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Greatest Gaming Mash-Ups

Gaming > Latest news > Greatest Gaming Mash-Ups

Some of the greatest ever games have been the result of unlikely partnerships, and head-to-heads we would never have dreamed possible.

Some of the greatest ever games have been the result of unlikely partnerships, and head-to-heads we would never have dreamed possible. Take a tour of our all-time all-star favourites.

With Warner Bros.’ upcoming movie Batman v Superman we’re all hoping the age old question will finally be answered: who would win in this fight? The shared universe idea has been around in comic books since the 1960s in Stan Lee’s Marvel ‘multiverse’, and more recently with the DC Comics and Marvel crossovers. Well, in videogames too there are a surprising number of mash-ups that started as far back as the early 1990s. Some of them begged to happen, while some just beggared belief.

With video games still finding their stride in the ’90s, something ridiculous happened. Thankfully it also turned out to be magnificent: Super Mario Kart (1992) for Nintendo’s Super NES console caught the gamers of yesteryear completely off-guard by cramming best-loved heroes into tiny go-karts. Racing around the Ghost House and Bowser’s Castle was a shock to the system of anyone used to Mario doing, umm, normal stuff like eating mushrooms to grow big and butt-stomping Whomps. Two decades and seven major sequels later, Mario Kart remains popular simply because it’s brilliant. Since the original, everyone from The Muppets through Sonic the Hedgehog to Kratos from God of War has been seen zipping along on four tiny wheels, cheating all the way to the finish line.

Recently you may have assumed that Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (2014) was similarly unlikely and unique, metamorphosing the epic Warcraft universe into an online strategic card game. Indeed, Hearthstone has become a habit that’s hard to break but back in 1999 something greater, actually damn near cataclysmic at the time, emerged from two of gaming’s biggest rivals. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash was the first ever meeting of fighting game titans, though not as fans expected. Comparisons to Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering were made, though in the best way possible. The series debuted for the little-known Neo-Geo Pocket handheld, a rival to Nintendo’s Game Boy, and a second sequel launched for Nintendo DS though sadly not as good.

Also topping the bill at this year’s EGX from Blizzard, and also strategic (though absolutely not a card game), is the ‘raucous team brawler’ Heroes of the Storm. This really points back to the Batman v Superman theme we started out with as 20-years of iconic Blizzard heroes decide who’s strongest: Tyrael vs. Diablo; Arthas vs. Uther, and Zeratul vs. Illidan… the combinations seem almost endless. Unique to Heroes of the Storm is its team-based gameplay, whereas most others we’re talking about here are one-on-one. Among you and your friends, gameplay possibilities will always feel fresh – you’ll need to switch-up tactics with every new opponent. For Blizzard aficionados this is a godsend.

But for a mash-up made in video game heaven, the arrival of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007) for Nintendo Wii surely took that crown. If you’ll excuse the short history lesson, Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog were once rival mascots for their respective Nintendo and SEGA consoles. Like KISS never ever sharing the same bill as Mötley Crüe… although eventually that happened too. Anyway, the truly astonishing thing about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was how it made a sport with such a dire history on consoles into something superb and, yes, Fun for the Whole Family.

Sonic and Mario was an improbable pairing, though at least they were pals going into it. The same cannot be said for Super Smash Bros (1999), which must’ve caused some Nintendo fans to faint in horror as Pikachu traded blows with Yoshi and The Legend of Zelds’a Link showed Mario his sword. Super Smash Bros became an instant hit on Nintendo 64, and has since evolved into one of the most respected fighting game series in existence. Its solid gameplay combined with an enviable roster of colourful characters makes it so satisfying and, above all, tactically thrilling to play.

It still seems odd to consider Super Smash Bros as a hardcore offering, but it has earned its place on the rosters of the world’s top eSports tournaments. These include the EVO dedicated fighting-game championship series where this year you’ll also spy Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, a shining example of 1990s-era versus combat with peers that lately include the DC Comics alternate universe one-on-one Injustice: Gods Among Us and currently in-development Tekken X Street Fighter. Such absolute combat-oriented experiences have by now enjoyed a long history of bringing together heroes from diverse entertainment backgrounds. Distinct art styles and control methods holding it all together.

Nintendo does have a knack of appealing to broader audiences, but another giant name in family entertainment has been behind hugely successful videogame crossovers from as far back as 2002. Disney’s collaboration with Square Enix resulted in a light-hearted role-playing game series called Kingdom Hearts, joining original Square Enix characters with Disney classics in spellbinding scenarios. As with all the best mash-ups, you don’t need to be a Disney and/or RPG fan to reap the rewards of Kingdom Hearts, and the series has sold a whopping 20-million copies worldwide as of March 2014.

The most recent Disney crossover has been Disney Infinity in which Marvel superheroes that include Spider-Man and Captain America have teamed up for adventures with Donald Duck and Aladdin. This summer’s version 3.0 is bringing Star Wars legends to the mix. Its appeal is similar to that of Activision’s trailblazing Skylanders combined with the crafting creativity of Minecraft; real-world toy figures are unlocked in the game by placing them on a special base. This is beyond what anyone – even Stan Lee – could have imagined in the 1960s when the Marvel multiverse was in its infancy.

The mash-up is now an unstoppable force in gaming, not really surprising given our suspension of disbelief that usually goes with the experience. It’s an avenue with tons of potential, and if the above examples are anything to go by we’ve got decades more good stuff to come – so enjoy!

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