History Main / DreamMatchGame

* [[TropeNamer Named for]] ''{{The King of Fighters}} [='98=]: The Slugfest'' (more specifically, its Japanese subtitle, ''The King of Fighters: Dream Match Never Ends''). The fifth title in a series that up until 2003 ''had a new game released each year'', this ''KOF'' was touted as a "special edition" of sorts. The game did not feature a storyline that year, as the {{Orochi}} [[{{Arc}} Saga]] ended the previous year (for the record, the number of causalities had amounted to 8 by this time). Instead, {{SNK}} took the time to include (nearly) every character from the previous games, notably SNKBoss [[TropeCodifier par excellence]] ([[OneWingedAngel Omega]]) Rugal Bernstein (who died via SuperPowerMeltdown back in ''[='95=]''), the [[CoolOldGuy Oyaji Team]] ([[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[ArtOfFighting Takuma]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Sakazaki]], and [[RetiredBadass Saisyu]] [[PlayingWithFire Kusanagi]], who all also last made a playable appearance in ''[='95=]''), [[DarkActionGirl Mature and Vice]] (Iori Yagami's [[LovelyAngels team]][[EvilDuo mates]] from ''[='96=]'' who he accidentally killed at the end of the game), the [[PowerTrio New Faces]]/[[NotSoHarmless Orochi]] Team ([[UndyingLoyalty who died]] [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning resurrecting]] Orochi the previous year), and the [[ButtMonkey American Sports Team]], who [[PutOnABus hadn't been seen since their]] ''[='94=]'' debut. With its well-balanced, refined gameplay, many video game publications are quick to note this edition as the best entry in the series. [[VindicatedByHistory To this day]], ''[='98=]'' is still fairly popular in TournamentPlay.

** Its UpdatedRerelease, ''[='98=]: Ultimate Match'', took things a step further. Not only did ''UM'' include all of the characters from the original game, but it added in the few characters left out: [[BlowYouAway Goentiz]] and [[PhysicalGod Orochi]] (respectively the bosses of ''[='96=]'' and ''[='97=]''), [[ArtOfFighting Eiji]] [[{{Ninja}} Kisaragi]] from ''[='95=]'', [[ArtOfFighting Kasumi]] [[LadyOfWar Todoh]] from ''[='96=]'', the entire ''[='96=]'' [[MiniBoss Boss Team]] ([[EnsembleDarkhorse most of all]], [[FatalFury Geese]] [[HowToCheatDeath Howard]]! Alongside him were [[FatalFury Wolfgang]] [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Krauser]] and [[ArtOfFighting Mr.]] [[DualWielding Big]].), [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona]], as well as various EX versions of pre-existing characters. While not as critically favorable as its original version (since it ''is'' just ''[='98=]'' with a shiny new paint job), ''Ultimate Match'' is still seen as a very technical, very fun game to play.

** And then its ''proper'' UpdatedRerelease, ''2002: Unlimited Match'' (pictured above) decided to [[UpToEleven go for the gusto]]. If a character was fully playable (this even includes the ''alternate movesets'' of certain fighters) in ''[='99=]'', ''2000'', or ''2001'', but missed the cut for the original ''2002'', you can bet your ass that they made it in for this game. Also, [[strike:[[{{Akira}} Tetsuo]]]] [[CaptainErsatz K9999]] [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute was replaced by]] [[NoNameGiven Nameless]], a more balanced character with a [[TheWoobie tragic backstory]] who has been better received by the fans than his predecessor. The end result? A whopping total of '''''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters 66]]''''' playable characters, quite possibly the ''largest'' in FightingGame history.
* While ''The King of Fighters XII'' is called a Dream Match, this is InNameOnly. The roster has been scaled back to 20 characters (with 2 additional characters in the home version), many of them comprising the cast of earlier iterations of the series. The game was admittedly lacking terms of replayability, although it was [[DummiedOut blatantly clear]] that it was [[ObviousBeta stomping grounds]] for ''XIII''.

** In the same vein, ''Samurai Shodown VI''. All of the cast of ''V Special'' returned, as well as seven characters from the first two games that didn't reappear in later incarnations of the series (Genan Shiranui, Cham Cham, Earthquake, Nicotine Caffeine, Neinhalt Sieger, Wan-fu, and Kuroko) and four new fighters (most notably the NinjaMaid Iroha, who became ''[[EnsembleDarkhorse very popular]]'' despite only being a one-shot character). The game is set in an unknown year in a [[AlternateContinuity parallel timeline based upon the previous entries]], and the game's producer even called it a "festival game". The title also introduced a gameplay mechanic called the "spirit select" system, which allowed players to choose between six different fighting styles based on all previous installments similar to the Grooves from ''[[CapcomVsSNK2 Capcom vs. SNK 2]]''.
* ''{{Tekken}} Tag Tournament'', a game made during the transition from ''Tekken 3'' to ''Tekken 4'', boasted 39 characters (the highest in the series before the release of ''Tekken 6''), many of whom were missing from the third game. Kazuya Mishima, the most heavily promoted character of the game, was [[EnsembleDarkhorse highly popular]] with the fans despite his absence after ''2''; this status [[SavedByTheFans allowed the story to work around his presumed death]] and have Kaz [[TheBusCameBack make a triumphant return]] in ''Tekken 4''. As more of a compilation of the last three games, ''TTT'' was non-canon (although there is the case of [[OriginalGeneration Unknown]], [[EpilepticTrees thought to be a]] [[DemonicPossession demon-possessed]] [[MissingMom Jun Kazama]] [[hottip:*:according to WordOfGod, she was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen meant]] to be Jun's sister, although this was dropped when the game became a {{spinoff}}]]) and noted for its fun factor (new moves were added to every character, you could mix and match several of your faves, and [[MiniGame Tekken Bowl Mode]] was a blast). If you ask fans of the series if they'd like to see a ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'', you'd get a resounding yes.

** Some info dump: apparently Heihachi has spent the past few years developing a [[SoYouWantToLiveForever youth elixir of sorts]] to rejuvenate the body and increase longevity. When it's complete, he immediately uses the drug on himself, resulting in his de-aged appearance (this may overlap with RealLifeWritesThePlot, as DaisukeGouri, the seiyuu of Heihachi since ''3'', [[AuthorExistenceFailure committed suicide in early 2010]]; the young Heihachi will be voiced by UnshoIshizuka). Oh, and [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse remember a certain someone named]] [[MissingMom Jun Kazama]]? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieWp4FvXxk8 Yeah, she's back.]]

** Another rare canonical example would come from ''[[MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'', with 61 of the 63 characters hailing from previous games. The {{Wii}} version also features Khameleon from the {{Nintendo 64}} version of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', [[PopularityPower back by]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular demand]]. The reason for ''Armageddon''[='=]s canonicity is that it was [[http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/mortal-kombat-8/news/next-gen-mortal-kombat-reaffirmed/a-2007100312233076023/g-20070205122339792042 supposed]] to TorchTheFranchiseAndRun with a "new generation" cast for the next game. When this idea fell through by virtue of Midway going belly-up, ''MortalKombat9'' does start with nearly everyone dead at the end of ''Armageddon''... only for a dying Raiden to push the ContinuityReboot button in an attempt to prevent Armageddon, thus TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, from even happening.

* ''CastlevaniaJudgment'' does this for the ''{{Castlevania}}'' series, where [[OriginalGeneration newcomer]] [[TimeMaster Aeon]] brings several heroes ([[Game/{{Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Trevor Belmont, Grant Danasty, Sypha Belnades, Alucard]], [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Maria Renard]], [[CastlevaniaBloodlines Eric Lecarde]], [[{{Castlevania64}} Cornell]], and [[CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Shanoa]]) and even a few villains ([[Game/{{Castlevania}} Dracula, Death]], [[CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest Carmilla]], [[TokenGoodTeammate and]] [[WhatMeasureIsAMook Golem]]) into [[PlaceBeyondTime the Time Rift]] so he can unite them in an attempt to stop an usurping by [[TheStarscream Galamoth]] (of ''KidDracula'' and ''[[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight SotN]]'' fame). A common complaint made by the fandom (aside from the [[ArtShift character redesigns]] courtesy of [[DeathNote Takeshi]] [[HikaruNoGo Obata]] and [[YourMileageMayVary the overall nature of the game]]) is that [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan-favorites]] like [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Richter Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight adult!Maria]], [[CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz, and Julius Belmont]] were missing from the lineup, but considering that most of the main characters were from the [[BadassFamily Belmont family or one of their offshoots]], we'd be seeing ''a whole lot'' of [[WhipItGood Vampire Killer]] users. It's unknown how much leverage ''Judgment'' has on the rest of the series; [[TimeyWimeyBall several characters have been pulled from times before, during, or after their quests]], and many endings hint at plot points introduced in later games.

[[TheKingOfFighters http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KOF_2002UM_select_8576.jpg]]
[[caption-width:260:[[FatalFury Gee]][[SchrodingersCast se]] [[NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow Howard]] [[RuleOfCool vs.]] [[OneWingedAngel Night]][[SNKBoss mare]] [[YourMindMakesItReal Geese]]. [[PhysicsGoof Throwing physics out of the window]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome has never been so awesome]].]]

** In the same vein, ''Samurai Shodown VI''. All of the cast of ''V Special'' returned, as well as seven characters from the first two games that didn't reappear in later incarnations of the series (Genan Shiranui, Cham Cham, Earthquake, Nicotine Caffeine, Neinhalt Sieger, Wan-fu, and Kuroko) and four new fighters (most notably the NinjaMaid Iroha, who became ''[[EnsembleDarkhorse very popular]]'' despite only being a one-shot character). The game is set in an unknown year in a [[AlternateContinuity parallel timeline based upon the previous entries]], and the game's producer even called it a "festival game". The title also introduced a gameplay mechanic called the "spirit select" system, which allowed players to choose between six different fighting styles based on all previous installments similar to the Grooves from ''[[SNKVsCapcom Capcom vs. SNK 2]]''.

* ''MarvelVsCapcom2'' does this, pulling in nearly everyone from [[MarvelVsCapcom the series]], ''XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', and ''MarvelSuperHeroes''[[hottip:*:the absentees being the PaletteSwap {{Secret Character}}s and {{guest fighter}}s [[{{Darkstalkers}} Anita]] and [[OriginalGeneration Norimaro]]]] along with [[OriginalGeneration some new characters]] for a 56-man roster.

** Its UpdatedRerelease, ''[='98=]: Ultimate Match'', took things a step further. Not only did ''UM'' include all of the characters from the original game, but it added in the few characters left out: [[SinisterMinister Leopold]] [[BlowYouAway Goentiz]] and [[PhysicalGod Orochi]] (respectively the bosses of ''[='96=]'' and ''[='97=]''), [[ArtOfFighting Eiji]] [[{{Ninja}} Kisaragi]] from ''[='95=]'', [[ArtOfFighting Kasumi]] [[LadyOfWar Todoh]] from ''[='96=]'', the entire ''[='96=]'' [[MiniBoss Boss Team]] ([[EnsembleDarkhorse most of all]], [[FatalFury Geese]] [[HowToCheatDeath Howard]]! Alongside him were [[FatalFury Wolfgang]] [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Krauser]] and [[ArtOfFighting Mr.]] [[DualWielding Big]].), [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona]], as well as various EX versions of pre-existing characters. While not as critically favorable as its original version (since it ''is'' just ''[='98=]'' with a shiny new paint job), ''Ultimate Match'' is still seen as a very technical, very fun game to play.

** Another rare canonical example would come from ''[[MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'', with 61 of the 63 characters hailing from previous games. The {{Wii}} version also features Khameleon from the {{Nintendo 64}} version of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', [[PopularityPower back by]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular demand]]. The reason for ''Armageddon''[='=]s canonicity is that Midway intended to use its plot to kill off a large portion of the cast and start anew with a "new generation" cast for the next game. When this idea fell through by virtue of Midway going belly-up, ''MortalKombat9'' does start with nearly everyone dead at the end of ''Armageddon''... only for a dying Raiden to push the ContinuityReboot button in an attempt to prevent Armageddon, thus TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, from even happening.

*** On that note, as a reboot visiting altered versions of the [[Game/MortalKombat first]] [[MortalKombat2 three]] [[MortalKombat3 games]], ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus "Cyber" Smoke, Rain, and the bosses plus [[MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Quan Chi]] and [[ForWantOfANail Cyber Sub-Zero]], with both old and new characters coming as DownloadableContent (Rain has been to confirmed to be one of the DLC additions).

* ''The King of Fighters 2002'' discarded the [[LoveItOrHateIt controversial]] "[[AssistCharacter Striker]]" system found in the previous three games, [[AuthorsSavingThrow returning to its roots]] as a 3-on-3, "last man standing" affair. In addition, its gameplay mechanics were revamped to more closely resemble ''[='98=]''. While many of the characters found in-game came from the current arc, older characters such as the New Faces Team, ''[=97=]'' [[FatalFury Special Team]] (an {{odd|Friendship}} [[PowerTrio trio]] consisting of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Billy]] [[SimpleStaff Kane]], [[TokenGoodTeammate "Blue"]] [[ActionGirl Mary]] [[MurderousThighs Ryan]], and [[AxCrazy Ryuji]] [[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]]), Mature, and Vice made a reappearance. Omega Rugal ([[TheOtherDarrin now voiced by]] NorioWakamoto!) even reared his ugly face as the FinalBoss. The home ports added Shingo, [[ArtOfFighting Ki]][[KickChick ng]], [[FatalFury Geese]], Goenitz, and Orochi Iori (the latter three only present on the PS2 and Xbox ports and being taken from the technically earlier-released ''SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos''). Despite a snazzy tagline ("Be the fighter!") and retooled gameplay, ''2002'' isn't nearly praised by fans as ''[='98=]'' is, but still has its fair share of supporters. Not bad considering this was released [[DorkAge during the interim that SNK had to pair up with Aruze/Eolith due to their bankruptcy.]] [[hottip:*:It should be noted that the one "new" character from ''2002'' (Kusanagi, an [[ShadowArchetype evil]] [[CloningBlues doppelganger]] of series [[TheProtagonist protagonist]] Kyo Kusanagi) would be [[CanonImmigrant adapted into the next canonical entry]] (although his backstory was {{retcon}}ned from being one of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation NESTS]]' guinea pigs to a creation of [[LadyOfWar Chizuru]] [[MasterOfIllusion Kagura]]'s [[MagicMirror Yata-no-Kagami]]).]]

*** On that note, as a reboot visiting altered versions of the [[Game/MortalKombat first]] [[MortalKombat2 three]] [[MortalKombat3 games]], ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus "Cyber" Smoke, Rain, and the bosses plus [[MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Quan Chi]] and [[ForWantOfANail Cyber Sub-Zero]], with both old and new characters coming as DownloadableContent.

* [[TropeNamer Named for]] ''{{The King of Fighters}} [='98=]: The Slugfest'' (more specifically, its Japanese subtitle, ''The King of Fighters: Dream Match Never Ends''). The fifth title in a series that up until 2003 ''had a new game released each year'', this ''KOF'' was touted as a "special edition" of sorts. The game did not feature a storyline that year, as the {{Orochi}} [[{{Arc}} Saga]] ended the previous year (for the record, the number of causalities had amounted to 8 by this time). Instead, {{SNK}} took the time to include (nearly) every character from the previous games, notably SNKBoss [[TropeCodifier par excellence]] ([[OneWingedAngel Omega]]) Rugal Bernstein (who died via SuperPowerMeltdown back in ''[='95=]''), the [[CoolOldGuy Oyaji Team]] ([[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[ArtOfFighting Takuma]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Sakazaki]], and [[RetiredBadass Saisyu]] [[PlayingWithFire Kusanagi]], who all also last made a playable appearance in ''[='95=]''), [[DarkActionGirl Mature and Vice]] (Iori Yagami's [[LovelyAngels team]][[EvilDuo mates]] from ''[='96=]'' who he accidentally killed at the end of the game), the [[PowerTrio New Faces]]/[[NotSoHarmless Orochi]] Team ([[UndyingLoyalty who died]] [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning resurrecting]] Orochi in the previous year), and the [[ButtMonkey American Sports Team]], who [[PutOnABus hadn't been seen since their]] ''[=94=]'' debut. With its well-balanced, refined gameplay, many video game publications are quick to note this edition as the best entry in the series. [[VindicatedByHistory To this day]], ''[='98=]'' is still fairly popular in TournamentPlay.

** Its UpdatedRerelease, ''[='98=]: Ultimate Match'', took things a step further. Not only did ''UM'' include all of the characters from the original game, but it added in the few characters left out: [[SinisterMinister Leopold]] [[BlowYouAway Goentiz]] and [[PhysicalGod Orochi]] (respectively the bosses of ''[='96=]'' and ''[='97=]''), [[ArtOfFighting Eiji]] [[{{Ninja}} Kisaragi]] from ''[='95=]'', [[ArtOfFighting Kasumi]] [[LadyOfWar Todoh]] from ''[='96=]'', the entire ''[='96=]'' [[MiniBoss Boss Team]] ([[EnsembleDarkhorse most of all]], [[FatalFury Geese]] [[HowToCheatDeath Howard]]! Alongside him were [[FatalFury Wolfgang]] [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Krauser]] and [[ArtOfFighting Mr Big]].), [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona]], as well as various EX versions of pre-existing characters. While not as critically favorable as its original version (since it ''is'' just ''[='98=]'' with a shiny new paint job), ''Ultimate Match'' is still seen as a very technical, very fun game to play.
* ''The King of Fighters 2002'' discarded the [[LoveItOrHateIt controversial]] "[[AssistCharacter Striker]]" system found in the previous three games, [[AuthorsSavingThrow returning to its roots]] as a 3-on-3, "last man standing" affair. In addition, its gameplay mechanics were revamped to more closely resemble ''[='98=]''. While many of the characters found in-game came from the current arc, older characters such as the New Faces Team, ''[=97=]'' [[FatalFury Special Team]] (an [[OddCouple odd]] [[PowerTrio trio]] consisting of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Billy]] [[SimpleStaff Kane]], [[TokenGoodTeammate "Blue"]] [[ActionGirl Mary]] [[MurderousThighs Ryan]], and [[AxCrazy Ryuji]] [[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]]), Mature, and Vice made a reappearance. Omega Rugal ([[TheOtherDarrin now voiced by]] NorioWakamoto!) even reared his ugly face as the FinalBoss. The home ports added Shingo, [[ArtOfFighting Ki]][[KickChick ng]], [[FatalFury Geese]], Goenitz, and Orochi Iori (the latter three only present on the PS2 and Xbox ports and being taken from the technically earlier-released SNK vs Capcom Chaos).With a snazzy tagline ("Be the fighter!") and strange gameplay, ''2002'' isn't even nearly praised by fans as ''[='98=]'' is, but has some fans. Not bad considering this was released [[DorkAge during the interim that SNK had to pair up with Aruze/Eolith due to their bankruptcy.]] [[hottip:*:It should be noted that the one "new" character from ''2002'' (Kusanagi, an [[ShadowArchetype evil]] [[CloningBlues doppelganger]] of series [[TheProtagonist protagonist]] Kyo Kusanagi) would be [[CanonImmigrant adapted into the next canonical entry]] (although his backstory was {{retcon}}ned from being one of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation NESTS]]' guinea pigs to a creation of [[LadyOfWar Chizuru]] [[MasterOfIllusion Kagura]]'s [[MagicMirror Yata-no-Kagami]]).]]

* More or less, ''MortalKombat Trilogy''. It follows the same basic story of (''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'') ''[[MortalKombat3 MK3]]'', but contains all of the characters present in the previous games. You can even pick retro versions of Raiden, Kano, Jax and Kung Lao.

*** On that note, as a reboot visiting altered versions of the first three games, ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus "Cyber" Smoke, Rain and the bosses plus Quan Chi and [[ForWantOfANail Cyber- Sub-Zero]], with both old and new characters coming as DownloadableContent.

* ''MarvelVsCapcom2'' does this, culling in nearly everyone from [[MarvelVsCapcom the series]], ''XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'' and ''MarvelSuperHeroes''[[hottip:*:the absentees being the PaletteSwap {{Secret Character}}s and {{guest fighter}}s [[{{Darkstalkers}} Anita]] and [[OriginalGeneration Norimaro]]]] along with some new characters for a 56-man roster.

Usually, this event will have no bearing on the plotline of the games ([[CanonDiscontinuity expect the next proper installment to disregard this one and pick up from where the preceding iteration left off]]), but [[ContinuityNod nods to the series' mythos will be dropped frequently]]. On occasion (but not too often) it will turn out that this is merely a byproduct of one's [[AllJustADream dreams]] or [[DaydreamSurprise imagination]].

** Another rare canonical example would come from ''[[MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'', with 61 of the 63 characters hailing from previous games. The {{Wii}} version also features Khameleon from the {{Nintendo 64}} version of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', [[PopularityPower back by]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular demand]]. The reason for ''Armageddon''[='=]s canonicity is that Midway intended to use its plot to kill off a large portion of the cast and start anew with a "new generation" cast for the next game. When this idea fell through by virtue of Midway going belly-up, ''MortalKombat9'' does start with nearly everyone dead at the end of ''Armageddon''... only for a dying Raiden to push the ContinuityReboot button in an attempt to prevent Armageddon, thus TheEndOfTheWOrldAsWeKnowIt, from even happening.

*** On that note, ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus "Cyber" Smoke, Rain and the bosses plus Quan Chi and [[ForWantOfANail Cyber- Sub-Zero]], with both old and new characters coming as DownloadableContent.

* ''KamenRider ClimaxHeroes [[KamenRiderOOO OOO]]'' sort of qualifies, as its main draw besides the inclusion of KamenRiderOOO (while retaining everone from the past two games) is the addition of absolutely everyone from ''KamenRiderRyuki'', pulled straight from the game of ''Ryuki''[='=]s American adaptation ''KamenRiderDragonKnight'', which ran on the ''Climax Heroes'' engine and released on the same year as the previous ''Climax Heroes'' game... in America only.

*** On that note, ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus Rain and the bosses plus Quan Chi, with both old and new characters coming as DownloadableContent.

* ''MarvelVsCapcom2'' does this, culling in nearly everyone from [[MarvelVsCapcom the series]], ''XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'' and ''MarvelSuperHeroes'' (the exceptions being the PaletteSwap {{Secret Character}}s and {{guest fighter}}s [[{{Darkstalkers}} Anita]] and [[OriginalGeneration Norimaro]] along with some new characters for a 56-man roster.

*** On that note, ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies as a canonical example, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus Rain and the bosses plus Quan Chi.

*** On that note, ''[=MK9=]'' qualifies, as its roster is basically ''Trilogy'' minus Rain and the bosses plus Quan Chi.

** Another rare canonical example would come from ''[[MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'', with 61 of the 63 characters hailing from previous games. The {{Wii}} version also features Khameleon from the {{Nintendo 64}} version of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', [[PopularityPower back by]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular demand]].

* ''CastlevaniaJudgment'' does this for the ''{{Castlevania}}'' series, where [[OriginalGeneration newcomer]] [[TimeMaster Aeon]] brings several heroes ([[{{Game/Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Trevor Belmont, Grant Danasty, Sypha Belnades, Alucard]], [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Maria Renard]], [[CastlevaniaBloodlines Eric Lecarde]], [[{{Castlevania64}} Cornell]], and [[CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Shanoa]]) and even a few villains ([[{{Game/Castlevania}} Dracula, Death]], [[CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest Carmilla]], [[TokenGoodTeammate and]] [[WhatMeasureIsAMook Golem]]) into [[PlaceBeyondTime the Time Rift]] so he can unite them in an attempt to stop an usurping by [[TheStarscream Galamoth]] (of ''KidDracula'' and ''[[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight SotN]]'' fame). A common complaint made by the fandom (aside from the [[ArtShift character redesigns]] courtesy of [[DeathNote Takeshi]] [[HikaruNoGo Obata]] and [[YourMileageMayVary the overall nature of the game]]) is that [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan-favorites]] like [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Richter Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight adult!Maria]], [[CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz, and Julius Belmont]] were missing from the lineup, but considering that most of the main characters were from the [[BadassFamily Belmont family or one of their offshoots]], we'd be seeing ''a whole lot'' of [[WhipItGood Vampire Killer]] users. It's unknown how much leverage ''Judgment'' has on the rest of the series; [[TimeyWimeyBall several characters have been pulled from times before, during, or after their quests]], and many endings hint at plot points introduced in later games.
* Included alongside ''StreetFighterIII: [[ColonCancer Third Strike: Fight for the Future]]'' in the ''StreetFighter [[MilestoneCelebration Anniversary]] [[CompilationRerelease Collection]]'' was one of the several ''[[StreetFighterII SFII]]'' revisions, ''Hyper Street FighterII''. It allowed players to choose any version of the characters from the [[CapcomSequelStagnation five]] installments of ''SFII'' (vanilla, ''Champion Edition'', ''Hyper Fighting'', ''Super'', and ''Super Turbo'') and duke it out. The ''StreetFighterAlpha [[CompilationRerelease Anthology]]'' had a similar unlockable title called ''Hyper Street Fighter Alpha''. The latter is a purer example, as by the time of ''Alpha 3'' (''[[UpdatedRerelease Upper]]''), '''all''' of the pre-existing ''SF'' cast (minus the guys from ''III'' [[hottip:*:the only exception being Yun [[AssistCharacter and Yang]] in ''Alpha 3 [[UpdatedRerelease MAX]]'']], ''[[StreetFighterEX EX]]'', and ''[[StreetFighterIV IV]]'') were a part of the roster.

* ''CastlevaniaJudgment'' does this for the ''{{Castlevania}}'' series, where [[OriginalGeneration newcomer]] [[TimeMaster Aeon]] brings several heroes ([[{{Game/Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Trevor Belmont, Grant Danasty, Sypha Belnades, Alucard]], [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Maria Renard]], [[CastlevaniaBloodlines Eric Lecarde]], [[{{Castlevania64}} Cornell]], and [[CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia Shanoa]]) and even a few villains ([[{{Game/Castlevania}} Dracula, Death]], [[CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest Carmilla]], [[TokenGoodTeammate and]] [[WhatMeasureIsAMook Golem]]) into [[PlaceBeyondTime the Time Rift]] so he can unite them in an attempt to stop an usurping by [[TheStarscream Galamoth]] (of ''[[SpinoffBabies Kid Dracula]]'' and ''[[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight SotN]]'' fame). A common complaint made by the fandom (aside from the [[ArtShift character redesigns]] courtesy of [[DeathNote Takeshi]] [[HikaruNoGo Obata]] and [[YourMileageMayVary the overall nature of the game]]) is that [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan-favorites]] like [[CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Richter Belmont]], [[CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight adult!Maria]], [[CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz, and Julius Belmont]] were missing from the lineup, but considering that most of the main characters were from the [[BadassFamily Belmont family or one of their offshoots]], we'd be seeing ''a whole lot'' of [[WhipItGood Vampire Killer]] users. It's unknown how much leverage ''Judgment'' has on the rest of the series; [[TimeyWimeyBall several characters have been pulled from times before, during, or after their quests]], and many endings hint at plot points introduced in later games.

** ''The King of Fighters: Neowave'' was essentially a reworked version of ''2002'' with a few changes. The most significant would be the addition of ''{{Art of Fighting}} 2''-[[{{Bishonen}} era]] Geese Howard as the FinalBoss, [[TheUnexpected a decision that came out of left field for many]]. This game also added Jhun Hoon and Saisyu Kusanagi, complete with new [[DesperationMove HSDM/MAX2]] attacks for them.

* Included alongside ''StreetFighterIII: [[ColonCancer Third Strike: Fight for the Future]]'' in the ''StreetFighter [[MilestoneCelebration Anniversary]] [[CompilationRerelease Collection]]'' and one of the several SF2 revisions is ''Hyper StreetFighterII'', which allowed players to choose any version of the characters from the [[CapcomSequelStagnation five]] installments of ''SFII'' (vanilla, ''Champion Edition'', ''Hyper Fighting'', ''Super'', and ''Super Turbo'') and duke it out. The ''StreetFighterAlpha [[CompilationRerelease Anthology]]'' had a similar unlockable title called ''Hyper Street Fighter Alpha''. The latter is a purer example, as by the time of ''Alpha 3'' (''[[UpdatedRerelease Upper]]''), '''all''' of the pre-existing ''SF'' cast (minus the guys from ''III'' [[hottip:*:the only exception being Yun [[AssistCharacter and Yang]] in ''Alpha 3 [[UpdatedRerelease MAX]]'']], ''[[StreetFighterEX EX]]'', and ''[[StreetFighterIV IV]]'') were a part of the roster.

[[caption-width:260:[[SchrodingersCast Geese]] [[NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow Howard]] [[RuleOfCool vs.]] [[OneWingedAngel Nightmare]] [[YourMindMakesItReal Geese]]. [[PhysicsGoof Throwing physics out of the window]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome has never been so awesome]].]]

** Its UpdatedRerelease, ''[='98=]: Ultimate Match'', took things a step further. Not only did ''UM'' include all of the characters from the original game, but it added in the few characters left out: [[SinisterMinister Leopold]] [[BlowYouAway Goentiz]] and [[PhysicalGod Orochi]] (respectively the bosses of ''[='96=]'' and ''[='97=]''), [[ArtOfFighting Eiji]] [[{{Ninja}} Kisaragi]] from ''[='95=]'', [[ArtOfFighting Kasumi]] [[LadyOfWar Todoh]] from ''[='96=]'', the entire ''[='96=]'' [[MiniBoss Boss Team]] ([[EnsembleDarkhorse most of all]], [[FatalFury Geese]] [[HowToCheatDeath Howard]]!), [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona]], as well as various EX versions of pre-existing characters. While not as critically favorable as its original version (since it ''is'' just ''[='98=]'' with a shiny new paint job), ''Ultimate Match'' is still seen as a very technical, very fun game to play.
* ''The King of Fighters 2002'' discarded the [[LoveItOrHateIt controversial]] "[[AssistCharacter Striker]]" system found in the previous three games, [[AuthorsSavingThrow returning to its roots]] as a 3-on-3, "last man standing" affair. In addition, its gameplay mechanics were revamped to more closely resemble ''[='98=]''. While many of the characters found in-game came from the current arc, older characters such as the New Faces Team, ''[=97=]'' [[FatalFury Special Team]] (an [[OddCouple odd]] [[PowerTrio trio]] consisting of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Billy]] [[SimpleStaff Kane]], [[TokenGoodTeammate "Blue"]] [[ActionGirl Mary]] [[MurderousThighs Ryan]], and [[AxCrazy Ryuji]] [[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]]), Mature, and Vice made a reappearance. Omega Rugal ([[TheOtherDarrin now voiced by]] NorioWakamoto!) even reared his ugly face as the FinalBoss. The home ports added Shingo, [[KickChick King]], Geese, Goenitz, and Orochi Iori. With a snazzy tagline ("Be the fighter!") and strange gameplay, ''2002'' isn't even nearly praised by fans as ''[='98=]'' is, but has some fans. Not bad considering this was released [[DorkAge during the interim that SNK had to pair up with Aruze/Eolith due to their bankruptcy.]] [[hottip:*:It should be noted that the one "new" character from ''2002'' (Kusanagi, an [[ShadowArchetype evil]] [[CloningBlues doppelganger]] of series [[TheProtagonist protagonist]] Kyo Kusanagi) would be [[CanonImmigrant adapted into the next canonical entry]] (although his backstory was {{retcon}}ned from being one of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation NESTS]]' guinea pigs to a creation of [[LadyOfWar Chizuru]] [[MasterOfIllusion Kagura]]'s [[MagicMirror Yata-no-Kagami]]).]]
** ''The King of Fighters: Neowave'' was essentially a reworked version of ''2002'' with a few changes. The most significant would be the addition of ''{{Art of Fighting}} 2''-[[{{Bishonen}} era]] Geese Howard as the FinalBoss, [[TheUnexpected a decision that came out of left field for many]].

* [[CapcomSequelStagnation In a very strict sense]], there's ''Vampire Hunter 2'' and ''Vampire Savior 2'', [[UpdatedRerelease upgraded/alternate]] versions of the second and third ''{{Darkstalkers}}'' games that had little more than aesthetic changes to the roster, the more definitive versions including everyone. However, ''Vampire Savior'''s port to PS2 introduced Dee, Donovan's SuperpoweredEvilSide (as evidenced by his DownerEnding in the second game) which looks like [[PaletteSwap Donovan's head placed on Demitri's body]]. His story (where he encounters an older version of Anita, the very girl he lost himself to darkness to protect) brings up the theory that there's some sort of [[AlternateUniverse timeline split]] after ''Night Warriors: Darkstalkers II''.
* More or less, ''MortalKombat Trilogy''. It follows the same basic story of (''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'') ''[[MortalKombat3 MK3]]'', but contains all of the characters present in the previous games.

* Included alongside ''StreetFighterIII: [[ColonCancer Third Strike: Fight for the Future]]'' in the ''StreetFighter [[MilestoneCelebration Anniversary]] [[CompilationRerelease Collection]]'' is '' Hyper StreetFighterII'', which allowed players to choose any version of the characters from the [[CapcomSequelStagnation five]] installments of ''SFII'' (vanilla, ''Champion Edition'', ''Hyper Fighting'', ''Super'', and ''Super Turbo'') and duke it out. The ''StreetFighterAlpha [[CompilationRerelease Anthology]]'' had a similar unlockable title called ''Hyper Street Fighter Alpha''. The latter is a purer example, as by the time of ''Alpha 3'' (''[[UpdatedRerelease Upper]]''), '''all''' of the pre-existing ''SF'' cast (minus the guys from ''III'' [[hottip:*:the only exception being Yun [[AssistCharacter and Yang]] in ''Alpha 3 [[UpdatedRerelease MAX]]'']], ''[[StreetFighterEX EX]]'', and ''[[StreetFighterIV IV]]'') were a part of the roster.

** Another rare canonical example would come from ''[[MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'', with 60 of the 63 characters hailing from previous games. The {{Wii}} version also features Khameleon from the {{Nintendo 64}} version of ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'', [[PopularityPower back by]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular demand]].

Compare/contrast UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny (the [[IntercontinuityCrossover cross-media]] version of this trope), FakeCrossover (in that the events of these type of entries will rarely--if ever--be referenced again).

* [[TropeNamer Named for]] ''{{The King of Fighters}} [='98=]: The Slugfest'' (more specifically, its japanese subtitle, ''The King of Fighters: Dream Match Never Ends''). The fifth title in a series that up until 2003 ''had a new game released each year'', this ''KOF'' was touted as a "special edition" of sorts. The game did not feature a storyline that year, as the {{Orochi}} [[{{Arc}} Saga]] ended the previous year (for the record, the number of causalities had amounted to 8 by this time). Instead, {{SNK}} took the time to include (nearly) every character from the previous games, notably SNKBoss [[TropeCodifier par excellence]] ([[OneWingedAngel Omega]]) Rugal Bernstein (who died via SuperPowerMeltdown back in ''[='95=]''), the [[CoolOldGuy Oyaji Team]] ([[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[ArtOfFighting Takuma]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Sakazaki]], and [[RetiredBadass Saisyu]] [[PlayingWithFire Kusanagi]], who all also last made a playable appearance in ''[='95=]''), [[DarkActionGirl Mature and Vice]] (Iori Yagami's [[LovelyAngels team]][[EvilDuo mates]] from ''[='96=]'' who he accidentally killed at the end of the game), the [[PowerTrio New Faces]]/[[NotSoHarmless Orochi]] Team ([[UndyingLoyalty who died]] [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning resurrecting]] Orochi in the previous year), and the [[ButtMonkey American Sports Team]], who [[PutOnABus hadn't been seen since their]] ''[=94=]'' debut. With its well-balanced, refined gameplay, many video game publications are quick to note this edition as the best entry in the series. [[VindicatedByHistory To this day]], ''[='98=]'' is still fairly popular in TournamentPlay.

* MUGEN, natch.

* [[CapcomSequelStagnation In a very strict sense]], there's ''Vampire Hunter 2'' and ''Vampire Savior 2'', [[UpdatedRerelease upgraded/alternate]] versions of the second and third ''{{Darkstalkers}}'' games that had little more than aesthetic changes to the roster, the more definitive versions including everyone. However, these games also introduced Dee, Donovan's SuperpoweredEvilSide (as evidenced by his DownerEnding in the second game) which looks like [[PaletteSwap Donovan's head placed on Demitri's body]]. His story (where he encounters an older version of Anita, the very girl he lost himself to darkness to protect) brings up the theory that there's some sort of [[AlternateUniverse timeline split]] after ''Night Warriors: Darkstalkers II''.

* ''The King of Fighters 2002'' discarded the [[LoveItOrHateIt controversial]] "[[AssistCharacter Striker]]" system found in the previous three games, [[AuthorsSavingThrow returning to its roots]] as a 3-on-3, "last man standing" affair. In addition, its gameplay mechanics were revamped to more closely resemble ''[='98=]''. While many of the characters found in-game came from the current arc, older characters such as the New Faces Team, ''[=97=]'' [[FatalFury Special Team]] (an [[OddCouple odd]] [[PowerTrio trio]] consisting of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Billy]] [[SimpleStaff Kane]], [[TokenGoodTeammate "Blue"]] [[ActionGirl Mary]] [[MurderousThighs Ryan]], and [[AxCrazy Ryuji]] [[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]]), Mature, and Vice made a reappearance. Omega Rugal ([[TheOtherDarrin now voiced by]] NorioWakamoto!) even reared his ugly face as the FinalBoss. The home ports added Shingo, [[KickChick King]], Geese, Goenitz, and Orochi Iori. With a snazzy tagline ("Be the fighter!") and strange gameplay, ''2002'' isn't even nearly praised by fans as ''[='98=]'' is, but has some of fans. Not bad considering this was released [[DorkAge during the interim that SNK had to pair up with Aruze/Eolith due to their bankruptcy.]] [[hottip:*:It should be noted that the one "new" character from ''2002'' (Kusanagi, an [[ShadowArchetype evil]] [[CloningBlues doppelganger]] of series [[TheProtagonist protagonist]] Kyo Kusanagi) would be [[CanonImmigrant adapted into the next canonical entry]] (although his backstory was {{retcon}}ned from being one of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation NESTS]]' guinea pigs to a creation of [[LadyOfWar Chizuru]] [[MasterOfIllusion Kagura]]'s [[MagicMirror Yata-no-Kagami]]).]]

* ''The King of Fighters 2002'' discarded the [[LoveItOrHateIt controversial]] "[[AssistCharacter Striker]]" system found in the previous three games, [[AuthorsSavingThrow returning to its roots]] as a 3-on-3, "last man standing" affair. In addition, its gameplay mechanics were revamped to more closely resemble ''[='98=]''. While many of the characters found in-game came from the current arc, older characters such as the New Faces Team, ''[=97=]'' [[FatalFury Special Team]] (an [[OddCouple odd]] [[PowerTrio trio]] consisting of [[WearingAFlagOnYourHead Billy]] [[SimpleStaff Kane]], [[TokenGoodTeammate "Blue"]] [[ActionGirl Mary]] [[MurderousThighs Ryan]], and [[AxCrazy Ryuji]] [[PsychoForHire Yamazaki]]), Mature, and Vice made a reappearance. Omega Rugal ([[TheOtherDarrin now voiced by]] NorioWakamoto!) even reared his ugly face as the FinalBoss. The home ports added Shingo, [[KickChick King]], Geese, Goenitz, and Orochi Iori. With a snazzy tagline ("Be the fighter!") and solid gameplay, ''2002'' is almost as universally praised by fans as ''[='98=]'' is. Not bad considering this was released [[DorkAge during the interim that SNK had to pair up with Aruze/Eolith due to their bankruptcy.]] [[hottip:*:It should be noted that the one "new" character from ''2002'' (Kusanagi, an [[ShadowArchetype evil]] [[CloningBlues doppelganger]] of series [[TheProtagonist protagonist]] Kyo Kusanagi) would be [[CanonImmigrant adapted into the next canonical entry]] (although his backstory was {{retcon}}ned from being one of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation NESTS]]' guinea pigs to a creation of [[LadyOfWar Chizuru]] [[MasterOfIllusion Kagura]]'s [[MagicMirror Yata-no-Kagami]]).]]

* [[TropeNamer Named for]] ''{{The King of Fighters}} [='98=]: The Slugfest'' (more specifically, its [[SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] port, ''The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999''). The fifth title in a series that up until 2003 ''had a new game released each year'', this ''KOF'' was touted as a "special edition" of sorts. The game did not feature a storyline that year, as the {{Orochi}} [[{{Arc}} Saga]] ended the previous year (for the record, the number of causalities had amounted to 8 by this time). Instead, {{SNK}} took the time to include (nearly) every character from the previous games, notably SNKBoss [[TropeCodifier par excellence]] ([[OneWingedAngel Omega]]) Rugal Bernstein (who died via SuperPowerMeltdown back in ''[='95=]''), the [[CoolOldGuy Oyaji Team]] ([[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[ArtOfFighting Takuma]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer Sakazaki]], and [[RetiredBadass Saisyu]] [[PlayingWithFire Kusanagi]], who all also last made a playable appearance in ''[='95=]''), [[DarkActionGirl Mature and Vice]] (Iori Yagami's [[LovelyAngels team]][[EvilDuo mates]] from ''[='96=]'' who he accidentally killed at the end of the game), the [[PowerTrio New Faces]]/[[NotSoHarmless Orochi]] Team ([[UndyingLoyalty who died]] [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning resurrecting]] Orochi in the previous year), and the [[ButtMonkey American Sports Team]], who [[PutOnABus hadn't been seen since their]] ''[=94=]'' debut. With its well-balanced, refined gameplay, many video game publications are quick to note this edition as the best entry in the series. [[VindicatedByHistory To this day]], ''[='98=]'' is still fairly popular in TournamentPlay.