I am here to have a constructive conversation on the possible idea of an Xbox All Star crossover brawling game. This topic is either very liked by some or very, very hated by others. I would love to hear everyone's opinion on the subject (whether for or against it). Crossover games are not a new concept and plenty of video games have released different types over the years. Nintendo's Super Smash Bros is probably, without a shadow of a doubt, the most successful and recognizable, but there have been others. Such as Sony's Playstation All Star Battle Royale, Square Enix's Final Fantasy Dissidia, Sega's Sonic All Stars Racing, Capcom's Marvel vs Capcom, Midway Game's Mortal Kombat vs DC, and guest character appearances in the various Soul Calibur games. Some of these games have been more successful than others. Microsoft has yet to dive into this type of game yet. A common misconception is that Microsoft just does not have enough characters for a sizable roster. As an owner of all three Xbox consoles, various games and exclusives, I would beg to differ.
The list of possible characters could be:
Master Chief (Halo Series)
Arbiter (Halo Series)
Marcus Fenix (Gears of War Series)
General Raam (Gears of War Series)
The Agent (Crackdown)
Banjo and Kazooie (Banjo Kazooie Series)
Gruntilda (Banjo Kazooie Series)
Conker (Conker: Live and Reloaded)
Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark Series)
Horstachio (Viva Piñata Series)
Cooper Chance (Grabbed by the Ghoulies)
Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
Black Orchid (Killer Instinct) ***Or any character on the Killer Instinct roster
Splosion Man/Ms. Splosion Man (Splosion Man/Ms. Splosion Man)
Frank and the Maw (The Maw)
Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley)
Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
I.R.I.S. and Pablo (Lococycle)
The Fable Hero (Fable Series)
Jack of Blades (Fable Series)
Inphyy (Ninety Nine Nights Series)
Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
Shu (Blue Dragon)
Kaim Argonar (Lost Odyssey)
Blinx (Blinx: The Timesweeper Series)
Vince (Voodoo Vince)
Brutus (Brute Force)
Marcus Campbell (State of Decay)
Steve (Minecraft)
Samson (Fuzion Frenzy) ***Or any character on the Fuzion Frenzy roster
Max (Max: Curse of the Brotherhood)
Fizzie (Sunset Overdrive)
Stubbs (Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse)
Jason Flemming (Shadow Complex)
Edgar (Phantom Dust)
Ilo and Milo (Ilomilo)
Ori (Ori and the Blind Forest)
Xbox Avatar
These characters I listed were all either first party games, IPs owned by Microsoft , were only on Xbox, or were predominantly on Xbox consoles.
There are some Microsoft games that do not have a strong character to pull from to use for a brawl , but these games could be used as stages to brawl on.
Project Spark
Crimson Dragon
Crimson Skies
Kinectimals
Forza
Some common complaints and concerns I have heard in regards to a Microsoft Brawling game:
C: There are not enough characters to use for a Microsoft brawling game.
A: From my example list I was able to come up with 38 characters. There could possibly be some characters I may have missed that could also be on the list. Not to mention there is always the possibility of adding in 1-3 third party characters like Commander Shepard from Mass Effect or an assassin from Assassin's Creed if they can get those third party companies to let them use their character.
C:Most of Microsoft's characters are all gun users.
A: Of the 38 characters I listed about 14 of those characters use a gun in some way. But just because they have a gun doesn't mean they can't use different moves. For example: Of the 52 characters in Super Smash Bros 4 , about 29 of those characters use either a short or long range projectile move. These moves could be a weapon like Zero Suit Samus's gun, Link's bow and boomerang, a short range fireball from Mario, or a Pokemon move like Pikachu's jolt. These characters all have some sort of range move, but that doesn't mean they aren't allowed to use some sort of up close melee move. So characters like Conker may have a gun, but he can also whip out a frying pan, a chainsaw, or even urinate on his foes. A character like the Gunstringer could easily use his puppet strings like a cowboy lasso. Even characters like Master Chief and Marcus Fenix (who both come from games that focus heavily on ranged combat) could throw in some melee moves such as an energy sword, a retro lancer bayonet charge, or lancer chainsaw. The game designers just need to be creative with the move sets.
C:There is no need for a game like this. Microsoft should just focus on Killer Instinct, that can be our "brawler".
A:I am a big fan of Killer Instinct and I love playing it, but Microsoft shouldn't limit themselves to just one game. Variety is the spice of life. I grew up with a Super Nintendo. I owned both Super Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. I played both about almost equally. I also enjoyed playing Halo and Gears of War. Just because you play one game doesn't mean you have to cut yourself off from other games in that genre.
C:This would just be a bad copy and paste of Super Smash Bros.
A: This game does not have to be a copy and paste of any fighting game. The game designers would obviously have to throw their own spin on the game to make it unique and fun in their own way while still retaining elements of a brawling game.
C:Why now?
A: Why not? Nintendo and Sony both started their crossover brawlers on their third console. Not only are these games fun and enjoyable , but they are a total nostalgia trip for gamers who enjoyed playing as characters across these different games. It should be a celebration of all the wonderful games that came from all three Xbox consoles. On a side note...In an indirect way, these types of crossover games make some gamers want to check out games they may have never gotten to play. When I first played Super Smash Bros. Melee I really liked playing as Ness, but I never knew anything about him or the game he was from. After some research and searching for the game , I came to obtain and enjoy the game Earthbound. The same thing could possibly happen with an Xbox Brawler. Maybe a player really likes playing as Alan Wake , but never got to experience his games. This will cause that gamer to check out that game that was otherwise never on his/her radar in the first place.
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Please share your comments, questions, concerns, or any other remarks you would like share.