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Earthbound Origins was actually released on Wii U in a surprise release in 2015. However,  I believe it was already translated by Nintendo around 1990. It never got released because Nintendo didn't think it would sell, especially with the SNES on the horizon. So it was one of those games that Nintendo had lying around that never got released. For context, Wii U sales were pretty much in the tank in 2015, and they figured that Earthbound Origins would be a way to make a little quick cash and to remind Wii U owners that they were still out there. Maybe when Switch sales dip a little bit, which might be awhile since the Switch is still selling circles around PlayStation and Xbox, Nintendo might release Mother 3. Typically with Nintendo, once the toothpaste is out of the tube, they don't try to put it back in.

Part of the reason why Nintendo no longer makes Ken Griffey Jr/baseball games is because when they were making those games, Hiroshi Yamauchi personally held a full ownership stake in the Seattle Mariners, which was the first time a Major League Baseball team was owned by a non-American. However, it was thanks to Mr. Yamauchi that the team stayed in Seattle. 

So Nintendo had a ready-made entry into the baseball video game market.  When he died, Nintendo sold most of his stake in the team. I think they still hold ten pecent ownership, and the team's financial interests are managed by Howard Lincoln, Nintendo of America's 1980s-era CEO.  

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3. Cloud in Smash 4 and Ultimate.  Now we could finally settle the age-old 5th generation question of Link versus Cloud. Now you can even have Link and Cloud square off against Ganon and Sephiroth. Or Link and Sephiroth against Cloud and Ganon. Or whatever.  But Cloud was my favorite third party character in Smash. 

2. Link in Soulcalibur 2 for the Gamecube. The developers really did their homework on Zelda lore. On the basis of Link being in that game, it was tied with Virtua Fighter 4 as my favorite 6th gen fighting game. 

1. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 11. He really nailed Shang Tsung in the movie, and it was neat that Netherrealm was able to get permission to use his likeness in the game. To get a little personal, I recently watched Mortal Kombat on HBO Max. It's one of my favorite video game movies of all time. When I was 17, I went to see it in theaters with my dad, so watching it now is somewhat bittersweet, since it makes me miss my dad. 

Cage Match:

Driver 2 never made it to the match. On the way to the match, Driver 2 stopped to rob a gas station in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, but somehow only managed to steal a pack of Bubble Yum. Driver 2 couldn't figure out how to get back on I-40,  so it asked the clerk how to find the highway. The directions the clerk gave Driver 2 led it straight to the Okmulgee County Sheriff's Department. Driver 2 is currently facing 5 years in the Oklahoma state prison for armed robbery. Syphon Filter wins. 

I know it's a bit pedestrian, but all the characters being in Smash games is pretty fun.  But my favorite was when they announced that Pac-Man would be in Smash.  When people ask me what characters I'd like to see in Smash, I have a hard time thinking of any more.  I've got my three main boys already (Pac-Man, Kirby, Mega Man) so I'm pretty happy.

Speaking of Pac-Man, I think that's the first game to have a video game cameo in it, as one of the bonus fruits is a Galaxian flagship.  Namco's always been good about putting cameos in their games.

And speaking of Namco, another favorite guest spot of mine is Namco X Capcom.  It was a PS2 strategy RPG game where characters from Namco's and Capcom's games teamed up.  It never came to the US, but the Project X Zone sequels on the 3DS did.  Unfortunately, once I played the import Namco X Capcom game, i could understand why it never came here.  Gameplay just wasn't that fun, especially once the novelty of all those characters being together wore off.  But for the time, it was still neat to have Taki and Dig Dug fighting alongside Cammy and Tron Bonne.  Also the intro to Namco X Capcom is one of my favorite video game intros ever.

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Not really a "guest appearance," since these characters don't physically show up in the game, but the PS5 Ratchet and Clank has a side quest involving a lombax that tries to map every dimension in the game's universe and some dimensions are clear references to Sly Cooper, Knack, etc. The way it was done is such a neat little Easter egg and it's fresh on my mind, so I thought to include it. 

Link in Soul Calibur II got me to play Soul Calibur, so I'd honestly say that's the most recognizable "guest spot" in a video game to my memory/for me personally.  

I couldn't think of anything else off the top of my head, so in honor of your previous episode I went looking for Street Shark cameos and found out there is an Easter egg reference to them in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. 

There were unfortunately no Google results for Guilty Gear characters showing up in other games, to my immense disappointment. 

VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH: 

I had way more fun playing Driver 2. I've always loved driving in video games and I honestly think that game may have started that for me.

Syphon Filter just confused me and I think that had a lot to do with how young I was at the time. I don't think I ever made it very far and to this day I die pretty easily in most shooters. Less so in third person ones like SP but moreso than most other genres of game.

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I love when Nintendo throws in little cameos between its own game series. Mario, of course, made a ton of appearances in early NES games. He did some prosaic things like golfing and reffing for tennis and Punch-Out!! but he also piloted the paddle in Alleyway for the Game Boy and you can unlock a Mario statue in the SNES version of Sim City.

I'm playing Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate with some friends and the cat helper of one of my friends has armor that looks just like classic Mega Man, which is pretty cool.

Cage Match:

I think Syphon Filter wins by forfeit because Driver 2 can't get out of parking garage. (Maybe that was Driver 1 that had that ridiculous tutorial but that's what I associate that franchise with.)

Oof, that ending always gets me even when I know it's coming.  Let's see, just finished this podcast in time but I also wanted to say I really appreciated the Special that came out even though I forgot to comment about it on the page.  I've only been around since really the last few Patrick episodes (which, cripes, was actually quite a while ago.  Weird how that works!) so it was really great hearing some cherry-picked moments from the podcast's past.


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I was a little confused if the question really meant actual guest fighters/players or cameos or what so I just went from the heart and chose a little of each.  One of my personal favorite cameos that I've mentioned here before is in Secret of Evermore for the SNES where in the weird mirror town, Ebon Keep, you find Cecil from Final Fantasy IV and he basically goes, "Hey, have you heard about my adventures on the moon?  Me and Rosa moved here afterwards.  Anyways, have a bazooka."  Another great one I remember is the crossover that both Ape Escape 3 and Metal Gear Solid 3 have special unlockable modes where you play a version of the respective game on it (although Metal Gear Solid 3's was by far the superior version of Ape Escape!).  As far as guest characters (or guest bosses in this case), I always thought it was cute that Fighter's History Dynamite included the Ox from Karate Champ's bonus level (and title screen!) as a secret boss, which was its tribute to really one of the first (and certainly one of the first successful) fighting games ever.  I really hope people sent in some wild ones because this is one of those topics that is just such a deep rabbit hole!

VIDEO GAME CAGE MATCH:
Sometimes when you just can't seem to make the odds it's helpful to consult the ancient sacred texts.  Syphon Filter: "989 Studios sneaks onto the spy scene with an awe-some third-person action game that would stir even 007 to raise his martini in salute."  Driver 2: "Collisions are far too bouncy-what should be minor dust-ups send your car cartwheeling through the air, and many of the timed missions have far too little breathing room, Still, if you're the patient, dedicated sort-or simply a huge Driver fan-you may find a lot to love about Driver 2."  Hmmm.  Oh, Syphon Filter got 3 of those exploding heads while Driver didn't even get a single one.  Syphon Filter wins, blessings be upon us all, game pros or not.