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For a gamer my age, the recent trend of video game crossovers is still a very foreign concept for me. Having grown up in the halcyon days of Super Nintendo vs. Sega Genesis debates, the idea of Mario and Sonic competing regularly in Olympic events still seems odd. This week, Nintendojo will shine a light on video game crossovers. While the concept has grown in popularity over the last decade or so, the fact of the matter is that we’ve seen a number of characters and franchises interact since the early days of gaming. Whether it’s plumbers and hedgehogs, mystery solving professors and ace attorneys, or, in the case of this week’s track, Japanese warlords and pocket monsters, Nintendojo has it covered!
This week’s track is from Pokémon Conquest, an unlikely crossover between Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition. At first glance, the title seemed like an odd pairing. The results, however, spoke for themselves. Conquest was lauded as one of the best spinoffs the Pokémon franchise had ever seen. Conquest mixed the gameplay of both titles, but it also provided a soundtrack that blended the styles of Nintendo and Koei’s two franchises. The resulting arrangements have Pokémon’s familiar, cheery sounds, but with a classic style that evokes Japan’s feudal period. The compositions are really quite impressive overall, but we’ve selected “Normal Battle” for this week’s Track of the Week! Take a listen!
Video game crossovers are always an interesting experiment. When one of these games really shines, it’s a testament to the developers for finding the right balance between the two worlds. In the case of Pokémon Conquest, fans were treated to a spin-off game that really captured the appeal of both franchises, and the music certainly helped accomplish that task.
What are some of your favorite video game crossovers? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned all week for Nintendojo’s coverage on that particular topic!
