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One of the longest running rumors of the video game community is the claim that Michael Jackson contributed to the soundtrack for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to some degree -- a claim bolstered by a number of similarities between the game's tunes and Jackson's own body of work. Now, more than 15 years after the game's release, we might have confirmation that the late King of Pop was responsible for the threequel's incredibly catchy ditties.

According to a forum post on gaming music enthusiast site VGMdb.net, the latest issue of French Michael Jackson fan magazine Black & White contains an interview with composer Brad Buxer, who explains that he and Michael "did compose music for the game." However, due to the Genesis' less-than-mindblowing sound quality, Jackson reportedly asked that his name not appear on the game, as he "did not want to be associated with a product that devalued his music."

According to poster's transcript of the interview, Buxer also confirmed that we weren't imagining the aforementioned melodic similarities -- Jackson and Buxer apparently managed to adapt some of their work on the game for later use in their own music. Specifically, Buxer mentioned the melody for the game's closing credits were "used as base for Stranger in Moscow."

Also, "Man in the Mirror?" Totally written about Doctor Robotnik.

We fully expected Sony Pictures to release This Is It, the blockbuster Michael Jackson concert film, on both DVD and Blu-Ray. However, Sony has taken its plans to put this movie on discs a step further, with the surprising announcement that the movie will also be released on UMD. All three versions will be in stores January 26, 2010.

Both the Blu-Ray and DVD versions will include exclusive bonus material not found on the UMD. Notably absent from the Blu-Ray release is a digital copy of the movie, which would enable it to be watched on any PSP, including the PSP Go. Also notably absent is any mention of the UMD on the site for the home release. Sony must believe that UMD movies sell themselves.

Michael Jackson's This Is It will retail for $24.94 on UMD ($28.96 on DVD; $39.95 on Blu-Ray).

When Robot Symphony alerted us to its upcoming iPhone debut, MeowWalker, we were prepared to dismiss it out of hand based only on the premise of combining Michael Jackson with the staple of lazy internet humor, cats. But instead of a tasteless cash-in, the trailer for the dance game (after the break) reveals what could turn out to be our, well, third favorite Michael Jackson-based game, right after the Genesis Moonwalker and the arcade Moonwalker. Sha-meow!

The gameplay is simple: tilt and swipe the phone to make a lanky, Thriller-jacketed feline perform MJ's signature dance moves to the tune of the Michael Jackson songs already on your phone. The addition of quirky animation and (especially) sound effects, which reimagine Michael's weird vocal tics as cat noises, result in something that we can't get enough of. Which means, according to the MJ canon, we haven't stopped watching the trailer.

After the King of Pop's passing last week, Joystiq has had an inordinately high volume of Michael Jackson-related stories. Day after day, the video game industry honored his passing -- free "Thriller" downloads on Xbox Live, Battlefield Heroes costumes, and a full on recreation of "Smooth Criminal" using Rag Doll Kung Fu's engine. Today, less than a full week after the singer's death, his production company (MJJ Productions) confirmed to MCVUK that a game starring Jackson and featuring his music has been in production at MJJ for "several months" and is purportedly on schedule to release "this holiday season."

Though no definitive "yes" or "no" has been given on the game's release (or any info on the developer, publisher, or the game itself), reports say the game contains recent voice recordings by the singer. The closest we get to actual information on the game's release window is, "I am sure it will still be released ... Michael loved games," by way of an MJJ Productions rep. Here's hoping it's more Moonwalker and less Space Channel 5 -- but then, that's just how we get down.

[Via Industry Gamers]

One of the more profitable items in the late King of Pop's idiosyncratic collection of odds and ends was his ownership of ATV, a music publisher that owned the rights to over 200 songs from the Beatles' repertoire. Years after this acquisition, Jackson agreed to a merger with Sony, forming Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Jackson retained 50 percent of the publishing rights to the Beatles tracks until his recent untimely death -- despite rumors to the contrary, he never sold his stake in the merged company.

Why is this news relevant to you, dear reader? Well, many faux-rockers have been worried that Jackson's passing would affect the final set list for The Beatles: Rock Band. Fortunately, Harmonix recently confirmed to IGN that the game's tracks won't be compromised by MJ's death, or the dispersal of his assets -- including the Sony/ATV stake -- that will take place in the coming weeks. However, we expect that Elephant Man Bone Collector 3 will miss its fall launch window by a sizable margin.

Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying the holiday weekend? (Also known as plain ol' "Saturday" to our friends in Europe.) Our Michael Jackson-related coverage has been -- for better or worse -- rather lacking. For those of you who haven't tired of the media surrounding the late pop star, you may want to entertain yourself with this rather creative recreation of the singer's classic "Smooth Criminal." This time, the action is recreated in PSN game Rag-Doll Kung Fu.

Check it out after the break and enjoy the holiday!

Update: Electronic Arts has contacted us to let us know that the outfits will be free. Multiplayer has updated its own story, noting that the prices mentioned were seen on the Battlefield Heroes test servers. Upon release to the actual public, they will be offered at the consumer-friendly price of no dollars. Original post is below.

In a touching display of respect for the recently deceased King of Pop, Electronic Arts has uploaded a pair of the music legend's iconic outfits to Battlefield Heroes -- one for each of the game's two factions. Members of the Royal Army can now drape themselves in the white suit worn by Michael Jackson in the "Smooth Criminal" music video, while National Army recruits can don the black leather apparel featured in "Bad." This is a really neat way for EA to show -- wait a sec, you have to pay for them?

You're telling us that EA is charging 420 Battlefunds (about $3) for these outfits? Well, surely, they're donating the money to sick kids or something, right? No? They're just ... keeping it? That's sorta messed up, guys.

We're all still reeling from the passing of the King of Pop, but fortunately, Microsoft's got a nice (albeit brief) memorial for Michael Jackson up on Xbox Live. This weekend only, the Video Marketplace is giving away the full, ten-minute version of MJ's classic "Thriller" music video for your viewing pleasure. Yep, the greatest music video of all time is free to download until the end of the day today.

It's a nice gesture -- but why not just make the video permanently free? We're not sure these wounds will heal in such a short period of time.

Update: Looks like they've already take the deal down. If you don't feel like paying two dollars to watch a music video (and you shouldn't), you can just watch it on YouTube for free.

[Xbox Live Marketplace link - US only (and no longer free)]

Unless you've been competing in a Starcraft lock-in all week, or living under a rock in the sub-Saharan desert somewhere, then you heard the news that Michael Jackson died yesterday in Los Angeles. As strange as the guy was in his later years, he made an indelible mark on the world of music which carried over into the world of gaming.

If you were an arcade rat back in 1990, then you probably spent time playing, or at least listening to Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, which featured the singer doing battle against baddies and rescuing children by performing dance moves and using "Dance Magic" powers, i.e. spinning around and screaming "HOOOO!". Yes, for real. The game featured simultaneous three-player action, and includes a robotic MJ that appears when Jackson meets up with Bubbles the Chimpanzee.

True story -- and there's more. Read on after the break for more about Moonwalker and a video clip of vintage arcade play, along with the other video games Jackson appeared in.

[Thanks for suggesting this, Judd and Niko]

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch has been foreclosed is no longer occupied by the singer, and Jackson is auctioning off many of the items contained within. That includes the deposed King of Pop's rather massive arcade game collection. If you were wondering where all the arcades in the US went, now you know: Michael Jackson's house.

The collection includes somewhere in the area of one hundred video game machines, including store demo units of game consoles from the Genesis up to the Dreamcast, and dedicated arcade units including a Guitar Freaks unit, Sega's impressive R-360 machine and Galaxy Force II. In fact, the collection seems rather Sega-heavy, which is no surprise since Jackson was, himself, the star of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (whose arcade machine is not part of the auction!) and a guest star in Space Channel 5.

The only acknowledgment we'd like to make to the controversy surrounding Michael Jackson is this -- the fact that he is a ruined, disgraced pop star means that you can get a bunch of arcade games at rock bottom prices. As far as we're concerned, he sang Thriller, then he was in some video games, and then nothing else happened ever.

[Thanks, rengifo!]

Simple enough question, right? We're looking to hear about the last game you finished. Was it something you received for the holidays, or has it been awhile since you completed a game? What was it and, more importantly, how was it?

... or so the Germans would have us believe. According to an article posted on German gaming magazine N-Zone's website, UGA's swingin' music adventure, Space Channel 5, is returning. The article states that the new Wii game will be a remake of the 1999 Dreamcast original.

One detail leads us to believe that the remade version is going to include some new content: the article mentions that Sega has licensed Michael Jackson's music for the new game. While Space Michael appeared in both Space Channel 5 games, his music did not. Could Space Michael have a more prominent role in the new game? ... Is that a good idea?

Troublingly, unless he was being cryptic, recent comments from Space Channel 5 creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi make it sound like he isn't involved with any Space Channel 5 projects. We hope Sega does the smart thing and hires the currently independent producer to oversee this new game. If it exists.

[Via NeoGAF]