Michael Jackson’s Corpse Removed From Online Game

What could an acquitted paedophile and alleged Nazi fetishist like Michael Jackson and PopCap games, the producer of many bland and unoriginal flash-based casual games that people gain a Warcraft-like addiction to, possibly have in common?

Aside from the obvious evils on both fronts the answer is Plants vs. Zombies. Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defence style game in which the player assumes the role of a homeowner who uses plants to deter zombies from stealing his house/eating his brain/doing whatever the hell it is zombies actually do. Thrilling, I know.

The reason Wacko Jacko has been linked to the game is because PopCap have decided to remove a zombie from the game who looked suspiciously like the late loony in his Thriller get up. PopCap have stated this decision was due to the fact that Jacko’s estate had objected to the inclusion of the character in the game, more than a year after the character first surfaced.

Another theory is that maybe it just isn’t right to have Michael Jackson anywhere near children in any way, shape or form, which includes digital representations, drawings or vinyl LPs.

The, ‘dancing zombie,’ which slowly dances its way across the screen, with its melting face and evil intentions was quite an eerily chilling likeness of Der Fuhrer von Popmusik and maybe that is what the creature from the black lagoon’s estate has objected to. PopCap themselves did state that the objection was because the character, “too closely resembled Michael Jackson.”

Thankfully there have been no reports of iPhones, iPads or desktops attacking children or barking out anti-semitic propaganda at any point during Herr Jackson’s time in Plants vs. Zombies.

However there are unconfirmed reports that Dancing Zombie would like to begin invading other PopCap titles such as Peggle and Bejewelled in order to create a new ‘master game’.

Follow hecklerspray on Twitter

• » Read Full Story