To get back to the original post, I’d have to agree with silent_rob that emulation had something to do with it. More importantly, in my opinion, is the “camp” factor. Zero Wing released for the Genesis in 1989, a time when everyone I knew had a Nintendo and not a Sega. It was a poorly designed, poorly translated game with a small possible user base. It tanked. However, memories do not fade. The few people who recall this awful game with its memorable opening sequence mention it to their friends, who have to see something that bad. Thanks to emulation and the internet, thousands become aware of this phenomenon in a short time, like the Dancing Baby, Hampster Dance, Mahir, and Wassup phenomena before it.
[anecdote]
I first remember reading about this in another site’s forum (arstechnica.com, I think) in late November 2000. Up until that time, it seemed like something of a running joke amongst a few hard-core gamers. What brought it to the forefront around that time, and into my perception, was an animated GIF that began floating around the internet, depicting the opening sequence of Zero Wing.
