Capcom’s yin to Namco’s yang, Street Fighter X Tekken is the other half of a collaborative enterprise that, quite frankly, few people would have thought could ever happen.
Considering both games are tightly bound reflective companions of one another, there’s not much to add here that we haven’t already covered. Other than the obvious fact that, taking into account that this is the second time we’re mentioning these titles, of the twin battlers in development we do seem to fancy Capcom’s take on the wife-swapping* premise a little more. Make of that what you will.
It does leave us some time to discuss the overall concept of IP cross-overs, however.
Of course, this isn’t the first time one recognised property has invaded another (or even Capcom’s first face-off with the same set of combatants). In fact, of all the entertainment mediums available, it’s the gaming industry more than any other that regularly expresses an almost unhealthy urge to conjoin characters of one series with that of another. Be thankful that, at least in this case, there is a coherent thread connecting the two, as some of the unholy gaming marriages that have come before it are truly mind-boggling. Many a time we’ve witnessed the product of mismatched unions we can only attribute to studios inappropriately cross-breeding incompatible stablemates in a vain attempt to further monetise through brand association.
That said, the intercrossed sub-genre has also borne some earth-shattering surprises in its time. Mario and Sonic went to the Olympics, for crying out loud. And the universe didn’t implode. That’s like Kirk kissing Uhura on TV back in the hyper-conservative 60s. If Kirk was a woman. And a Quaker.
For all our grimmacing when two properties are merged together in a loveless (though lucrative) relationship, the mash-up species of games is often a boundary-breaker; dreaming up concoctions gaming’s Old Timers would have scoffed at mere decades ago.
And what of the future? Could the Tekken/Street Fighter experiment herald in more publisher love-ins? What would Naughty Dog’s rendition of Lara Croft be like? Would we be even interested in seeing such a thing? Perhaps, if anything, out of some sort of morbid curiosity? What other hybrid monstrosities might pique that dark, twisted and amoral mind of yours? Let us know below. This could get interesting.
*Face it, each development team is practically married to their characters at this point.
nofi
Every screenshot I’ve seen of the recent Street Fighter games have /stupid/ expressions. Like this:
So I don’t play them.
bunimomike
I thought Kovacs had Photoshopped that on. Seriously! Hahahahaha!
Kovacs
I have some PhotoShop skills. I’m not THAT good, however.
:)
bunimomike
Do these games ever get sponsored by makers of steroid supplements?
moshi
Something so simple and so off putting at the same time
Bodachi
Stranger crossovers have happened like Kratos in Everybody’s Golf.
aerobes
I’m more interested in its counterpart but considering I’ve been utterly useless at fighting games since Tekken 3 on PS1, It’s highly unlikely I’ll be purchasing either … at least not until a substantial discount has made them more desirable to me. :)
Crazy_Del
I am sooo getting this lol
I like Tekken, I LOVE Street Fighter
Also looking forward to Marvel vs. Capcom aswell.
Foxhound_Solid
SNAP!
shields_t
“it’s the gaming industry more than any other that regularly expresses an almost unhealthy urge to conjoin characters of one series with that of another”
– I could name a number dire movies that suggest Hollywood can be just as bad….
kevatron400
Would be awesome to see a well written Lara/Drake crossover!