Through multiple generations, the Mega Man series has serenaded souls with better music than we deserve, and GamesRadar would be among the first to doff our cardboard helmets in unwavering appreciation of Mr. Man’s motivational melodies. Yes… even when they’re lifted, and especially when we like the source material. As is the case when you compare Mega Man X3’s Neon Tiger stage music and Guns n’ Roses’ “My Michelle”:
Guns N Roses - My Michelle
Mega Man X3 - Neon Tiger Stage
What, like listening to glam metal makes you want to kill robots less? To us, it’s pretty clear someone on the X3 project was nursing an unapologetically Destructive Appetite. But if the similarities above weren’t enough to convince you that somebody involved had GNR on the brain, take a look at the bizarre naming conventions found in the bosses of Mega Man X5:
Well, he is known as “Rockman” to part of the world…
It’s nothing new to call Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series a masterpiece. That’s been going down since ‘98. More specifically to its credit, Metal Gear defied entire mediums as one of the first games that truly allowed the player to take the reins of a Hollywood-caliber narrative. We’re also of the belief that Tappi “TAPPY” Iwase’s score played an integral role in MGS’s cinematic scope. So, it’s a shame to see its reputation tarnished with allegations that it was stolen from a Russian composition dating back to 1979.
Georgy Sviridov – Winter Road
Metal Gear Solid Theme
Above: Get it while it’s legal!
Consistently eerie similarities persist throughout both scores. Plus, it’s even harder to ignore due to its diminished role in MGS3 and complete omission from MGS4 following the accusations. While Konami maintains the music isn’t stolen, entirely scrapping an immensely iconic, ten-year-old theme sounds to us like a roundabout admission of guilt.
Details concerning Michael Jackson’s involvement with the Sonic 3 soundtrack have been trickling out over the web for years now. Hell, documentaries have been made on the subject. It’s all but confirmed that Jackson had in fact been initially contacted to work on music for Sonic 3… but was excused amidst allegations of seducing unnamed members of Sega’s demographic. Is that a conflict of interest?
That’s all fine and dandy, but when Sonic Team claimed his contributions had been removed entirely… well, that’s the kind of stuff that turns a casual internet user into a digital flatfoot. Just listen to what they uncovered by comparing Jackson’s “Stranger in Moscow” with Sonic 3’s end credits music:
Michael Jackson - Stranger in Moscow
Sonic 3 - Ending Credits Music
Ignoring the frantic pace of the latter, both share a hauntingly identical underlying base. Many have even pointed out how numerous Jackson trademarks still bleed through the Sonic 3 soundtrack, including similar chord progression even more clearly evidenced when you overlay an accelerated version of MJ’s “Who Is It?” with IceCap Zone 1:
“Who Is It?” w/IceCap Zone - by Qjimbo
DON’T LAUGH – This is serious Journalizm!
Above: Old friends
Sure you can claim that by speeding up beats you can match nearly anything. But once you take into account Moonwalker, and appearance in Space Channel 5, and the man himself cavorting around with Sonic, it’s pretty clear that Sega desperately wanted to be in the MJ business. So, since members of Jackson’s production staff are credited, it seems a shame to leave off The King of Pop’s moniker just because he sexed up a couple of children (ALLEGEDLY!)
