Written by: Rik
Date posted: January 19, 2005
Jimmy White’s association with Archer Maclean’s games began in 1991 with the release of Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker. White’s initial involvement amounted to posing for a few PR photos and appearing on the game box. In contrast with a whole host of celebrity-endorsed games at the time, however, JWWS was a critical and commercial success, and since then Jimmy has taken a more hands-on role in the production of its more advanced successors, giving advice on ball physics, opponent AI and trick-shots.
In Cueball World, White’s involvement extends to his appearance in a number of FMV clips which follow each match. The general idea is that he congratulates you for winning and castigates you for losing; however the whole process is made eminently more watchable by the fact that he is clearly uncomfortable in front of the camera and slurs his words in the manner of someone who has been dragged from a lunchtime pint or five. His script also doesn’t help, with pearls of wisdom such as “blame the chalk” and “that went a bit pear-shaped” among the more memorable lines he struggles to deliver.
Jimmy White is regarded as one of the most talented players in recent years, albeit one who fails to do himself justice on the big stage. One reason for this may be his notoriously turbulent private life; he once failed to show for an interview with games journalist Steve Hill (of PC Zone fame) on account of the fact his wife was systematically removing his belongings from the house at the time. Regular PC Zone readers should also check out his “Reality Check: Pool” feature from 2001 for an amusing account of his attempts to challenge the great man to a game of pool.
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