A few months ago, with the imminent Western release of the crazily good Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, there was some fan speculation of what would make another great addition to the ‘Superhero Rave’ series, with Capcom themselves throwing fuel on the fire by actively asking fans to poll on what their favorite company/series for them to pair up with would be. There were some odd choices from fans, for sure, and several recurring suggestions.  Square Enix Vs Capcom cropped up a lot, but really, for me,  that would be a rather pointless venture. For starters, Square’s biggest franchise would likely get the most representation, and many of the characters share a lot in common aesthetically, potentially making for a bunch too similar in visual style, while lesser known characters would be too obscure for most people to know about. Besides, Square already had their own fighting game in the form of Dissidia. Another popular choice was Konami Vs Capcom. This one I’m kind of down with. Konami have plenty of characters in reserve that could sit very well with the Capcom side of things; Solid Snake, any of the Belmont’s, some representation from Silent Hill. Yeah, I can see that working, but the thought doesn’t get me all that excited. The big one that kept cropping up, however, was Nintendo Vs Capcom.

No. Just, no.

This would not work at all. Honestly, set the scene for yourself. Mario and Princess Peach squaring off against Ryu and Chun-Li. Yoshi and Kirby facing off against Guy and Gen. No.

Just. No.

Nintendo already have their own fighting game with a rabid fanbase anyway, and really, the thought of seeing Capcom cast in a Smash Bros. style game just… disturbs me. Just as much as seeing the Nintendo lot done up in the Capcom style. The two just aren’t compatible, and despite any allegiances you might have to Nintendo, just step back and think about it for a while. Yeah, you know I’m right. Nintendo, bar a few exceptions (notably Metroid and Zelda) are renowned for inoffensive anyone-can-play games. This is not a dig at them in any way, they just have a certain style that they do oh so well, that is at complete odds with the usual kick-ass with more than a dose of a silly side style of Capcom.

The answer then, and the only answer that fits so perfectly for me that I find it incredible that it doesn’t exist already, is this:

SEGA Vs Capcom.

For starters, both companies can do seriousness and playfulness at the same with an almost contemptuous ease. Secondly, SEGA is probably one of the only few companies that quite easily rival Capcom for a list of instantly recognizable, incredibly awesome characters. Heck, they even have their share of obscure ones that still kick ass and will ring a bell somewhere in the back of gamers brains. Both companies have also covered similar ground if you look through their respective histories. Megaman/Vectorman, Final Fight/Streets of Rage, Street Figher/Virtua Fighter (regardless of Virtua’s extra dimension, their principals are frighteningly similar).

Believe me, I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Probably way too much, in fact, and the more and more I’ve thought about it, the more and more it just makes sense to me. I’m at odds as to whether Sonic would actually fit in there, though, as I’m not entirely sure how an anthropomorphic character would fit in amongst a cast of humanoids, but heck, Capcom were able to get away with Viewtiful Joe in Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, and he’s not exactly the most normally proportioned of characters.

My wish list of characters from the SEGA side would probably go something like:

Akira
Pai
Axel
Bayonetta
Shinobi
Beat
Orta
G
Uh-La-La
Tyris Flare
Temjin (Virtual On) – scaled down or colossal size ala Tatsunoko Vs Capcom

And really, I could go on and on here. My character choices would naturally greatly differ to many peoples and the developer alike if it did happen, but representation from several series’ in the above mentioned would be a given, I should think.

Agree with me, or think I’m a total idiot? By all means, please, tell me. I want to know what anyone else wants to see for any possible future ‘Superhero Rave’ games.