Crossovers are a big deal in video games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wrapped up its DLC last year with the incredible addition of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. The incoming MultiVersus is set to combine Smash-like gameplay with Warner Bros. media properties. These are big-scale and obvious crossovers, but many are more granular.
Cameos can occur any time, but there are games that go much further than quick references. They combine two great tastes into a bizarre fusion that sometimes tastes great together and sometimes just leave the audience asking questions. Members of Ranker have nominated their top picks for the wackiest gaming crossovers. These might’ve worked, but they’re still strange even now.
King Games
The King games were a trilogy of games licensed by Burger King. While not a traditional crossover, the trilogy resulted from a collaboration between Blitz Games, Microsoft, and BK. Initially, the games were distributed digitally but were later moved to Burger King’s physical stores for a physical release. The trilogy consisted of PocketBike Racer, Sneak King, And Big Bumpin’.
Each game was a clear take on a different franchise. PocketBike Racer was a kart racer compared to Mario Kart. Big Bumpin’, the highest-rated of the three, was based on bumper cars with influence from Fusion Frenzy. The final and most famous, Sneak King, was a stealth game like Metal Gear Solid.
LEGO Rock Band
While LEGO video games nowadays have spoken dialogue, they were famous for their use of pantomime in the aughts. This was what made LEGO Rock Band such a strange choice. Additionally, LEGO titles were usually family-friendly, but Rock Band had no problem getting into the darker side of music. These opposing tones would plague the final product.
The game is still quite fun, with a substantial tracklist of 45 different songs. It includes the mechanics of the Rock Band games faithfully. The biggest appeal, as is always true for LEGO games, is the remarkable faithfulness of its recreations. Despite this, some critics did find the clash of tones difficult and the game only received tepid reviews.
Hyrule Warriors
The Dynasty Warriors franchise is known for having over-the-top combat in a realistic setting and is considered a profitable but C-list franchise. The Legend of Zelda has puzzle-solving in a fantasy setting and is one of gaming’s greats. Nobody could've predicted this crossover's massive success and multiple versions. Hyrule Warriors is a great example of gameplay being tweaked to complement the crossover.
The original was released on Wii U but was later ported to the 3DS and Switch. It featured a litany of characters from across the franchise with big flashy attacks but also plenty of puzzles to solve. The sequel, Age of Calamity, even includes some actions and mechanics from Breath of the Wild. This partnership worked so well that the developer now works on the Fire Emblem series.
Project X Zone
Project X Zone was a massive crossover between many different franchises from Namco-Bandai, Capcom, and SEGA. Even a few characters owned by Nintendo made an appearance. This is a series of strategy RPGs on the 3DS but includes characters from almost all genres. It was actually a successor to Namco X Capcom from Capcom's crossover series.
The series is notable for its large roster and high amount of crossovers. Classic characters like those from Mega Man can fight against zombies from House of the Dead. The biggest highlight is the character interactions, as almost all characters have interactions when put on teams.
Nicktoons MLB
When one has a litany of iconic characters like Nintendo or Nickelodeon does, spin-offs sound like a great idea. On paper, the idea of a sports game with all the best Nicktoons characters doesn't seem bizarre at all. Nicktoons MLB isn't that kind of spin-off, though. It's a crossover game between Nicktoons and Major League Baseball.
This means that in addition to the cast of Spongebob Squarepants, realistic human baseball players also appear. The Nicktoons also play in real stadiums played in by MLB teams. The game featured Kinect functionality on consoles, which was criticized for being limited. The game as a whole was criticized for being limited, and no sequel ever followed.
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
There was a time when fans would think Mario and Sonic would never crossover. The time eventually did come, and fittingly, it was to take place at the Olympics. It was a great symbolic representation of these icons coming together for the first time. What's really bizarre is that it kept happening.
Mario and Sonic have never crossed over in a platformer, only in sports titles. Obviously, Mario excels in jumping and Sonic in running, but the games portray them as general equals. Characters from throughout both series appear, and it's very obvious how different their tones are. When these tones are then combined with realistic Olympic events like horse racing, it gets even weirder.
Sonic: Lost World
Sonic: Lost World is not a crossover game in itself. The game bears a resemblance to Super Mario Galaxy, but one won't find any crossovers in the main game. The DLC is an entirely different story, as SEGA's classic character NiGHTS appears. The Nightmare Zone features tons of characters and locations from the SEGA Saturn classic.
Bigger crossovers come in the other DLC. Yoshi's Island Zone puts Sonic in a world that resembles Yoshi's Wooly World and Yoshi's Story. Even more surprising is The Legend of Zelda Zone. It features a full Hyrule in the vein of Skyward Sword, which is bizarre because Sonic is there and that game did not feature a traditional Hyrule.
Poker Night At The Inventory
Before Telltale Games became famous for adventure games, they made poker simulators. The Telltale Texas Hold 'Em series was an early success, although outshined by their later work. As they became popular, they decided to make a new Poker game with characters they were using at the time. Strong Bad, Max from Sam & Max, TF2's Heavy, and Penny Arcade's Tycho took to the table.
The banter between the characters was praised, although it is somewhat of a time capsule of late Aughts references. Shortly after this Telltale Games would release The Walking Dead and be catapulted into mainstream success. Fittingly, the roster of this version has more mature properties. It features Claptrap, Ash Williams, GLaDOS, and Brock Samson, with Sam and Max returning,
Kingdom Hearts
When reading retrospectives about Kingdom Hearts, one usually comes across the sentiment that "a crossover between Square-Enix and Disney was inevitable." This is fair since they're both powerful and influential companies. Kingdom Hearts itself is a crossover between Final Fantasy and the Disney Animated Canon. That's a lot weirder to think about in isolation.
Kingdom Hearts recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. There's been a long time for fans to absorb its complicated plot and its outstanding gameplay. It's helped put a lot of distance between players and how odd its concept is. It's cemented itself as one of gaming's greats, with likable original characters that blow Kingdom Hearts' original crossover out of the water.
Pokémon Conquest
Pokémon is a worldwide success as a franchise that could conceivably crossover with anything. This made it a surprise when it crossed over with the very Japanese Nobunaga's Ambition, a historical strategy series. While Pokémon is partly based on the real world it features far more wild elements than Nobunaga's Ambition. Surprisingly, the gameplay stylings of Ambition actually paired quite well with Pokémon.
The game sees players take on the role of a trainer in the Ransei region. The region is split up into warring bushido factions that must be united, much like Japan's real-life warring states period. Players must befriend tons of Pokémon, which can only use one move each in this game, to eventually defeat the warlord Nobunaga. The game received a positive response from critics, with plenty calling it the best of the Pokémon spin-offs.