I have been an on and off again fighting game fan for years now. I remember back in the day when I would sit around my small boxed television as I chugged back Ribena and gave an ass whooping to my friends in Street Fighter 2. Nothing has ever come close to replicating the awesome, nostalgic feelings of those times of youth; even Smash Brothers left an empty feel in my stomach. This time Sony is taking the stage by attempting to give their take on the casual fighting genre with Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.
As many Playstation 3 and Vita fans will know, the Battle Royale multiplayer BETA is currently in full swing for store viewers all over the globe. This means that not only can Playstation 3 owners battle with their friends in the comfort of their living room, but they can now also take part in the cross play battles through complete synchronised net play against those on the go Playstation Vita gamers.
After trying both versions of the BETA I can tell you that there is a lot to look forward to this coming winter. Not only is Playstation All-Stars an incredibly addictive mash up of Sony’s huge cast of old and new generation mascots, but it is also a flawless experience that for once is not lost when transitioning to a handheld platform.
As many know if you bought the console version of a game and then tried out the handheld version on something like the PSP then the experience was never the same. PSP ports always suffered the curse of been incredibly stripped of what made them so good on their stronger console brother and it was saddening for gamers to never get to take those experiences on the go.
As a die-hard fan of the Vita I can safely say that the game you play on Playstation 3 is just about pixel to pixel to the handheld version. Not only do both control extremely well but the way that SuperBot have laid out the mechanics and features in such a way that whatever version you purchase you are going to have a great time.
As many, many people have stated, All-Stars Battle Royale does play a little bit like Nintendo’s own Super Smash Brothers games but for some reason I could just never click with that game. The controls were odd and I hated the fact that characters seemed to be incredibly floaty when they travelled around the arena levels. It was kind of like playing a Halo game but sideways and slowly falling into the attack of your opponents down below. I just didn’t like it and I probably never will. The difference here though is that All-Stars Battle Royale doesn’t have this lack of gravity to it, or its combat. All the characters move incredibly fluidly as if they were in any normal beat em up and not only are the contestants featured in the BETA extremely balanced but even characters you just aren’t that fond of are still great to play.
Upon entering the character select screen you will get the choice to pick from a selection of six base characters. These consisted of Kratos, Parappa, Radec, Fat Princess, Sweet Tooth and Sly Cooper. Now sure some of you may not know many of those names, but Sony fans will and if you are new to the Playstation brand then this is a perfect time to get acquainted with them. As mentioned all the characters are extremely balanced in combat and better yet, they are all really easy to play with and master.
When I started I originally stuck to just playing as Kratos. I think Kratos is awesome but I soon found that my love for a character shouldn’t overshadow my need to try and win at the game. Kratos himself plays like the murdering slayer of Gods that he is, but it was only until I tried out the other characters that I realised that this might be the first fighting game where I don’t have a solid favourite. Radec especially plays in a completely different way to Kratos because while Kratos had his trust blades to keep him in the slaughter, Killzone’s Radec had the tools of ranged attacks at his disposal. I quickly learned that with Radec I was able to sit outside the massive cloud of scrimmage that happened between the other four players and simply snipe them, or throw grenades to get my super meter growing.
The super meter itself is the gadget that will allow you and everyone else to score points. Once you have pummelled your opponents enough, the blue gauge on your character icon will rise and suddenly begin to glow with the starting level of one. With this almighty power you can initiate a quick kill that will score you a point but empty your meter and make your build it up all over again. The cool thing is though that players wanting to hold out a little longer can also keep upgrading this bar into level 2 and 3 super attacks. These attacks let you kill as many players as you can find on screen and this is obviously what most players are trying to fight for.
The great thing I found about the super meter is that instead of having to suffer through the painful blows of air juggling or corner combo pounding like most fighting games, All-Stars allows anyone to get their own back without having to endure a constant beat down from people. Once you have been hit you will either be whacked into the other direction or given a slight moment of invincibility to get your own hit in. It is thus down to the players to attempt to block and dodge enemy attacks without the constant button mashing, which ultimately allows for a stronger sense of tactical thinking.
This also plays into the arena levels themselves that are based on the scenarios of previous games in the Sony portfolio. In one level I had Hades towering above the stage who would occasionally smack certain parts of the level. While Hades did this the musical survivors of Patapon attempted to rain arrows down on us from another part of the background. This meant the themed levels were constantly changing and allowing the levels themselves to evolve as pathways changed based on the smacks that Hades brought down on the environment.
I have played around thirty matches on both the PS3 and Vita version and can safely say this is one game that I am officially excited for. The only thing we need to see now is if SuperBot can fix the occasionally spotty connection problems and also feature more than just these four player battles. There is a lot of potential for this title and I just hope that its currently featured mode won’t be its one hit wonder.
P.S. The soundtrack and theme is freaking epic!
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale will be released on Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita on November 21st 2012
For more information on Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, click here.
