Fox McCloud and Samus Aran will be sharing their very own Wii U launch window title, if rumors circling around Nintendo news and fan sites this past weekend are accurate.
Retro Studios, the Nintendo-dedicated development team based out of Austin, Texas behind such favorites as the Metroid Prime series and Donkey Kong Country Returns, has reportedly been tapped to create a mash-up of Star Fox and Metroid for Nintendo’s next-gen console. The game, according to rumor, incorporates the play style of both series, which could either be a very good thing or give players the sense they’ve popped a bipolar disc into their system.
Fans have learned to trust Retro, however, as the team has a history of modernizing Nintendo franchises with obvious reverence to the originals. We’ve learned if Nintendo won’t do it Retro will, with results just as good as, if not better than one of Nintendo’s internal development teams. Most recently, Retro contributed several level designs to the 3DS’ Mario Kart 7.
Excitement may be heavy, but Nintendo and Retro have yet to confirm the Star Fox/Metroid crossover is a reality or deny its existence altogether. It’s likely no one will get that confirmation until Nintendo makes its plans for the Wii U launch official during its June 5 E3 expo announcement.
A video game crossover if this type is certainly within reason, given the gaming industry’s recent increased dabbling in franchise mash-ups. Capcom, Sega and Namco are currently planning to blend multiple IPs into one upcoming 3DS title called Project X Zone. The Street Fighter and Tekken series have recently come together on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. And you can’t ignore Kingdom Hearts, the now decade-old mix of Final Fantasy and Disney characters that first caused heads to explode before becoming a best-selling franchise spanning multiple consoles and handhelds.
Nintendo was an early contender in preparing a gamer’s cocktail with the original Super Smash Bros. back in the late ’90s, an idea that’s now being adopted by Sony. Even Pokemon are invading the world of strategy games based on historical feudal Japan on the DS.
It’s no secret crossovers are often fantasized by gamers in trying to answer who would best who in a fight. Interestingly enough, when crossovers happen fighting is exactly what the characters are doing. This alleged Star Fox/Metroid game appears as though it will be weaving a narrative between both series’ respective worlds.
Have Samus and Fox been adventuring in the same universe all along? Only time, and an official announcement from Nintendo, will tell.
