There are some occasions when in-game cameos can be used to surprise, delight and excite gamers. When implemented in the right instance, a surprise appearance can be an extremely memorable part of the game. In recent years we saw World of Warcraft exploit this in their advertising campaigns with the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ozzy Osbourne, Verne Troyer and Shatner lending their image to Blizzard's MMORPG, creating a great deal of publicity as a result. Blizzard may have used this tactic but a few years ago but game developers have been using cameo appearances for decades. However, on many occasions we see comically ridiculous cameos shoehorned into a game, presumably to try and garner some cheap exposure. The cameo could be motivated by an aging celebrity desperately trying to maintain their relevancy or a games developer trying to give a nod to another fictional franchise. Other times a cameo can be so preposterous that it somehow works, featuring a clash of worlds made possible only by video games. Over the years we have seen scores of gaming cameos ranging from understandable appearances like Michael Rooker in the COD franchise to the outright ridiculous, incongruous and inexplicable like those featured here.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
