To say that there are pretty heavy expectations on PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale to pull it off is an understatement. After all, it is something akin to Super Smash Bros. from Nintnedo, albeit sans Nintendo characters, but rather, it will feature characters from the PS universe instead. That’s a no-brainer, but now that we have gotten that out of the way, the demo over at E3 pitted two teams against one another in the Ratchet and Clank universe, where two players are on the PS3, while another two are on the PS Vita. This title is unique as it is available on both platforms, and can be played across from one to the other – neat!
Characters such as Sweettooth, PaRappa the Rapper, Fat Princess and Sly Cooper took to the stage, where this 2D-style brawler is enhanced visually with 3D rendering, and whenever you damage your opponent, you will receive an “energy” boost that can be stored before being discharged as a super power. Super powers can level up in order to deal more damage – a mechanism that tweaks from the beat ’em ups of yore, such as Marvel Superheroes and X-Men vs Street Fighter from Capcom. I would suppose that button mashers might be able to pull off a victory from here and there sometimes, but skillful manipulation tends to leave you with the upper hand as a rule of thumb.
Sony says, “Stay tuned for additional surprised and announcements in the upcoming months.” Hopefully the excitement for the title will not fade away by then. Expect PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale to arrive in time for the holiday season, so it might just be an incentive to pick up that PS Vita, no? Each controller has its own set of pros and cons, delivering their own in-game controls and perspectives.