Videogame Character Smackdowns I’d Like to See

Here’s a new, ongoing series for DurhamOnGames.

There are boss battles and there are boss battles. Most of them suck. You get killed a few dozen times learning the patters of each stage of the boss’ attack, then you triumph–darting through a quick time event reflex test minefield or two in the process, usually.

I’m sick of boss battles. When the enemy life meter appears, informing you that you’ve progressed far enough playing the fun parts of a game to have to endure the boss sequence, I’d like to just end the game right there. It won’t be fun again for at least a half hour of trial and freaking error.

How about this? How about cross-over licensing? Make bosses from one game franchise become the star of another franchise? You know what I’m talking about, and it’s not lame Mario-meets-Sonic crap. Let me give you a few examples. Ten, to be precise. Ten videogame character smackdowns I’d really like to see. Sure, they’re as likely to happen as a Marvel character meeting Superman on the big screen, but a guy can dream, right? Sheesh.

Alex “Prototype” Mercer versus Cole “Infamous” McGrath
They’re brooding. They’re angry. They have powers for reasons unknown throughout most of th game. And with great power, as Uncle Ben once told Peter, comes the need to do great damage.

Alex posses godlike powers of transformation, able to throw cars in the air, hijack helicopters, and devour people for their memories and his own life force. Cole has the power of a, well, a really angry, anamorphic battery. He can zap people, zap cars, and generally zap things. Can he zap Alex into submission?

Probably not. While Alex can disguise himself by devouring a target of his choosing, destroy entire buildings with devastator attacks, and rip through hoards of infected and military fools in a matter of seconds, Cole can pretty much shoot lightning bolts at targets. Sure he can flip and blow up cars, if he doesn’t run out of juice doing so. In an area of a city that still has its power grid online where Cole can juice up when he needs to, Cole might stand a chance.

Who are we kidding? Expect Alex to be wearing Cole’s skin as a trophy within 3 minutes of their encounter.

Next smackdown coming soon!