Top 10 Dumbest Celebrity Appearances in Video Games

Top 10 Dumbest Celebrity Appearances in Video Games

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Dumbest Celebrity Appearances in Video Games! For this list, we’re taking a look at celebrity cameos and appearances from across the video game space that were completely pointless and felt way more out of place than Barney the Dinosaur in a fighting game. (Remember that?) What do you think was the dumbest of the bunch? Did it make the list? Share with us in the comments below.

“NBA 2K13” (2012)

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Most would defend the pop star’s inclusion by pointing to a 2011 all-star charity game he participated in. While it’s easy to make that connection, it’s still hard to understand his inclusion considering Biebs didn’t make a single basket during the game. It doesn’t take much digging to find out what may have possibly led to his inclusion in “NBA 2K13”. See, the game featured rapper Jay-Z as its executive producer, and Jay-Z and Bieber have made their friendship somewhat public over the years. With Bieber’s Celebrity All-Star team also featuring a couple of cast members from “Jersey Shore”, we have to wonder how much of this time could have been spent making sure Scottie Pippen would be in the game at launch.

“Death Stranding” (2019)

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The late-night talk show host has made it very clear that he does not like video games, and yet, he’s been featured in several of them. Some of these cameos have made sense such as “Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham” and “Halo 4”. “Death Stranding”, on the other hand? Not so much. Conan plays as “the Wandering MC”, a man who has an unusual affinity for otters. Perhaps longtime “Conan” fans were delighted to see him here, but this felt unnecessary and a bit contrived. It doesn’t help that director Hideo Kojima has openly expressed his love and appreciation for Hollywood cinema and celebrities, and the game already featured a handful of celebrities from games, television, and movies.

“Fight Club” (2004)

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It was already weird for this game to exist five years after the film it was based on had already been released. How could it get any stranger? How about an arbitrary guest appearance from a celebrity? Don’t get it twisted - we love Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit. We could listen to their music all day! But as far as the lead singer’s inclusion here goes, we have to ask “why?” Durst had absolutely nothing to do with the movie. The only connection between the two is that “Fight Club” is referenced in Limp Bizkit’s song, “Livin’ It Up”. Maybe we just had to be there when the game and song had first come out. Never forget they made a Fight Club video game in which Fred Durst was a playable character (avclub.com)

While it presents itself as a star-studded guide on how to make movies, “Steven Spielberg’s Director’s Chair” is actually no different than your average, cheesy FMV game. The acting is hilariously awful, and the presentation overall feels lifeless, which is odd considering how energetic Hollywood is usually depicted. As for the celebrity appearances, these are equally painful to watch, especially considering how good Jennifer Aniston’s acting skills are. Quentin Tarantino’s, however, are...questionable. In the end, it comes off like a celebrity-filled lecture. Was this really to get us to believe we were working with the actors?

Look, we have nothing against Phil Collins. We love the man’s music and would do anything to get a private concert from him. And the idea to include him in the game is actually pretty cool! So, why is he on this list? Well, he just feels so of out of place in the vulgar world of GTA. Sure, other celebrities like Katt Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Samuel L. Jackson lent their voices and likenesses to the games, but those guys felt right because of their crass and vulgar humor. They match the vibe and humor of GTA. Phil here just feels like an arbitrary cameo that probably caused an unnecessary bloat in the game’s budget.

“Revolution X” (1994)

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Whereas several games felt like they had shoehorned their celebs into the game, “Revolution X” was basically a giant ad for the band “Aerosmith”, and it wasn’t even that good. This rail shooter is set in a world where a government organization has placed a ban on music, games, TV, and magazines. Aerosmith gets kidnapped at a concert, and you, the player, must go to rescue them. As if the game couldn’t have suffered from anymore embarrassment, the console ports made “Revolution X” even worse. Credit where it’s due, Midway knew who they were developing this game for, and they succeeded. Still, an edgy name like “Revolution X” doesn’t exactly scream “Aerosmith”.

“Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” (2012)

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The sequel to “Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing” already had some weird guest characters such as Wreck-It Ralph and some of the guys from “Team Fortress 2”. Of them all, though, Danica Patrick was the strangest and dumbest guest character. Her appearance felt like a billboard of a character, having her sponsor “GoDaddy” emblazoned on her suit and her vehicle sporting the Hot Wheels logo on the sides. Wasn’t “Transformed” supposed to be a kart-racer that celebrated SEGA IPs? Why do we have product placement and a NASCAR driver here, then?

Unlike most of our entries, we can see the connection between our pop queen and “FIFA”. After all, Dua Lipa did perform at the Champions League Final in 2018. However, it’s frustrating to see her in “FIFA 21” because her inclusion feels a tad frivolous. With the exception of goal celebrations and replays, you don’t really see your players all that much. So, while it is cool to be able to say “I have Dua Lipa on my team in FIFA”, what’s the point if the camera is several hundred feet away from the action? Given how vibrant and animated her music videos are, it would have been cooler if they did some sort of colorful, cartoony stadium dedicated to her instead.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” (2012)

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Considering how often Jimmy Kimmel has made fun of and incurred the wrath of the gaming community, it’s a wonder how he managed to get into “Call of Duty”, and his inclusion is pretty stupid. Depending on which choices you make in “Black Ops II’s” campaign, you’ll get an ending where Raul Menendez is in prison, and Jimmy Kimmel appears on his cell’s TV. Chloe Lynch appears, and what follows is some incredibly awkward dialogue and writing. However, we have to wonder why Kimmel was even involved at all when he doesn’t have much screen time. Knowing how ridiculous “Call of Duty’s” budgets are, wouldn’t it have been easier to save money and make up a fictional talk show? You know, for your FICTIONAL WORLD!?

“Fortnite” (2017)

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Believe it or not, there was a time when “Fortnite” had its own identity. Even with a few crossovers, it was pretty cool seeing all of the unique designs running around the battlefield. Unfortunately, the game has become too indulgent with crossovers and celebrities that it’s devolved into “Pop Culture Battle Royale”. It’s at a point where we’re seeing pistol-wielding Supermans and SCAR-toting Ariana Grandes, the latter of which has already made an out-of-place appearance in the “Final Fantasy” mobile game, “Brave Exvius”. With all of these streamers, singers, and crossovers, “Fortnite” has completely lost its identity. And do we dare ask why “Rick & Morty” is in this game, a game that is heavily marketed towards kids?