One of the best aspects of modern entertainment is that popular media often sees crossovers into new sectors. What begins as a video game, film, book, and even music album might one day see a totally new perspective in a new media format—even various promo offers from online casinos cover slots with themes from Lara Croft to Madmen.
The Harry Potter franchise is a great example. What began as a Young Adult fantasy book has turned into a hit film series, multiple theme parks, video games of all stripes, and even card games. Another example, DOOM, released in the early 90s, wasn’t just about slaughtering mutants—it also had a huge influence on death metal and similar genres.
This has led to more than a few interesting wish lists when it comes to crossovers. A few notable dreams include a Mario Kart-Grand Theft Auto remix, as well as Mega Man-Halo and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater-Dead Rising mashups.
Unfortunately for console and PC gamers, few mashups are quite as attention-grabbing. In fact, some of the strange projects covered below have been lost to the sands of time—and, in certain cases, rightly so. Keep reading for six of the best, worst, and most confusing game mashups of all time.
Best: Resident Evil 6 Slot
As mentioned above, slots see plenty of inspiration from pop culture. Typically, the most beloved settings, characters, and stories are rehashed into a unique five-reel setup. Not many are successful—and not many would think a horror and action-themed slot would be a good fit.
In reality, developer SkyWind Group tackled the project with fanfare in mind. The idea was to attract slots fans who also enjoy the Capcom video games. Their dedication to detail comes through, creating a spooky setting and soundtrack with Leon, Jake, and Adam leading the action.
Best: Kingdom Hearts for PlayStation
The idea of combining Disney’s massive list of characters with a Final Fantasy-style RPG was something few gamers thought to hope for. After all, Disney’s intellectual property rights are often impossible to navigate for developers of all stripes. However, the project, released in 2002, was a hit for RPG fans who adored Final Fantasy and Disney.
The result seemed to draw the best from both worlds, bridging Tetsuya Nomura’s game directing expertise with an unending list of exciting new characters and possibilities.
Worst: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Slot
The Resident Evil 6 Slot mentioned above draws on the best elements of the video game series, then reformats them for a quality slots experience. Developer PartyGaming struggled to do the same with the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare project.
The action simply doesn’t translate to a five-reel slot, while attempts at settings, characters, and soundtracks to make the game feel more familiar also fell flat. However, the game does have a high RPT rate at 95%.
Worst: The Office for PC
This project from MumboJumbo was quickly dead in the water after its 2007 release. Though looking to piggyback on the success of The Office tv series, the game failed to capture the excitement and humor of the show. Even worse, the characters were given bobblehead avatars, which look laughably different than the actors they’re based on.
Decide for Yourself: LEGO Rock Band for Console
On the surface, LEGO and the Rock Band franchise might not seem to have anything in common. However, Harmonix (developer of Rock Band) showed no fear with their 2009 crossover, which performed well in terms of sales.
The Rock Band scheme stayed the same, though rockers were replaced with LEGO figurines, while incoming notes were changed from basic glowing dots into LEGO pieces. Is it a useless mashup or entertaining enough to get away with it?
Decide for Yourself: The Typing of the Dead for Sega, PlayStation, and PC
Language acquisition programs are no stranger to gamification. When it comes to motivating learners to retain new vocabulary and grammar, developers often lean on games to activate the mind. Back in 2001, WOW Entertainment looked to engage people learning to type on a keyboard by formatting their lessons into a The House of the Dead-style zombie shooter.
Whether killing fast-moving enemies as they close in is a worthwhile way to learn a new skill is up for every gamer to decide. It’s worth noting that the project was a hit amongst critics, and sold around 120,000 PC titles in 2002 alone.
