Nothing beats a good crossover. And today, fans got to witness a crossover between two Japanese icons in gaming history: Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Super Smash Bros., and Kacho Arino, the Retro Game Master of Game Center CX.
Sakurai’s channel, called Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, has the game director walk through iconic titles in video game history and discuss aspects that help them stand out. These games also include titles that he has worked on himself, including Kirby and Smash. On Oct. 13, Sakurai invited Arino to appear on this channel to compete in a friendly competition.
At the start of the crossover video, Sakurai jokingly critiques the lack of arcade games featured on Game Center CX. To remedy this, he invites Arino to play 25 groundbreaking arcade titles to show off the innovations to gaming brought about from that era. Sakurai announces this challenge as “The Space Invader Decade,” since these games range in release date from 1978 to 1987, with the very first being Space Invader.
What makes the competition even more interesting is when Sakurai addresses the advantage he has, as someone who not only knew about this competition ahead of time, but also selected the games himself. To make up for this, he presents himself with a handicap. Players score a point in a game if their opponent loses before them. But while Arino has until he gets a game over to be called the loser, Sakurai loses if he takes even a single hit. Even Arino is shocked at this development, but the challenge proceeds with the two playing these titles side-by-side while commentating on their experiences.
Thus far, we only have the first episode of this series, which features 9 games. Some of these are what you’d expect: Asteroids, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong, to name a few. But Sakurai introduces some curveballs to show off some niche games to fans, such as Crazy Climber, a game where you climb a giant building while avoiding open windows, falling flower pots, and even a giant ape reminiscent of King Kong.
Together, Sakurai and Arino make for an amazing pair. Sakurai explains the significance of each game while Arino provides colorful commentary and laughs at his mistakes. The two have collaborated in the past, but this is the first time that Sakurai has had the pleasure of working alongside the entertainer without needing to represent Nintendo. As such, the two get to freely poke fun at each other while discussing the innovations that these arcade titles produced.
Despite Sakurai’s massive handicap, he keeps the games close and ends the video with a lead at 5-4. The next episode teases games such as Mario Bros. and Ghosts ‘n Goblins.
While fans wait for the next episode in “The Space Invader Decade,” they can find this duo over on Game Center CX, where they play the original Super Smash Bros. together. Unfortunately, this video is only available in Japanese.
This crossover between Sakurai and Arino will hopefully be the start of many more. Their combined years of experience as designer and player make for amazing insight on the rich history of video games.
