Jack Black is a bit of an enigma when it comes to his acting career, as he appears in quite a few different types of entertainment ranging in quality from instant classic to cheap gig. This is the same case for Jack Black's appearances in video games, as some of the titles he appears in are works of art while others are comparable to shovelware. Regardless, Black has appeared in five video games over the past 16 years, and this article will explain his role in each one.
As an actor, writer, producer, composer, and reality tv host, Jack Black has done just about everything there is to do in Hollywood. His bombastic personality has taken him overseas to appear on multiple Japanese game shows, and his love for music birthed the comedy rock duo Tenacious D. Black's down-to-earth personality has made him somewhat of an internet icon, and with the help of his two sons, he launched a gaming YouTube channel in 2018. Despite not playing very many video games on the internet, Black considers himself a hardcore gamer.
While he's no Haley Joel Osment, Jack Black has still appeared in a handful of video games, most of which are developed by Double Fine. Black's relationship with the head of Double Fine, Tim Schaffer, has landed him more than one gig in the gaming industry. And much like his acting career, Jack Black's roles in video games vary from the main protagonist in a rock adventure to a side character with a handful of lines. Here's every video game Jack Black appears in.
Jack Black in King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
The 2005 remake of King Kong was a visual masterpiece for its time, breaking records both at the box office and in cost of production. Despite the movie being released in December of 2005, the horrendously-titled game was released on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox one month prior to the movie. The game allowed players to play as Jack Driscoll (voiced and modeled after Adrien Brody) and King Kong, and the gameplay is similar to other lackluster action shooters of the early 2000s.
However, Jack Black's appearance in King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie won him the 2005 Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Male. Black played Carl Denham, a minor antagonist in the movie whose only goal is to profit off of the discoveries found on Skull Island. Jack Black plays the same role in the video game adaptation, but his character in the game is far less visually stunning than in the movie. Denham's greed ultimately gets the best of him and he falls prey to the deadly creatures of Skull Island. Yet, he won't meet his demise until after players have suffered through a few hours of him whining about his camera getting wet and slowing down the party along the way.
Jack Black in Brütal Legend
If ever there were a game to encapsulate the feeling of being in a heavy metal rock band, Double Fine's Brütal Legend gets the job done. This 2009 action-adventure title follows the story of Eddie Riggs, a roadie for the world's worst heavy metal band, Kabbage Boy. Eddie is crushed in a tragic but heroic on-stage accident which summons a demon named Ormagoden who takes Eddie's unconscious body to the world of rock. With newfound allies, Eddie uses the power of rock to fight demons and titans in a world inspired by heavy metal music.
Being a fan of Double Fine's previous work, Jack Black was chosen to be the voice of Eddie, and several other celebrities joined the project as well. Black was surrounded by a cast of heavy metal icons including Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Ozzy Osbourne. As a much more enjoyable and creative project than King Kong, Brutal Legend is one of Black's best video game appearances to date. Once again, Spike awarded Black with the Best Voice award, and the game itself went on to win a few awards as well.
Jack Black in Broken Age
Another Double Fine title, Broken Age is a two-part point-and-click adventure game from 2014/2015. Tim Schaffer started with point-and-click titles in the '90s when working for LucasArts, and Broken Age was his first point-and-click project since Grim Fandango in 1998. Following the story of both Shay and Vella, Broken Age is a coming-of-age story about two teens from very different worlds. Despite the game's unique storytelling and shocking revelations, Broken Age falls a bit flat in its second act.
Jack Black takes a step back from the spotlight after five years away from the medium and plays the role of Harm'ny Lightbeard, a guru figure of the city of Meriloft. Meriloft is one of the first locations the player will explore, and it's revisited in the second act. Similar to Black's character in King Kong, Harm'ny Lightbeard is revealed to be greedy fraud, which the citizens of Meriloft come to realize in Act 2. Despite his short appearance, Jack Black's character in Broken Age offers one of the most humorous encounters in the game.
Jack Black in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2
The most recent title on this list is Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 which is a remake of the first two Pro Skater titles. It released in 2020 for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and was well-received by critics and fans of the series. Being the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater title in five years, fans were more than happy to revisit where the series began.
Officer Dick is a recurring character in the Tony Hawk video games, but this time around he is played by Jack Black. Officer Dick is usually modeled after a generic overweight security guard, but in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2, he has been made to look like Jack Black in a police officer's uniform. Players can unlock Officer Dick as a secret skater and will be treated to some hilarious voice lines performed by Jack Black himself.
Jack Black in Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 hasn't released yet, but it is planned to release sometime in 2021. The long-awaited sequel to Double Fine's first title will pick up where the original Psychonauts left off. Sixteen-years and three console generations later, Psychonauts 2 is a title no one thought would ever come to fruition. After several failed attempts to get the project off the ground, Microsoft acquired Double Fine, allowing it to properly develop the sequel.
Jack Black not only plays a character in Psychonauts 2 but also provides a musical performance for one of the game's trippiest levels. Black plays the role of Mote of Light, which is a mysterious disembodied voice that leads Razputin through one of the game's levels. While not much else is known about Black's appearance in Psychonauts 2, players will at least be accompanied by the Mote of Light for one level.
That's every video game that Jack Black has appeared in so far, and may be the only games he appears in for a while. As history shows, Jack Black takes long breaks between his next video game appearances, and most of his gaming voice work comes from Double Fine. Regardless, there are plenty of titles for fans of Jack Black to enjoy, although they may want to skip out on the King Kong game.