Wayne Brady is a busy man. The comedian and actor first rose to fame in 1997, when he became a standout performer on the hit comedy series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and has since become a prolific star of both screen and stage. After winning two Emmys for “The Wayne Brady Show,” he starred as Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of “Chicago” and made some classic cameos on “Chappelle's Show” (hilariously subverting his “nice guy” image). In 2008, he released the Grammy-nominated album, “A Long Time Coming.” Now he’s got his hands full with not one, but two TV shows, a new version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and a reboot of the classic game show “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Anybody who knows Brady also knows that he’s an avid gamer. “I remember in ’94 or ’95, I was doing a cruise ship contract as a singer/dancer,” he told us. “So it’s me in a small cabin with another singer, and you’re allowed to bring just a few articles, because it’s a teeny, tiny cabin.” Rather than bringing along another suitcase full of clothes, Brady brought a small TV, which he connected his Sega Genesis to. “I looked at myself and said, ‘You have a problem.’”
The gaming itch never went away. When Brady’s career took off and he was eventually able to spread his gaming wings, the consoles proliferated. “[I had] my Xbox and systems from each of the camps to try out all of the games, and I figured out that I really loved my Xbox,” he recalls. “When the original Xbox came out, I kid you not, I bought three of them. One upstairs, one in my office at the studio, and one in my truck.” That last one lived permanently in Brady’s Escalalde; when he was heading to gigs, he’d hire a driver so that he could sit in the back seat and play “Halo.” For many years, an Xbox was part of his rider. “Some people have special M&Ms, some people have escorts, some people have champagne for poppin’ bottles. Me? I have an Xbox and Subway sandwiches.”
Most recently, it’s “Titanfall” that’s been occupying most of his time. “I’ve been addicted since it came out,” Brady says. “I’ve been making love to 'Titanfall.' We’ve gotten engaged. It’s a beautiful relationship. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with her; I’m only level 25 right now, so we’re exploring our relationship nice and slow.” Having grown up with “every big fighting robot series” from “Robotech” to “Gundam,” Brady says that the game fits his taste for giant robot action rather perfectly. “I love being able to actually use the Titan, and then have it follow and protect me,” he says. “I love learning ways to get kills while sending my Titan out on auto. And I love the immersive nature of the battlefields – you can pretty much run and jump anywhere. In certain games, it’s frustrating; [they’re] beautiful, you look at the skyline and all these buildings are great, but they’re not practical and you can’t get to them.”
Looking back on his all-time favorites, one game stands particularly tall for Brady: “It’s a no-brainer to say that it’s 'Halo.' For my money, it’s one of the finest games ever made. As a performer and as a writer, it [feels to me] like playing a movie. Each 'Halo' game was a movie that you could play over and over again, and discover new things.”
Aisha Tyler recently took over hosting duties of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” from Drew Carey. And with the changing of the guard, Brady has found a fellow enthusiast of the interactive arts. “This weekend, I was taking my Xbox One in to play “Titanfall” with Aisha, because I’ve been telling her about it, and I just got the Collector’s Edition,” he says. “So now I have two copies, and I’m gonna give her my old one. I’ve got another Xbox One, so she’s gonna put it in her dressing room and I’m gonna stay in mine, and then we’re gonna go online and duke it out!”
http://news.xbox.com/2014/04/xbox-one-gamer-of-the-month-wayne-brady
