Who do celebrities think they are? One minute they are mastering one form of entertainment and then they make the leap to another medium completely different. When a celebrity is on their high horse making more money than the Republic of the Congo, video game publishers are quick to cash in on a celebrity’s fame. What better way do that than to feature them in a video game title and plaster their name on every inch of the game. Not surprisingly, almost all these titles ultimately fail upon release in terms of critical feedback and occasionally sales. Of course, people are indeed dumb enough to purchase them so the game companies end up winning in the end. On that note, here is my list of the top 10 worst celebrity based video game titles that will make you cringe in horror.
10. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker: For the record, Michael Jackson was a legendary singer, songwriter, and performer that gave new meaning to the term “pop music.” It’s a shame that his personal life overshadowed his astonishing music career towards the end of his life. Back in the early 80’s, Michael Jackson ruled the entertainment world and released a Moonwalker movie as well as a video game title. Though Moonwalker featured some great 16-bit music and fairly solid combat, the game had a sort of a bizarre premise. The mob had for some insane reason kidnapped a bunch of orphaned children and it was up to Michael to rescue them out of closets, graves, etc. I think any person would find it odd that the main goal in the title is to rescue children by a forty year old man wearing a white suit and showcasing some odd yet impressive dance moves. Oh yeah, Bubbles the chimpanzee makes an appearance allowing Jackson to turn into a robot, which just proves my point how weird this game truly is.
9. Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City: The early 90’s called for numerous celebrity based video games including those who were sport superstars. One game involves Michael Jordan as he travels around “Chicago” in search of his teammates who have been abducted by an evil scientist known as Maximus Cranium. From there, the plot doesn’t quite unfold into anything. In addition to the weak plot, the controls are the game’s biggest flaw. It’s strenuous to actually carry out any maneuvers. Also, the surfaces of the in game levels are comparable to an ice rink, causing Jordan to slide off numerous platforms. The game also features some bland graphics, lack of historical Chicago landmarks, and the unnecessary inclusion of Powerade and Wheaties. Despite its flaws, the game has some positive aspects like a large selection of upgradable basketball weapons, a non-linear format, and a lengthy story mode. The game can be best said as a strictly mediocre title, with some pros and cons. If you happen to stumble upon the game, give it a go and play it for yourself.
8. Tony Hawk: Ride: The Tony Hawk line of video games has always had its success commercially and critically. However, with the obsession of motion capture, some idiot thought it would be a bright idea to turn the tenth installment of the Tony Hawk series into a skateboard peripheral disaster. One of the worst games of 2009 in terms of sales and reviews, Tony Hawk: Ride fails at pretty much every level. The main problem is the ridiculously overpriced skateboard controller that failed to actually capture any movements. One would try to motion the board to turn and would end up olleying into a brick wall. It didn’t help that the game lacks any real features, a short and forgettable campaign mode, and a multiplayer option that was a ghost town weeks after the game was released. There is a casual setting for the game, which assists the player in simple maneuvers and fixes your players on a certain path. Too bad it does not help get by the awful motion controls. After selling a truly laughable 114,000 copies, Acitivsion once again tried their luck with a second installment using an updated skateboard device. Though it was a slight improvement, that title also did quite poor in sales, totally 3,000 copies sold in its first week.
This feature top 10 list continues on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see more of our choices for Top 10 worst celebrity based video games.
