No, the focus of this piece is the amazing Space Michael, which following on from months of teary-eyed celebrities and dirty cash-in movies is probably the sweetest tribute to the fallen pop idol as we've seen.

［コミケ77］ゲームキャラのコスプレギャラリー＜その1＞ [Kotaku Japan]

When Sonic character designer Naoto Ohshima was asked by game site Gamasutra the obvious question as to why Sonic's sneakers are white and red, it got a less than obvious answer: "His shoes were inspired by the cover to Michael Jackson's Bad, which contrasted heavily between white and red — that Santa Claus-type color. I also thought that red went well for a character who can run really fast, when his legs are spinning."

Also know that Sonic is blue because SEGA's official color is blue, not because he is sad that Sonic games aren't good any more.

Out of the Blue: Naoto Ohshima Speaks [Gamasutra]

According to an interview in the French magazine Black & White—the "official magazine of Michael Jackson"—Jackson's composer and musical director Brad Buxer says Michael was responsible for some of Sonic 3's compositions. The themes that appear in Sonic 3 and some of Jackson's own songs are not a coincidence.

As for Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog lead Yuji Naka's caginess about confirming Jackson's involvement? This may be your answer.

"And if he is not credited for composing the music, it's because he was not happy with the result sound coming out of the console," Buxer said. "At the time, game consoles did not allow an optimal sound reproduction, and Michael found it frustrating. He did not want to be associated with a product that devalued his music..."

That translation of the interview comes from a poster on the VGMdb forums, who we'll credit for helping to finally(?) put an end to this mystery.

Update: Ken Horowitz from Sega-16.com—whose exhaustive research on claims that Jackson contributed to Sonic 3 can be (and should be) read here—disputes that Buxer's statements about Michael Jackson's musical efforts in the Genesis game do not yet constitute proof of anything. Horowitz also contends that Buxer's claim contradicts statements of some Sega employees.

In other words, our long national nightmare of not knowing whether or not Michael Jackson worked on Sonic 3 without a shadow of a doubt is not yet behind us.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Michael Jackson: So it was true. [VGMdb via Original Sound Version]

Video: 8-bit ‘Thriller' [Pink Tentacle]

PEGI listed the game with a content indicator for "depictions of violence." There is no ESRB rating as yet. The negotiations to republish this game must have looked like Red Rover played by 24 lawyers.

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Coming to Virtual Console? [Nintendo Life via Go Nintendo]

Karaoke Revolution will feature "I'll Be There" and "ABC" on the disc at launch as well as Jackson 5 pics and themes. But which game is going to get groovy Jacksons' songs like "Blame It On The Boogie" or "Shake Your Body"? Somebody license those and pronto.

Update: Konami says five Jackson 5 songs will be available on Karaoke Revolution.

Konami secures Jackson 5 tracks for Karaoke Revolution [Destructoid]

That Michael Jackson signed PlayStation is now for sale, seemingly authentic in its scrawling upon by the late King of Pop. While the starting bid is not ludicrous, the Buy It Now price on eBay certainly is. The seller is willing to part with it right now for $1.5 million.

It's doubly special, according to the seller, being the 1,000,001st PlayStation to roll off the assembly line. Funny, that somehow sounds a little less believable than the Moonwalker actually scribbling "I Love You, Michael Jackson" on a game console.

Hand signed Michael Jackson Playstation with proof [eBay - thanks, Zeuxis!]

MJJ Productions, Jackson's production company, has apparently been working on this unannounced home console title for "several months". Word has it that the game features both Jackson's likeness and his recorded speech as well as many of his hit songs.

"I am sure it will still be released," a MJJ Productions rep is quoted as saying. "Michael loved games." The title is supposedly scheduled for this Holiday season.

New Michael Jackson game in the works [MCVUK via Industry Gamers]

Rock Band developer Harmonix has stated that the situation regarding Michael Jackson's estate will not effect the release of Rock Band Beatles. What's more, the game's track list will not be altered.

Jackson purchased the Beatles' back catalogue in 1985 — rumor has it that this caused a falling out between Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, who advised Jackson to purchase song rights.

In the wake of Jackson's recent passing, McCartney has commented on that rumor:

Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn't believe for a second.

Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn't leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue. I had not thought for one minute that the original report was true and therefore, the report that I'm devastated is also totally false, so don't believe everything you read folks!

In fact, though Michael and I drifted apart over the years, we never really fell out, and I have fond memories of our time together.

At times like this, the press do tend to make things up, so occasionally, I feel the need to put the record straight.

Jackson and McCartney collaborated on a couple of hits together, including "Say Say Say" and "This Girl Is Mine".

Rock Band Beatles Unaffected By Michael Jackson's Death [IGN via GoNintendo] [Pic]

Jonathan Smith from British developer Traveller's Tales confirmed to game site VG247 that the Jackson 5 tune will be appearing in the game. Other newly announced titles are "Breakout" by the Foo Fighters and "A-Punk" from the Vampire Weekend.

The teen and tween geared game already boasts some of these tunes: Blur's "Song 2", Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting", Europe's "The Final Countdown", Good Charlotte's "Boys and Girls" and Pink's "So What".

Multiplayer LEGO Rock Band is slated for later this year.

Jackson track confirmed for Lego Rock Band [VG247]

If you're at work or on a slower computer, beware: the tour is heavy going on your web browser. But it's worth bookmarking and saving for a quieter moment, if only because you'll rarely, if ever, see something this great in real life.

[Pinsane: Miahcel Jackson @ Julien's]

We're trying, and failing, to see the point. Well, aside from the obvious point, that being there's a buck to be made from the death of the King of Pop.

As you can see in the pic here, the game will next month be offering two new costumes, one for the good guys, one for the bad guys. The good guys get a Smooth Criminal Outfit. The bad guys, a Bad outfit.

They're a little out of place, we know, but potentially most galling is that when you click on the advertisement on the game's site, you're prompted to cough up for "Battlefunds", the games currency (that's paid for with real money). Classy, EA. Classy. Hopefully that's just an administrative oversight, and when they do go live, they're free.

UPDATE - Yup, was an administrative oversight. EA contacted us this morning to let us know that the outfits will indeed be free.

The recollections of the recently-deceased pop star continue to make the rounds in the media. And video games have gotten another mention, even though we weren't asking this time.

Author Paul Theroux recalls in today's U.K. Telegraph a phone call the writer had with Jackson that turned to the topic of dealing with the aftermath of the rush of performing on stage:

Jackson: "It makes people do strange things. A lot of our famous luminaries become intoxicated because of it - they can't handle it. And your adrenaline is at the zenith of the universe after a concert - you can't sleep. It's maybe two in the morning and you're wide awake. After coming off stage, you're floating.''

Theroux: "How do you handle that?''

"I watch cartoons. I love cartoons. I play video games. Sometimes I read.''

"You mean you read books?''

"Yeah. I love to read short stories and everything.''

"Any in particular?''

"Somerset Maugham,'' he said quickly, and then, pausing at each name: "Whitman. Hemingway. Twain.''

"What about those video games?''

"I love X-Man. Pinball. Jurassic Park. The martial arts ones - Mortal Kombat.''

"I played some of the video games at Neverland,'' I said. "There was an amazing one called Beast Buster.''

"Oh, yeah, that's great. I pick each game. That one's maybe too violent, though. I usually take some with me on tour.''

"How do you manage that? The video game machines are pretty big, aren't they?''

"Oh, we travel with two cargo planes.''

Jackson was a gamer, no doubt. Anyone remember Beast Buster? I missed that one.

My trip to Neverland, and the call from Michael Jackson I'll never forget [Telegraph]

This image from Japanese tv shows that a then-34-year-old Jackson allegedly spent over half a million dollars at a London toy store on video games (the image says "computer games") and children's picture books. Cheaper than buying a killer whale! But, really, can you imagine spending that much on video games and picture books? We can't.

As we posted back in February, Jackson's taste in arcade cabinets was both impressive and insane. Insanely impressive?

マイケル・ジャクソンはおもちゃ屋で5700万円分のゲームや絵本を購入したとこがあるらしい [オレ的ゲーム速報] [Pic]

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.

Besides being "The King of Pop", he was also featured in a number of video games, including one based on his short film Moonwalker. Developed by Sega for the arcade and Sega Genesis, the excellent Michael Jackson's Moonwalker was the start of a relationship that would see the musician later appear in Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5: Part 2.

The pop musician was also rumored to have been recruited by Sega to contribute to music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but his involvement was never credited nor confirmed by producer Yuji Naka.

SEGA Comments On Michael Jackson's Passing [MTV Multiplayer]

"Beat It," "Smooth Criminal" and "Billie Jean" join Thriller in the top 10 of the Most Popular in XBLM's Marketplace right now. The former three videos are the standard 160-point price. They're all in standard def.

Michael Jackson's Thriller Video Free Today On XBLM [GayGamer.net]

In addition to starring in a few video games, Michael Jackson appeared at the first E3 more than a decade ago. GTTV's Geoff Keighley recalled the event to Kotaku:

"Michael showed up at the first PlayStation E3 party in 1995 as a surprise guest of Mickey Schulhof, the then-CEO of Sony. There were rumors he was going to perform, but as far as I recall he never actually took the stage. Instead, he walked around the party and spent most of his time holed up inside the ice cream parlor on the backlot. I seem to recall he was also caught sitting down and playing the arcade version of the original Ridge Racer that was set up at the party."

Electric Playground host Victor Lucas was also at that E3 and shared his memory with Kotaku:

"He was at the first ever E3 Sony party in 1995 and it was at one of their studio backlots so it was set against a fake small town street with fake little shops. There were games in some of the fake shops, some PlayStation standees and some arcade machines. [Former Sony Computer Entertainment president] Steve Race had given a short speech thanking everyone for coming and how exciting it was for Sony to be entering this new era for their business.

"A band started playing on a stage after that, and I remember rumors being whispered that Michael Jackson was going to perform. He didn't, but I remember a small crowd had gathered around one of the fake shops, peering into the windows. I took a look inside and there he was sitting down and it looked like he was being catered to by at least a half dozen people in his entourage. Eventually he stood up and started playing a game machine in that room. I remember people saying he wasn't going to come out of there, so I moved on and walked around the rest of the party.

"The Sony party that year was big but much smaller than they grew to be over subsequent years at E3, so it didn't take long to circle the party and eventually get back to where Jackson was. Only, when I got back, he wasn't in the fake shop anymore, so I turned the fake street corner and almost walked into him and his entourage as they walked down the street. It was weird. It was like a force field had been built around them and a circle of people had given Michael Jackson 20 feet of space as they followed him. He walked down the fake street, stopping now and then to play a game or two. He didn't perform. All he did was walk around and check out games and wave, smile and say hello to people.

"We were all pretty blown away—a bunch of developers and brand new game journalists were in the presence of pop culture royalty. And as I left the party, collecting my PlayStation Polygon-Man t-shirt and still buzzing about being mere feet away from Michael Jackson, one of the most famous people the world has ever known, I remember thinking how big the videogame industry was already and wondering how big it was going to grow..."

Game designer Dave Perry had a more personal memory, one he shared on his blog today. Perry recounts a story of visits to the star's home at Neverland Ranch, Jackson's playful behavior around his kids and... an egg fight.

Michael Jackson was a gamer, he wanted me to come up to Neverland and talk to him about games. The first time I went up and after walking in the door he handed me a black plastic trash bag and told me to put it on. I was like, "HUH?" He started putting his trash bag on. Then one of his staff walked in with a giant PILE of eggs. A bunch of his friends came in (wearing the requisite black trash bags) and we all went into the garden area and started a giant egg fight. I threw my first egg FULL FORCE (I have long arms), then the world went into bullet-time, I thought, "Oh No!", as I saw the egg flying full speed towards his son's face, and I noticed they were filming everything for Michael's home video collection (so they'd know who did it!) What a great start to make his son cry. Luckily, it whizzed right by his ear missing him by millimeters. I then went into "Here, take this" as I performed the lamest egg throws you've ever seen. So everyone survived, and I was invited to stay.

There's much more from Perry about his view of a Michael Jackson he very much respected over at Perry's blog.

Jackson was a historic and controversial figure, sure to be missed by many. While his connections to the gaming industry were few compared to his influences on music and television, his influence has registered throughout entertainment.

Jackson, in addition to being a bestselling pop artist with The Jackson 5 and as a solo act, was also featured in a number of video games, including one based on his short film Moonwalker. Developed by Sega for the arcade and Sega Genesis, the excellent Michael Jackson's Moonwalker was the start of a relationship that would see the musician later appear in Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5: Part 2.

The pop musician was also rumored to have been recruited by Sega to contribute to music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but his involvement was never credited nor confirmed by producer Yuji Naka. Jackson also made a cameo in Midway's Ready To Rumble: Round 2.

This year, the King of Pop was planned to have auctioned off a large number of items from his Neverland Ranch estate, including a wide variety of arcade games and consoles.

Michael Jackson is survived by three children.

Michael Jackson Is Dead [LA Times]

"The auction isn't going to take place," said auctioneer Darren Julien. "We wanted to reach an agreement (with Jackson) and we have reached one today that is mutually acceptable and beneficial." Jackson will retain ownership of the Collection of Michael Jackson, which will continue to be on display in Beverly Hills until April 25.

The Collection of Michael Jackson auction, which featured 1,400 personal artifacts, was cancelled after Jackson's production company sued the auction house to halt the sale. Jackson filed, demanding the return of specific items. Among the things slated to be auctioned off were the glove worn in "Billie Jean", Jackson's red gilded throne, his Rolls-Royce stretch limo, a portrait of Jackson as Peter Pan and a ton of arcade hardware.

This arcade game collection includes Jambo Safari, R360, Mortal Kombat, Tekken 2, Guitar Freaks, Galaxy Force II, Ms. Pac-Man, Super Street Fighter II and two versions of Crazy Taxi. The arcade cabinets alone occupied 60 pages of the auction catalogue!

In 2005, Jackson moved from the expansive Neverland Ranch after being acquitted of child abuse. Part-ownership of the Neverland Ranch was sold last year due to the singer's financial woes.

Michael Jackson auction canceled, exhibit continues [Reuters via BBC] [Pic]

While Jacko's arcade collection was briefly touched on by the mainstream media previously, the full auction catalog provided by Julien's Auctions reveals an enviable line-up, full of video games, pinball tables and arcade amusements. Jackson had taste.

The King of Pop's collection of arcade cabinets and game ephemera spans a good 60-plus pages, full of titles like Jambo Safari, Mortal Kombat, Tekken 2, Guitar Freaks, Galaxy Force II, Super Street Fighter II and two versions of Crazy Taxi. Clearly, Jackson likes his Sega hardware, opting for the deluxe versions of the company's biggest arcade efforts.

Jackson also had plenty of terrible arcade games at his Neverland Ranch, including Time Killers, Revolution X and Beachhead 2002. Mike even has a Virtual Boy display kiosk, showing his taste ran the full gamut.

The full line-up is astounding. Check it out.

Michael Jackson Auction Catalog 4 [Julien's Auctions via Fort90]