But not everyone's hopping on the bandwagon. A spokeswoman for Nintendo cautions that the insertion of world-renowned talent into a product only ensures a publicity boost, not enhanced quality. What's more, the Japanese giant asserts that these collaborations can't simply be forced on consumers; appearances by iconic individuals have to fit the context of the game.

Lev Chapelsky, general manager of Blindlight Media, a firm that generates seven figures annually and serves as an intermediary between Hollywood and the gaming industry, concurs. "Software publishers need to be smart about the way they handle their business," he says. "Star power doesn't pay off for games as readily as it does for traditional media productions. There's considerable complexity involved in choosing the right celebrity for the job and brokering a respectable deal."

That's shrewd advice considering the prohibitive costs involved. Calling on a superstar's talents can set game makers back a cool million. Obscure voice actors alone command a $1,000 minimum retainer. The past years have further seen a meteoric rise in performers' salaries - many unjustifiably swelled into the high six-figures - as the result of publisher naiveté. In addition, it wasn't until recently that fees started to come back down within reason, and even then you're talking around $50,000 a shot.

It only gets worse once you get into contractual negotiations. Few game publishers realize the rights and services that are truly required upfront. Savvy contract agents can smell blood in the water and won't suggest cost-cutting measures - even though they're standard throughout Hollywood - without prompting. What's more, the bigger the corporate name attached to a project, the higher the income the individual being sought will demand.