By Kieron Gillen on July 29th, 2010 at 9:30 pm.
That was quick. Following on from yesterday’s news that the Dancing Zombie is being removed from Plants Vs Zombies due to the legal wroth of the Jackson family, the muddy-funsters at PC Gamer reveal the new dancing zombie, which basically looks like I did when I had hair and went to the perpetually-70s-stuck nightclubs in Stafford. And let’s celebrate this momentous event with an entirely gratuitous linking to Zombina & The Skeletones…
Maybe now they will alter his Thriller video too.
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Honestly? Aside from the obtuseness of the Thriller reference gone: an improvement.
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Really? It’s awfully generic. Like the MJ one much more.
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hmm, I like that song, thanks Kieron.
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Disco Stu?
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my thoughts exactly
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Is that fish (un)dead in the shoe?
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Yep.
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No one would of bothered blogging or posting about this is the Jackson family hadn’t forced Popcap to change. Surely there’s now more attention than ever to, what I’m sure they consider, tasteless Zombie MJ gags.
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I actually preferred the lounge part of the song to the second half.
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Quite, the second was just a poor mans cramps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvchUhJl4A
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I wonder how long before Fox send PopCap a cease and desist.
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For depicting their target audience?
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Because Fox thinks it owns the past?
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I don’t believe Rupert Murdoch owns exclusive rights to the 70′s, yet.
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/whoosh
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I don’t believe MJ’s family owns the rights on zombies in red jumpsuits either…
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Disco Stu likes disco zombies!
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That looks just like me, but with slightly more hair and a questionable taste in clothing. Awesome shoes tho. Can I now sue Popcap for using my likeness without consent?
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Your skin is green?
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Most of the time it’s actually a pastey grey colour, it all depends on how good the previous night was.
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Disco is dead I guess.
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HAR!
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Disco is NOT dead, disco is LIFE!
/ Izzard
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I really dig the MSPainted interpretation of the thought process that went into the transformation. Or are these DANCE MOVES?
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That’s what that is? I thought it was a CDC.
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Let us hope John Travolta doesn’t die any time soon.
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But I still don’t get it. What’s wrong with putting a character of Michael Jackson who happens to be death? What’s not funny about it? What’s not ‘respectful’?
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Not paying loads of money for it is not respectful. ;)
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I like the new shoes. I used to have a fish.
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The fish in the shoes is a reference to “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka”, I think. Flyguy had a pair that broke open :)
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If only it was mod friendly… Or better yet, keep the go into the folder where it’s installed and somehow replace the crappy new elton john dancing zombie with the cool michael jackson one?
Surely it’s a sign of respect to include him in a video game? Also the entire point of a dancing zombie is a reference to thriller, until Elton John dresses up as a zombie and does a cool music video, I WILL BE PERMANENTLY DISPLEASED.
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If you’re on Steam, you can go into the Properties and prevent PvZ from being auto-updated.
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I did that the second I read the last bit of news on this.
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I wonder if Elton John has a similar legal wroth…
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While the new guy is far better, there was something funny about zombie MJ moonwalking at a walnut. Even funnier after he died, although I’m not too surprised this is happening. At least I have my memories.
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I still see no reason to patch, I’ll keep my MJ zombie thanks.
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I always forget you’re from Stafford. Unfortunately I am from Cannock….
You sir make me proud that I’m from the Midlands, well….. Excluding Garry…
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Zombina on my RPS, well I’ll be damned :D
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“He cut me up in a special way.”
So brilliant. Can I suggest mentioning the actual song starts at 0:40 for the first watch? I bet a lot of folks are tl;dwing before the intro is over.
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But how were they forced to do the change? Isn’t parody protected by law in USA?
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Parody, yes. Using a likeness in a for-profit business; no.
That said, I hardly call it a likeness. By those terms, anyone with an afro and red and black leathers is infringing on the MJ estate … I suspect PvZ just submitted to avoid a costly lawsuit that in all probability they would win, but it’s easier to change some artwork then spend two years in litigation.
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They weren’t forced, they just complied to avoid a court battle over it.
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Not only do they get to skip out on a court case, but they’ve also been getting some free publicity. Once when the story broke, and now again with the new zombie. And that’s a pretty funny new zombie. I’m sure it’ll catch a few people’s eye.
And then eat it.
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It is, but that doesn’t stop people from suing.
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I went Stafford uni for 2 terms and as much as the intense concentration of nerds at the Stafford Campus made for incidences of obscure gaming humour in public places that was at once beautiful and putrid, it was a really depressing place.
Anyway, It’s not stuck in the 70s anymore, it’s embracing Drum & Bass and the BNP with upsetting fervor.
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Yeah. Don’t I know it. :(
EDIT: Er… for the BNP. Not the D&B.
KG
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I did my degree at the Stafford campus. Turned down an offer from Nottingham Uni to do so….
The single most depressing thing about Stafford when I was there was the 6:1 ratio of male to female students.
No wonder people there go a little crazy.
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They have to fight a legal war on two fronts when Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors gets a lawyer.
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THE NEW ZOMBIE HAS A GOLDFISH IN ITS SHOES.
Suddenly I’m conflicted as to whether I should update or not. If the fish is animated and swims about as the zombie walks, I’m updating…
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It’s not that depressing. Pretty nice in places.
I wish I could find the 70′s nightclubs though, it’s all lady gaga and awful rnb in most places.
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I love the fish in it’s shoe.
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i demand a disco-biscuit upgrade.
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I’ll affectionately call it Michael from this day on.
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I live in Stafford now! In the UK! Not one of those knock off USA Staffords. Stafford CLASSIC. We have a university here with a pretty awesome gaming course. :D
The nightclubs are still AWFUL.
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Now that’s done the Jackson Estate will go after Back To The Future Part III and that troublesome Marty McFly/Clint Eastwood.
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Nice, he has the shoes from I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka.
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Zombina and the Skeletones!!!
I knew you were occasionally cool, Kieron.
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Meanwhile, at pop-caps offices:
“Someone get hold of Vechey, Fiete or Kapalka, we’ve got Elton Johns manager circa-1978 on the phone and he’s talking litigation…”
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This is a very dishonest thing to do. A artist forcing another artist to change his art?
I think our civilization failed.
That there are laws that restrict creativity this way (giving support to the claim), make me sad. The original michael jackson is better.
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Aw, we don’t get a link? But we have an adorable statement from the disco zombie!
I think I still have Zombina’s Braindead on my L4D playlist thanks to you.
PS. PvS?
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Oh, God. I thought I included it but didn’t. You can see where it was meant to be though. Adding now.
KG
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It’s worth stressing that PopCap didn’t actually cave to any serious legal pressure or whatever. They probably didn’t want to piss off MJ’s estate and felt like coming up with a new zombie.
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“New PvS Zombie” ? What does that ‘S’ in the title stand for?
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Ooo, cheers for the Zombina link Kieron; I’d never heard of them before, and it’s just the kind of thing I’m looking for at the moment :)
In return, I heartily recommend Alice Donut’s album, Mule :)
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Dunno about anyone else, but the transition from old to new would have been completely lost on me if it wasn’t for that arrow joining the to images together.
Thank you RockPaperShotgun, thank you.
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Its rather silly that they only cracked down on it after he died, considering the game has been out for at least 2 or 3 years now.
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I spy with my little eye an “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” reference. Are the Wayans brothers still alive to sue?
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This was the straw that broke the economy to you?! All I have to say about that is pay more attention to the world sometime. Lulz.
Also at least PvZ didn’t disrespect MJ by making him raise naked child zombies for which he then raped while trying to eat your brains. I mean, if they are complaining about likeness, we might as well go as far as possible and then change it before the legal battle just to get back at the MJ Estate. Agreed?
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