When Nintendo revealed that “everyone is here!” for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it wasn’t lying. Well, ok, not everyone is in the game, but Sakurai and co. did a pretty good job of bringing in familiar faces from all walks of gaming life. We’ve even got characters from other series in the genre like Street Fighter, Fatal Fury and Tekken. However, one name is notably missing from this lineup: Mortal Kombat.
Of course, this makes a lot of sense. The blood and guts of NetherRealm Studios’ take on the genre was never really going to gel with Nintendo’s slightly less stabby brawl — and come on, nobody wants to see Kirby’s insides — and, according to series co-creator Ed Boon, Nintendo has never asked for permission to move any of the characters over (thanks, Axios).
This, however, has not stopped Boon from imagining which MK characters would make the leap in the unlikely event that Nintendo did come a-knocking. Speaking to Axios, Boon gave the very swift answer: “Scorpion. Not even a hesitation,” before following it up with the more thoughtful, “I guess if they want two, it would be Scorpion and Sub-Zero.”
Now this is a man who has thought about the possibility of a crossover, to our money. When asked why Scorpion would be his first choice, Boon referenced the character’s instant recognisability and the fact that “it’s cool to see a spear pull somebody,” in reference to the ninja’s iconic weapon. Yikes.
While the thought of seeing a crossover is certainly a funny one — just imagine Captain Olimar helplessly chucking Pikmin as a harpoon speeds towards him — we would be lying if we said that we wanted to see it become a reality. Watching our beloved Nintendo characters push each other off of floating platforms is one thing, but the thought of seeing Dr. Mario on the receiving end of a gruesome fatality… no thank you.
Even with additions like Ryu and Kazuya, Smash Bros. is still sitting on the more family-friendly side of the fighting game scale. And for that, we can all be grateful.
When Nintendo revealed that “everyone is here!” for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it wasn’t lying. Well, ok, not everyone is in the game, but Sakurai and co. did a pretty good job of bringing in familiar faces from all walks of gaming life. We’ve even got characters from other series in the genre like Street Fighter, Fatal Fury and Tekken. However, one name is notably missing from this lineup: Mortal Kombat.
Of course, this makes a lot of sense. The blood and guts of NetherRealm Studios’ take on the genre was never really going to gel with Nintendo’s slightly less stabby brawl — and come on, nobody wants to see Kirby’s insides — and, according to series co-creator Ed Boon, Nintendo has never asked for permission to move any of the characters over (thanks, Axios).
This, however, has not stopped Boon from imagining which MK characters would make the leap in the unlikely event that Nintendo did come a-knocking. Speaking to Axios, Boon gave the very swift answer: “Scorpion. Not even a hesitation,” before following it up with the more thoughtful, “I guess if they want two, it would be Scorpion and Sub-Zero.”
Now this is a man who has thought about the possibility of a crossover, to our money. When asked why Scorpion would be his first choice, Boon referenced the character’s instant recognisability and the fact that “it’s cool to see a spear pull somebody,” in reference to the ninja’s iconic weapon. Yikes.
While the thought of seeing a crossover is certainly a funny one — just imagine Captain Olimar helplessly chucking Pikmin as a harpoon speeds towards him — we would be lying if we said that we wanted to see it become a reality. Watching our beloved Nintendo characters push each other off of floating platforms is one thing, but the thought of seeing Dr. Mario on the receiving end of a gruesome fatality… no thank you.
Even with additions like Ryu and Kazuya, Smash Bros. is still sitting on the more family-friendly side of the fighting game scale. And for that, we can all be grateful.
