Crossovers. What else?

[Lux Klonoa]

Ah, crossovers... They can be either hit or miss: hit if its done properly, miss if its not. But when a crossover IS done properly, the game/movie/whatever can sell like hotcakes...and can even become its own canon in some cases, as it is with the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Not counting crossovers with other SEGA characters, our blue buddy Sonic has been in three so far: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, its upcoming Winter Olympics sequel, and Smash Bros. Brawl. The initial Olympic Games entry sold like crazy, mainly because it paired up two legendary gaming icons and their characters together for the first time, as many people have been wanting to see such a reality happen for a very long time now... And yet, the game continues to sell even today. So will its Winter Olympics sequel, which so far promises to be even better than the first game.

Then there's Brawl. Almost everyone and their mothers dropped their jaws to the floor when Sonic was announced on the Smash Bros. Dojo, finally fulfilling the dreams of wanting to see an epic Mario vs Sonic battle on Final Destination...amongst the dreams of Sonic fighting against other Ninty characters (and Snake) as well.

Well, since Mario & Sonic is already a reality, I know that there's some other crossover dreams left unfulfilled...or maybe people just want to see Sonic crossing over with something else other than Mario.

So if it were up to you, what other gaming franchise would you like to see Sonic crossing over with? Who else should Sonic interact with? Or would you rather just stick with Mario & Sonic?

Well, IMO, Sonic should only crossover with those that share a lot of similarities with his franchise... I mean, Mario & Sonic is cool and all, but other than the legendary gaming icon status thing and the characters' colors, I don't think both of them have anything in common and all...unless someone can point them out for me, that is.

I've heard a lot of times that Megaman has the most similarities to Sonic... While it would, indeed, be cool to see a crossover between them, I'm not all that interested in and deep-knowledged about Megaman, save for the X series and its villain, Sigma... But if that SEGA vs Capcom rumor ever does come true, I'll still be checking it out regardless.

But besides Megaman (and DBZ, but that's an anime), the only other similar gaming franchise is, obviously, Klonoa. That's what I want to see a crossover of...and its my big dream, too.

People may disagree with these (I don't mind, really), but...I quote from my Klonoa site (spoilers for Unleashed, Black Knight, Klonoa Wii/Door to Phantomile, and Klonoa 2 ahead):

("Generic" = has been done before by other franchises.)

-I think this just might be the most important similariity, as I've just noticed recently. Both Sonic and Klonoa are often associated with the wind. Both can manipulate the winds to their advantage (Sonic's speed and Klonoa's attacks). Both of them also use large rings in their gameplay. The color scheme in Klonoa's current clothes are the same as Sonic's: red, white, and blue. They share the same eye shape as well.

-Interestingly enough, Klonoa's Wind Ring looks as if the green Chaos Emerald shrunk and attached itself to a Power Ring that Sonic uses in his gameplay and cartoons/anime.

-(Generic) The colors of the five Lunatean Elements are the same as five of the Chaos Emeralds: green, yellow, red, light blue, and purple.

-Some characters in Klonoa, including Klonoa himself, have small Sonic-like bodies, with big heads and toothpick-sized limbs... Take Klonoa's clothes off and you got another Sonic character added. (Not sure if this is generic or not...but I really doubt Namco was looking at Mickey Mouse or Felix for inspiration.)

-Klonoa's long floppy ears is often compared to Tails' two large tails, making them both freaks of nature...in a good way, that is. =P

-(Generic)The Klonoa character Guntz can be compared to Knuckles or Shadow. Guntz has a personality similar to that of Knuckles: they're both stubborn and they're both loners, not to mention they're both hunters of some sort (Guntz being a bounty hunter and Knuckles hunts for his Master Emerald shards). Guntz being a rival of Klonoa also contributes to this, to correlate to Sonic's rivalry with Knux. Also, both Guntz and Shadow wield guns, can get angsty at times (I think), and have tragic pasts of their own.

-Klonoa G2: Dream Champ Tournament's main villain, Garlen, is similar to Dr. Eggman, both physical and technical. They're both fat, and wield machines and other stuff.

-In both DtP and Sonic Unleashed, both Sonic and Klonoa are accompanied by small companions of power: Chip, who is Light Gaia, and Huepow, who is the prince of Cress, the Moon Kingdom. They both are best friends to Sonic and Klonoa, help them save their worlds, and depart afterwards from them in sad ways. Chip's necklace/bracelet even heavily resembled Klonoa's Wind Ring. (Generic, except for the ring thing.)

-In Sonic & the Black Knight, Sonic wields a sword just like Klonoa did in Klonoa Heroes. (Generic, but the rest isn't.) Also, SatBK's plot is a semi-repeat of Klonoa 2's: Merlina summons Sonic to the world of King Arthur as part of her secret plan to make the world eternal, just as the King of Sorrow summons Klonoa to Lunatea as part of his plan to bring sorrow to the world. Both Merlina a.k.a. the Dark Queen and the King of Sorrow drench themselves in sadness, with both of them accusing Sonic and Klonoa of not understanding their sorrow.

Contrary to what some Klonoa fans think, I really believe that Namco really was looking at Sonic (and maybe Mario, as Klonoa does jump around a lot) for inspiration, starting with Moonlight Museum, in regards to character design...and the same goes for SEGA looking at Klonoa for the last two similarities. Hell, maybe SEGA got the idea for Cream's flying ears from Klonoa, but that is anyone's guess, really.

I once had a dream some countless nights ago about a Sonic & Klonoa game being announced. The gameplay was similar to Donkey Kong Country in terms of switching characters on the fly: you use Sonic for his speed gameplay, Klonoa for his Wind Ring gameplay. In my dream, as Sonic launched off a ramp into the air, the player switched to Klonoa in mid air and shot a Wind Bullet at one of those grabbable orb things from Klonoa 2 that he can hang onto. And at the very end of the trailer of my dream, both Sonic and Klonoa went Super in a cutscene...

Yeah, I know. It's weird... But hey, it’s the thing I want to see the most. And perhaps for once, such a crossover may bring Klonoa out of his underrated status...

Anyway, again, I ask. What else do you want to see Sonic crossover with?

Edited May 19, 2009 by Super Klonoa

[Dr. Mechano]

A Mario crossover with plot focus would be nice, as fun as the Olympics are.

Other than that, I could sort of see Megaman working- If only because seeing Eggman and Wily interact would be so surreally awesome.

[Sheff]

Dang, good observation there. I've never played Klonoa, but the similiarites are noteworthy.

I'd like a Sonic and Mario PLATFORMER game. No minigame shinanigans. Don't know how this would work though...

Also, how 'bout a Smash Bros. style game, except they just mix the two universes, somewhat like they did in Olympic Games. This could work even better if they had a Nintendo vs. Sega to get more diverse character choice.

Finally, this one is just for laughs, but Sonic and F-Zero. Both are pretty dang fast, and focus on speed. What could possibly go wrong if they figured something out?

[Dr. Mechano]

I'd like a Sonic and Mario PLATFORMER game. No minigame shinanigans. Don't know how this would work though...

Think Donkey Kong Country. You play as Mario and Sonic at the same time, but only control one or the other- each with their own moveset- with the freedom to instantly switch between the two, while the one you aren't playing as simply automatically follows.

I think this would be a good way for the two to work together in a platforming game.

[SuperStingray]

The Olympic games work mainly from their context, but I'd find it hard for an official Mario/Sonic crossover to work properly. The kind of platforming each of them do is very different and merging them into one game would end up rather pointless. I mean, Gordo's method could work, but it seems rather flow breaking to switch between them considering Mario's gameplay is less dynamic and more traditional. I just don't see a reason or possibility for it beyond nostalgia and the Olympic titles already have that niche filled.

Edited May 18, 2009 by A Ham Sandwich

[Sheff]

Think Donkey Kong Country. You play as Mario and Sonic at the same time, but only control one or the other- each with their own moveset- with the freedom to instantly switch between the two, while the one you aren't playing as simply automatically follows.

I think this would be a good way for the two to work together in a platforming game.

Thats what I was sort of thinking, but the only problem is, Sonic can do pretty much anything Mario can do, besides the power ups. I'm pretty sure Sonic jumps just as high as Mario.

[Thirsty Pocket]

Well I still feel Mario and Sonic haven't actually had a proper crossover yet. The Olympics was an odd choice... and Brawl was really nice... but I want to see Mario and Sonic together, in their worlds, playing by the other character's rules, and facing the other character's opponents and working with the other character's friends.

Im sure most of you know this, but Mario isn't as slow as he's made out to be. Given the opportunity, he could run up walls just the same as Sonic could. He did do that, in fact, in Super Mario World. Mario is unable to roll into a ball like Sonic, so he'd have to be a bit more careful about oncoming Robots. Sonic has become too used to speeding in recent years... some time in Mario's world focusing on platforming might do him some good.

I could only imagine how inferior Mario would feel to Eggman ( considering in the Mario world, mustache seem to be some sort of status thing... ) ...it would be funny to see.

But enough about that. If I could have Sonic cross over with a series that ISN'T Mario? ...That's a truly tough one. Part of me wants to say Legend of Zelda, because Sonic running through that collassal Hyrule Field in TP would be a dream come true... but Sonic's never been much of a dungeon crawler. Plus I don't feel Sonic fits into the Zelda world, unless the characters had the toon-ish proportions of wind waker, and the realistic textures of Twilight Princess or Ocarina.

I think I'd really just like to See Sonic in a Kingdom Hearts game, along with a whole giant selection of colorful video game characters... but then again, all those squaresoft character'd turn me off of the game.

I really don't know where Id like to see Sonic AND think he'd actually work.

...I think Dr. Eggman would fit right into Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts though...

[Dr. Mechano]

Thats what I was sort of thinking, but the only problem is, Sonic can do pretty much anything Mario can do, besides the power ups. I'm pretty sure Sonic jumps just as high as Mario.

Which is why powerups would definitely be implemented. But Mario can do other things, such as wall-jumping, swimming, etc.

Mario's definitely got some tricks up his sleeve, and relying more on items than Sonic does isn't really a weakness- It's simply his style. (Mario and Sonic items could appear throughout stages, but each character could only use their own powerups. So no Fire/Caped/Frog/etc. Sonic, or Shield/Fast/etc. Mario.)

[Sheff]

Which is why powerups would definitely be implemented. But Mario can do other things, such as wall-jumping, swimming, etc.

Mario's definitely got some tricks up his sleeve, and relying more on items than Sonic does isn't really a weakness- It's simply his style. (Mario and Sonic items could appear throughout stages, but each character could only use their own powerups. So no Fire/Caped/Frog/etc. Sonic, or Shield/Fast/etc. Mario.)

That would work quite well, but the good question is which viewpoint it'd work best in.

I myself would say 2D, since Sonic has been excelling in his side scrollers as of late, plus I don't see how the Tanooki suit would work in a 3D enviroment.

On a side note, Sonic can wall jump, as seen in Unleashed. But Sonic+Water=evil drowning music.

[Sean]

A Mario and Sonic game could work out as an RPG similar to the likes of Paper Mario. As I've expressed before, I'm obsessed with my own fantasy vision of the Sonic series in which everything is as adorable as Kirby, and Paper Mario has a cute enough style to blend the two franchises. I'd even like for Sonic to become a silent protagonist alongside Mario, and he'd only express himself via body language, even though every other character in the game can speak.

I'm never keen on tag-character systems in platformers. This is one reason why I was annoyed with Viewtiful Joe 2, because Sylvia was only a placeholder for another VFX ability that was mostly useless and not too remarkable compared to Joe's.

[Diogenes]

I'm really not a fan of any Mario and Sonic crossover that's more than an odd spinoff game (and even then it's not so great). They're two completely different worlds with two completely different gameplay styles; they just clash too much to really have any business being put together.

The only Sonic crossover that I'd like to see done is with Megaman (classic version, that is). Talking animals aren't typical of Megaman's world, but aside from that they mesh rather well. They both take place on a sort of near-future Earth with a strong emphasis on technology and, more specifically, robots. You can also draw some decent parallels between characters; Sonic and Megaman, the blue heroes, Tails and Light, the brilliant scientists of the hero side, Amy and Roll, the oft-left-behind females, either Knuckles or Shadow for Protoman (and if not Shadow, then perhaps him with Bass), and of course our pair of balding mustached evil genius roboticists (oh the shenanigans they could perpetrate...). Hell, there's even two red flying vehicles for the heroes to ride...

The problem, though, is once again the gameplay doesn't mesh. It's probably even worse here than with Mario, as Megaman's dedicated to projectile weapons...

[Viku]

even if I would be happy with pairing Sonic with any othe franchise (as long it could be a fun game and would not be out of place) but I would choose the ones that would work the most for me:

-Mario: Besides the fact fans would cream their pants if it happends, I think an adventure with Sonic and Mario that wouldn't be just minigames could be fun. I always imagined that it would work like Sonic Adventure 2 stages. Depending of the character the gameplay would be diferent. The three kinds of stages would be Sonic stages, Mario stages and stages where the two work toughether in a Sonic Heroes-like fashion. I once imained a game starring them with the plot involving the two of them tied to each other by some magical chain having to stay close to eachother. I also imagined combo attacks like Sonic and Mario rolling as a gigantic ball of Mario hitting Sonic with his hammer for attack the enemies.

-Klonoa: Just like Super Klonoa, I also believe the two would not look out of place in a crossover. Klonoa and many of the characters of that franchise share a lot of "Sonic character traits" speially with the eyes and the shapes of their bodies. Also, Sonic's gameplay would work pretty good with the 2D.5 style of Klonoa. And about the plot...I dunno...

-A Sonic Team-crossover game: Believe it or not, more than a brawl-like fighting game, I would imagine it as a adventure game or a RPG...yeah an RPG. Pretty much like games like NamcoXCapcom or Cross Edge. It would be any SEGA's fanboy dream.

I imagine Sonic ruining on a big plain, suddenly using a rock as a ramp and then being catched by NIGHTS and the two continue the stage flying.

[redmenace]

Apart from something along the lines of a Superstar Tennis, I don't see the appeal in this. Maybe a SEGA VS Nintendo.

[Phos]

I want Sonic to race Outrun guy. I think Chris's uncle should have been the guy from Outrun 2.

[Ryan Brown]

This is kinda "out there" (as most of my concepts are these days), but I've always imagined a scenario of Sonic and th gang being flung to various dimensions and game universes.

Sonic would be sent to the Mushroom Kingdom, Tails to Hyrule, the universe of Metroid or Mega Man's world, Knuckles (or Rouge) to Lara Croft's realm, Shadow to Dante's turf, etc.

[batson]

I think one of the reasons why Sonic and Mario will never be together in a game with a story is simply because their "universes" are to different. Sonic, despite being a blue bipedal hedgehog, lives in a fairly realistic world, while Mario lives in a world that looks like something a three year old on crack would come up with. In Sonic's world, people (namely certain Alice in Wonderland-look alikes...) can be fatally shot without it seeming that much out of place, while in Mario's world, i bet handguns dont even exist. Sex apparently exists in Sonic's world, even if that fact only very rarely comes in to light, whereas in Marios world... well, let's just say that if Rouge ever visited that world, no one in it would ever notice anything particular about her physical appearance, and NO ONE would get her jokes about "staying active at night" or being "into S&M" (which Knuckles and Topas actually did in Sonic X). Oh, and Sonic's world is filled with vocalized rock-music, while Mario's world is filled with what might as well have been the background music to Barney the Dinosaur (not saying i like one better than the other though...). So, yeah.

[Ferr]

Sonic & Sparkster (Rocket Knight Adventures), i would love that Ristar too would be awesome.

[Lux Klonoa]

I think one of the reasons why Sonic and Mario will never be together in a game with a story is simply because their "universes" are to different. Sonic, despite being a blue bipedal hedgehog, lives in a fairly realistic world, while Mario lives in a world that looks like something a three year old on crack would come up with. In Sonic's world, people (namely certain Alice in Wonderland-look alikes...) can be fatally shot without it seeming that much out of place, while in Mario's world, i bet handguns dont even exist. Sex apparently exists in Sonic's world, even if that fact only very rarely comes in to light, whereas in Marios world... well, let's just say that if Rouge ever visited that world, no one in it would ever notice anything particular about her physical appearance, and NO ONE would get her jokes about "staying active at night" or being "into S&M" (which Knuckles and Topas actually did in Sonic X). Oh, and Sonic's world is filled with vocalized rock-music, while Mario's world is filled with what might as well have been the background music to Barney the Dinosaur (not saying i like one better than the other though...). So, yeah.

People have said the same thing about Kingdom Hearts when the concept of it was announced...how Disney and Final Fantasy were so completely different that it wouldn't meld in good. Well, look at the Kingdom Hearts franchise now...

Just as someone said in the Fanfiction topic, even the most weirdest crossovers can succeed well if the author or development team behind them is skilled at doing so. That, and if people can tolerate change to the characters being crossed over.

[Sean]

Final Fantasy still doesn't mix with Disney characters.

Kingdom Hearts is a beautiful game but the first game benefited from its FF characters not being terribly important. KHII seriously went downhill with its tone/characterization and blatant FF fanservice.

[LimeTH]

I'm with the majority that wants an actuall Mario and Sonic game. Theres so much potential in the idea of one in the other's world.

I'm not too sure what other game franchises would work crossed over with Sonic. I only think Kolona would work because of the similar art styles, I've never played any Kolona games.

[Rusty Spy]

If they were to do a Mario-Sonic crossover, I'd imagine doing something like Crash Purple and Spyro Orange. A dual game pack that featured Sonic and Mario traveling through the others respective worlds and fighting the others enemies, and defeating Eggman and Bowser.

Though, unlike Spyro and Crash, the two games would focus on a different gameplay style. Mario's game would, obviously, be more focused on platforming and exploration/puzzle solving while Sonic's game would be more focused on the action. And similar to The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages, the two games would have some sort of password system where if both games were completed and both passwords were inputted into one of the games, you'd get the games true ending where Sonic and Mario actually team up to play through a new level as both Sonic and Mario. Like in Eggmanland from Unleashed, you switch between the two throughout the level, experiencing both gameplay styles of the two games jam-packed into one level. And finally, you'd fight the final boss, being the combined forces of Eggman and Bowser.

[Gabz Girl]

I want to see a Mario and Sonic platformer as much as the next guy but..I don't think it'll ever happen. Sorry for sounding oh so pessimistic. :[

But maybe after another successful seller with Olympic Winter Games we might just get the true Mario and Sonic crossover. You never know.

Also, I'd love to see a Sonic and Megaman crossover. That would be so cool! X3

[Thirsty Pocket]

I gotta admit that. as much as I want a Mario and Sonic platformer... Sonic has changed way too much in recent years. I think the two would have fit together a lot better in Sonic's early years. But that doesn't really mean anything, considering the Sonic Advanced, and to some degrees, the Sonic Rush series keeps the charm of Sonic's early years.

I guess if Sonic was ever to meet with Mario...it should use mostly elements used in his handheld games or like...what you see in Samba De Amigo...

And based on Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games featuring things like Flicky and the other early animal friends, I think it's safe to assume that they would do that.

This isn't a "only classic is good" post or anything like that. Im just saying Sonic lost a lot of everything that made him comparable to Mario, atmospherewise .

[Diogenes]

I'm with the majority that wants an actuall Mario and Sonic game. Theres so much potential in the idea of one in the other's world.

Like what? For all the support of a Mario and Sonic crossover, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone actually explain its "potential" beyond being fanwank.

[lounge]

I'd much prefer a Sonic/Zelda crossover. That'll be 10 times cooler. Sonic using the master sword. Shadow in the Twilight Realm. Knuckles exploring dungeons/temples. Link explores the ARK, Death Chamber, etc. as dungeons, and explores beautiful environments like Seaside Hill, Pumpkin Hills, Dry Lagoon. Stuff like that.

But if they did do a mario/sonic crossover. It'll probably be better if they just switched worlds, instead of work together. Imagine Mario jumping all over Windy Valley.

Edited May 18, 2009 by lounge