At their core, crossovers in video games are genuinely exciting. Taking two well-known entities and mashing them together is an idea that works in just about every media. Most of the time, these crossovers bring a completely unique experience for both sides, letting the player see something completely new for some of their favorite characters. A good crossover takes all joining parties and lets them be at their best. Whatever the circumstance, here are the crossover games that stick out to us the most.
1
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Is there any better way to kick off a list of video game crossovers than to bring up Super Smash Bros.? As the name indicates, Ultimate is the biggest and best collection of your favorite Nintendo characters, with a lot of third-party representation as well. After all DLC packs are included, there are a total of 89 characters you can play as. While some of those are echo fighters that share a lot of characteristics with another fighter on the roster, there is so much dedication put into this roster by Masahiro Sakurai and his team.
As of this writing, we don’t know what the future looks like for Super Smash Bros., but we heavily expect there to be a cutback in the number of fighters. Between all the third-party agreements and moving parts of game development, it is hard to envision there being another “Everyone is here” type of announcement for the next game. That being said, there were some special additions this time that players truly appreciate, like Sora, Banjo and Kazooie, and King K. Rool.
The Rest of the Smash Games
Ultimate isn’t the only Super Smash Bros. game to nail the crossover formula. Of course, the first game on Nintendo 64 was a lot smaller with only 12 Nintendo characters to choose from, but this is where the series showed its potential. The original US commercial showing Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Pikachu fighting in a field sticks out to us from this time.
When Melee released on the GameCube, they took it to a whole new level by adding in new modes, collectibles, and a greater attention to detail while bringing in (at the time) largely unknown characters in the Ice Climbers and Roy and Marth from Fire Emblem. The Wii entry, Brawl, was where we saw the first third-party representatives in Sonic the Hedgehog and Snake from Metal Gear Solid. Then we have the Wii U and 3DS games, which brought in bigger third-party choices that paved the way for Ultimate with Cloud, Ryu, and Mega Man.
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2
Kingdom Hearts
The combination of Disney characters and worlds with Final Fantasy is not necessarily something that jumps to your mind as something that should work, but Kingdom Hearts has proven that thought wrong for decades at this point.
Over the years, this series has expanded and gotten quite complicated with its story, but we always go back to the first entry when we think about how special it was seeing these sides collaborate. Looking at the series’ main character, Sora, shows how much of Disney and Final Fantasy is baked in here.
He’s got the spiky hair and attitude of someone who could show up alongside Cloud, but the colorfulness and lighthearted nature of any Disney movie classic. Let Donald Duck and Goofy join him on journeys to all kinds of worlds that let you walk through your favorite movies, and you have something special.
3
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is another game that doesn’t make much sense on paper. You’ve got the most popular video game character of all time teaming up with arguably the most annoying creatures ever envisioned. Not only that, but the two are working together in a tactical game that works as a great introduction for people to games like XCOM.
Somehow, Ubisoft made the partnership work, though. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi all have guns to take down enemies, and the Rabbids dressed up as those characters don’t ruin the experience by being cringey or annoying. When this was announced, there were very few people that thought this game would work out, but it turned into something quite fun that got a pretty decent sequel.
4
Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing Transformed
Mario Kart might get all of the headlines for kart racing games, but Sega put their best foot forward with Sonic & All-Star Racing Transformed. As the name implies, the roster here is filled with a bunch of Sega’s greats from past games like AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, Beat from Jet Set Radio, and Ulala from Space Channel 5.
The “Sonic” portion of the title definitely has the biggest impact (and is the whole focus these days), but we loved seeing so many past favorites return, plus the addition of some truly odd inclusions like real-life Nascar driver Danica Patrick and Wreck-It Ralph.
What really made this game standout was how the race “transformed” as you played it. Sections of maps would require your vehicle to transform between a car, boat, or plane while in action, and some tracks completely changed as you completed tracks. It also had great feeling controls and a better list of unique and fun items compared to the first game.
We will likely never get another game like this from Sega, which is a shame, but All-Star Racing Transformed was a shining light during a time where Sonic the Hedgehog games weren’t having a great success rate.
The Marvel Vs. Capcom games have had their ups and downs, but there was a time when this series was considered one of the best fighting games you could get your hands on. With Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, you got a bigger and better roster with all kinds of unique representation like Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney games and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Seeing Wolverine team up with people like Frank West from Dead Rising and Amaterasu from Okami is quite the sight, and one of the biggest reasons why Infinite was such a disappointment.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
We would be remiss to mention Marvel Vs. Capcom and leave out New Age of Heroes. This game does all of the things the third game does, but in a different art style. You choose from the roster of characters from both sides and have them team up as they pull off great combos and fast gameplay that is still fun to this day. Some people will say this is their favorite over Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, but in our mind, you can’t go wrong with either side.
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6
Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
If you are a fan of either the Professor Layton or Ace Attorney games, you likely have a lot to enjoy in this mash-up. Layton and Wright team up in a new land to find out what is going on. Both series have their strongest mechanics on display here. During adventure segments, Layton travels around solving puzzles and finding clues in the environment.
When the witch trials begin, Wright questions the testimonies of various witnesses to crimes to find contradictions in what they say to defend his clients that are in danger of being executed. Even with that “Vs” in the title, this is much more of a team-up rather than a showdown between the two sides.
7
Hyrule Warriors
This entry might be a bit of a stretch for some people, but we decided to include it for a couple of reasons. First, Hyrule Warriors combines the world and characters of The Legend of Zelda, with the combat of Dynasty Warriors. The main reason we included it here, though, is because it is essentially a crossover between Zelda games.
There are characters from different entries in the series that normally would have no chance of interacting. Tingle from Majora’s Mask, Sheik from Ocarina of Time, and Midna from Twilight Princess all showing up in the same game is a big deal for fans of those games. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Dynasty Warriors gameplay is a different matter, but we always appreciated seeing Toon Link appear in environments that he doesn’t fit in.
8
Heroes of the Storm
Blizzard has made quite a name for itself over the last few decades with its work on very recognizable games. You’ve got the MMO adventure of World of Warcraft, the hellish dungeon crawler in Diablo, the strategic maneuvering of Starcraft, and the fast, chaotic heroes of Overwatch. What if you took the biggest names from those games and put them in a MOBA, though?
It’s quite a departure from all of those games, but seeing characters like Tracer, Arthas, Kerrigan, and Tyrael team up is quite a sight. As a MOBA, it doesn’t necessarily do much to stand out apart from its impressive roster of characters, but those personalities and abilities are the reason why you come to a game like Heroes of the Storm.
9
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
When you think of Mortal Kombat, you probably can’t imagine many scenarios that make sense for it to crossover with other franchises. The game is largely built off of its ultra-gruesome fatality system that works to destroy its characters rather than let them flourish. It’s a big reason why the series keeps being rebooted. However, add in Batman and other DC heroes and villains, and you have yourself an entertaining time, even if it’s not the best representation of either side.
You might not be able to see Superman completely dismantle his foe with a fatality here, but this game at least did lay the groundwork for the excellent Injustice games to come later down the road.
