Sony’s Smash Bros-inspired brawler PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale does exactly what it says on the tin: brings together a host of iconic characters plucked from 15 years of PlayStation gaming, and lets them rough each other up in the ring. However, its choice of combatants is slightly questionable. Sure, we’ve got a host of heavyweight combatants like Nathan Drake, Kratos and Sly Cooper bringing home the pain, but likewise there are some conspicuous holes in the roster.
For the most part the PS3 era is best represented, and there are some retro nods in the shape of Parappa the Rappa and a few others. But on the whole, there isn’t a broad range of characters to represent some of PlayStation’s golden days, and as such feels like a missed opportunity in places. I mean, when you think of folk who have been flying the flag for PlayStation, then sure, Drake and Kratos certainly spring to mind. However, there’s a host of other familiar faces that are equally synonymous with PlayStation brand that deserved a spot in the line-up – more so than a few who made the cut, we’d argue.
As such, while PSU.com was thoroughly impressed with Superbot’s efforts, here’s 5 characters we think should have made the cut as playable combatants out of the box.
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Lara Croft
Miss Croft set the bar for 3D action-adventure games back in 1996 with the inaugural Tomb Raider. While a Sega Saturn title at first, the game quickly launched on PlayStation and became synonymous with Sony’s grey box of tricks during its early years, propelling Croft into modern pop culture. The nimble archaeologist’s adventure sold millions, and spawned a whopping four sequels during the PSOne’s lifecycle. Back in the day, she was THE reason to invest in the platform. Indeed, no one quite encapsulates the PlayStation brand like Lara Croft, and while she’s run and jumped to other formats over the years, she’s always found a home on a Sony console. So why wasn’t she included here?
Crash Bandicoot
Crash’s omission from PlayStation All-Stars is baffling. Not only was the grinning marsupial Sony’s unofficial mascot back in the late 90s, but at the time he was a Sony-exclusive; for all intents and purposes, Crash was the company’s answer to Mario and Sonic. Sure, he wasn’t as successful as the portly plumber and speedy Hedgehog, but Crash still cemented himself as a true contender in the 3D platform gaming space. An iconic PlayStation character, Crash’s move set would have been perfect for Battle Royale, and we can easily imaging him spinning into foes or lobbing apples at his opponents in the area.
Original Dante
Yes, we’re acutely aware that Dante is already featured in Battle Royale. However, for some reason or another, Superbot opted to use his new incarnation from the upcoming Ninja Theory reboot. While the game itself is looking splendid, the original Dante would have been much better suited to PlayStation All-Stars. Why? Because people know who he is. New Dante hasn’t proven himself yet; he’s the star of a game that hasn’t even come out. The original version conceived by Capcom is far more familiar to PlayStation gamers, and it’s him that people will recognise. After all, it’s been over ten years since he burst onto the scene in a flurry of stylish sword swipes, with original Devil May Cry trilogy practically defining hack-‘n-slash action on PlayStation 2. Why ignore that heritage for someone who hasn’t even been here for five seconds?
Solid Snake
Raiden has definitely come into his own since arriving on the scene as a pretty-faced whiny boy in MGS2, but he’s second best to Snake. The gruff mercenary featured in what is unequivocally one of the PlayStation’s greatest titles to date, and the fact he remains one of gaming’s all-time greatest heroes more than warrants Snake a spot on the All-Stars roster. At least, you would have thought so. Sadly that isn’t the case, and Snake is absent from Battle Royale, though at least the MGS is represented. Still, it’s incomprehensible to us that Snake managed to turn up in Smash Bros. Brawl and yet didn’t make it into Battle Royale.
Could Strife
Final Fantasy VII is a quintessential example of PlayStation’s gaming goodness – so why isn’t Square’s seminal RPG represented in Battle Royale? Cloud Strife, the game’s troubled main hero, would be perfectly suited to a punch-up with the likes of Nathan Drake, Fat Princess and Colonel Radec. Superbot could have come up with a great move set for the spiky-haired hero, with his legendary Buster Sword and materia load perfectly adaptable to the frantic brawling that All-Stars brings to the table. Above all though, Cloud is cemented into the consciousness of gamers perhaps more so than any other PSOne character bar Snake, and he should have been a promotional poster boy for this ambitious fighter.
Who would you like to have seen in the game? Let us know in the comments section below.
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