Video games have the potential to make more money than blockbuster movies. Red Dead Redemption 2 earned around $725 million in just its first weekend, so Hollywood could not help but notice this.
Face-capturing technology also does not stand still. Motion capture allows giving game characters realistic facial expressions and movements of living people. Today gamers are quite surprised when they see a famous face in an upcoming game, but the early days of game development were like a Wild West – anything was possible. You wanna have a Michael Jackson game? Sure, why not. How about Keanu Reeves? Breathtaking! Not all of them are great, however.
1. Brutal Legend – Jack Black
This 2008 rock-and-roll hit from Double Fine Production Studio quickly became a cult classic. Jack Black was the main character and has repeatedly confessed his love of video games. Of course, he’s been a gaming YouTube channel for the last year or two, so that’s no surprise.
2. Moonwalker – Michael Jackson
Just to mix it up, we’re going to take a look at this monstrosity – Moonwalker featuring MJ. Saving kids by throwing hats undead gangsters does sound fun, but the “novelty” wears off after about 10 minutes. Not all oldies are goodies.
3. Enslaved – Andy Serkis
Given the fact that Andy is very fond of the whole motion capture thing, it’s not surprising he’s all over the movie and gaming industries. So in 2010, he was featured in Enslaved, where Andy not only played the leading role but also helped to direct the game. Postapocalyptic future where machines and plants have taken over – what a perfect setting!
4. Spice World – Spice Girls
Remember the classic rhythm game on PS1 called Parappa the Rappa? Well, Spice World is just like that precious classic hit but eleventy times worse! And don’t get me started on the horrifying character designs. Yikes forever!
5. Batman – Mark Hamill
Hamill is best-known for his legendary part as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. But ever since then he’s done a lot of movies, TV, and video game appearances. He’s become a hugely prominent voice actor ever since he voiced the Joker in the Batman animated series. So when Warner Bros ordered a Batman video game, of course they invited Mark! Now it’s rather impossible to see the Joker without imagining Hammil’s voice.
6. Shaq Fu – Shaq
Shaq Fu is really something. Oh, wait, no, it’s the worst game ever made. Maybe top 5 worst, to be frank. Everything about it is broken: fighting mechanics, graphics, and the enemies. It’s still quite valuable as a collector’s item.
7. Death Stranding – Norman Reedus and others
The list ends with a brilliant game from a no less brilliant creator – Hideo Kojima. When he announced his weird project about beached whales and Norman Reedus with an infant, people had no idea what to think of it. Actually, we had no idea what it was going to play like up until the release day. Spoiler alert: it turned out quite amazing! Aside from Reedus, Kojima has invited big names like Mads Mikkelsen, Connan O’Brien, Edgar Wright, and Junji Ito (yes, the horror mangaka).
