I was checking out the latest video game television ads from Japan thanks to IGN's 'Gaming Life in Japan' feature, and was quite stunned while viewing the 'Death by Degrees' commercial. Halfway through the commercial, the voiceover announces: "ALAN SMITHEE" while the name is written out over Mr. Smithee's image.

Most film fans should recognize the name 'Alan Smithee' immediately: it's the pseudonym taken on by a director when they don't want to be associated with the final product, i.e. the film is so awful that the director wants the public to never know he or she worked on it. Now, why it's the name of a MI6 agent in Death by Degrees is either painfully obvious or befuddling, depending on your outlook. My guess? It's just a snickering in-joke, not meant to be indicative of the quality of the final product. Or the game is more light-hearted than I thought it was.