Published on ClutchPoints.com
Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Smash Bros, Jump Force, Dead by Daylight, and Marvel vs. Capcom have taught us that having a plethora of characters from various pop culture titles inside a video game setting is possible. All you have to do is merge a bunch of characters in an arena and poof. Comes your final product.
Ok maybe it’s not as simple as it sounds as there are franchise requirements that have to be dealt with, but given the numerous crossover games means that the possibilities are limitless. In fact there have been numerous crossover games more than films and TV shows combined. So far the only memorable ones from film and TV would be Marvel’s Defenders and Avengers but other than that, well I couldn’t think of any except that mediocre Alien vs. Predator film. This further entices game developers to explore joining the hype train caused by these crossover events.
Given how crossover games have dominated the gaming scene, perhaps it’s time for these developers to consider the following options. Some of them may be over the top and mind-boggling, but history has shown that video game developers are known for achieving these herculean fan service results.
A SUPERNATURAL VIDEO GAME ENCOUNTER
Having the most influential icons in the horror and supernatural genre collide inside a battlefield will certainly bring some smiles and shivers in our spines. Just imagine a video game where Sadako (The Ring) meets Valak (The Nun). It could be a cringey experience to have Edward Cullen and Jacob Black from the Twilight series into the mix.
We can never forget those days in the 90s when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a thing or the 2000s when Sam and Dean Winchester charmed us through their looks. Imagine a battle between these two decade defining supernatural fantasy shows.
In fact there are so many characters across all media sources. Both Marvel and DC have their own representatives with Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, John Constantine, and Zatanna. Video games have the Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Shin Megami Tensei series to exorcise those spirits. Anime has a plethora of supernatural experts from machine gun wielding nuns to a man who uses a gun hand gesture as a weapon.
Even professional wrestling has their own source of the supernatural as Undertaker would threaten everyone inside the locker room with his eerie presence. Sting does the same during his stint with WCW.
Plus wouldn’t it be cool to have a bunch of side characters to serve as summons similar to Dissidia: Final Fantasy? Imagine a battle between Ash Williams from the Evil Dead against Sabrina the Teenage Witch with Courage the Cowardly Dog and a group of dementors as summons. Hellboy could be seen drinking his beer from the background with Natre (Shutter, 2004) hanging on his shoulders.
THE VAST UNIVERSE OF SCIENCE FICTION
We already have an Alien vs. Predator matchup, but how about we up the tempo by introducing other science fiction pop culture icons as well. Master Chief (Halo) vs. Commander Shepard (Mass Effect) is a dream matchup but let’s include the other iconic science fiction characters.
From Gundams, to Death Stars, to Jaegers pilots or kaijus, whoah that could be a massive titanic battle.
Or let’s try something smaller, what if the Mandalorian started entering earth only for the Men in Black or the detectives from the X-Files stop him? The banter would be an interesting talking point in social media.
What if a campaign mode narrated how the Borg from Star Trek joined forces with the Cybermen from Dr. Who? It might take the combined efforts of Rey Skywalker (Star Wars), Rick Deckard (Blade Runner), 2B (NieR: Automata), and RoboCop to stop their evil scheme.
Or how about a potential roast between Artanis (Starcraft) and the 10th Doctor (Doctor Who)?
(TARDIS enters)
“Ah, we have a lot in common Artanis!”
“Unlike you Doctor, I’ve avenged my homeworld!”
Oof! That’s one massive shade.
The force is strong in this concept and the entire galaxy could be at stake.
MARVEL VS. DC
We’ve seen Marvel characters go against their rivals in the Capcom universe and even against each other in Ultimate Alliance 2 and Super War. We’ve also seen DC characters do the same as they clashed with Mortal Kombat fighters and they even went on a civil war with the Injustice series.
This begs the question, what if these two comic book juggernauts finally collide in a video game? Will this be easier to pull-off as compared to their Hollywood counterparts?
Indeed there have been clashes that took place on Death Battle and Batinthesun, but seeing these two in a video game setting will absolutely unleash the inner child in you. Gone are those days when you can just pickup those action figures and bump them against each other. You can now see in detail the crisp movements of Batman and Captain America or Superman firing his laser shots against Iron Man.
Maybe this could serve as an outlet to end your heated Discord debates on who is the better superhero or better yet who is the better comic book distributor? This could also be a fun hangout with your geeky friends as you conduct your own miniature esports tournament.
GACHA WARS
All your dream waifus and husbandos in one game. Genshin Impact’s arrival propelled the gacha genre to reach new heights given the revolutionary idea of combining Zelda, the RPG genre, and gacha elements in the bag. Will this be the start of the gacha revolution? I’m hoping that this upcoming fighting/card/rpg/MOBA game will not force me to spend.
Prior to Genshin, there have been other notable gacha games like Arknights and Azur Lane. Those ladies from Azur Lane are experts on artillery bombardment but can they penetrate the citadels of the Arknights characters? Suddenly, those mechs from Honkai Impact descended from the skies, intimidating the combatants.
Even other games have that gacha element with them. The NBA 2K and FIFA series have those player cards which does follow the enticing microtransaction method. Does this qualify them for this concept?
If that’s the case, then seeing Eric Cantona kung fu kick your dream husbando will make me laugh. Even the idea of Klee throwing her bombs only for them to be swatted away by Joel Embiid will create a lot of memes similar to this video below.
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