Xenoblade Chronicles
If you’re really feeling Xenoblade fever like I am right now then you can’t help but think about how things would be different if you could beat down Shulk as Riki. Oky, maybe it’s just me, but it’s hard to argue that a fighting game spinoff of Xenoblade wouldn’t be incredible.
Even with a roster of characters from just three games — Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and X —, there are enough personalities and unique fighting styles to fill out a roster. The rare blades in XC2 would be able to fill in a large amount of the roster.
The other big problem to solve is the battle system. You would probably have to ditch auto-attacking and just focus on making basic attacks weak. The main focus would have to be on using your Arts as your main source of damage and to inflict statuses like Topple or Launch.
Overwatch
When Blizzard announces it’s tackling a genre, the world listens. The hype for Blizzard’s take on the shooter genre, Overwatch, was massive. To this day it’s one of the most popular games in the world. Just imagine if they took the same lineup of characters and tossed them into a fighting spinoff.
They absolutely have enough memorable characters with wildly diverse movesets. I have to imagine that Tracer would be one of the top-tier characters just because of her speed. Sombra would also be amazing with her teleporter and the ability to stop your opponent from using specials.
Characters like Roadhog, Reinhardt, and Doomfist already have a moveset filled with physical attacks and projectiles that would easily translate to a fighting game. Blizzard seems to usually start from the ground up with new genres, but an Overwatch fighting spinoff would be incredible.
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter has tons of awesome weapons to choose from, but you’ve already had the opportunity to use them all before. Let’s be real here, if you play Monster Hunter it’s because of the monsters. They’re the true stars of the franchise.
Think of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, but not atrocious. That’s what we’re looking at here. A Monster Hunter fighting spinoff where you play as the monsters. The scale would certainly be a challenge, but if Capcom could pull it off the result would be absolutely amazing.
It would be so much fun to stomp around as the Deviljho, flip wildly as the Zinogre, or even cling to the ceiling of a cave as the Gigginox. Also, it would certainly stand out since most other fighting games feature characters who walk on two feet.
Devil May Cry
When you think of stylish and heart-pounding action games, the Devil May Cry franchise will most likely come to mind. The main character, Dante, is a cocky and flashy main character if there ever was one. He’s the perfect character to lead the roster of a Devil May Cry fighting spinoff.
Of course, there’s much more than just Dante when it comes to DMC. Vergil, Dante, Sparda, and many more characters from the DMC franchise could easily work in a fighting game. Just like the main games, it would be all about racking up insane combos.
Sure, you would still win by getting a KO on your opponent, but there would also have to be some kind of scoring component to indicate how stylishly you fought. It could give the eventual loser of the match something to take pride in even though they couldn’t claim a victory.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid may seem like a game all about guns and giant bipedal nuke-launch tanks. But for those who are truly obsessed with the franchise, we know it’s all about the Close Quarters Combat (CQC). That makes MGS a perfect candidate for a fighting game spinoff.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to cut out the pistols, C4, and stinger missiles completely. But they shouldn’t be the focus of most character’s movesets. They would just have to be included as special moves that knock off tons of health. And there are plenty of interesting fighters to fill a roster like Solid Snake, Raiden, Eva, Ocelot, Liquid, and many more.
Now that Kojima is gone from the MGS picture, that means Konami can do whatever they want with the franchise. It’s scary because of the publisher’s recent history. Still, it would be an interesting take to reimagine the original stories of the entire franchise in the form of a fighting spinoff.
Kingdom Hearts
Whenever I think Kingdom Hearts my mind immediately goes to Disney. Yet, the franchise has a large lineup of incredible characters that are original to Kingdom Hearts. There’s no doubt that it would at least be interesting to see if Disney would allow their characters to be in a Kingdom Hearts fighting spinoff.
It would be a big loss to not have characters like Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pete. But in the end, Organization XIII would bring all the variation that you might need for a KH fighter. Fighters with dual beam swords, a scythe, a claymore, and cards are all possible thanks to the Organization.
You can even find some variation in the Keyblade wielders. Sora would get the Kingdom Key, Roxas could have Oblivion & Oathkeeper, and Riku would have Way to the Dawn. Each one would also have their own distinctive fighting styles and would feel completely different.
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem is that one strategy RPG you’ve probably heard Smash fans on Twitter crying and moaning about without end. This idea started out as kind of a joke to get those people going. But as I thought about it some more it became clear that Fire Emblem needs a fighting game spinoff.
The reason Smash fans loathe Fire Emblem is that so many of the fighters chosen for the roster are “anime swordsmen”. If you actually look at the game you’ll see a massive roster of mages, axe wielders, summoners, wyvern riders and even characters who can turn into dragons.
The dream would be to get Bandai Namco on the project and build this Fire Emblem fighter in the image of Soulcalibur. There could even be a mode that combines the strategy RPG and fighting genres by turning all the turn-based battles into short best-of-one fighting matches.
Published: May 28, 2020 10:18 am