Sony officially blew the lid off of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale late last week, and ever since, both fans and skeptics alike keep debating whether or not it’ll hold a light to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series. We haven’t seen enough to pass judgment yet, but we’re confident that Sony can pull this one off.
Let’s be honest, if there was just one company that should attempt this – other than Nintendo – it’s Sony with its PlayStation brand.
Sony’s been around for a long time; it has an impressive line-up of first, second, and third-party studios up its sleeve. That means that unlike most other publishers, Sony actually has options when gathering characters to include in its upcoming brawler.
So we threw together a top 10 list of characters we wish Sony will include in Battle Royale. Remember: our selections come from Sony-owned franchises and properties. We want Solid Snake to be in there just as much as the next guy, but, let’s just keep it simple.
Oh, we even go as far as to speculate what their Super Moves would be just for the heck of it.
Here we go.
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1. Dart [Legend of Dragoon]
Fans of Legend of Dragoon have been chomping at the bit for a sequel/successor to the game since it launched back in 2000. That probably won’t happen. Nevertheless, why not include Dart in Battle Royale as a call-back to one of the best RPGs on Sony’s debut console. He never saw the fame that Cloud Strife (FFVII) did, but we always thought he was just as cool – if not cooler.
Dart’s Super Move: going all Dragoon on everyone’s ass.
2. Sir Dan [MediEvil]
Not the most popular character in Sony’s repertoire, however Sir Daniel is definitely one of the most fun. Does this skeleton-in-armor seem a little flimsy? Don’t let his frail appearance fool you; before Sir Dan died (the first time) he was quite the formidable warrior. At least so he says.
Sir Dan’s Super Move: The ability to stave off death for a little while in order to get the job done.
3. Patapon [Patapon]
This one is just a perfect fit in our minds. A splendid mixture of cuteness and violence, Patapons take on any and all obstacles with nothing but rhythm. Oh, yeah, and their massive arsenal of weapons… that too.
Patapon’s Super Move: “FEEEEVERRRRR!!!”
4. Wander & Colossus [Shadow of the Colossus]
Admittedly, Wander probably wouldn’t hold his own in a fight, which is weird to say because he eats giant Colossi for breakfast. However, if he tricked a colossus to do his fighting for him, then he’d be a deadly addition to the roster. Hasn’t tricking Colossi to smash stuff been half of his battle strategy, anyway?
Wander’s Super Move: Inviting 16 of his pals to the party.
5. Nariko [Heavenly Sword]
This femme fatale would give Kratos a run for his money. Okay, maybe not, but she’s definitely one tough gal. Powerful, highly-skilled, and fearless, Nariko is one of our favorite female characters in video games. We never got a sequel to her game – which existed at one point, apparently – but we’d settle for her inclusion in Battle Royale.
Nariko’s Super Move: Calling in sniper support from her sister, Kai.
6. Cole MacGrath [inFamous]
Do I really need to explain why Cole should be in Battle Royale? We love inFamous and we love Cole. Sony would be crazy to not include him; he’s even been in other crossovers like Street Fighter X Tekken. Let’s just say we’d be totally shocked (ha) if Cole wasn’t included in Royale’s roster.
Cole’s Super Move: An unhealthy dose of his Ionic Storm.
7. Jeanne d’Arc [Jeanne d’Arc]
Nariko isn’t the only female brawler we chose, and with good reason. From commanding armies, to fooling everyone around her, this lady does it all. Just as sneaky as she is deadly, Jeanne graced the PSP with one of its best tactical RPGs. Level-5 did a great job in its first attempt at the genre; Jeanne d’Arc is one of our favorite PSP games to date.
Jeanne’s Super Move: Signaling her French army of archers to launch a volley of arrows.
8. Kat [Gravity Rush]
We realize Gravity Rush isn’t even out yet (outside of Japan), but we’re already completely sold; we’re sure that this’ll be a must-own Vita title. The lead protagonist, Kat, has the ability to manipulate gravity, which is why we chose her for this list. We can imagine a lot of fun ways in which she can play. Running on walls? Check. Flipping enemies onto their heads? Oh yeah.
Kat’s Super Move: Something to the effect of inverting every other player’s controls.
9. A Dragon [Lair]
Wait – don’t stop reading yet. Yes, we realize Lair wasn’t the best game to utilize the PlayStation 3’s Sixaxis control scheme, but that doesn’t mean dragons didn’t look totally awesome in that game. If being a geek has taught us anything, it’s that dragons make everything better. Take Skyrim, for example. We’d love to play as a dragon in Battle Royale. Wouldn’t you?
Dragon’s Super Move: More dragons.
10. Rudy Roughnight [Wild Arms]
If any of you have played Wild Arms, then you’d know that Rudy packed a hefty punch with his devastating weapon, the hand-cannon. As our final entry on our top ten list, we’re confident that you Wild Arms fans out there will be happy with this selection.
Rudy’s Super Move: Using his Arc Smash to do 9999 damage.
What do you think? Who would you like to see in Battle Royale?