Fighting Game Crossovers We Want To See

Summary

• Capcom’s Vs series revolutionized crossovers in fighting games, starting with X-Men vs. Street Fighter in 1996.
• Guilty Gear and Skullgirls can benefit from a crossover, blending complex gameplay and flashy moves.
• Mortal Kombat could gain a faster gameplay style from a crossover with Killer Instinct.

In the ’90s, fighting games became popular with many great series by companies like Midway, SNK, and the legendary Capcom. Capcom had already been a powerhouse in the fighting game genre through series like Street Fighter, DarkStalkers, Cybots, and Xmen: Children of the Atom, but it was in the mid-90s that it created its magnum opus, the Vs series.

The Vs. series began in 1996 with X-Men vs. Street Fighter, in which characters from Children of the Atom and the Street Fighter Alpha series were ripped straight from their games and set against each other, which eventually transformed into the Marvel vs. Capcom series. While there have been crossovers, such as The King of Fighters series, Marvel vs. Capcom revolutionized crossovers in fighting games.

10

Guilty Gear Vs. Skullgirls

Two Stylish FIghters

Guilty Gear is a series known for its stylish moves and character designs, also seen in Skullgirls. While Guilty Gear has had multiple entries since its debut on the PSX in 1998, Skullgirls was released in 2012 and, due to the efforts of its dedicated team, had various updates until 2019.

Guilty Gear Strive has remained one of the top fighting games in the community and is featured in EVO. While Skullgirls has a cult following, it can benefit from having a crossover with Guilty Gear. It can inject new life as a mix of the complex gameplay of Skullgirls will blend well with the esthetics, flashy moves, and team-based gameplay of Guilty Gear.

9

Dragon Ball Vs. Naruto

Two Anime Fighters

The Dragon Ball series has seen its fair share of fighters throughout three decades, with some being better than others. On the other hand, Naruto is also known for delving into the fighting game category with the Ninja Storm series, which gave fans a similar feeling to the Dragon Ball arena fighting games by having iconic moves and a large roster.

While we have seen Dragon Ball characters and Naruto characters cross paths in the Jump games, we have yet to see both fight exclusively with each other. Having both series duke it out in a 2D fighter similar to Dragon Ball FighterZ would put the Naruto characters in a fair fight, as an Arena fighter like Sparking Zero would make all Dragon Ball characters busted just through their ability to fly.​​​​​​​

8

Killer Instinct Vs. Mortal Kombat

’90s Gore At Its Best

Many fighters spawned once Mortal Kombat entered the scene, and a few imitators failed. Despite being heavily inspired by Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct separated itself by including pre-rendered 3D character models instead of digitized actors.

Killer Instinct was unique as it emphasized combos, with an announcer growing more excited as you performed longer combos. Both series did include fatalities, with Mortal Kombat being more gruesome.

Mortal Kombat has seen many entries, but with Mortal Kombat 1, fans have become divided as the gameplay is downgraded from Mortal Kombat X, and the story is not on par with the rest of the series. Killer Instinct was successful with its reboot in 2013 but has not been updated since 2017. A crossover would give Mortal Kombat a faster and more visceral gameplay style while also giving Killer Instinct a deadlier edge.​​​​​​​

7

Nintendo Vs. Sega All-Stars

Two Eternal Rivals

We know that the Super Smash Bros. series featured Nintendo characters fighting each other with a unique platform-esque fighting style. While not a traditional fighter, Smash has a substantial competitive following, as it also featured characters from Sega, like Sonic and Bayonetta. Even though Smash is successful, we crave a proper 2D fighting game similar to Marvel vs. Capcom.

While not feeling like a Smash game, Nintendo vs. Sega would use many of their respective characters, such as Mario and Sonic, to obscure characters like Captain Rainbow and Billy Hatcher. Stages could also bleed into one another, like in PlayStation All-Stars.

6

King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact Vs. Virtua Fighter

Two 3D FIghters

Virtua Fighter was the first 3D fighting game, revolutionizing the genre and spawning many competitors, such as Tekken and Dead or Alive. In addition, many 2D fighters, such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and The King of Fighters, dipped their toes into 3D.​​​​​​​

The King of Fighters series has always been known for its beautiful 2D art style, but in the 2000s, they released the 3D Maximum Impact series. While we last saw a Maximum Impact game in 2006, the gameplay was fast, as super cancels and combo strings could blend well with the strategy and realism of Virtua Fighter.

5

Jump Vs. Capcom

The Ultimate Dream Match

Shonen Jump has produced many notable comic series, so naturally, many crossover games have been released that include a giant roster of characters. Since Capcom has always been able to produce great crossover games, it is a no-brainer to collaborate with another popular comic publishing company.

A 2.5D fighter rather than an arena fighter would be preferred, similar to Dragon Ball FIghterz, as it had faithful animations and flashy moves. Surprisingly, these two worlds haven’t collided already. Still, maybe there’s hope, as the Spy Family and Street Fighter have a crossover coming, and Capcom has already produced a fantastic fighter based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

4

Soulcalibur Vs. Samurai Shodown

Two Weapon-Based Fighters

Samurai Shodown was another great SNK game that stood out from Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury as it was one of the first and best weapon-based fighters. Each character had a unique weapon that ranged from katanas to rapiers. Soulcalibur followed a few years later but opted for a 3D fighting style.

While Sam Sho has yet to fare well in 3D, many of those entries felt clunky and slow. A crossover between these two series could be 2D or 3D, as both excel in their respective styles, but it would be great to see a successful rendition of Sam Sho in 3D.​​​​​​​

3

Tekken Vs. Dead Or Alive

Two Heavy Hitters In The 3D Genre

While Tekken wasn’t the first 3D fighter, it was the series that defined 3D fighters. Each character feels unique through their design and move set. Dead or Alive followed after and presented itself similarly, but it focused on particular…physics.

Both series have been alive and well to this day, with entries on recent consoles. While both series have been known to feature crossover characters, such as Akuma and Geese in Tekken 7 and Mai and Kula in DOA6, it is yet to be seen when these two similar games will cross over.

2

Mortal Kombat Vs. Street Fighter

Two Pioneers In Arcade Fighting

While Street Fighter began in 1987, it was when Street Fighter 2 started to find traction. As everyone in the arcades talked about Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat made an impact as it had “realistic” graphics and violence in the fatalities.​​​​​​​

People argued about which series was better, and eventually, a crossover was proposed. Mortal Kombat’s co-creator, Ed Boon, stated he’d like to see the two clash, but Capcom has shared a different enthusiasm. We can still dream of a violent version of Street Fighter that could compete with their arcade rival.​​​​​​​

1

Marvel Vs. Injustice

Two Of The Best Comic Publishers

Marvel and DC are the world’s best-known comic companies, spawning many heroes like Spider-Man and Batman. Two of the best fighting game companies have adapted their heroes for fighting games: Capcom developed Marvel, and Netherrealm Studios developed DC.

While Marvel and DC have had a crossover in the Amalgam-verse, which fused two characters from each company and created a new one, the two have never had characters interact. Fans crave a fighting game between these two, but would all agree if Capcom developed it.​​​​​​​