Machamp goes on a rampage as Pokemon Snap meets Halo 2

In a franchise filled with spinoffs, Pokemon Snap was perhaps the most surprising. A photography game was perhaps not exactly what the burgeoning Pokemon fanbase was calling for in 1999, but the game remained a fan favorite, beloved enough to earn itself a sequel 22 years later. For all its status as cult classic, however, nothing could have prepared me for how well it seems to fit with this Halo 2 crossover.

YouTuber and animator Hat-Loving Gamer has created an array of Pokemon Snap routes of their own. Some of those are a little more realistic than others, but the humor that fills this photographic jaunt through Halo's classic Blood Gulch map makes the video below an absolute highlight of their work.

It starts early, as an unfortunate Dodrio has one of its heads popped by a distant sniper. As the camera zooms in to capture this heartbreaking shot, it attempts to identify this now two-headed Pokemon, the caption 'Doduo???' popping up at the base of the screen. 

Dodrio isn't the only Pokemon that meets an unfortunate end, with a quad-wielding Machamp run down by a Warthog-riding starter trio. Later on, we see a Cubone wearing a Spartan helmet, speaking with a Clefairy Cortana, and there's something deeply silly about the tank at the end of the level opening up to reveal a lone Magikarp.

With all these Pokemon boasting substantially more firepower than normal, it's hard not to draw comparisons with Palworld, an upcoming creature collector where your critters use guns to whittle each other down, rather than elemental skills or martial prowess. It makes for a peculiar vibe, but this comic twist has really turned me around on the idea.

Check out our list of the best Pokemon games.