Can Michael Jackson bring music games back from the dead?
The French video game company is launching the first Michael Jackson dance video game for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Sony PlayStation Portable on Nov. 23. Versions for the Microsoft Kinect and Sony PlayStation Move the new motion-sensing systems for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 will be available in early 2011. To stoke sales, Ubisoft promises a special-edition white glove for anyone who pre-orders the Wii version or buys it on the first day. In the game, you learn a bunch of dance moves set to Michael Jackson’s biggest dance tunes.
As Sales Collapse, Music Games Gamble on Real Instruments
Photo by Megan Hodge
Two new games released this month attempt to break the mold. Power Gig: Rise of the SixString comes packaged with a real guitar that works as a game controller or plugs into an amp. Rock Band 3 will work with a real Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar that will ship in 2011, but for now it has a less-expensive controller with about 150 tiny buttons that simulate guitar strings. It also features a new instrument — keyboards. And the game’s pitch-accurate Pro modes are nearly identical to playing the real things.In short, if you’ve already mastered Expert mode, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.