The latest installment in the NBA 2K franchise came with the usual share of both praise and criticism—particularly as it regards the new open world feature, “The Neighborhood.” While a ton of keyboard strokes have been dedicated to how some people felt the “My Career” rollout was botched and the virtual currency was ridiculously overpriced, Reddit user “MarLuThaKang” dropped some internet gold with a spot-on 2K18 rendering of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.
It takes a particular stroke of creativity to fashion a Jordan Brand “Jumpman” sweat suit into the custom Deborah Nadoolman Landis jacket Michael Jackson wore in “Thriller.” And really, what more needs to be said about nailing the video's iconic choreography in front of a virtual Foot Locker?
The initial timing was perfect, as the clip debuted on Halloween before slowly picking up momentum online. MarLuThaKang has already hit the front page of Reddit, and before the clip went viral, the presumable high-level gamer explained some of the backstory behind the creation with his initial post on the subreddit r/NBA2K.
“[It] took a little over 30 minutes actually,” MarLuThaKang said. “I originally wanted to do one while wearing the “Smooth Criminal” shirt, but unfortunately Swags doesn't have white fedoras.”
Apparently there were also plans for a flash mob, but those fell through.
“That was my intention when I posted the notice on my Instagram to my 2,000-plus followers,” he added. “Only 2 people showed up. LOL.”
Online gaming can be a hell where women get harassed, some 14-year-old can curse you out from their mother’s basement, and physically assaulting sex workers is viewed as an achievement in some circles. But it can also give us a “Thriller” 2K18 mashup that John Landis would be proud of. Someone from Take Two Interactive might want to drop MarLuThaKang a line.
