I wasn’t the only person stroking my beard in confused contemplation when 2K Games announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be a playable character in this year’s WWE 2K16. Not as himself, mind you, who was inducted in the wrestling promotion’s Hall of Fame this year. But as T-800, better known as The Terminator. No, I don’t quite understand it either.
It isn’t the only super strange cameo appearance by a celebrity or public figure in a video game, though. The industry actually has a pretty elaborate history with making off the cuff pop culture references by featuring celebrities. Here’s some of the weirdest.
10. Barack Obama/Sarah Palin – Mercenaries 2
Back when The President of the United States was still just a hopeful senator, the squad over at Pandemic Studios thought it would be pretty fitting to include DLC that turns your mercs into Barack Obama and his then Presidential rival’s VP candidate Sarah Palin. The were the freshest faces in the race, and the most Googleable political figures of the time (Ron Paul wasn’t around yet), so the tongue and cheek inclusion of these two was pretty relevant.
9. The Rock – SpyHunter
The Rock’s inclusion in 2006’s Spy Hunter reboot wasn’t completely out of left field – a movie also staring the burgeoning movie star was also in the pipe line. The game was supposed to be a simple tie in, but turned out to be the only thing to come out of that relationship. Dwayne Johnson might be too big of a star to do something like it now. At the very least, he’s too big to fit inside the car.
8. Mikhail Gorbachev – Street Fighter II
It’s actually almost funny how clearly Zangief’s ending in Street Fighter II illustrates the complete uselessness of fighting game ending sequences. Since not everyone is the main protagonist, only one or two of the casts’ total endings actually apply to the canon. The rest are “What if?” style fever dreams, and Zangief is such a random and inconsequential character narrative that he had no choice but to be the most ridiculous. Enter a weird dance slide show featuring Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
7. Ronald Reagan – Bad Dudes vs DragonNinja
When rampant ninja-related crimes hit the White House, and President Ronnie (read Ronald Reagan) get’s caught in the crossfire, it’s up to a pair of random degenerates to rescue him. That sort of grassroots empowering was what The Jelly Bean Man was always professing, so it only makes sense that it’s a central theme in a game where he gets kidnapped. If you and an optional partner prove to be bad enough dudes to save him, then he’ll offer to take you guys out for a burger. I’d prefer medals, but we can’t get too picky, I guess.
6. Michael Jackson – Space Channel 5
So Michael Jackson was a weird guy, right? He was a rare talent that was innovative and provocative as a song writer, musician, and performer, but also really strange. So, as it may not surprise people that he’s in a game that is ostensibly about dancing, the final package is characteristically spacey. Jackson reached out to developer Tetsuya Mizuguci towards the end of the development of Space Channel 5 and wanted to be apart of the game in some way. Scrambling for options, the dev team decided to change the ending. Once involving saving aliens, it now involved saving aliens AND a wayward Michael Jackson. Of course it did.
5. The Clintons – Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2/NBA Jam
As far as presidential power couples go, Bill and Hillary Clinton have done some pretty impressive time together in video games. This is probably because the two of them were nigh inseparable, pre-Lewinsky. Together, they were a mean pair of street ballers in NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. As they weren’t the only celebrity cameos, no hidden characters ever hit the court more often on my Genesis than the Bill and Hill Express. The pair also showed up as playable pugilists in the arcade boxing sequel, Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2. Another surprise guest in that game: Michael Jackson, again.
4. The Burger King – Fight Night Round 3
Confession time: I love the Burger King. His persistent creepiness is only matched by omnipresence – he’s literally everywhere and his only base desire is to feed you Whoppers while staring into your primal soul with his cold, dead eyes. It’s comedic gold, really. So when he was a prominent figure in Fight Night Round 3, it served as both clever use of product placement, and an opportunity for catharsis. It’s also really, really random.
3. Phil Collins – GTA Vice City Stories
The weirdest part about having a GTA character that is an 80’s prog-rock music icon is that it wasn’t some crazy spoof caricature of Phil Collins, it was the honest-to-goodness, real deal Phil Collins. It marked the first time ever that a real celebrity played themselves in the long running crime series, and if you’ve never played the infamous mission “Kill Phil,” you really should. Oh, and there’s also a “live” performance of “In the Air Tonight,” and if that’s not your thing, well you’re probably wrong.
2. Gary Coleman – Postal 2
The most interesting part of Gary Coleman’s prominent role in Postal 2 is that it’s probably the most relevant he’d been since his classic role in Diff’rent Strokes. His simple presence in things became bigger than any actorial value he’d add to the part. Maybe as a sort of recognition of this effect he had, and as a subtle act of defiance against the “child-like” persona he’d come to be associated with, he dove heavily into the role of violent psychopath in a game that is commonly considered one of the most vulgar and abhorrent games ever. Take that, typecasting!
1. Fred Durst – Fight Club
This one is a head-scratcher. I have no great understanding as to why this game features Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst as an unlockable character. Maybe its because the existence of the game is such a bold display of corporate tampering outside of the intent of the subject matter, that Vivendi Games figured that it was it’s natural duty to push this game as deep into the rabbit hole as possible. And listen, I’ve never read the book, so maybe Durst plays a huge role in some sub-narrative that I’m wholly ignorant to. Please be that…
What other games had completely nutty celebrity cameos? Leave them below, or tweet us @CurseGamepedia.