The year 2019 was recognized by the internet as the "Keanu-renaissance." The year saw Keanu Reeves, once known mostly for his role as Neo, continue to reinvent himself. From parts in Netflix's Always Be My Maybe, to another stint as the assassin with a heart-of-gold in John Wick: Parabellum, Mr. Reeves has taken over the pop culture airwaves once again.
However, in addition to taking over the silver screen, Reeves has also waded onto video game consoles. You have probably seen his appearance at last year's E3 in Cyberpunk 2077, but this guy has been in video games before some of you were probably walking the earth.
9 Bill & Ted's Adventures
When it comes to Reeves' video game experiences, this one started it all. In 1991, Bill and Ted were everywhere. The movie's popularity led to games released for the NES, Game Boy, and Atari Lynx. As with most video games based on a film, this wasn't the best gaming experience. The Bill and Ted's Adventure games included lackluster stories and didn't allow players to meet historical figures from the movies. Also, the gameplay was terrible. While this game would definitely put you on a nostalgia trip, it isn't close to Reeves's best appearances.
8 Bram Stoker's Dracula
You may not know this, but before Reeves' days as an action star, he took on quite a few serious roles. In 1992, he appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's version of Dracula as Jonathan Harker. While his role in the movie was less intense than others, the game showed some off those fighting skills that everyone has come to know and admire. He can be seen kicking vampire enemies back to Transylvania.
While this is a great start to seeing Reeves in video games, the low-quality graphics and campiness take a bit away from the appearance. However, there is a roundhouse vampire kick to look forward to from the future Neo.
7 The John Wick Chronicles
Who knew that Reeves could again reinvent himself to be known for a character other than Neo? Well, this seemingly ageless actor did it with the role of John Wick. The first movie became a hit and has spawned two more sequels. In 2017, to likely bring attention to the second film, The John Wick Chronicles was released. The game was a VR first-person shooter, meant to be played on the HTC Vive.
While the idea of playing as John Wick is thrilling, this game did not deliver. Most of the time, players are standing in place, shooting at enemies. Plus, you don't get a chance to see the iconic John Wick, only his disembodied hands. An over-the-shoulder view would have been ideal for this one.
6 Constantine
Yes, this is another obligatory movie tie-in game. So, it does have that going against it. Nevertheless, this is an admirable appearance for Mr. Reeves. Here, the DC comic hero Constantine moves through various levels, shooting up demons. What's not to like? Players even get a chance to hear a few of Reeve's iconic grunts as he fights off demons. The video game feels like a Max Payne clone at times, but it is a pretty fun time for fans of the movie, and those into creepy video game experiences. Unfortunately, this one does get dinged for not including voice-overs from Reeves himself.
5 John Wick: Hex
Okay, so in this outing, you can see John Wick as you move through a prequel story of how he became the famous Baba Yaga. This game was released for Windows and macOS in October 2019 and then came to the PS4 in May 2020. Instead of flowing through combat like in Hitman, players participate in timeline strategy and resource management. Gamers have to move Wick through a series of moves and actions. The gameplay of John Wick: Hex is slow-paced and is, in many ways, a Chess match. This title is creative, but it doesn't allow players to fully engage in the fast-paced combat that John Wick is known for.
4 Fortnite
Fortnite had some explaining to do in 2018. They included a character called "The Reaper," who bared a strong resemblance to John Wick. While some fans praised this, Fortnite couldn't connect "The Reaper" to the actual John Wick, so it felt like a cheap knockoff.
Fortnite righted the wrong in 2019 when they got permission to use a genuine John Wick skin. This led to a face-off between "The Reaper" and the actual John Wick. What an epic way to fix the mistake.
3 The Path Of Neo
Now, it's time to get to the fun stuff. This 2005 Matrix title has been requested by fans for years at the time. In Enter The Matrix, a game released two years prior, players got a chance to interact with some of the major characters of the movie franchise. However, gamers couldn't play as Neo. This was a major disappointment. So, in 2005, The Path of Neo gave fans what they had been searching for. Fortunately, the game didn't seem to disappoint. For the time, the graphics were fairly good, and the combat system allowed gamers to truly re-enact some of the coolest moves Neo used in the movies.
2 PayDay 2
More than John Wick: Hex or The John Wick: Chronicles, PayDay 2's John Wick Heists DLC represents what fans admire about the John Wick character. Players get the chance to play as John Wick in an environment similar to the movies. There are two missions: one is a fast-paced shoot-em-up adventure that had players break into an enemy hide-out to save everyone's favorite concierge, Charon. The second is a stealth mission to take down a corrupt politician. Both feel like genuine homages to the movies and should rank high on Reeve's appearance list.
1 Cyberpunk 2077
While this game has yet to be released, the cultural phenomenon that this appearance brought about will not soon be forgotten. First, the audience at E3 2019 is caught by surprise when Reeves makes his way onto the stage. Within a few moments, that moment is overshadowed when players see a full rendering of Reeves as a character in this already-hyped title.
Social media went crazy, and the moment has since gone down in E3 reveal history. With the hope that Reeves will bring some of that Baba Yaga and Neo energy to this unique outing, this one has to be number one.