I’m not the guy qualified to bring you video game news really, but Nintendo’s flagship combat franchise is definitely the kind of Top 10 title with which even a gaming Luddite like me has spent plenty of time. So, when Playstation decides to contract Bluepoint Studios to make a Smash Brothers… well let’s just go ahead and call it the “clone” that it is… then at that point it interests me, because I like meta-nostalgia mashups* as much as anyone!
The game has been long-rumored (and before that, long fantasized about between friends playing Smash Bros), but a demo was made available at a recent Playstation event where attendees could pick one of six characters to give the game a shot. Here’s a video showing some of that demo combat, as well as thoughts from a developer on how they turned characters like Fat Princess and Parappa The Rapper into fighting figures that could do battle with more menacing folks like Kratos and Sweet Tooth.
As you can see, it’s a pretty shameless riff on Smash Bros, but what else would people really want? I do like the cute touch of having the background environments actually act as mash-ups as well, with characters from one franchise invading another. Still, the camera type, general set-up, and jittery energy are thickly reminiscent of the game from which its taking its cues. Here’s a chunk from Joystiq’s impression of the game, noting some of its unique quirks.
PlayStation All-Stars is a 3D brawler on a single plane, much in the same vein as Smash Bros. As players battle in four-player multiplayer matches, they collect Action Points (AP) and increase a Special Meter. There are three levels of specials for each character, each increasing in duration and devastation, while nodding to their respective franchises. For his level three special, Sweet Tooth jumps into the Sweet Bot mech suit, laying waste to enemies with a chain gun. Kratos’ outfit is transformed into his godly garb from God of War 2 while he wields the lethal Blade of Olympus.
The biggest thing to note is that the studio is paying close attention to fan discussions about what characters to include. I’m not sure if their first outing will mange to have as deep a roster as Super Smash has accumulated, but there are definitely some big names they’ll want to bring in. I assume Nico would be the choice from the GTA franchise? Sad, I feel like Claude could use the love. Drake from Uncharted will certainly be a huge expectation from fans, but what characters represent the deeper cuts?
Who would you most want to see be developed into the game before its release sometime this year?
Twitter
Comment Below
Message Board
via Collider
*That said, there’s no fighting game I’d rather see actually turned into a major franchise than this Street Fighter-style Pokémon combat fan game: