Ben-DutkaForget the comparisons to Super Smash Bros. for a minute.
The big question here is whether or not the characters in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale have enough iconic punching power to charm and intrigue even the most ardent PlayStation lovers.
To be fair, this game is clearly designed for long-time fans of Sony's universe. It's not about delivering a complex, intricate fighting mechanic and it probably won't offer much in the way of combat innovation or evolution. The primary appeal is obvious- The nostalgic fan desire to pit their favorite characters against one another in a fun-filled romp.
In SSB, the appeal is the same. But in that case, we have several decades of iconic memorable faces; from Mario to Samus to Link to Bowser and a dozen others in between. And while I'm a plenty big PlayStation fan, and I have very fond memories of Kratos, Drake, Ratchet, Parappa, etc., I'm wondering if there's enough history behind such characters to entice the fans. It's all about character impact, is it not? Granted, sometimes I forget just how long the PlayStation brand has been around; it has been around a good, what, 17 years?
And I suppose in the long run, Nintendo wasn't that much older when we first heard about SSB. But at the same time, we're talking about the dawn of gaming, the characters that defined the childhoods of a great many teen and adult gamers. Many younger people will argue the same for PlayStation but the gaming landscape was very different at that time and overall, nobody will say someone like Kratos is as well-known and beloved as Mario. In short, I'm just not sure the legendary status of the PlayStation characters are enduring and deep-set enough to warrant this title.
It's not a rhetorical question; I have no answer. I didn't care about SSB; I don't care about PlayStation All-Stars . This is merely a simple observation and nothing more.
