- Sony PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita / Rated T / $59.99 (PS3), $39.99 (Vita) / released November 2012
- OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.playstationallstars.com/
- PURCHASE LINK: http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-All-Stars-Battle-Royale-3/dp/B007XYBUBE
- FINAL: You WANT this game. 4 out of 5 stars
The “Justice League” comic book took off when 1960s kids realized that, if it was great to read one comic with one hero in it, then it would be incredible to read one comic with half a dozen heroes in it. So it is with Sony’s madhouse mascot fighting game, “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,” where a delightfully random assortment of videogame characters meet up to beat up.
Unlike Nintendo’s long-running “Super Smash Bros.” series, however, you may find that Sony’s “All-Stars” are mostly bench-warmers. Sony just does not have as many franchises with as much game-name power as, say, Mario or Pokemon. You’re looking at a roster that’s about 30-70 for characters that are genuine Gaming Legends, whereas Nintendo’s version probably runs the reverse (Captain Falcon? Come on.)
On the AAA side, you’ll see “Ratchet & Clank,” “Uncharted” and “God of War” represented, but also cult games like “PaRappa the Rapper,” “Heavenly Sword” and “Ape Escape.” The central premise is that each of these characters is suddenly drawn to an amazing new power source. In the single-player story mode, each of the game’s combatants is given a few spare cutscenes to show the search for this power.
Now, aside from the charmingly strange “rival” matches – as when the grim tyrant Radec from “Killzone” clashes with the goofy cartoon skeleton knight from “MediEvil” – these story bits are not well presented. The setup is done with still pictures, believe it or not, and some characters suffer from “All-Stars”‘s not-as-impressive visuals when compared to their native games. But this has nothing to do with the gameplay, which is exactly as fast and crazy as it should be.
Taking obvious cues from “Smash Bros,” “All-Stars” also takes place in mostly-flat levels where two to four characters fight. Each character has unique attacks and special moves, but nothing you’d need a third hand to manage. As expected, many moves are reminiscent of how the characters act in their own homeworlds. For example, Sackboy from “LittleBigPlanet” has a nifty escape move that uses his game’s magic doorways. Each character also has three different Super attacks. Landing these attacks are the only way to score and win the match when the timer finally counts out.
The trick is that, like the “regular” attacks, the Supers are unique to each character and turning them into successful kills requires that you know how best to utilize them. One character’s level-1 Super might only hit when you’re standing right beside your victim, while another might be a ranged attack and expect that you’re a safe distance away. Getting to know the cast’s movesets and Supers will let you find the character whose speed, cleverness and ferocity is just right for you.
“All-Stars” is available for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, but keep in mind that if you buy the PS3 version, you receive a downloadable Vita version for free. Also, if you plan to play on both devices, your progression will be maintained across both games, so you do not have to unlock secrets twice.
Image courtesy Sony Computer Entertainment America. This review is based on product supplied by the publisher.