There hasn’t been anything quite like the Marvel Cinematic Universe in gaming. However, we’ve seen a fair share of crossovers, and some were more ambitious than they were enjoyable.
Even the worst of the bunch gave us memorable character combinations that previously seemed impossible. At their best, these crossovers inspire a feeling of childlike wonder. These are the six biggest video game crossovers.
Super Smash Bros. Series
No reason to leave this one for later in the list. Super Smash Bros is the undisputed king of the video game crossover. The latest title in the storied franchise —Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — boasts a ridiculous list of fighters, stages, items, collectibles, songs, and more from over 100 gaming franchises.
From humble beginnings at HAL Laboratory over two decades ago, Super Smash Bros. has become a gaming juggernaut. It all started out with just 12 fighters and has ballooned to 76 (80 once all DLC is released) in Ultimate.
It’s one thing to have a massive roster, but the quality of the lineup is unparalleled. It’s crazy to think that there’s a game franchise where you can pit Mario against Pac-Man, Sonic, Mega Man, Cloud, Snake, Ryu, Bayonetta, or Joker.
Of course, the battle must take place on top of the Great Plateau Tower from Breath of the Wild –the views there are unbeatable. Just be careful to avoid Boss Galaga and Bomberman while you’re duking it out. They’re surprisingly deadly if taken lightly.
It’s hard to believe that any game or franchise will be able to pull off what Nintendo has done with Smash Bros. What started out as a simple fighting game featuring Nintendo characters has become a glorious ode to gaming.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Let’s go back to the 1990s. Sega and Nintendo were competing for the screen time of gamers around the world. The console wars were in full swing. On team red we had Mario. Team blue was headed by Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a vicious battle, and by the early 2000s, Sega had fallen. They were forgoing the console business and transitioned into a third-party developer.
Fast forward to 2007, and these former rival mascots made it into the same game. We got a handful of Sonic games that came to GameCube, GBA, DS, and Wii. Yet, that didn’t carry the same weight as seeing these two icons of gaming together on the same screen.
While this game only features two franchises, the history between them makes this game incredibly important. The box art for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is still surreal. A crossover of this magnitude is something you would only see in a dream.
Seeing Mario next to Sonic doesn’t seem all that weird anymore. There isn’t even another gaming example to put the history of this in perspective. The closest options might be Master Chief and Samus or Sam Fisher and Solid Snake crossovers. Both still don’t even approach the historical significance of the Mario and Sonic rivalry.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
This was one bold video game. Sony tried to creep in on a genre that Nintendo had owned since the N64. Despite the criticisms of lacking certain PlayStation icons, their third-party lineup was impressive.
It’s a shame that there haven’t been more PS All-Stars games. The fighting is fun, and the crossover aspect keeps things fresh. Most of the characters fight extremely differently. That’s all you can ask for in a game with 22 different franchises represented. The one exception is Cole and Evil Cole, but only having one clone character is pretty good for a fighting game.
In the end, Sony’s best shot didn’t quite work out as intended. This was supposed to be their Smash Bros., but it just didn’t pan out. Even though it was missing Spyro and Crash, the lineup was still stellar. The number of crossover fights you could do was on the level of Smash Bros. Their biggest mistake was in the lack of balancing –certain characters had a ridiculously unfair advantage.
Unfortunately, the servers for PS All-Stars were shut down last fall. It seems that Sony has forgotten this franchise and it may be forgotten to history. Even though it was still a massive first-party endeavor from Sony to match Nintendo, it wasn’t the game we had hoped for. But at least the roster was still impressive!
Marvel vs. Capcom Series
It looks like we’ve gone full circle. We’re all the way back to Marvel. Throw in some classic Capcom characters and you have one of the most iconic video game crossovers to date.
This is the classic video game meeting of East and West. The Marvel vs. Capcom (MvC) franchise was the first massively popular video game crossover. Both companies had established brands and well-known characters. Seemingly impossible matchups like Wolverine vs Ryu or Captain Marvel vs Chun-Li suddenly became a possibility with MvC.
Nobody ever wonders if Viewtiful Joe could take on a Sentinel, but that’s part of what makes this franchise so great. You have your heavy hitters, but the lesser-known fighters also get their shot. It’s a celebration of everything that makes both companies great. However, it’s the stars that are the anchors for this franchise, then the rest of the roster can be appreciated. Essentially, you get into the game to play Spider-Man vs Mega Man, but you stay for Iceman vs Anakaris.
MvC’s most recent entry has been lackluster and isn’t even a part of EVO anymore. Yet, the crossovers throughout the series have been fantastic. Even though the franchise is in a bit of a downturn, it still holds a special place in many hearts.
Jump Force
This game looked so promising at E3. The shots of Goku, Luffy, and Naruto fighting in Times Square are unforgettable. Finishing it all off with Light Yagami and Ryuk was such a tease, and neither Death Note character ended up being playable. Despite the lackluster release, the Jump Force roster is packed with some of the most recognizable anime characters.
Jump Force wasn’t the first crossover of Shonen Jump properties to reach consoles. What made this game so special was that it was finally being advertised to a worldwide audience. Finally, the starts of Shonen Jump were going to get their time to shine in the Western video game market.
The crossovers in this game are incredibly bizarre. You have your typical fighters like Sasuke Uchiha, Vegeta, and Dio Brando. Along with these characters who have their own fighting games we also see Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba. Most of these fighters make sense in fighting games, but those last two are just completely off the wall. That’s just part of what makes these crossover games fun. Yeah, you have your standard fare, but then someone comes in and messes everything up for the better.
Hopefully, the lackluster performance of Jump Force doesn’t dissuade Spike Chunsoft from creating another one of these games. Even if the gameplay isn’t up to par, there’s just something special about being able to pit your favorite anime characters against one another. Luckily, they’re still supporting the game with DLC fighters for now.
Kingdom Hearts Series
Everything about this idea screams impossible. Let’s just plop some Disney and Final Fantasy characters together in the same world and see what happens. Easy, right? Before even getting into the subject matter covered by the two franchises, the art styles should be too different to mesh. Somehow it all fits together and looks natural.
Kingdom Hearts is proof that Disney is truly magical. It’s hard to conceptualize how this ludicrous idea works. Even 17 years since the first game came out this series feels like it shouldn’t be able to exist. Somehow the look of the anime-style Final Fantasy characters rarely clashes with Disney’s western-style art.
That’s no small task, but now think about how to make it all mesh in every world. Sora isn’t originally from Final Fantasy, but he represents that art style. The way that he seamlessly fits into every world is astounding.
We’re not just talking about the worlds like Monstropolis, Port Royal, or Pride Lands where Sora completely changes appearance. It’s the other worlds he assimilates into that are more impressive. You don’t even think for a second that he’s an outsider in all these worlds he visits since he blends in so well.
The same goes for Donald and Goofy when going into worlds from live action movies. Somehow a giant talking duck and a bipedal talking dog manage to look normal next to Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa.
Besides the incredible attention to detail, being able to team up with Disney characters is the cherry on top. Fighting heartless with Buzz and Woody in KH3 was like a childhood dream come true. The unthinkable crossovers made possible in Kingdom Hearts are what make the series so special.
Published: Apr 25, 2019 11:31 am