black – Uncharted
Senua/Melina Juergens – Hell Blade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Jodie Holmes/Ellen Page – Beyond Two Souls
Bayonetta/Atsuko Tanaka – Bayonetta
What are some of your favorite female performances in video games? Leave a comment below and subscribe to our newsletter below. Thanks for reading. As always, Stay Gritty, Gamers!
