This Tuesday, Sony will be taking a crack at Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. formula with PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, a game that’s set to have players brawling across both the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, utilizing the systems’ Cross-Play techniques.
From what we’ve played thus far, the game has various techniques that you can use for each character, as well as a variety of backgrounds, each with their own specific traps to watch out for. What’s more, you can hop into tournaments, take part in quick matches, or delve into the story mode to get more background information on each character.
Who should you play as once you start up a game? As part of a continuing article, Prima Games is delivering a character breakdown for each of the 20 included fighters, as well as a list of downloadable fighters we want to see in the game, coming this Monday.
Onto the second side!
Nathan Drake
The main hero of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series gets a primary focus in SuperBot Entertainment’s fighting game. Though he isn’t as strong or heavily armed as the likes of Nariko and Kratos, he can still hold his own using a variety of guns and objects. He’ll fling barrels (like Donkey Kong!) and use a heavy turret gun to mow down anyone in front of him. For his supers, he can hurl a propane tank and destroy foes with an explosion; knock over a pillar that crushes all in its way; and for his level three, summon the Sarcophagus of El Dorado and turn everyone into Descendants while shooting them like crazy. Definitely give him a try.
Parappa the Rapper
“I gotta believe!” The wanna-be rap star, who first appeared on the PS1 in his own self-titled adventure, makes his return to PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, bringing plenty of brutal attacks, trained to him by the Master Onion. He can easily Blast It Up! with a commanding uppercut, or put someone in a Boxy Groove to take ’em down. As for his supers, he can cruise around on his skateboard and run over everyone; do a kung fu flip kick that’ll send someone flying; and, for his level three, sing a live rap song that will have everyone dancing to defeat. Now if only Unjammer Lammy can get a shot in the spotlight…
Raiden
The star of Konami’s forthcoming Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance isn’t looking to take it easy anytime soon, and while he waits to venture into that game, he can chop enemies to digital heaven in All Stars. His sword and sleek kick attacks make him an undeniable force, and he’s also quite speedy when it comes to getting to new areas and platforms. His three supers are quite overwhelming too. He can do a headstand and spin his sword around to hit enemies in his vicinity; perform a Zan-Datsu attack and freeze opponents in place while he slashes them; or, for his level three, stick everyone in cardboard boxes as he tears them apart. He’s quite awesome.
Ratchet and Clank
The duo, who have made quite a name for themselves in Insomniac Games’ space action series, definitely have an edge in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale when it comes to weaponry. They can use a number of creative weapons on the battlefield, whether it’s the Suck Cannon, Mr. Zurkon or aerial weapons like the Buzz Blades. However, they really bring out the firepower with supers, whether it’s unleashing the RYNO V in a hefty All-American blast; throwing time bombs that slow down opponents while they strike with the Chronoscepter; or, for level 3, hopping into the Aphelion cruiser and tearing everything apart.
Sackboy
The happy-go-lucky stitched hero Sackboy, from the LittleBigPlanet series, is possibly the quirkest of the cast members in the game, as he’s more prone to using sticker attacks than he is physical prowess. Still, for those who like to intertwine strategy into their fights, he’s a prime pack. You can call upon a fan to shoot objects at enemies, or fly around with a jetpack to gain the advantage. For his supers, he can mimic a character and copy their move to finish them, take out hot coals from the Pop-It! to dump on unsuspecting opponents, or, for his level three, turn opponents into prize bubbles and pop them to defeat them.
Sir Daniel Fortesque
It’s been an eternity since we’ve seen the main knight from the PS1 Medievil series in action, but for some fans out there, it’s been a worthwhile one, as he’s back in action here. Using a sword and shield, he can unleash damaging attacks on his opponents, while occasionally using spiritual potions to his advantage. For his supers, he can raise his hand and use a Lightning Spell to shock nearby foes; use the Chalice of Souls to release souls that trap and snare others; and, for his ultimate attack, take out the Anubis Stone and create a force field around himself, which destroys anything it touches. Yep, he’s a powerful knight, all right.
Sly Cooper
The master thief, part of a long-running family that’s made its way through a trio of PS2 games and will do so again next February in Thieves In Time, definitely has the skills to sneak up on someone and do some damage, whether it’s with punches or the use of his cane. But he’s not on his own, as his pals Bentley and Murray have come along for the ride to dish out extra damage. Once you store up enough super energy (which will come with a certain amount of hits), you can call upon Murray for a charging attack; mount the jetpack from the original Sly Cooper game and shoot missiles at everyone; or, for the ultimate move, pull out the Binoc-U-Com from a first-person perspective and take some killer pictures. No, really, if you catch someone, they lose a life.
Spike
The main hero of the Ape Escape series has taken a break from catching monkeys to whoop some ass in Sony’s all-star fighter, and fans will appreciate everything he can do, from calling upon a Monkey Trip technique to performing a Crash Hurricane to knock enemies out of the air. But when it comes to his supers, he’s not monkeying around. (Ha!) He can swing the famous Monkey Net and “capture” an opponent; use Dual Stun Clubs to create a wave of energy that will sweep the stage with ease; or, for his most powerful super, call upon the Million Monkeys to fire an orbital laser that fries everything on screen.
Sweet Tooth
You may think that the fiery-haired killer can’t do much good outside of his heavily armed ice cream truck, but that’s where you’d be wrong. The truth is, he’s big and dangerous, and can easily hurt someone using his machete or shotgun. He can also combine together attacks to build up super energy rather quickly, making him ideal for newcomers. His supers range from strapping a bomb to another player and sending him or her hurling into others, to firing a missile directly at an opponent, to (for his level three) transforming into the robot version of Sweet Tooth and rambling all over the place. Watch out for his psycho.
Toro Inoue
Finally, there’s Toro, the quirky cat character who was, at one time, the mascot for Sony’s PlayStation console in Japan. You might recognize him from Street Fighter x Tekken on the PS3, though he does far more noticeable damage here. Along with his punches and kicks, he can change roles quite quickly, diversifying his attack styles. For his supers, he can be kicked towards opponents by his buddy Kuro; wish on a star that will crash down on a huge part of the stage; or, for his super, take out a baseball bat and smash the entire screen. Don’t think this kitty is that gentle, he’s not.
PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale hits the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, November 20th.
