Features
Moonwalk With MJ
Fans who have tried over and over without success to get Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk just right are in luck because a new video game will offer players the chance to perfect their moves with the King of Pop as their virtual dance coach.
The concept behind the as-yet-unnamed game was revealed at Ubisoft’s Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference at the Los Angeles Theater.
Although footage from the game wasn’t shown, developers told fans the game would be one of the first to use Kinect and Move, motion-detecting camera systems for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, respectively. The new camera systems are due out later this year and the dancing-and-singing game is expected to hit stores in time for the holiday season.
“Your goal is to dance like Michael,” said Tony Key, Ubisoft’s marketing vice president. “Do what the guy on the screen is doing and you’re there. It’ll score you based on the quality of your performance.”
Photo: AP Photo
A new dancing-and-singing video game will star Michael Jackson and his signature moonwalk.
To celebrate the launch of the upcoming game, dancers from Jackson’s “This Is It” tour closed out Monday’s event with a dance routine set to “Beat It.”
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s CEO, offered fans and gamers a big promise.
“With the technology that is available today, you will be able to learn how to be as good as those guys are and even better,” he said.
The game will feature hit songs from MJ’s catalog including “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” It’s set to be available across a variety of gaming platforms including Nintendo’s Wii and the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable handheld consoles.
After wowing the world with the moonwalk during his performance of “Billie Jean” on the 1983 television special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever,” Jackson starred in the 1989 video game “Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker.”
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