First-party exclusive IP has been an important part ofPlayStation’s identity since the earliest days of the PS1, with beloved mascot platformers likeSpyro the DragonandCrash Bandicootbecoming the face of Sony’s first console for years. That strong affinity forexclusive first-party PlayStation IPcontinued well into the 2000s, with franchises likeUncharted,God of War, andLittleBigPlanetall becoming synonymous with the PS3. Flash forward about a decade, and that affinity for first-party IP has grown exponentially stronger, with the likes ofThe Last of Us,Horizon,God of War, andMarvel’s Spider-Manall becoming the primary selling point for Sony’s consoles.
PlayStationhas no shortage of IP ready and waiting in the wings, but there are still some franchises hiding in the shadows of Sony’s past that deserve a second chance.PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royaleis one such title, being a game that didn’t quite live up to expectations upon its 2012 release, but one that could thrive today.
A New PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Could Kill Two Birds With One Stone
A PlayStation All-Stars Sequel Would Have Plenty of New Icons To Choose From
A platform fighter that revolved around building a special attack meter to knock opponents out of the arena,PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalehad an interesting roster. At launch,All-Stars Battle Royalewas home to 20 different fighters. Many of these base game fighters came from beloved first-party PlayStation franchises likeUncharted’s Nathan Drake,God of War’s Kratos, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, andLittleBigPlanet’s Sackboy.
However, the roster also had its fair share of third-party characters, such asBioShock’s Big Daddy,DMC’s Dante,Metal Gear Solid’s Raiden, andTekken’s Heihachi Mishima. Though these characters all played well and are undeniable gaming icons, they’re not exclusive PlayStation mascots. The same was true forPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s DLC, whichaddedDead Space’s Isaac Clarke.
While a crossover fighter doesn’t solely need characters exclusive to that platform to succeed, it might have madePlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s rostera bit stronger if it was full of iconic first-party faces. And that would be much easier for a newAll-Stars Battle Royaleto achieve, with there being a ton of new first-party characters to bring to the table.
SincePlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s release in 2012, a plethora of new icons have joined the PlayStation family.Horizon’s Aloy,Ghost of Tsushima’s Jin,The Last of Us' Ellie and Joel, andMarvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Peter Parker and Miles Moraleswould all be very strong picks for a newPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalegame, and that’s barely scratching the surface, with games likeBloodborne,Returnal,Astro Bot, and even theGod of WarNorse saga all offering their own casts of beloved characters.
The Platform Fighter Genre Could Use A Game Like PlayStation All-Stars Now
Theplatform fighter genrehas plenty of great games already, fromBrawlhallatoNickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2toRivals of Aether, but the genre’s flagship franchise might be absent for a little while. Though it’s still incredibly popular,Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis almost six years old, and there’s currently no word on when fans might see another entry in the genre-defining series. If it acts fast enough, a newPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalegame could fill that void nicely.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a 2012 crossover fighting game developed by SuperBot Entertainment, in conjunction with Bluepoint Games, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It features various characters drawn from different PlayStation video game franchises competing against each other in multiplayer battles.The platform fighter is similar to the Super Smash Bros. series in play style, with up to four players battling each other at a time. Battles take place on a 2D plane, with players able to freely move around a stage to approach or escape their opponents. Different attacks are performed by pressing one of three attack buttons in combination with a directional input.Players damage their opponents to receive “AP” orbs that build up a power meter at the bottom of the screen. Players can also find orbs scattered across the stage during the match, or can perform throw attacks to remove AP orbs from their opponents. Earning enough power allows players to use one of three levels of special attacks named “Super Moves” which can be used to defeat opponents and earn points.Battle Royale is a brawler featuring a broad array of PlayStation characters and worlds. From Kratos to Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth to Parappa the Rapper, Sony characters from throughout Sony history are brought together in a brawling adventure that’s simple to pick up and tough to master. Bring the battle online for competitive multiplayer fury, or go head-to-head with a group of opponents at your pad to prove who’s the top dog.
