Another silly thought I had while my Internet was down was related to a couple of other suggestions people've made in the past; namely, the idea of what Smash would look like if Nintendo wasn't involved. For the sake of this timeline, I'm going to assume we moreso mean the
spirit of the series rather than just being a "Nintendo crossover" or "being run by Sora Ltd.", so... let's get weird with it.
The stars align... revealing new challengers on the horizon...
Dream Match Cross: Millenium Constellation (Namco / Banpresto, 2000)
Essentially, this ends up taking the form of a Namco-led project in celebration of their 45th anniversary; in a not-dissimilar manner to how
Namco x Capcom eventually came about. In this timeline, former Banpresto staff Soichiro Morizumi instead went to work at Namco rather than Monolith Soft, and presented this idea (coupled with a proposal to cross-over with other companies) in late 1998. The proposal was accepted.
Namco would reach out to SEGA in order to release the game on their NAOMI hardware, planning to have home ports available rather quickly in a manner akin to their release of
SoulCalibur. This was successful, as was a request to use some of Capcom's characters - though, the suggestion of using SEGA characters in addition was proposed and accepted, albeit slightly later into development. Morizumi would also oversee the creation of original characters in line with previous conventions of the
Super Robot Wars series, and Capcom's deal with SNK would also bring SNK representation to this game as a last-minute kind of deal.
Roster
Dream Match Cross's roster would be heavily focused on 2v2 combat, for two reasons; the ability to feature character interactions, and an interest in bringing some of the included characters into a setting they've never existed in before at this point. Characters were selected based on their arcade pedigree and with an interest in both featuring fan-favourites and celebrating wide swathes of all companies' history where possible.
With 28 characters and a total of 14 pre-set duos, the teams are as follows;
Note! Characters are colour-coded based on company of origin. Red applies to Namco, yellow applies to Capcom, blue applies to SEGA, and green applies to SNK. Grey, on the other hand, are originals.
- Jin Kazama (Tekken) and Nina Williams (Tekken) - The dedicated Tekken duo, named Zaibatsu Foes due to their shared fight against the Mishima Zaibatsu. Jin's picked as a newer character shortly after his Tekken 3 debut, while Nina's a familiar face from as far back as the first game.
- Ryu (Street Fighter) and Chun-Li (Street Fighter) - The dedicated Street Fighter duo, named World Warriors in reference to Street Fighter II. Both of them are picked as iconic candidates to represent Capcom as a whole.
- Jacky Bryant (Virtua Fighter) and Sarah Bryant (Virtua Fighter) - The dedicated Virtua Fighter duo, named Bryant Siblings due to their nature as brother and sister. Included due to both characters having fan-favourite status in the series.
- King (Art of Fighting) and Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury) - The dedicated SNK duo, named Women Fighters in reference to the team of the same name in The King of Fighters. Both included as fan-favourite candidates, as well as their upcoming appearances in Capcom vs. SNK: Millenium Fight 2000.
- Reiji Arisu (Cross Dream Match) and Xiaomu (Cross Dream Match) - The original characters of the game, named Dream Match after the game's title. They're included as a nod to the tendency to include OG (Original Generation) characters in the Super Robot Wars series.
- King II (Tekken) and Hugo (Final Fight) - A grappler team, named Face & Heel in reference to wrestling terms. King II is technically new from Tekken 3, but the King lineage are by far some of Tekken's most popular characters, while Hugo's addition to Street Fighter III: Second Impact draws him from the relative obscurity he'd otherwise experience as a foe in Final Fight.
- Kyosuke Kagami (Rival Schools) and Bahn (Fighting Vipers) - A brawler duo named Trouble Afoot, in reference to their shared high-school age and tendency to get into fights. Bahn is picked as Fighting Vipers' headlining character, while Kyosuke is picked as a fan-favourite from Rival Schools.
- Valkyrie (The Legend of Valkyrie) and Gilius Thunderhead (Golden Axe) - A duo of helmet-wearers named Viking Myth, in reference to the former's name and the latter's design. Valkyrie is included as a popular character in Japan, while Gilius is included to feature a SEGA beat-em-up.
- Taki (Soul) and Strider Hiryu (Strider) - Named Ninjutsu given their shared nature as ninja. Taki is included as a breakout star of the Soul series, while Hiryu's inclusion comes from both the popularity of the Strider series and the recently-released Strider 2.
- Saki Omokane (Quiz Nanairo Dreams) and Janet Marshall (Virtua Cop) - Named Arm of the Law in reference to both characters' occupations, with the former being a soldier and the latter a police officer. Saki's inclusion was as a favourite within Capcom's development teams, while Janet's inclusion was inspired by her appearance in Fighters Megamix, sharing much of Aoi Umenokoji's moveset.
- Taizo Hori (Dig Dug) and Captain Commando (Captain Commando) - Named Ground Offence in reference to the military concept of a "Ground Offensive", as well as being a tongue-in-cheek reference to Taizo's game of origin. Taizo's redesign would bring him more closely in line with other characters while also being included as a nod to the recent Mr. Driller series, while Captain Commando was included as another Capcom staff pick.
- Gilgamesh & Ki (The Tower of Druaga) and Mobo (Bonanza Bros.) - Named Treasure Hunters in reference to the gameplay of both of their games, with the former involving searching for treasures and the latter involving stealing them. Gilgamesh was included as another iconic character to represent one of Namco's older titles, while Mobo's inclusion was deliberately more offbeat in recognition of SEGA's more unusual releases.
- Taira no Kagekiyo (Genpei Toma Den) and Red Arremer (Ghosts 'n Goblins) - Named Arisen Demons in recognition of their shared demonic nature. Taira's inclusion was as a fan-favourite pick within Namco staff, while Red Arremer was included based on both bringing in a villainous character and being loosely inspired by the Demon's Crest series.
- Demitri Maximoff (Darkstalkers) and Ebitan (The House of the Dead) - Named Undead Beings given their natures as a vampire and zombie respectively. Demitri's inclusion was in light of his role as Darkstalkers' initial premier character (and for Midnight Bliss appearances of other characters), while Ebitan was included as a representative of a more popular recent series, mostly in light of unique moveset potential.
Note also that, inspired by the mechanic in the
King of Fighters series, characters paired outside of these duos may also feature unique duos of their own, which can result in unique endings when paired together.
Stages
While the stage roster is on the smaller side, 11 isn't a bad number to work with for this kind of era, and each character has stages to which they're assigned as "home". Selection was based on a desire to feature a wide variety while maintaining the idea that all of them could take place in the same "world".
The same colour scheming as listed earlier applies!
- Akihabara (Original) - Intended as an "origin" for Reiji and Xiaomu, based loosely on real-world Akihabara with some creative liberties. Advertisements are replaced with applicable adverts for the included companies, while signage for things like the Neo Geo is also included in the background.
- Home Stage Of: Reiji Arisu, Xiaomu, Ryu
- Mishima Polytechnic (Tekken) - Based on the school stages from Tekken 3, while also being a logical stage of choice for other characters in the roster. Overcast skies give it a unique look, and observers can be school-age characters of the included companies.
- Home Stage Of: Jin Kazama, Kyosuke Kagami, Bahn
- Neo St. Petersburg (Strider) - Included as a distinctive cityscape and in light of its appearance in the recently-released Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. The airship in the centre is joined by several others featuring references to other properties, including Bonanza Bros.
- Home Stage Of: Taki, Strider Hiryu, Mobo
- Three Seven Speedway (Daytona USA) - A stage taking place on the grass and featuring a large stadium of viewers, as well as cars that pass by (featured from numerous racing series including Ridge Racer, LED Storm and Virtua Racing).
- Home Stage Of: Nina Williams, Jacky Bryant, Captain Commando
- Pao Pao Cafe (Fatal Fury) - Inspired by its appearances throughout both the Fatal Fury and King of Fightersseries. Features a number of cameo SNK characters in the background, and elements from multiple stages with the same name in the past.
- Home Stage Of: King, Mai Shiranui
- Tower of Druaga (The Tower of Druaga) - A stage taking place in the labyrinthine tower, featuring a number of minor enemies in the background. Generally has a "fantasy" theme beyond this, with doors occasionally opening to reveal other lost adventurers.
- Home Stage Of: Valkyrie, Gilius Thunderhead, Gilgamesh & Ki
- Kapukon Yu (Street Fighter) - Inspired closely by Street Fighter II's take on the stage, but featuring nods to its other appearances in the Street Fighter Alpha series. Numerous characters are bathing in the background.
- Home Stage Of: Chun-Li, King II, Hugo
- Curien Mansion (The House of the Dead) - Takes place in the gardens of Curien Mansion, featuring numerous creatures as well as occasional appearances from Thomas and G. The mansion's frontage is considered the most prominent element.
- Home Stage Of: Janet Marshall, Ebitan
- UGSF Flagship (Galaxian 3) - Inspired by Galaxian 3and elements of other sci-fi series, with a large-scale space battle taking place in the background while the ship orbits Earth. Spaceships and mecha from numerous games make cameo appearances, including Mobi-Chan and Opa-Opa.
- Home Stage Of: Saki Omokane, Taizo Hori
- Makai (Darkstalkers) - A stage inspired by Makai's appearances in Darkstalkers and Ghosts 'n Goblins, featuring strange, demonic architecture and design. Characters associated with this strange realm are featured in the background.
- Home Stage Of: Taira no Kagekiyo, Red Arremer, Demitri
- Ocean Liner (Original) - Another original stage, implied to be a method of transportation between stages (akin to Ruby Heart's ship in Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes). Decked out in celebratory decoration, it's something of an "arena" stage for the game, being nobody's home stage.
I may take a crack at a sequel at some point. Future iterations in this timeline could go in any number of directions... even beyond just the games! I wonder where it'd all lead...
