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| Available for Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita |
The starting roster is a diverse group of 20 characters from some of Playstation's most beloved series including Twisted Metal, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, and LittleBigPlanet. Every character has an arsenal of moves mapped to the circle, square and triangle buttons, as well as using those same buttons plus a direction. The way All-Stars sets itself apart from the competition is it's not as simple as just knocking your opponent(s) off the edge. Every hit landed builds up your AP meter which has three levels. Similar to the Super Moves of Marvel Vs. Capcom you can execute a powerful Super Move at levels one, two, and three, with each being significantly stronger than the previous level but also harder to reach. Super Moves are the primary method of getting points/kills in this game and are the only way to win. It doesn't matter how many hits and combos you use on your opponent if you don't land any Super Moves. The strategy of the game comes in knowing your characters moves and knowing the best time to get aggressive with your Super Moves. Do you keep trying to do your Level 1 Super frequently? Maybe you prefer to store up for a Level 3 and turn the tide of battle in the final moments?
One thing I love about this game IS the amount of strategy. Some Super Moves can be stopped by a well timed regular attack, or countering with your own Super. It's intriguing to watch your opponents' movements, and keep track of who has the most AP, and who might be the next candidate for activating their Super Move and planning how you can defend yourself. Most standard matches are three minutes and the winner is whoever gets the most points at the end. Every kill is two points, and every death is minus one so landing a few Super Moves while dodging your opponents' advances will produce winning results.
There are a number of creative stages to choose from as well. They're each based off one franchise, but a crossover aspect from a different series is incorporated. Like in the stage Hades from God of War, you and the other combatants will fight while dodging attacks from Hades himself, until the cute creatures of Patapon show up to attack him. Then you have to worry about dodging THEIR attacks. In the stage known as Dreamscape it's straight out of LittleBigPlanet, complete with new platforms and hazards being added to the arena over time, eventually leading to a crossover to the Buzz! franchise, complete with interactive quizzes. All of the stages have hazards which can be turned on or off and I think it really adds to the chaos of the game when you leave them on. A lot of competitive fighters encourage you to play on hazardless, flat stages with no items to maintain a sense of balanced gameplay. But All-Stars is a lot more fun and you get more out of it by keeping everything intact. Hazards and items will knock AP out of your opponents, giving you faster chances to increase your AP meter.
The game offers a variety of modes to play through. In single player you have a bunch of tutorials and practice modes to help you learn the ins and outs of your characters and prepare you for battle. There is an Arcade Mode which gives you a small, measly excuse of a story for each individual character, being vaguely summoned to "an area where warriors/fighters/creatures are gathering" and each character has their own reason for being there. Arcade mode consists of playing through other characters each increasing in number and difficulty. First you play one opponent, then two, then three, then three again but they're more difficult. Lather, rinse, repeat. An Arcade play-through takes about 20 minutes to complete depending on how well you utilize your Super Moves, and which of the five difficulties you have it set to. Unfortunately Arcade is fairly lackluster and easy.
Multiplayer is the bread and butter of this game, and there are more varieties available. You can play local or online in 2-on-2 team matches or Free For All rounds, and though the default is set to Time Limit you can also set it for Stock, or Kills for new ways to win. The online mode is great, as matches take almost no time to set up, little to no lag, and give you great competition. There is a Playstation Vita version of the game as well as the PS3 version, and they're cross-compatible online so you can play against either version without any obvious changes.
My biggest beef with this game is there is a major sense of imbalance with some characters. Play one round against someone using Kratos and you'll see what I mean. While some characters like Parappa and Big Daddy rely mostly on melee attacks and close combat, others such as Kratos, Nariko, and Colonel Radec have ranged moves that are somewhat overpowered. Some moves will stun or cause knockback while others will only inflict damage and increase your AP but your opponent can still move and counterattack even while being hit. I hope the developers are just taking in a few months worth of player critiques and plan to release some kind of patch to balance out the character roster to make it as even as possible.
Overall, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale is a great game for multiplayer but not so much by yourself. It's not a Smash Bros. clone and if you give the game a shot I think you'll discover this for yourself. It's very easy to pick up and learn but mastering each characters' individual moves and the overall strategy of the game is a challenge. If you think you're tough and learned all you need to, head to the online mode, get schooled, then go back to practicing in shame. Great game, maybe play it at a friend's house or rent it before deciding if you should buy it or not. Also if you have a Playstation Vita and you buy a new copy of All-Stars for the PS3 you'll get a free digital copy of the Vita version as well!
Are there any characters who didn't appear in the game that you want to see? Do you have videos of your best matches you want to share? Maybe you have some questions about the game? Be sure to contact me for all your gaming needs!
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