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The crossover between video games and Hollywood is something that has always been around since gaming became bigger in the 1980s. Many well-known celebrities that grew up playing video games have been involved with promoting or collaborating with game publishers in a variety of ways, often tied to their branding. But while most have just made appearances at events or talked about games while promoting a movie or TV show, there have been instances when popular celebrities have gone beyond a basic association with them. And the results have been a wide range of reactions over the years. Some games have a celebrity appearance that nobody expected, which may or may not make sense. Often, this can be seen as a weird cameo or random inclusion tied to some sort of cross promotion, but other times it can be a surprisingly awesome thing for fans to discover. But no matter how players react to seeing a celebrity show up in a game, the circumstances behind it are almost always unexpected. Here are some of the goofiest celebrity collaborations in games that people still can't believe actually happened. Snoop Dogg in Tekken A hip-hop legend approaches For many people, martial arts and the hip-hop music genre have a long history of being tied together. Many iconic musical artists from the 80s and 90s have openly discussed how they grew up watching classic martial arts films, which influenced aspects of their lifestyle and the music they created. So it's no surprise that many rappers and hip-hop artists play video games that are related to martial arts, including the popular Tekken franchise. It's something that absolutely makes sense. But absolutely nobody expected to see something like legendary rap icon Snoop Dogg appear in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in a big way. While the Tekken games are no stranger to having crazy guest characters and crossovers with other franchises, they've also broken boundaries for what was possible when these sorts of collabs happen. With Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Snoop Dogg wasn't a playable fighter, but had an entire stage and character model appearance that was centered around a song he made for the game. It's a very outlandish inclusion for the game, even though Tekken can be outlandish in many ways with its characters and lore, but one that people enjoyed seeing happen. It's too bad that the icon himself wasn't able to step inside the ring for a few bouts against the franchise's finest. During a fight, Snoop Dogg can be seen sitting on a thrown with dancers nearby as the action unfolds in front of him. The location is within a castle that seems to be decked out with imagery related to Snoop Dogg and his appearance. The stage itself was part of downloadable content for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 following its official release. The music for the stage is a track called "Knocc EM Down", which was performed by Snoop Dogg and can be played while fighting on the stage. Michael Jackson's Moonwalker with Sega Gaming and the King of Pop unite In the 1980s and early 90s, there was no bigger pop star in the world than Michael Jackson. His music was everywhere, he was constantly covered by the media, and fans were crazy about everything related to him. One thing to came from the height of his popularity back then was the release of the short film Moonwalker, which featured Michael Jackson's music and a story that tied things together. But after its release, Sega and Michael Jackson teamed up to release two video games based on Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis and arcades. Other companies had developed and released games based on the short film around the same time, but the titles made and published by Sega were the ones that received the most attention. This collaboration between Michael Jackson and Sega was a big deal back then for multiple reasons. Not only did it capitalize on the popularity of the biggest star in the entire world at that time, but it was also a major move in the console wars back then. Both Sega and Nintendo were competing for the attention and homes of gamers everywhere, and every release contributed to the ongoing clash between them. Partnering up with a major celebrity like Michael Jackson garnered Sega an incredible amount of attention, and gave many people a reason to pick up a Sega Genesis for their home. Nintendo had collaborated with celebrities in the past for various releases on the NES and Super Nintendo, but nobody was bigger than Michael Jackson back then. The games themselves have aged fairly well, with the Sega Genesis version of Moonwalker being a classic to many Genesis fans. The arcade game also had its fair share of fans that loved the music and visuals in arcades. Following this team-up between a game company and a celebrity, Sega would also work with other celebrities for different game releases in the years that followed. Their relationship with Michael Jackson would also lead to music tracks being worked on by him for games like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in the mid-90s, although this was questioned following the pop star's controversy in the 90s, but later confirmed by various sources. Def Jam and multiple rappers Rap beef settled with wrestling One of the biggest collaborations between video games and multiple celebrities was the release of the Def Jam series, and more specifically, Def Jam Vendetta on consoles. The 90s and early 2000s saw the rise of many hip-hop artists who were releasing music that would go on to become classics, which saw them appearing in other media outside of music. Much of the scene in hip-hop music and urban culture would cross over with video games, and eventually lead to Electronic Arts and their EA Big division creating the first Def Jam game in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. The response to it was incredibly positive from gamers and hip-hop fans alike, for its inclusion of popular artists and over-the-top action. Def Jam Vendetta has many music artists that were under the Def Jam label at the time. Fan favorites like Method Man, DMX, Ludacris, Funkmaster Flex, and Scarface are some of the big names that appeared in the game as playable characters. Later games, like Def Jam Fight for NY, would go further and include other celebrities that were tangential to the culture, such as people like Carmen Electra and Cindy J. Seing everyone's favorite music artist battle each other with ridiculous special moves and crazy attacks was something that nobody expected to see, but it was widely successful following the first game's release. The series would go on to have two more entries before disappearing completely. The games have yet to be released on digital platforms because the licensing for every celebrity's inclusion being a complicated issue now. Conan O' Brian in Death Stranding A very surprising appearance Anyone that knows video games well knows about director Hideo Kojima and his work in the industry. His work on the Metal Gear franchise and newer releases like Death Stranding have a cinematic approach that many people in Hollywood find attractive. It's often the reason why multiple celebrities in Hollywood have cited or mentioned his work in various interviews where the topic of gaming comes up. But just as unexpected as some of the plot twists within a Hideo Kojima game can be, it was very surprising to see the appearance of someone like Conan O' Brian in Death Stranding. Most people who played Death Stranding didn't know that Conan would be in the game until he showed up, even though he hinted at it beforehand. Around the time of when Death Stranding was releasing for the PlayStation 4 in 2019, Conan O' Brian had a segment on his late night talk show where he went to visit the studio for Kojima Productions, revealing he would be in the game. Despite this, his appearance would still come as a shock to many people who picked up Death Stranding for their console. In the game, Conan plays the part of the Wandering MC, who has some comedic dialogue with the main character Sam every time he contacts him during gameplay. Interacting with him rewards players with the Sea Otter Suit, which makes it easier to swim within rivers while traveling around. It was a unique, and very goofy inclusion for the game that people still fondly remember to this day. Hideo Kojima has been known to work with different celebrities in his games in the past, with many big names taking on some of the roles for his characters. One of the biggest, and arguably controversial, instances of this was when Kiefer Sutherland took over the role of voicing Big Boss for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Prior to that, the voice actor for Snake in every Metal Gear Solid title was done by voice actor David Hayter. Celebs and gaming will always be around
