Top 10 Celebrity Cameos In Video Games

There’s nothing better than that 'Hold on a minute' moment when you spot that an NPC in a game you’re playing is voiced by or based on one of your favourite personalities.

In this Top 10, we show you plenty of star studded games who're using an A-list cast to appeal to the masses. Some of these titles will have some familiar faces who'll only pop up if you know just where to look. 

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10. Ricky Gervais  - GTA IV

Grand Theft Auto IV had a magnificent cast of actors to bring Liberty City to life, but you'll find some of the biggest names in the credits a little off the beaten track.

By taking a trip down to the Split Sides comedy club, you can kick back, relax and enjoy a comedy routine performed by none other than Ricky Gervais or Katt Williams, who'll take to the stage to deliver some jokes, act out some skits, and provide their take on life in Liberty City.

The comedy club's roster became even more robust in The Lost and the Damned DLC, with Frankie Boyle being added to the line-up to deliver his particular brand of comedy to the club's patrons.

9. Mike Tyson  - Punch-Out!!

Up next we have one of the first celebrity cameos in a game, with their likeness being lent to one of the most infamously formidable encounters in any sports game - it's Mike Tyson in Punch-Out!!.

When the American Nintendo president witnessed Tyson fight, he likened the experience of stepping into the ring with him as a real life boss battle, and sought to include him as a special guest in their upcoming boxing title.

And what an encounter it was, with plenty of strikes that would send Little Mac straight to the canvas, the final bout required all of a players mettle to best. Not even Tyson himself could defeat his virtual counterpart when he finally got around to playing the game properly in 2013.

Even Mike Tyson couldn't defeat himself in Punch-Out!! (Picture: Nintendo, YouTube)

8. Burt Reynolds  - Saints Row

Now we've got quite possibly the strangest cameo on the list with an appearance from someone we're sure we would never see in a video game - Burt Reynolds.

There aren't many titles that could feature the classic gunslinger playing his own likeness. Yet, when we tell you that this idea came from the minds that brought you Saints Row, it all makes perfect sense. Having Reynolds as the morally questionable mayor of Steelport? That's nothing short of genius.

What ensues is one of the most satisfying cameos we never knew we needed. From his trademark cool demeanour, to his quick back and forth with the rest of the characters - some of which have quite the history with Reynolds - we're fully immersed in our lifelong dream of living out Smokey and the Bandit.

Oh, and Burt is also fireproof in the game, which is always good to know.

7. Terry Crews - Crackdown

Over the past 20 years or so we've experienced all manners of existences through simulators, allowing us take up the mantle of pilots, dolphins, goats, or even a slice of toast.

However, there's an ambition that we've always wanted which was realised through the release of Crackdown 3, which allowed us to take to the streets and cause untold mayhem as the formidable Terry Crews.

The title delivers everything we could possibly hope for, and shows us what we already knew a day in the life of the former American football star consisted of, such as throwing cars, leaping over buildings, and taking down criminal kingpins.

The experience wouldn't be complete without some trademark quips and goofiness from the actor, which we thankfully get in spades during the adventure.

6. Mark Hamill  - Joker

Coming off a string of successes on the big screen with Star Wars, Mark Hamill took to the world of Video games in 1994 and starred in the classic intergalactic combat simulator Wing Commander 3, which featured over two hours of footage to go along with the game.

This was some next level stuff - and it's no surprise that this was the most expensive title ever produced at the time, but it was an absolute marvel, thanks no doubt to Hamill's acting which brought the story to life.

What followed was the start of a 20-year career bringing all manners of characters to life in video games, with roles in everything from Darksiders, to Crash Bandicoot, to Kingdom Hearts. However there's one role that's been reprised time and time again - the Joker.

We're just going to go ahead and say it - Mark Hamill is the epitome of Joker portrayals. We're sticking by it, and we can absolutely back it up.

Playing the character in all manner of games from the quirky Lego adaptations, to the gritter, darker Arkham series, Hamill established the most quintessential portrayal to date, with new idiosyncrasies and peculiarities with each and every take.

(Picture: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertaiment, YouTube)

5. Sean Bean  - Various

For someone we're so used to seeing meet all manners of grisly ends on screen, its no surprise to hear that Sean Bean has taken to keeping himself away from the action and very much alive with his performances in games, where he's lent his voice to the narrator of Civilisation, Life is Feudal and Kholat.

However if you are set on getting Boromir to live up to his reputation of being unparalleled in his ability to die, you can take him on as an enemy in Hitman 2.

As the character of Mark Faba, the character is a tongue in cheek reference to his on screen performances. Nicknamed 'The Undying', he will recount all the ways in which people have tried to kill him in the past, a nod to his various acting ends. So surely he'll be an easy target for Agent 47, but we don't want to spoil the surprise.

4. Ellen Page and Willem Defoe  - Beyond Two Souls

Whilst we've seen some neat cameos so far, we haven't seen any games that have been built around these appearances. Every now and then, however, there comes a title that is able to fully utilise actors in games.

So far in this list, we've seen appearances that are a delight for fans to see, but none have had just as an ambitious a scope as Beyond Two Souls.

The game truly stood out from the crowd in its purpose and design, and sought to bridge the gap between gaming and movie-going. This innovation was reason it was second game to ever be recognised by the Tribeca Film Festival - the other being L.A. Noire.

The resulting product was a marvel of expression in a game, with Page and Defoe bringing some unique performances to their roles in this psychic bout - and one of only a handful of games who can boast an A-list cast on their cover.

3. Elijah Wood  - Spyro

Up next we've got a name who we're always excited to see pop up in gaming news, not just down to his acting credentials, but for the simple fact that he's a gamer.

It's pretty unsurprising to hear that Elijah Wood has had his foot in the water with gaming voice-overs portraying our forth or fifth favourite hobbit - Frodo Baggins. However Wood has stated time and time again that he's an avid gamer, and he certainly seems to know his stuff, and he brings that passion with him in his gaming performances.

If you want to see him truly bring a character to life, look no further than The Legend of Spyro Trilogy. Bringing a more humble and grounded tone to the character, rather than some of his predecessors wackier renditions, Wood made the world see Spyro in a very different light. And it worked - perfectly.

It's a simple revitalisation, but a welcome sight from the raspy inflections of previous versions. Now, if only someone could get him on board to voice Sonic, there might be some hope for that series yet.

Look at that fierce look (Picture: Activision)

If dragon's don't float your boat, and you'd rather Spartans to Spyro, you can also catch Elijah at work in God of War 3, playing the part of Kratos' brother, Deimos. And if that still isn't enough, check out his role as one of the lead characters in Broken Age.

Still not satisfied? Well he's even directing his own VR psychological thriller with Ubisoft - Transference.

2. John Cleese - Elder Scrolls

As one of the most distinguished comedic actors of the past century, John Cleese has brought his signature style to pretty much everything, with no frontiers past his gaze. Surely enough, he's found himself in a few roles in games, and the results are just as spectacular as you'd imagine.

To see his trademark tomfoolery in all its glory, look no further than his portrayal of 'Sir Cadwell' in the Eldest Scrolls Online, who seems to be picked straight out of a Monty Python film and left to fend for himself in the nooks and crannies of The Harborage.

You'll find yourself wanting to come back, time and time again to catch a glimpse of Cadwell's wacky wisdom, and he acts for a sense of familiar relief in an otherwise bleak and troubling landscape.

And if you're still looking for your fill of irreverent absurdity, you can catch Cleese again, bringing further lunacy to the Far East in Jade Empire. Now, his voice acting will usually stand out for itself, but if you needed any help spotting him - just look for his character's full title. 'Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fondlebottom the Magnificent Bastard'. Yeah, you can't miss him.

You'll catch your first glimpses of him proving the ingenuity of western science - by showcasing his musket on a local. He's arrogant, irritating and the kind of character we would love to loathe, but its impossible with the voice of Cleese bringing that character to life and making us chuckle with each and every abhorrent act.

1. Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Jack Black, Lemmy - Brutal Legend

Ozzy Osbourne bringing his spirit to Brutal Legend (Picture: Double Fine)

With a range of some of the biggest names in the music business, Brutal Legend is a title that will go down in history as one of the most ambitious crossovers in any genre. 

Now this is a story of a game which came to be through some pretty surprising terms. Whilst the director, Tim Schafer, had envisioned an action adventure through a world drenched in metal music icons, he'd never intended for there to be a celebrity cast.

However as the characters started to be conceived, Schafer noticed certain likenesses emerging. One in particular was the player controlled character Eddie, who bore an eerie resemblance to Jack Black.

It didn't take long to assemble the ensemble of musicians, with Judas Priest's Rob Halford as The Baron, Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister as The Kill Master, Jack Black's Tenacious D counterpart Kyle Gass as Kage, The Runaway's Lita Ford as Rima, and even Ozzy Osbourne as The Guardian of Metal.

It was staggering to see these icons bear there likeness throughout the game, and many of their idiosyncrasies shined through.

As you can imagine, many of these musicians had a hard time dealing with the lack of profanity, and frequently injected their own into the lines. Rather then retaking, the team came up with an in-game profanity option, that lets you hear the musicians perform their parts exactly as they thought they should.

What makes this such a gem is that for many of the cast, this will be their one and only foray into the world of video games, and whilst some of the cast had been a familiar voice for gamers - Tim Currie who played Doviculus also starred alongside Mark Hamill in Wing Commander III, for example - many of these faces will never again be immortalised in a game, which makes Brutal Legend completely unique, and something the likes of which we may never see again.

Who'd have thought so many instantly recognisable names had such a background in video games - well, you do, after watching this. And with some huge titles coming up featuring some fantastic actors - we're looking at Cyberpunk 2077 here, we've an exciting few years, and some more memorable performances to look forward to.