A Celebrity Moment

Hey guys, I have some interesting news for you:  I now possess a game with an autograph.  Specifically, Hugh Jackman's.  No, it's not for sale.  And while it isn't Todd Howard's or John Carmack's, I won't be giving it away, either.

So the skinny:  My partner, Kris, is a fan of celebrities.  Mostly people you've never heard of like Alanis Morisette, Leah Michelle and Stevie Nicks (sarcasm).  She loves getting pictures, memorabilia, etc.

Anyway, someone else you've never heard of, Hugh Jackman (sarcasm), is performing in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre in downtown Toronto. 

He's doing a one-man show, which, as far as I know, is playing until the 17th or 18th of July.  So if you're in T.O., go see it!

Anyway, Kris sees this one-man show being advertised and she wants to go and get his autograph.  I figure I can capitalise on this (not in a monetary sense so much as fame/infamy), so I decide to pick up a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  Not a bad game, either.

So, as you can see (sort of; god my phone takes bad pictures), he autographed the manual of my X-Men Origins: Wolverine game for the XBox 360.

Everyone who was there got something autographed, despite his somewhat prick of a rep who said he wouldn't sign anything other than tickets and programs.  I understand why the rep was being a prick - people get stuff autographed and then sell it.  What's the point of memorabilia if you aren't going to keep it?  Sheesh.

Now, as it happens, Wolverine in fact does not suck despite being a licensed game.  It is buggy as hell, though.  Shame on you, Raven.  You generally make less buggy games.  Like Hexen 2.  And Heretic 2.  And Soldier of Fortune.  And...you know, I'll just quit while I'm ahead.  Especially since it's not as buggy as CyClones (very old game that Raven did for SSI).  Maybe I'll give it a review.  Maybe I won't.  But it sure is fun playing a Wolverine game that's actually as brutal as the comic book can be. 

In fact, I'd hazard a wager that it's the best Wolverine game so far.  I mean, Adamantium Rage was like pulling teeth, and the Wolverine game on the NES was nigh-unbeatable.  But at least I got to Sabretooth.  Did you?

Getting back to the point, it's actually kinda neat having a signed game.  While I am by no means a celebrity worshipper, I am aware that Lance Henriksen will be in Toronto in August for a huge fan convention.  And I have Red Faction 2.  Which he does voice work in.  Rather underrated game if you bought it on XBox and/or Gamecube, which are the definitive versions - regardless of what Gamespot, 1Up or Gamespy believe.

I'm not sure if this adds credibility - after all, a gamer plays games more than collects or turns them into memorabilia (which I didn't exactly do because I got the manual signed, not the disc).

That said, I'd like to thank you, Mr. Jackman for clearly enjoying giving autographs to your fans.  While I respect your right not to, I'm glad that you didn't exercise that right.  I wish you all the best; you're a very talented man and you deserve respect for your ability alone.

Now, stay tuned for a long awaited editorial about the ad war going on in the gaming industry.  It will be up within the next 24 hours.  I'm going to be passing it by my neighbour's partner who's in marketing, so her perspective will undoubtedly be invaluable.

To quote the great Steve Smith, "Keep your stick on the ice", and I look forward to your perspective on my perspective on what the biggest companies in our favourite industry think of...well, perspective.  When I unleash it, or course.

Edit:  It does not look like my neighour will be home this evening, so I will be publishing the editorial tonight at midnight.