In preparation for the North American release of the excellent-looking Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (you can read our review here, some previews here, and see the newest E3 trailer for more info), I’ve started daydreaming about other Nintendo-centric crossovers I really want to happen. I don’t know if any of mine can even come close to the peanut butter and chocolate combo that is Layton and Wright, but I hope my top five will at least encourage you to think of better crossovers of your own. If you do have some ideas, be sure to share them in the comments below!

5) Nintendo Kart

I put this one first because it’s the least surprising and most often discussed crossover, but Nintendo Kart is a dream that can never die. It’s no secret that I have problems with Mario Kart’s barrel-scraping character selection and uninspired single-player mode, and I think Nintendo Kart could be the jolt this series needs. I want to race as Pikachu against Link in a course based on F-Zero. I want to use a Screw Attack item that allows me to jump over Pit’s kart and send him spinning if we happen to collide. I want a single-player campaign that dives into multiple universes and pits me against non-playable boss racers that can manipulate the course at will. Ultimately, I think I want Super Smash Kart.

4) New Super Mario Bros vs. Super Mario Bros. 2

It may realistically result in less sales than New Super Mario Bros. 5, but a new game based in Subcon that takes the original vegetable throwing platforming and gives it a modern sheen would be amazing. I once attempted to float this idea for 3D Land DLC, but I think the idea would be better served as a sequel that recreates this weird Doki Doki Panic gameplay while putting it in a new 2D Mario context. There can be some updated physics, new playable Mario characters, new vegetable mechanics, and a new version of Wart that actually makes him relevant again.

3) Paper Zelda

Just like the successor Kirby’s Epic Yarn has found in Yoshi’s Woolly World, one dream of mine is for Intelligent Systems to make a Zelda spin-off in the style of Paper Mario. You might argue that Zelda’s lore isn’t built for the Paper Mario treatment, but it’s worth remembering that Mario was never really that comedic (despite its humorous presence) until someone made a funny RPG about it. In my hypothetical Paper Zelda game, I imagine two potential combat systems in place. The first option is a direct translation of the combat in the original two Paper Mario games (with partners, RPG mechanics, etc.), but my other idea is to, instead, simplify Zelda combat, give it the classic top down camera, and combine it with the RPG mechanics found in Super Paper Mario. I think action elements would work better with Zelda than Mario, and if you add Paper Mario humor and a bright, beautiful presentation, I think we might have something special here.

2) Star Fox vs. Metroid

Sometimes, Samus has an on-rails shooter level. Sometimes, Fox goes outside his ship and into space areas to do some 2D action-platforming exploration. Sometimes there is good AI co-op. Sometimes, there are bosses that require the expertise of both Samus and Fox. Star Fox will have to fight Dark Samus at one point, and Samus will have to face off against Star Wolf at one point. Eventually, the final boss fight will consist of both Andross and Ridley, and this will result in a final form that exists as a fusion of the two. Something like this was rumored once. I have no idea why it doesn’t exist yet.

1) Theatrhythm Pokémon

There have been so many Pokémon games and Pokémon spin-offs that it would be easy to curate a huge list of some of the best tracks this series has to offer. The puppet presentation, team selection, and RPG-like mechanics from Theatrhythm could easily translate into a wonderful, cutesy Pokémon rhythm game. The stages could take you through a journey to be a Pokémon master, the wild battle themes could be used as opportunities to catch new Pokémon, and the DLC could have added value with new Pokémon that can be caught in each song. Upon “catching” and equipping these Pokémon, they can be used as special boosts to help you as you play through songs on every difficulty. A proper Pokémon music game is one of my dream games, and Theatrhythm seems like the perfect vehicle to make that happen. As proof of concept, here are four songs (1, 2, 3, 4) that could easily make for perfect stages.

Those are some of the ideas I got. How about you? Alternatively, how hyped are you for the release of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in North America on August 29?