Recent rumors suggest PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is getting a sequel exclusively for the PS5. The first installment of the franchise, released back in 2012, was Sony's semi-successful answer to the gaming industry juggernaut that is Nintendo's Super Smash Bros.
The one aspect of the original game that truly resonated with PlayStation s was the wonderful cast of characters. In the past few decades, PlayStation exclusive games have accumulated quite the impressive roster of iconic video game characters and fans could not have been more excited to pit them against one another. If this new sequel is going to have any chance of being successful, there are a few key PlayStation characters that it must include.
Of course, PlayStation All-Stars needs to bring back iconic characters from the previous game, including Big Daddy, Kratos (updated this time to reflect the God of War series' new direction), Fat Princess, Nathan Drake, and Sackboy, among others. In addition to that, the franchise needs to include characters that have taken over the gaming scene since the original game's 2012 launch.
PlayStation All-Stars Needs PS4 Icons
Given the wild success of both Resident Evil 2 & 3's remakes, characters such as Nemesis, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Mr. X, and Leon Kennedy are necessities. Both installments of The Last of Us have pushed the boundaries of video game storytelling, making Ellie and Joel both no-brainers for inclusion in a new version of PlayStation All-Stars as well. In addition to those few, other Sony-exclusive characters such as Spider-Man, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Ghost of Tsushima's protagonist Jin Sakai would help elevate PlayStation All-Stars' PS5 roster.
The reason why Super Smash Bros. remains the number one crossover fighting game to this day is very simple - Nintendo has the most iconic video game characters of any game console. Although the company has fallen behind to a distant third place when it comes to the console wars, Nintendo still benefits from the historic successes of its characters to this day.
Slowly, but surely, Sony is starting to catch up. With iconic franchises such as God of War, Uncharted, and The Last of Us, the relevance of PlayStation characters continues to gain ground on Nintendo's roster of heroes every single day. The primary reason that characters like Mario, Samus, and Link continue to stand apart from PlayStation characters is nostalgia. It is only a matter of time before Sony characters like Nathan Drake and Jin Sakai have built up comparable legacies of their own. Then, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale will have a shot at taking the title from the beloved franchise that is Super Smash Bros.
