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Bonus Characters Don’t Matter

Bonus Characters Don’t Matter

It always sounds cool at first; your favorite fighting game is coming out in the next few months, and there’s bonus characters included for those who pre-order it. They’re characters from some other brand – usually sci-fi or horror-related – and they seem to just barely fit within the context of the game’s universe. “Celebrity” bonus characters have been a trend for a while now, and they don’t seem to be going anywhere in the near future, unfortunately.

These bonus characters are weird for several reasons. First, they’re not usually in the current pop-culture lexicon. Yoda and Vader in Soul Calibur . Freddy and Kratos in MK9 . And now, finally, Jason and a Predator in MKX . The reveal for them always seems kind of cool, but the lasting impression is almost always one of slight confusion… why Freddy? Why a Predator? Is there some movie coming out I don’t know about? It’s always just seems a little weird and gimmicky. Not to mention the fact that everyone knows they’ll be included in the game of the year version.

On top of this, the characters are rarely allowed into tournament play. It’s usually core cast only, as those are the only ones that judges can be sure all the competitors have played and fought against. This all leads to a weird divide in the marketplace that studios like Neatherrealm have had to build accomodations for when it comes to online matchmaking.

Bonus Characters Don’t Matter

All in all, bonuses for fans who were going to get the game anway are always a good thing, but aren’t there more functional, useful bonuses these studios can think of? No one ever picked Freddy in MK9 , and I’m sure no one really wants to see Scorpion fight a Preadator in MKX . It’s a trend I’d personally like to see go away.

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