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The 20 WEIRDEST Crossovers in Video Games

The 20 WEIRDEST Crossovers in Video Games
VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Sometimes the most unlikely combinations make for some awesome video games! Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we're taking a look at the 20 most totally bizarre crossovers to ever occur in gaming. Our list includes the “Kingdom Hearts” series (2002-), “Power Rangers: Legacy Wars” (2017), “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up” (2009), “Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe” (2008), “Fortnite” (2017) and more!

20 Weirdest Crossovers in Video Games


Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we're taking a look at 20 totally bizarre crossovers to ever occur in gaming.

“Kingdom Hearts” series (2002-)

To Square Enix's credit, "Kingdom Hearts" has been around long enough that it isn't as odd as it initially was. Even so, there are still plenty of outsiders who would be confused as to why Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are hanging out with a bunch of anime characters. The way Sora and his friends are designed just don't match up when standing next to cartoon animals. The aesthetic clashes even more harshly in "Kingdom Hearts III" where we started getting into Pixar worlds like "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc.". So, imagine how strange it'll be when "Kingdom Hearts IV" starts introducing Marvel or Star Wars locations.

“NBA Street V3” (2005)

Apologies for bringing up something so creepy and uncanny this early, but we’d rather just push through this one now and get it over with. “NBA Street V3” had the greatest honor of featuring Mario, Luigi, and Peach in the GameCube version. Problem is that they each had the same animations as the NBA players that made up the roster. Basically, none of our Mushroom Kingdom heroes got touched in the slightest during the animation process. In the end, we got the trio moving in ways that simply do not match the way they look.

“Metal Gear” series (1987-)

“Metal Gear” may have never had a dedicated crossover game with another franchise, but it did crossover with two very peculiar choices. “Snake Eater” featured a Pipo Monkey from the “Ape Escape” series and even featured a minigame where Snake had to capture them. Then, you had “Peace Walker”, which saw Snake hops onto a Trenya from “Monster Hunter” and heads to an island to fight a Rathalos and Tigrex. And lest we forget about that figurine of Mario and Yoshi that can be found in “Twin Snakes” or the Yoshi figurine in “Snake Eater 3D”.

“Power Rangers: Legacy Wars” (2017)

“Legacy Wars” was a pretty solid title in how it brought all Rangers from every generation together in one big mobile mash-up. So, how is this in any way weird? Well, more than a year after the game’s launch, guest characters from “Street Fighter” were thrown in with Ryu having a role in the last part of the story. A couple months later, Ryu and Chun-Li were given Ranger outfits while Cammy was left on the bench with Akuma and M. Bison. We aren’t quite sure how this collab started in the first place, but “Street Fighter’s” place in the story of “Power Rangers” was quickly accepted by both Hasbro and fans.

“Mario Hoops 3-on-3” (2006)

On the surface, “Mario Hoops” is simply another sport Mario felt the need to break with all the jumping, fireballs, and light amount of gambling on slot machines. It’s expected. But then, you get to the final tournament, and suddenly, you’re going up against “Final Fantasy” characters. We get that “Mario Hoops” was developed by Square Enix, and the inclusions were probably part of some deal or both parties thought it’d be neat. Regardless, we’re not sure how to feel about a Moogle, White Mage, and Ninja playing basketball with Yoshi, Waluigi, and a Boo.

“Smite” (2014)

For years, you could boot up “Smite” and sort of know what to expect. Everyone chooses their preferred god or goddess, equip their favorite skins, and get to fighting. However, the game has seen some rather absurd crossovers lately. Gods and goddesses now have skins that turn them into a variety of characters from other IPs such as TMNT, “Transformers”, “Stranger Things”, and a wealth of Nickelodeon characters. Ever thought you’d see Invader ZIM take down the almighty Zeus, or Optimus Prime fighting the powerful Thor? It’s…it’s a sight.

“Alex Kidd in Shinobi World” (1990)

This was one of those games where the aesthetics and attitudes didn’t exactly match up for this crossover to make sense. The “Alex Kidd” games have a cutesy kind of visual appeal to them. They’re simple platformers meant for kids after all. So, yeah, let’s just throw this child into the intense and gritty world of “Shinobi” where mystical ninjas are slashing each other up and mercenaries are firing off guns and bazookas in all directions. Not sure if a game of Rochambo is gonna get Alex Kidd out of this one.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up” (2009)

“TMNT: Smash-Up” was, on the surface, a great crossover between all of the heroes and villains of the franchise. You had the Turtles and Splinter (of course) alongside Shredder, Fugitoid, April, Casey Jones, and even the Night Watcher. But things got a bit…off when you unlocked the Rabbids. Yes, there were three Rabbids you could unlock: Ninja Rabbid, Turtle Rabbid, and Splinter Rabbid. The manic buns were popping up in some unexpected places, and honestly, it was starting to annoy folks.

“Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” (2012)

It was confusing to see SEGA drop their own name from the sequel to “Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing”. Then, we saw all those guest characters. Danica Patrick? The Mii and Xbox Avatar? Wreck-It Ralph? The Heavy, Pyro, and Spy from “Team Fortress 2”? Yeah, at some point, it’s a little less SEGA in this entry. Thankfully, this was the better game of the two with its tighter controls, refined visuals, and unique level design. We only wish it got more support than just throwing in Metal Sonic and calling it quits there.

“Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe” (2008)

Back when MKvsDC was first announced, we all asked the same thing: how are you going to blend the ultraviolence of “Mortal Kombat” with the widely beloved by children DC Comics heroes and villains? The result was a T for Teen rating, and it did not sit well with audiences on either side. MKvsDC was odd in premise and even more so in the inclusion of finishing moves. Nothing felt satisfying in execution, and the story mode left much to be desired. At least it helped point them in the direction of the MK reboots and the “Injustice” games.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” (2018)

Hey, we’re not about to dunk on “Smash Bros”. But we gotta be honest and say that “Ultimate”, specifically, is one of the weirdest games to ever exist. Not only do you have games from Nintendo’s storied history represented here, but a ton of guest characters made their way here as well. Even if it has been your twentieth or hundredth time playing as Banjo & Kazooie and beating up Cloud Strife in the world of “Minecraft”, you can’t help but be amazed at what was accomplished here. “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” truly is a celebration of video games. It’s impossible to see it through any other lens.

“Lego Dimensions” (2015)

When looking at it in a legal sense, “Lego Dimensions” isn’t as weird compared to the other entries. Many of the IP’s represented here are from Warner Brothers’ own catalog like DC Comics, “Harry Potter”, and “Scooby-Doo”. But we did get expansions from outside the corporation. “The Simpsons”, “Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Portal”, “Ghostbusters”, and even “Back to the Future” had prominent roles in the game’s story and free roam. Heck, we even almost got a third year of expansions that would have added in DreamWorks franchises like “Shrek”! “Lego Dimensions” was a real treat for the few of us that got to play it.

“Dead By Daylight” (2016)

We understand that “Dead By Daylight” was not intended to be as much of a crossover game as it is today. But ever since Michael Myers was added in, we’ve seen the door fling off its hinges. Now, we’ve got Freddy Krueger, “Saw”, “Resident Evil”, Ash from “Evil Dead”, “The Ring”, and even Ripley and the Xenomorph from “Alien”! The only DLC that was sadly taken away from us were Steve, Nancy, and the Demogorgon from “Stranger Things”. And the real tragedy behind it? Netflix were the ones who pulled the license from the game. That aside, DbD has served as a real love letter to horror movies, shows, and games. Now, if only we can get “Five Nights at Freddy’s” somewhere in there…

“PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” (2012)

Now, when you look at half of the roster, “PlayStation All-Stars” makes total sense. Sweet Tooth fighting Kratos while Nariko and Fat Princess take on Spike from “Ape Escape” and PaRappa the Rapper. It's when you look at the third-party stuff where things get weird. Heihachi makes sense, sure, and you can make a case for Dante. But…the Big Daddy from “BioShock”? Isaac Clarke from “Dead Space”? Raiden from “Metal Gear Rising”? And why is Cole split into two separate characters? Strange choices made for this title, for sure.

“Fortune Street” series (1991-2017)

So, we could totally see a game where Mario, “Dragon Quest”, and “Final Fantasy” get smushed together. After all, Nintendo and Square Enix have done several collaborations throughout their history. But…why make the mash-up a convoluted game of “Monopoly”? We were really hoping for something like an epic RPG or platformer. Or a mix of the two like in “Super Paper Mario”. Instead, “Fortune Street” has you buying properties and investing in stocks. Yeah…not what we had in mind, but in their defense, they are great games if you like this sort of thing.

“Poker Night” series (2010-13)

The “Poker Night” games are still trippy to look back on. This short-lived duology from Telltale Games mashed a handful of games together for a simple yet hilarious night of Texas hold ‘em. In the first game, we had Max from “Sam & Max”, Tycho from “Penny Arcade”, the Heavy from “Team Fortress 2”, and Strongbad. “Poker Night 2”, on the other hand, had you facing Brock from “Venture Bros.”, Claptrap from “Borderlands”, and Ash Williams from “Evil Dead” with Sam taking Max’s place this time. And somehow, both groups of players had unique conversations with each other that made sense in how they talked, asked each other questions, and reacted to certain plays. A shame you can buy these titles anymore…

“Nicktoons MLB” (2011)

Now, we’ve seen plenty of Nickelodeon crossover games over the years between “Nicktoons Unite” in the old days to the modern “Nickelodeon Kart Racers” and “Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2”. However, what was the reason behind “Nicktoons MLB”? Who thought it made sense to put SpongeBob and Invader ZIM next to real MLB players? This choice wasn’t just odd in aesthetic, but also logic. If you wanted a baseball game with Nicktoons characters, why not just make one without the MLB license unnecessarily tied to it?

“Mario + Rabbids” series (2017-22)

“Kingdom Battle” really had no business being as good as it was. But aside from the exceptional quality between that and its sequel, “Sparks of Hope”, the “Mario + Rabbids” games were incredibly strange choices for a crossover. First, you have Mario and friends teaming up with Rabbid versions of themselves. Then, you gave them weapons that neither franchises would ever wield. And to make it more bizarre, the first game added Donkey Kong in an expansion while the second game brought back our beloved Rayman. In other words, it was a fever dream we never knew we wanted.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2022)

"Call of Duty" did have a visual identity at one point. If you wanted a realistic, gritty, literal boots-on-the-ground military FPS, you could find solace here every single year. Thing about "Modern Warfare 2" is that it is getting way too out of control with the crossovers. Now, we can understand why someone like Snoop Dogg is in it, but Nicki Minaj? Lara Croft, Ghostface, Spawn, “DOOM”, “Crash Bandicoot”? Why not bring back operators from past games if we want to be crossing over characters? Guest characters are cool every once in a while, but when it’s all the time, well…is this even “Call of Duty” anymore?

“Fortnite” (2017)

Though it was never intended to be a crossover, "Fortnite" has become the weirdest and most egregious crossover game ever made. Look, we will admit that the gameplay is actually really fun, especially now that we have the no-build modes. But come on… We got Naruto using an AR on Kratos who is lobbing grenades at the Terminator who is sniping Optimus Prime who has a bow and arrow aimed at Master Chief all while The Rock barks commands for story purposes and Goku glides down with the Ecto-1 from "Ghostbusters". Just what in the hell is going on in this game anymore!?


What was the weirdest crossover game you’ve played? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!
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