HardwareGeeks.com - Video Game Remix

Posted by: Rob Liu on Fri, Mar 14th, 2008

In Japan, March 14th is “White Day,” kind of a reverse Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, on Valentine’s Day, Japanese girls will give chocolates to boys, and an enterprising marshmallow maker decided that White Day could be a chance for the boys to give something back (as well as make him a profit). Therefore, on this day, I would like to dedicate the video game remix to a sprite who represents a man who was once better recognized for his sharp dress and smooth moves rather than his deteriorating physical appearance and accusations of impropriety with younger children. Yes, dear readers, today’s remix is dedicated to the Moonwalker, Michael Jackson. And yes, the videos are pure awesome.

First, a bit of background. Back in the early 90’s when Michael was still young, rich, and popular, he had the idea to direct and produce his own movie, Moonwalker. It featured a few dance numbers, Michael turning into a robot and a car, and generally wasn’t all that great except for the dancing. During that same decade so long ago, Sega was also on top of its game and decided to make a version of Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis, which was generally about as good as the movie except that it didn’t have any dance sequences. Enterprising flash animator sikamako, however, is a pretty big Michael Jackson fan, and with the help of midi-wunderkind hito_ookami, he has created a Michael Jackson trilogy featuring both the erstwhile King of Pop and a legion of characters from other 8-bit and 16-bit games. The first installment, Michael Quest, shows Michael rampaging through a number of other games, much to the dismay of their original occupants. Without further ado, I give you Michael Quest:

In the second animation, Michael Fantasy, Mario and company have had enough, and decide to give Michael a taste of his own medicine. Who will prevail?

Finally, in the last installment, Michael Forever, the foes of the first two animations must put aside their differences to face their greatest challenge ever: the wrath of a woman scorned.

If you enjoyed these videos, you can check out some of the rest of sikamako’s work at his website. He regularly creates astonishing sprite flash animations that have drawn from a wide variety of games including River City Ransom and the Final Fantasy series. Oh, and if you haven’t enjoyed his Sega Fantasy VI yet, you really should.