Let the Battle Begin

Do you love Playstation exclusives like God of War, Little Big Planet & Killzone? Have you ever wished to bear witness to Isaac Clarke battling it out with Parappa the Rapper? This might be the game you’re after, but I doubt it.

At the end of the most recent entry into the Twisted Metal franchise, at the end of the credits the screen is overcome by the words ‘Sweet Tooth will return in the fight of his life’. Many fans of TM tried to decipher the meaning of this, digging into the story and lore of the game to try and understand it’s meaning. Many thought it would be a sequel but no, it was Playstation All-stars: Battle Royale.

The main way I can pitch this game to you is that it’s Super Smash Bros for PS3, without the lovable characters. They could’ve pulled this off a little better if they’d decided to include Crash Bandicoot instead of Buzz, if they hadn’t included two different playable versions of Cole from Infamous. If Isaac Clarke wasn’t greyed out on the character selection screen – requiring an additional £3.99 purchase.

One of the most drawing aspects of Super Smash Bros is its huge character selection; in fact it’s a big part of the genre. Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur & Dead or Alive all have huge selections. PS: All-stars has about 15, and nobody wants to play as Sackboy. This can get especially frustrating in 4-player deathmatches, when you are likely to see the same character multiple times.

The story mode gets repetitive quickly and there is no way to back out part way through – leaving you to power through battle after battle until you complete it with a character. Fortunately, each time you complete the story mode with a different character you are rewarded with a trophy ‘DING’. The game also has little to no actual story substance, but we’re used to that in these games.

PS: All-stars can be fun though, but only with other people. If you’re playing against the AI the game becomes too easy – even the all-star difficulty setting is not particularly difficult, and I’m not very good at fighting games, I end up just button mashing my way to victory the way an 8-year old would whilst playing a WWE game.

The local multiplayer is where this game shines though, even though it can get rather repetitive. There’s nothing like being neck and neck with your friend as Hades slams his fist down into the stage, crushing Heihachi under his thumb. The special moves of the characters can be incredible, Radec has a special that pits you in a huge turret aimed at the stage and allows you to shoot repeatedly until all your enemies are dust. Sackboy turns all your foes into pick-ups, and the famous Little Big Planet pop sound ensues as you murder them.

6.5/10

Conclusion

‘Although it’s a shambles, PS: All-stars has so much multiplayer enjoyment that it’s earned a reasonable rating. Buy it if you’re bored, or if you need an easy 2 player fiasco’.

Sam Marshall

Sam Marshall delves deeper into the darkest depths than any man who dared to tread before him. Some people enjoy a little mind-crushing torture. He is one of them.