One of the games that started being rumored prior to this year’s E3 was
Namco vs.
Capcom. Most people laughed, and still laugh, when the hear mention of the supposed title. The truth is that the idea of acrossover between these two companies isn’t that “outlandish”; the two companies have combined forces before for
Namco X
Capcom for the PlayStation 2 (great RPG by the way). Let’s take a look at the current rumor(s) swirling the industry and theorize on where
Namco, in particular, should go with such games...
The rumors regarding the game(s) have really picked up some major steam as Comic-con has arrived out in San Diego. They have also been boosted thanks to the recent Evo 2010 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Back at Evo,
Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono teamed up with
Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada for an appearance and to give a speech regarding the genre and the industry. Ono in particular has been hinting at a huge game reveal at Comic-con on his personal Twitter for quite a while now. Now all eyes are on San Diego for a reveal of the game, which many believe will be a
Namco /
Capcom crossover fighting game.
The strongest rumor, which originated from
Game Informer, states that 2 games are actually in development. According to the rumor(s) both
Capcom and
Namco are currently developing crossover fighting games with the two companies characters facing off against one another.
Capcom is believed to be producing a traditional “2D” (feeling) fighter using the Street Fighter 4 engine while
Namco is creating a 3D fighter using Tekken 6‘s engine. This would be a great decision if true as both companies would be able to shine by showcasing their strengths in the two different genres (2D versus 3D).
If this rumor does prove to be true and one or even two games are in development, roster selection (as with any versus) game is going to be a very important factor in its success.
Capcom has become a seasoned veteran in the construction of truly all-star rosters, as they are currently showing with Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Namco, on the other hand, will need to prove their selves as they have a rather large variety of characters within their company and such a variety should be prevalent in a crossover fighting game. Hopefully the roster will consist of more than just Tekken and Soul Calibur characters...
Let me give you a few ideas of some less obvious
Namco characters that should be considered for this potential game:
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Pac-Man: Ok, go ahead and get the laughter out now... because I am dead serious. While I am not sure how well the classic yellow, dot-eater would translate into a 3D fighter, the possibilities in the 2D realm are endless. I would imagine that his attacks would incorporate other Pac-Man themed characters such as the Mrs. and perhaps the various ghosts... and pellets would definitely be flying. Capcom could turn him into a serious competitor, just like they did with Roll in TvC.
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Taizo Hori: Two words: Dig. Dug. Yes, that is the official name of the character from Dig Dug... and he could be awesome in the fighting game realm. Not only would he prove to be a fresh face for the fighting genre, but it would also give Namco the chance to breath some serious life back into the Dig Dug name. If Taizo isn’t included, they should at least consider his son Susumu, aka Mr. Driller.
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Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu: Most gamers aren’t familiar with either of these characters because the previous Namco X Capcom crossover never saw release in the States. These two were the original, created protagonists of that game, which was available in Japan for the PlayStation 2.v Reiji is a well armed and would translate into either dimension with his trademark dual swords and accompanying shotgun. Xiaomu is more of a mystical character as mysterious warrior who is nearly 800 years old has magical powers using her cane sword and Shakujo staff.
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Gilgamesh: Gilgamesh is the main character of Namco’s classic arcade game Tower of Druaga. He is a typical (looking) medieval soldier wielding both a sword and shield and would easily fit into the fighting game genre. Much like the inclusion of Dig Dug’s main character, this would also give Namco a chance to breath some life into an old IP.
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Klonoa: Now, there is a face that you are probably familiar with. The Dream Traveler himself has made quite a name for himself with his various adventures across numerous platforms over the past decade. His face would be a welcome addition to the genre and a familiar face for players of the game.
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KOS-MOS: We have to include a little bit of Xenosaga, don’t we? Who better than to represent the series than everyone’s favorite Gynoid. Since KOS-MOS is an android, the options in terms of her abilities are endless... they could outfit her with almost any sort of attack and it would “make sense”. Again, she would also serve as a nice familiar face in a fresh environment.
Again, we have to take all of this with a grain of salt as everything regarding this title is purely based on speculation at this point. Currently, the game doesn’t exist (publicly) and is simple a rumor. If it does turn out to exist though, I really hope that
Namco includes some of the names that I have mentioned above.