Gamescom 2012: Dante, Sackboy, Spike, and Ratchet confirmed for PS All-Stars

If you've been following PSU's extensive coverage of leaks and teases surrounding PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, then you already know the following four characters were heavily expected to appear in Sony's upcoming crossover brawler. Thanks to Sony's gamescom 2012 presser, we now have official confirmation.

Ratchet and Clank, Sackboy, Dante, and Spike (from Ape Escape) will all appear in PlayStation All-Stars as playable fighters alongside an already extensive cast of PlayStation mainstay.

Our glimpse of the four (err, five) was brief, but gameplay snippets showed off some of what we can expect from these characters in gameplay terms. Dante fights very much like you expect him to - fast and ruthless - and though his character is based squarely on the controversial DmC design, there's no mistaking his iconic combos and swordplay. On the other hand, Sackboy is something of an insanely cool mixed bag, spawning stickers and props straight out of the LittleBigPlanet franchise to mess with foes and imbue interesting effects in the heat of battle.

Conversely, Ratchet and his robot pal seem to favor a mid-range playstyle that makes use of Ratchet's bombastic weapons, including the RYNO, Tesla Spikes, and the always-humorous Mr. Zurkon. Clank can even contribute with his Chronoscepter! Finally, Spike from Ape Escape fame is well-suited to the up-close-and-personal, using his stun rod, monkey net, and other gadgets to dish out damage with fast combos and high mobility. Oh, and don't forget the apes. We certainly haven't.

Oh, and did we mention that PS3 owners will get the PS Vita version for free?

Time will tell whether these four characters fit nicely into the PlayStation All-Stars roster, but things are looking great so far. Let us know in the comments who else you'd like to see join the brawling mayhem, and keep it glued to PSU.com for more developments from gamescom 2012 throughout the week.

More details here