Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Great multiplayer"

PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale has been released for the PlayStation 3 on November 20, 2012. The result is a Super Smash Bros. clone that has PlayStation characters and it pretty much succeeds as a fighting game.

Presentation - There are a few modes in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale. In solo play, there is an arcade, combat trial, practice mode, and tutorial modes. Arcade mode is pretty much a single player story mode similar to Super Smash Bros. because you can select from any one of the twenty characters that are available and your objective is to defeat a few opponents at a time. The final boss is Polygon man which is equivalent to the Master Hand in Super Smash Bros. except that the Polygon man is much easier to defeat and you have to defeat a few other opponents.

In the combat trials mode, you complete certain objectives to unlock more goals. It's also divided into the general and character modes. In the general mode, you don't get to select a character. In the character modes you can choose any character you like and have to complete the same exact objectives for each of the characters. In both modes, the difficulty levels range from hero (easy), legend (medium), and all star (hard).

Practice mode is pretty much the same as training mode in Super Smash Bros. where you can select any character you like, who you want to fight against, and select any one of the fourteen levels. You can also toggle around to have the cpu opponent stand, jump, follow, or attack and can change the difficulty level of the cpu opponent. Also, you can automatically test your level one, two, and three super moves to learn how to use them better. In tutorial mode, you can learn how to play the game by using basic, advanced, character, and combos.

In tournament mode, you can compete against strangers online with using ranked matches, quick match, and season leader board. Versus mode is when you can battle with three other friends or the cpu opponent. Like Super Smash Bros. there are time and stock matches.

In the customize mode, you can view your profile by selecting backgrounds, icons, FFA title, team title, and minions. In the character customization, you can select different costumes, listen to the taunts, intro, outro, and victory music. In the goals mode, you can also view the session, career, tournament, ranked match, arcade, combat trials, and versus modes to see what you completed already and what objectives you need to complete.

In the options menu, you can configure the controls and set the level of sound effects volume, music, voice chat, subtitles and vibration from zero to one hundred. Finally in the extras mode, you can view descriptions for each character and lets you know what the title of their franchises are. You can also view the credits and license agreement.

There are a total of twenty characters and fourteen levels in PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale. Some seasoned PlayStation veterans will be disappointed to see that Crash and Spyro are not playable characters because Activision owns the right to them. Overall, the characters are well thought out that range from PaRappa the Rappa to Kratos from God of War, Cole from the Infamous series, and Nathan Drake from Uncharted 1,2, and 3.

Graphics - The graphics look pretty amazing overall with their level designs and character models. Everything looks pretty colorful and very detailed. After you select a character and when the screen loads, you'll notice that there are some blurring effects on certain characters especially Kratos. The character animations are also well done.

Sound - The theme music from each of the character's levels is still present and they sound amazing. Overall, the music is fantastic and nostalgic enough to please old school PlayStation veterans. The sound effects are spot on as well.

Game play - The controls and move sets are very similar to Super Smash Bros. and each character uses final smash like moves except there are now level one two, and three super moves. The level three super moves are generally the most powerful especially PaRappa the Rappa who can easily sing, dance, and kill all opponents at one time. The controls are responsive, and the pace of the game is pretty fast. The online mode also shows no signs of lag. You can also level up your character and unlock more customizations after each battle.

Lasting appeal - PlayStation veterans who are fans of Super Smash Bros. series will be pleased with PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale. The lag free online mode as well as the local multiplayer will keep you entertained for quite some time. The single player modes aren't as exciting as the multiplayer, but it keeps things fresh with added content.

The Good - the first PlayStation game to be a successful Super Smash Bros. clone, nice variety of single and multiplayer modes, lag free online, tons on customization to unlock

The Bad - somewhat lack of a large character roster and stages, Crash and Spyro are not playable characters

Presentation - 9
Graphics - 10
Sound - 10
Game play - 10
Lasting appeal - 10

Overall 9.8 out of 10 GameSpot Score 9.5 out of 10