Michael Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50, has left us with an important video game history.When Michael Jackson became a star, Sega created a video game for him, named Michael Jackson's Moonwalker - separate games for the arcade and Sega Genesis/Master System consoles. Moonwalker was notable for being an early example of real-life celebrities appearing in video games, and for using digitized versions of some of Jacko's songs.
The game is also unintentionally hilarious because Jackson is tasked with rescuing helpless children from a crime boss named Mr. Big.
The arcade version was a basic isometric beat-'em-up, with two players able to play as dual Jackos, one in a white suit, one in red similar to his "Smooth Criminal" music video. Michael Jackson's special attack was a dance move, and when activated, a spotlight from the heavens illuminated him as he pulled off some signature spins and kicks, destroying many of the onscreen enemies.
The somewhat more pedestrian home console version behaved more like a standard side-scrolling platform game. Again we're rescuing kids from a mobster, but the real appeal is hearing Jackson shout "Woo!" with each attack--usually a dance-like high kick that causes tiny stars to shoot from his foot.
The music in the home console version was a letdown for anyone who had played the arcade version--essentially MIDI-style pinky versions of tracks such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Beat It."
The game went on to become a cult classic, more for its cultural kitsch value than its gameplay, with its animated Jackson appropriated for funny Web videos and retro-'90s talking-head TV shows.
Subsequently, Jackson made only a handful of video game appearances, in Space Channel 5 (also from Sega) for the Dreamcast, and as an unlockable fighter in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2.
At the time of his death, rumors had surfaced that Jackson was involved with a new video game project for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3, but the game was never officially confirmed.
Source: Cnet