What Michael Jackson videogames or appearances exist?
That is a timely question that I know many are wondering now that the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, has died at the ripe young age of 50 years old.
Before I get to the list of videogames starring and appearances by Michael Jackson, Video Games Blogger would like to send our condolences to Michael Jackson’s young kids, his family, siblings, parents, friends and colleagues. Michael Jackson did so much good in the world, his charity work and his influence is far reaching and it shall not be forgotten. We are praying for the family during this horrific time and I ask all of you to give a moment of silence for this great titan of the music world.
As far as videogames are concerned, it is no secret that Michael Jackson was a huge fan of fun. To that end, he not only had an arcade at his Neverland Ranch and played videogames himself, he had a starring role in one video game and made appearances in a few others. If you want to track these games down in remembrance of him, here is the list followed by a short description.
Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker (arcade, Genesis, Master System from Sega):
MJ landed on the videogame scene with this side-scrolling action title from Sega. In it a “Smooth Criminal” version of Michael Jackson must rescue kids from the gangs of Mr. Big with dance-related attacks like kicks and hat thwacks. Bubbles the chimp made an appearence and Jackson could drain enemies with a dance attack. The arcade version was different, top-down, three player and MJ would transform into a robotic version of himself that shoot lasers if you found Bubbles the Chimp. Hopefully the console version and/or arcade versions of this game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or WiiWare/Virtual Console in remembrance of him. And also cause there are a whole host of people who have never played it.
Here is a video of the arcade version of Moonwalker.
Space Channel 5 (arcade, Dreamcast from Sega):
Michael’s second biggest appearance came from another Sega title, Space Channel 5, a decade after Moonwalker. He made a small appearance in this eccentric music rhythm game in which heroine Ulala has to dance to free the people from slave-driving aliens by countering their dance moves. Michael appears as “Space Michael” in a clever cameo. His appearance in this game actually happened because he showed interest in the game and approached Sega about appearing in it. This years before the music genre really took off.
Space Channel 5: Part 2 (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 from Sega):
Michael Jackson actually appears as the boss of the game in Space Channel 5: Part 2 where he has been kidnapped by aliens and must be rescued by Ulala. Once you beat and thus save him, he will then appear alongside her.
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 (PS1, PS2, N64, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance from Midway):
Michael Jackson actually appeared as an unlockable, playable boxer in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, where he has a few dance-related moves.
Here is a great tribute to Michael Jackson by GiantBomb in which all of the above games and MJ appearances are showcased.
The games above are the only ones which feature actual appearances of Michael Jackson, but you can see other traces of him in games like Guitar Hero World Tour, where Beat It is a playable track, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust which features a red Thriller outfit and Plants vs Zombies which has a fun video you can watch below (second video). Additionally Michael Jackson was apparently brought in to work on the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Sonic & Knuckles, but was dropped due to the scandals that arose, and it’s not known if anything he composed actually made it into the game.
There were also rumors that another new title starring Michael Jackson was in development, but nothing about it is known whether it will ever get released.
* Thanks to UsaSatsui for the awesome Moonwalker tribute video/walkthrough!
Update: Sega has released the following statement: “We here at SEGA were very sad to hear about the passing of Michael Jackson. He was a true music legend whose songs touched each of us at some point in our lives. We are proud to have worked with him and included his music in some of our most well-remembered games and are sure that his genius will live on through his great body of work. We have no doubt that future generations will be moonwalking to all his greatest hits.”