WELCO METOT HENEX TLEVEL - Power Factory Featuring C+C Music Factory

Publisher: Sony Imagesoft Developer: Digital Pictures Released: 1993

Don’t let that title mislead you! This is the fourth and final Make My Video game released for the Sega CD. For some reason, in spite of being advertised as “coming soon” in late 1992, it took another six months or so for this disc to hit stores, complete with a new name and jewel case (the first three MMV games were cardboard box releases).

I’m not sure what the reason for the delay was. But I can guess at the reason for the name change. While Sega and Sony were still pushing the idea of full-motion video games as the next big thing by mid-1992, the Make My Video series had been already been roundly criticized for being practically unplayable. I can see why Sony would want to distance this product from the previous three games, even in name only.

Alas, once you start the game you realize you’ve been duped. This is a Make My Video game, as the opening footage calls out immediately. The setup is exactly the same: some ridiculous short story to set up the challenges before you’re asked to choose one of three songs and splice together different footage and effects in real time.

The challenge comes from including the prescribed footage, cuts or effects at the beginning of each song. The interface and options (and some of the stock footage) are exactly the same as the previous three games. At the end you get to watch your work one last time and then get judged (you’ll usually fail).

While I’d argue that INXS was probably the biggest group featured in the MMV series, this disc features the most successful songs. All three, “Gonna Make You Sweat”, “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…” and “Here We Go Let’s Rock & Roll” made it to the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts during their release. Plus I believe all three spent a lot of time at #1 on the dance charts. None of the other Make My Video games featured more than one song from the top 5 of the Billboard 100.

C+C Music Factory was the brainchild of producers David Cole and Robert Clivillés, featuring lyrics from rapper Freedom Williams, Zelma Davis and Martha Wash. The group was right in the middle of the music industry’s struggle to come to grips with changes brought on by digital sampling and performers’ rights. A previous release by Clivillés and Cole featuring Freedom Williams included a sample from Boyd Jarvis’ “The Music Got Me”. Since the sample was used without permission, a lawsuit ensued.

More famously, though, was the issue of Zelma Davis lip-syncing Martha Wash’s lyrics in the video for “Gonna Make You Sweat.” According to Wash, she was paid approximately $1,000.00 for her contribution of “background vocals” for the track. It wasn’t until she saw the hit video on television that realized not only were her vocals the hook for the entire song, but that the sound was coming out of the mouth of the much thinner Zelma Davis during the video.

This was hot on the heels of the Milli Vanilli lip sync controversy, where group members Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan ended up returning their Best New Artist Grammys after it became public that they had not sung vocals on any of the songs on the group’s debut album.

Wash’s resulting lawsuit is credited with creating regulations around fair royalties and both album and music video credits for vocalists.

You might recognize Martha Wash’s face and voice from The Weather Girls, whose most popular song has to be “It’s Raining Men” from the early ’80s.

The two Power Factory workers shown throughout the game are recognizable as well. This was an early appearance for LaMont Johnson, who would go on to have a long career in television and in movies such as Sister Sister and Waiting to Exhale. By the way, Sister Sister featured another C+C Music Factory song - “Just A Touch of Love”.

More recognizable is Phil LaMarr. Again, and early appearance by the comedic actor who was about to be a regular on Mad TV and go on to a long career in movies, television and video game voiceover work.

And that does it for the Make My Video series. Boy, am I glad that’s over. I leave you with this awesome suggestion from the back of the Power Factory box:

“The special edit mode lets you work overtime for a really polished product. Prove to you friends by making a hard copy on your VCR.”

I miss the ’90s.