
Donald "Known-Knowns" Rumsfeld may be better "known-known" as the Secretary of Defense to US President George W Bush, and the architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but he's now a video game producer.
His first iOS game, Churchill's Solitaire, is based upon a version of the famous card game, apparently invented by the British wartime Prime Minister, Branston Churchill. Though Rumsfeld may be the most unlikely producer of a video game ever, he's not the only unexpected figure to have done a game. Here are eight more unlikely people what have also done one (a game).
Potentially, his most famous video game appearance was in the Moonwalker arcade game, for which he twirled around like a musical box ballerina, while gathering the souls of innocent children. Though denied by Sega, rumours have also floated around for years that Michael Jackson also secretly composed the score for no less a game than Sonic 3. A new report on Huffington Post would appear to back this up.
Apparently, Spielberg wanted to share his interest in World War 2 with audiences who were too young to go and see his visceral war epic. Inevitably, MoH portrayed a conflict that was virtually bloodless, and far more gung-ho-exciting than the grim depiction of reality seen in Saving Private Ryan.
Admittedly, Willis's involvement required little more than recording a few lines of dialogue, and agreeing - in return for some money - to having his likeness mapped onto the character. Apocalypse received solid, if unspectacular, reviews at the time of its release - though Willis's performance was decried for being somewhat wooden and unengaged. So, business as usual then... But just look at the man's charisma!
However, its considerably more tongue-in-cheek sequel stands out for this: an appearance of the late Gary Coleman as a boss character. Players can choose to kill Coleman, or simply ask him to sign a copy of his fictional autobiography. There can be no greater monument to this legend of acting.
Like the movie, Chronicles failed to appear. Apparently, the series would've explored the backstory of Master Chief, with a "focus on the intimate, personal aspect of real war". Albeit starring a faceless grunt who fancied his smartphone's operating system.
He told Gamespot at the time: "I got involved with F.E.A.R. the easiest of possible ways. I was invited down to see the game being played. I had a presentation done for me, then I got to take it and play it myself. And I was immediately hooked. I said, 'I want to be your spokesman'"
John! You left out the part where you talked money!