This game has LONG been a pop and cult classic! It is an excellent game that was one of the first to employ the use of no weapons as defense and arsenal against enemies. It is based on the movie, "Moonwalker" by Michael Jackson.
This game is basically a 2-dimensional one, and Jackson attacks with magic powers instead of physical contact. He has the ability to shoot magic power at enemies instead of getting close enough to do a melee attack. A map of the stage is shown before it begins, and afterwards, Michael must get from the start to the end without losing all his health.
The object of each level is to safely rescue all the children and defeat all the enemies in the process.
Starring the King of Pop himself with a SUPERB soundtrack (produced by Jackson himself) and adequate use of spacing and graphics, the game play is generally enjoyable in "Moonwalker". It comes as no surprise, then, that at the time of its production in 1988, the game received surprisingly good reviews.
Personally, I feel that the soundtrack of the game is its stronger point, making it easier to play. In contrast, the periodic appearance of Bubbles the chimp at the end of every level seems somewhat random, and the fact that the sole purpose of Jackson's mission is to save children raises questions on the peculiarity
and overall “coolness” of the game in this era. However, the game is soon saved from the perilous grips of “lamedom” by its rather unique method of restoring health and acquiring power-ups. As funny as it sounds, anytime that Michael is faced with trouble and his health is diminishing, he unleashes a frenzied flash of spontaneous spins and kicks and grabs his crotch, while yelling out, “Whoooo!!”. Classic. He is now ready to pop and lock again The magic powers and dance moves that MJ inflicts on his enemies cause them to vanish into thin air: now THAT’S what I call dance fever!
The first time I played this game I was, like, three years old in my local mall arcade. It only cost a quarter back then, but the experience is worth so much more after the value of time. Since then, the game has earned its rightful place in the history of gaming, and has been released on SNES, PC, and the ever-popular, Sega Genesis consoles (I bought it!). Download “Moonwalker” and BECOME the legend himself. “Whoo-hoo!”.
