If we’ve learned anything from Capcom vs. SNK, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, it’s that crossovers work in fighting games. We’ve seen Marvel’s top superheroes take on Capcom’s biggest franchise players. We’ve witnessed the Joker shoot Scorpion in the face. Heck, we’ve even watched Mario and Sonic duel it out in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. But what other crossovers would gamers want to see realized in fighting game greatness? Here are five tantalizing crossover concepts that we’d like to hit a battle arena someday.
5. Samurai Shodown vs. The King of Fighters
Considering SNK Playmore is responsible for both of these franchises, there’s definitely a possibility for characters from these two worlds to duke it out somewhere down the line. Though classics in both series feature a similar look, Samurai Shodown’s lore is deeply rooted in ancient Japanese culture. Perhaps a time-traveling storyline could bring these two franchises together and create a plot about saving Japan from an imposing evil. Of course, plenty of fighting would have to take place before characters like Kyo Kusanagi and Cham Cham could actually settle down and save mankind.
4. Virtua Fighter vs. Dead or Alive
Virtua Fighter has had a profound influence on the Dead or Alive series when it first made its debut. Since then, Dead or Alive has managed to evolve into a robust fighting game franchise with a loyal fan base. Because the two games share a few similarities, however, it wouldn’t be too challenging or overwhelming for the developers to include them both on a single game disc or arcade machine. Helena Douglas vs. Sarah Bryant? That sounds like a match-up worth watching!
3. Soulcalibur vs. Tekken
Street Fighter X Tekken may be turning a lot of heads, but considering Namco Bandai publishes and develops both the Tekken and Soulcalibur franchises, a crossover between the two is long overdue. Though the series do vary and focus on different types of combat (Tekken features hand-to-hand combat while Soulcalibur relies on weapon-based battles), a union between the two would have immense potential. It would be especially interesting to see Yoshimitsu, who appears in both franchises, pick a side.
2. Capcom vs. Nintendo
Together, Nintendo and Capcom have published their fair share of fighters, and many of their key characters have gotten into the fighting spirit on several occasions. The Super Smash Bros. and Vs. Capcom series instantly come to mind. It might be challenging for the two companies to take gameplay elements from their respective fighters and merge them into one brawler, but it would definitely be interesting. Having Mario take on Mega Man would undoubtedly be a memorable battle, to say the least. Or maybe Samus Aran could battle the little blue hero, considering they’re almost equally armed.
1. Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat
As awesome as it would be to see any of the aforementioned crossovers, there are two franchises that practically every fighting game fan wants to happen someday: Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat. For years, gamers have argued that one series is better than the other. While either franchise would make a suitable candidate for the best fighting game of all time, both have left a lasting impression on the genre. It’s interesting to think about how Capcom and Warner Bros. would bring together their two fighting game series. Graphically, the more realistic style of Mortal Kombat would benefit the crossover more than Street Fighter’s animated design. Additionally, the game would have to be fairly bloody. The actual gameplay, though, would be most effective if it combined a little of both worlds. We might never see it happen, but fans have most certainly wanted it to for quite some time. Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat would be one hell of a game.
The fighting game genre has become a platform for some of the most popular crossovers in video game history, but there is a lot of potential for even bigger match-ups. Seeing franchises from the same developers take each other on in brand new fighters such as Samurai Shodown vs. The King of Fighters or Soulcalibur vs. Tekken would be great, as would similarly designed series in a game like Virtua Fighter vs. Dead or Alive. You can’t deny the potential of a fighting game starring Nintendo and Capcom’s biggest characters, either. But even with all the potential those concepts bring to the table, the one fighting game crossover people want has to be Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat. Capcom, Warner Bros., make it happen!
