A little while back I fell for an April Fool's Joke played by Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon. He hinted that the oft-rumored crossover between Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct was officially in the works, and I bought it because there have been whispers of NetherRealm studios trying to buy up the defunct fighting franchise for years.
Mostly though, I bought it because it would be really, really fun to play. That's the thing about hoaxes, they tend to show the person being punk'd exactly what they're hoping to see. The thrill of wish fulfillment clouds objective judgment. I read somewhere that you could build Noah's Ark out of all the pieces of Jesus's cross that have been sold over the years. That's the sign of a really good hoax.
I fell for each and every one of the following five, and this article is both my confession and my plea. Someone make these happen.
The Hoax: Video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly is so famous for their April Fool's Day pranks that they have their own section on Wikipedia. Readers know to be very careful when reading the April issue, which doesn't help all that much since some legit news gets confused with the prank as well as vice versa.
It was EGM we have to thank for the character of Akuma because of their 1992 prank claiming that a grueling and near impossible set of criteria would enable you to fight a legendary master named Sheng Long. Not content with just inspiring the creation of Akuma, they went and made him a hoax in 1998. Supposedly by completing the game with A ratings on all the missions using only a handgun and a knife in Resident Evil 2 you could start a new game as Akuma.
Why It Would Be Awesome: Look, Everyone hates fighting Akuma in any Capcom series. The character has always been ridiculously overpowered and is a hallmark of cheap players. The time has come to branch him out, and having him take on a load of zombies is just the thing. The prank mentioned that he threw fireballs instead of using guns, and unlocked any door without a key. How about instead of pissing off every fighting fan in the universe by continuing to include Akuma, we just make his bully ass a special prize for killing zombies?
