As video games continue to evolve, they further prove how much of a high-form artistic medium they are. Many video games innovate themselves in great ways, from intricate combat to beautiful and fluid animation. Some games deserve praise and recognition for the painstaking effort the developers and motion capture actors have put into these love letters for fans to experience.
It’s no secret that facial animations are important for telling a personal story. It’s hard to get a deep story across when characters look and feel like robots. Facial animations are important to help players understand the all-too-human emotion some characters feel, and how they move. Luckily, there are plenty of great games with the best facial animations.
8 L.A. Noire
Players will take control of the Los Angeles Police Detective Cole Phelps in L.A. Noire. For a detective game, Rockstar knew that players needed to rely on facial cues to fully utilize and come to the correct conclusions in interrogations and police questioning. L.A. Noire does a great job at facial animations, especially considering the game was made in 2011.
The facial capture technology for L.A. Noire was experimental and genius. Players need to pay very close attention to the characters in question. Everything works in L.A. Noire, from the way characters move their eyes to the way their mouth tightens at accusations and guilt.
7 God Of War: Ragnarok
Kratos has come a long way from being a ruthless God-Killer, and the reviled god of war in the Greek Pantheon. When Kratos continues his journey as a father and a grieving husband in God of War: Ragnarok, he is still far more reserved and trying his hardest to keep his rage bound to his closed heart. However, his emotion is told beautifully in his eyes.
The way that God of War: Ragnarok tells such a human story with these god characters is genius and emotional. Kratos has great body language and facial animations, ones that show his anger or worry clearly, just as the game does with its other characters.
6 Injustice 2
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As a challenging and fun fighting game, it was a surprise to many just how well Injustice 2 did its facial animations. The game feels like a movie for the story mode of Injustice 2. Seeing these iconic DC Comics superheroes and supervillains feels like a live-action movie considering just how grand and realistic the facial animations are.
When characters like Harley Quinn break into a mischievous grin, it feels all too real. Even when characters are speaking, it’s as if the team has taken an extra amount of care in their character designs to make sure everything works so well together.
5 The Last Of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2 is a difficult game. Not only can it be a challenge for the gameplay, but the story of grief and revenge is hard to get through emotionally. There are incredible performances for the actors in The Last of Us Part 2, and these performances are expertly and amazingly translated into a video game thanks to the team at Naughty Dog.
The facial animation in The Last of Us Part 2 is heartbreakingly beautiful. The grief and rage felt by Ellie propels the player forward in a mutual quest for revenge against those that killed Joel. Each character has such care in their expressions, whether they are saying something or otherwise.
4 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
This unforgettable journey combines myth and psychological horror, as a Celtic warrior embarks through the Viking age to fight for the soul of her dead lover. The story is grand, and the gameplay feels smooth. However, the biggest takeaway from Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is in the facial animations. They feel painstakingly crafted to tell a great story.
What makes this game so loved is how the developers worked closely with neuroscientists and people who experience psychosis to help players understand Senua’s mind in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Players will be able to feel the grief and despair and everything in between thanks to the facial animation.
3 Ghost Of Tsushima
Jin Sakai is a samurai on a quest like no other in Ghost of Tsushima. Bound to honor the ways of the samurai, Jin must decide for himself what is more important: honor or the safety of the people of Tsushima against the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Considering Jin’s guilt as he abandons the samurai code for a stealthy and dishonorable approach to warfare, it’s only right that he has the facial animations to match his feelings.
Jin, his uncle, and other characters have notable facial animations, and most of that is done through heartbreak. The characters feel utterly tragic as they helplessly defend their home and scramble for a sense of honor in Ghost of Tsushima’s beautifully crafted story and characters.
2 Death Stranding
With a star-studded cast of Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen, Death Stranding certainly needs a great team behind its facial animation to show the acting prowess of its A-list actors. Not only is the cast of Death Stranding great, but the game is from the mind of none other than Hideo Kojima, a renowned storyteller and game developer who surely needs these beautiful facial animations to further his goals and development of video games in the new 'Strand' genre.
Hideo Kojima loves movies and loves video games; it’s no surprise that he wants to combine the two. As players take on the journey of a delivery man across a fractured America, there is plenty of room for human connection when Sam Bridges meets other humans in person, despite his fear of touch.
1 Horizon: Forbidden West
Aloy must journey to the Forbidden West, a land full of mystique, beauty, and threat to find out just how to save the dying lands of her home. In Horizon: Forbidden West, the game takes what was loved about the first title, and pushes it beyond. Not only are the graphics far superior and smoother, but the facial animations range from emotional to outright beautifully charming.
There are many human moments between characters, and Aloy takes the focus in Horizon: Forbidden West. Whether it is the simple acts of human laughter, or something more serious, Aloy has plenty of great facial animations to appreciate.