A few weeks back, at a Nintendo press event, I had the pleasure of clashing controllers with Geek.com's Jordan Minor as we sampled the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Now, I've never been a Smash diehard; in fact, in my more blockheaded days, I actively argued that the Super Smash Bros. series is not a fighting game.
But I'm older and wiser now, and can clearly see what makes Smash work—besides its accessible, but skill-based, combat. It's the series' magnificent roster, which is filled with nostalgic nods to Nintendo's past, as well as outside cameos that celebrate other publishers' iconic characters.
A Smashing Good Time
In what other game could a cloned super-soldier shoot an electric rabbit-monster with a rocket launcher? The idea of gaming's biggest names coming together for multiplayer brawling is something that many folks can get behind, even if they aren't genre fans. The classic Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK titles are also built on this crossover concept, and still enjoy a passionate fan base two decades after those titles made their debuts.
Yet a roster composed of popular video game characters isn't enough to make a game rock. After all, Sony's Smash-a-like, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, came and went without any impact whatsoever. More importantly, not every publisher has Nintendo's intellectual properties, hustle, and money to cobble together their own crossover game to rival Smash. (That said, you should absolutely play Blade Strangers, which tosses characters from Code of Princess, Cave Story, Binding of Isaac, Umihara Kawase, and Shovel Knight into what can only be colloquially described as Indie Smash Bros.)
But if you take a quality game—particularly a fighting game, an extremely character-focused genre—and add a high-profile guest character or three, you have the makings of something extremely hype that'll set the internet ablaze. This phenomenon isn't new (remember SoulCalibur II's console-specific characters?), but its frequency has increased in recent years.
Tekken It to the Streets
Tekken 7: Fated Retribution, one of this generation's finest fighting games, is among the best examples of guest characters being used as sprinkles on an already delicious sundae. Bandai Namco's hit title is known for its own internal, ridiculous narrative of fathers, sons, and a demon seed, so it was all the more surprising when director Katsuhiro Harada went next level by revealing that Geese Howard, Noctis Lucis Caelum, and Negan would join the fight as downloadable content.
No, these aren't characters from the latest Star Wars trilogy or one of the space opera's side stories; the individuals are an SNK mob boss, a Final Fantasy XV prince, and a Walking Dead psychopath, respectively. And that's not even factoring in Akuma, the notable Street Fighter villain, who is part of the game's default roster.
Certainly, such actions are gimmicky, but they are quite effective. A Final Fantasy XV fan who is not at all into fighting games may finally give Tekken 7 a look in order to slice up characters using the sword-wielding Noctis. A Fatal Fury or King of Fighters mark may long to play as Geese in proper 3D game engine. And Walking Dead die-hards may plunk down a few bucks to see Negan, a regular-ass human with zero special abilities, take his spiked bat upside Heihachi's head.
Each reveal, spaced out over a number of years, has jump-started new talk, and new hype, about Tekken 7. Guests characters are a win for both fans and publishers.
The New Challengers
Besides Tekken 7, many other fighting games have gone the guest-fighter route. Injustice 2 hosted many comic book-themed DLC guests, such as Hellboy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And Dead or Alive 5: Last Round has one of the best implementations, as the game features unlockable and downloadable characters from two other classic fighting game series: Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury/King of Fighters) and Akira, Jacky Bryant, Sarah Bryant, and Pai Chan (Virtua Fighter).
Those Virtua Fighter character appearances were especially exciting, as Sega hadn't done anything with those beloved characters in years. Except for this, they still haven't! If you're a VF head, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is the closest you've gotten to enjoying a new Virtua Fighter title.
Guest characters are extremely common in fighting games, but not in other video game genres that aren't explicit crossover affairs. That said, Konami is doing something special with Super Bomberman R.
The action-maze game, which proved to be a sleeper hit on Nintendo Switch, received a slew of post-launch characters. Like Smash's ever-expanding roster, Super Bomberman R's growing lineup includes characters from Konami's rich game library.
The Bombers, which you purchase using in-game money, include Dracula (Castlevania), Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid), and Vic Viper (Gradius). Surprisingly, there are also a handful of platform-specific characters, such as Master Chief Bomber (Xbox One), Ratchet & Clank Bomber (PlayStation 4), and P-body Bomber (Steam). Xavier Woods, a WWE champ and game streamer, even makes an in-game apprearance as Xavier Woods Bomber. I doubt there'd still be so much Super Bomberman R chatter well after its release if not for these unexpected additions. In truth, that surprise is a major part of guest characters' appeal.
To the Future
The trend shows no sign of slowing down. Evo 2018 saw developer Arika tease Terry Bogard, the face of SNK fighting games, as a playable character for its Fighting EX Layer. And gaming's supernatural badass, The Witcher's Geralt of Rivia, is set to appear in Bandai Namco's upcoming SoulCalibur VI. Considering what Koei Tecmo did with Dead or Alive 5, I would be shocked if guest fighters didn't find their way onto the upcoming Dead or Alive 6.
Gaming would be all the better for it. When your favorite characters find their way into your favorite games, it's a peanut-butter-meets-chocolate situation that brings the surprise, hype, joy, and wonder to the hobby that millions love.