Most people think of celebrities as highly-talented actors and musicians, but many celebs found a new way to use their fame: as the star of their very own video game. From rock stars to rappers to reality TV stars, celebs of all types have put their personalities and likenesses into many different types of games over the years. In this article, we’ll explore the many forgotten video games that starred famous celebs, and tell you about some of the celebrities you didn’t realize had their very own video game.
Celebrities from Movies
One of the earliest celebrity video games was the 1985 game The Revenge of Shinobi, a side-scrolling action game based on the popular 1980s movie The Karate Kid. It starred the movie’s main character Daniel LaRusso as he battled ninjas and a variety of enemies. Nearly 20 years later in 2003, the movie Blade became the inspiration for the game Blade: The Edge of Darkness. The game was met with mixed reviews, but still features a fairly decent action game. Both of these movie-inspired games were released across various systems, including the Sega Megadrive, Xbox, and PC.
Celebrities From Music
Music stars have also used their fame to get their very own video game. For example, the 1992 Run–D.M.C. game was released for the Sega Mega Drive as a side-scrolling platformer. The game was based on the popular hip-hop group of the same name and featured their likenesses. Similarly, U2’s Popmart: Live from Las Vegas debuted in 1998 and was based on the shows from the band’s PopMart tour. Although the game was questioned for its expensive license fees, it still featured performances from the tour. Both of the games released for only a few systems and aren’t fondly remembered by gamers.
Celebrities From Reality TV
Reality TV stars have also been used for video games, notably the Dallas Cowboys CheerleadersN. In the 1998 game released for the Nintendo 64, players take control of a member of the famous Texas football team’s cheerleading squad, as they compete against various teams of cheerleaders. One of the earliest celebrity video games to ever be released was the 1985 Iron Sheik Wrestling, released for the Atari 2600. The game puts the player in the shoes of the infamous professional wrestler as they go head-to-head with the greats of the wrestling world.
Celebrities From Sports
There are also a few games based on popular sports stars. 1993’s World Championship Soccer starred soccer legend Pele, while 1996’s Sega Championship Soccer included appearances from other prominent soccer players like Gary Lineker. Furthermore, in 1997, the game Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City was released for the SNES and which was based on the legendary basketball player’s career. More recently, NBA Live 2006 featured the likeness of Shaquille O’Neal on the cover.
Celebrities From the Gaming Industry
The video game industry has also had its fair share of celebrity video games. For example, the 1985 NES game – Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode featured Japanese actor and comedian – Shigezo Nagashima as its main character. The game was based on the manga Golgo 13 and its anime series of the same name. Another example is the 2001 Capcom game J. B. Harold Murder Club which starred game designer – Satoshi Miyashite as he attempts to solve various murders.
The next time you fire up your console, think back to these past celebrity-inspire video games. Celebrities have dabbled in the gaming industry with varying results, but many of these games were sadly overlooked or ignored. There are certainly more than a few celebs who we didn’t even know had their very own video game, proving that even if you are super famous, sometimes your gaming ambitions go under the radar.
