It has been a good year for new albums and singles as we have seen several new releases from both
established as well as rising singers in all genres. What about games though? Thanks to releases like
King of Fighters XV, WWE 2K22, and Total War: Warhammer III, the year has most certainly started
off in the right direction. Of course, we are yet to experience a lot more in terms of both music and
video games this year since 2022 has a long way to go. In the meanwhile, check out these three
singers who were featured in actual video games as themselves.
Michael Jackson
The King of Pop music, arguably the best dancer of his time, and one of the most profound names in
the history of entertainment, pop culture and controversies alike, Michael Jackson has more
uncredited features entertainment than the younger generations may even realise. Nevertheless, his
presence in video games goes back as far as the old days of arcade gaming in 1990 . Just check out
some of the titles that Michael Jackson has been featured in throughout the decades.
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker: Sega Arcade Edition (1990) – Sega and Triumph International
teamed up to develop what is possibly the first, officially licensed arcade game based on Michael
Jackson and his movie Moonwalker (1988). Gameplay combined beat 'em up and run-and-gun
genres together, as Michael moonwalked, fought, and danced his way through baddies, rescuing
children from Mr. Big’s clutches. Each level provides the player with a chance to rescue Jackson’s pet
chimpanzee Bubbles as well. In a bizarre turn of events, Bubbles turns Michael into a deadly robot
with lasers, missiles, and armour after being rescued!
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker: Sega Genesis Edition (1990) – Despite the two games having the
same story and theme, rest assured that they are different games altogether. This was 2D action-
puzzle-platformer like nothing else at the time. Michael could kill every enemy present within the
viewing area with a perfectly choreographed Smooth Criminal Dance Super Move animation! On
executing the move, all criminals, mercenaries, and/or zombies on screen would join Michael in a
seamlessly synced dance routine, only to die off as soon as the music stops. You also get to dance
with a few dogs once, without killing them of course!
Michael Jackson King of Pop Slot (2016) – Developed by Bally Technologies, Michael Jackson King of
Pop is a decent slot game. It’s a premium, fully licensed slot, so every icon from Michael’s shoes, hat,
sunglasses, and gloves to the glittery Ace – 10 low signs pop and twinkle like a game about Michael
Jackson should. Despite being a fairly basic, 5×3 video slot with 25 paylines, expect bonuses and Free
Spins galore. Michael Jackson King of Pop expectedly features licensed music from some of the
King’s best tracks. The online slot game has a respectable RTP of 96.01% with the max multiplier
capped at 500x the total stake. Since the max bet per line is £400 and the max coin size is set at £80,
the highest possible payout is £800,000. Medium volatility assures that even if you don’t win the
jackpot, you will still have a fair chance at winning a payout from your spins. Head on over to Online
Casinos first if you are serious about playing for real money. The page contains a regularly updated
list of all the best real money online casinos operating legally in the UK with proper licensing and
regulation.
Snoop Dogg
Barring Def Jam: Fight for NY, Snoop Dogg was cast as himself in every game where he appeared. We
know that Deadpool broke the fourth wall more times than any other fictional character in pop
culture, but Snoop Dogg decimated that wall completely by simultaneously being a fictional
character, as well as a real-life celebrity rapper with perfect awareness of each other’s existence! As
for some of the games and his roles in them, check those out next:
Def Jam: Fight for NY (2004) – In what was and still is one of the most enjoyable and accessiblefighting games ever, Def Jam: Fight for NY was the second game in this series. Now, you cannot just
make a game about gangsters, rappers and street fighting without including the Big Dogg, so Snoop
had to be there. He was the final boss in story mode and a playable fighter called Crow in what is
probably the only game where Snoop Dogg was not himself. Nevertheless, Crow was a celebrity
rapper with big connections and a respected name in the game, so it was pretty much Snoop Dogg!
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2012) – A DLC added the new stage called quite simply, “Snoop Dogg.” He
is not available as a fighter, but you can see him sitting on a throne inside his castle, enjoying the
fight and everything else he is usually seen enjoying. Aside from Snoop Dogg himself, there is pretty
much everything that we associate with Snoop Dogg, piled and blazing in the background too. We
are talking everything from hopping cars and diamond studded bling to gigantic speakers and
enormous screens playing Snoop’s latest (contemporary) music videos, the DLC was a tribute to
Snoop in its entirety. Snoop Dogg also rapped and recorded a track called “Knocc 'Em Down”
exclusively for Tekken.
Way of the Dogg (2013) – Is Way of the Dogg the best fighting game out there? Not at all as it turns
out, but does it have Snoop Dogg punching and kicking through opponents like they were nothing?
Yes, provided that you are quite good at rhythm/beat games. Strange as a cross between music and
fighting may sound, it makes sense (kind of!) because after all, Snoop Dogg is a singer, rapper, and
musician. It’s a weird game with cool graphics and hip-hop tracks thrown in for good measure.
50 Cent
Finally, we have 50 Cent on the list and given his close tie in with gangster rap, all of the Grammy
Award winner’s game associations are action-packed.
50 Cent: Bulletproof (2005) – Similar to what we saw in Def Jam, some of the world’s biggest
rappers played critical roles in 50 Cent’s first game. The likes of Eminem, Dr. Dre and others were
cast as drug lords, corrupt police officers, hitmen, gang members, and arms dealers, but without the
levity of Def Jam: Fight for NY. The top-down shooter was a decent game at best, but 50 Cent’s name
was big enough to carry it along all the way. It sold 1.2 million copies, earning close to US$30 million.
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand (2009) – A Sequel to 50 Cent: Bulletproof, it’s a third-person shooter set
in the Middle East. Note that Blood on the Sand improved on several gameplay complaints, and it
was indeed a better game than its predecessor. Ironically, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand sold just
56,000 copies and failed to make a substantial profit.
As a voice actor, 50 Cent was also featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009). He played a US
Navy Seal, but the rapper only served as the voice actor for the in-game character. Therefore, it does
not count here. Unfortunately, this brings us to the end of this list as well. Hopefully we will be
seeing some of the newer stars in modern video games soon.
