SnakeFighter64
Smash Obsessed
Hello. My name is Jennifer Griel. And I’m here to talk to you today about my design for PlayStation All-Stars Stadium. A sequel to the infamous game “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale”. I will be going over the entire roster, so get ready for a long one. (Also, I know I have a ton of third-party characters. I decided not to focus on how difficult licensing would be and instead just make a roster to try to please the PlayStation fan base. I think it turned out a better roster) If you want to know about Stages or Items, please let me know.
First a brief overview of the gameplay of the first one, and what alterations will be made. PlayStation All-Stars is, much like smash, a platform fighter in which iconic characters jump and battle around various themed stages. With a few key differences to make it distinct. First of all, is has 3 attack buttons and one jump button (instead of Smash’s redundant two of each). Second of all, instead of racking up damage to launch oponants off of the screen, your objective is to build up your super meter by keeping up high combos and staying un-hit, until you are ready to unleash one of your three super moves to kill your oponant. This offers a different kind of strategy from smash as every super for every character is quite different and needs to be considered when planning your strategy. Generally, your Level One super is easy to charge up but has a high chance of missing. Your level two generally involves some sort of transformation or timed attack that has a wide AOE. The Level 3 move takes the longest to charge and varies between ultra powerful attacks to screen nukes, but in the time, it takes to charge up you could get killed yourself. You also have items to use just like in smash, which range from status effects on your opponent (stunning, health leaching, movement speed alterations) to damage dealers that spawn orbs which ANYONE can pick up to increase their meter. It’s very different from Smash and I think it’s mostly fine the way it is. The only thing that really needs to be changed is… more things to do in the game. More characters to pick, more items to use, more stages to fight on. That’s where the roster comes in.
Starting out, I’m going to go franchise by franchise detailing the characters I picked and how I see them playing. And I’m not cutting ANYONE from the first game. There’s only like 20 to begin with and I think my additions will more than make up for a few of them. Some will get gameplay revisions which I will detail. Each character will also have story elements which I will try to detail as I can.
We begin with the God of War series and its head honcho, Kratos. His appearance in the last game was Pre-PS4 and based around his moves from those games. I didn’t want to lose this, but I also wanted to recognize the new installment. My solution is to combine them. The narrative goes that Kratos is hunting with Atreus when a strange magic comes over him as they fight a group of monsters. A familiar magic. He realizes that when he equips his Blades of Chaos, he can mysteriously use all of his discarded Olympian weapons. He sets off with Atreus to the Stadium to find the source of this power and destroy it, lest a familiar evil rise again. His square moves (neutrals) would revolve around his leviathan axe. His triangle moves (speed of a normal attack but with something other than the main weapon) are him calling for attacks from Atreus and his bow, but this isn’t like Ice Climbers and the two cannot be KO’d separately. His circle moves (specials) are his gauntlet powers, while his down special switches his weapon to the Blades of Chaos. In this state he plays exactly like the first game but without his down special counter.
Also from the God of War series we have a returning Zeus. After an accidental synchronization of the Time Station from Ape Escape and the Time Twister from Crash Bandicoot, many universes began to synchronize. This included Zeus’s soul being transported from Hades to Calypso’s Hell. Teaming up with the mad devil, the two plan to resurrect the Polygon Man and claim the power he can give for themselves. (Yes, this game will have a cinematic Story Mode). Zeus’s playstyle remains unchanged from the first game (aside from balance adjustments). He’s basically the way we all wish Ganondorf played in smash.
Moving from the super serious to the super cute, we come to the NanaOn-Sha series of rhythm games which includes Parappa the Rapper and UmJammer Lammy. Parappa was in the first game and remains unchanged. And his design philosophy translates over to how Lammy will be designed as a newcomer. Her Square attacks being with her fists, her triangle attacks using her rollerblades, and her circle attacks using her guitar both by using it as a melee weapon and shredding to create soundwaves which stun. The characters from this series will also now have an actual flat design style more remiscant of the source game, as opposed to the 2.5D look they tried in the original crossover.
I’m going to get a ton of one off characters out of the way right here while I’m at it. Characters who are returning from the first one, are the only representation of their game, and will largely remain unchanged. These Characters include Fat Princess, Colonel Radec (Killzone), Nariko (Heavenly Sword), Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Toro Inoue, Kat and Dusty (Gravity Rush), Emmet Graves (Starhawk), Big Daddy (BioShock), Heihachi Mishima (Tekken), Isaac Clarke (Dead Space). I think they’re fine the way they are and will just get them out of the way here.
Moving on to the Twisted Metal series, we start with the returning Sweet Tooth. He still plays mostly the same as the first game, but with a fire effect added to most of his melee attacks. This is because of what has happened to him sense we saw the menacing clown. Spoiler Alert for the end of the most recent Twisted Metal. When Sweet Tooth won the tournament and wished for Calypso to teleport him to his lost daughter (so he could kill her), he wound up trapped underground. In her coffin. Because she was already dead. This allowed Calypso to claim Needles’ soul and he has been made into Calypso’s enforcer so to speak. Keeping the other souls in Hell in line and getting to torture them. He still prefers to fight and kill the way he did when he was alive, but this hellfire is so useful.
Calypso also makes his playable debut. His design philosophy is very similar to Dr. Fate in the Injustice series. He never actually touches the oponant while fighting. Even his neutral moves are a swipe of demonic energy. He generally is a zoning/keep away character with teleports and special status effect attacks thanks to his magic.
Moving on to the Sly Cooper series, of course the master thief returns, with a bit of a rework from the previous game. His non-directional Triangle move has been changed from a counter to him throwing an explosive or planting it on an oponant if close enough. His counter has been changed to the down Triangle move. It improves the flow of the gameplay. New from the Sly series we also have Inspector Carmelita Fox. Carmelita uses her shock pistol in her gameplay and is very adept at it. Working close range blasts into her Square combos. Her triangle moves are all about maneuverability, dashing and in the direction the stick is tilted. Her special moves are her special ammo types from Thieves in Time; Auto, Charge, Stun, and Triple.
Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series returns and retains his gunplay focused combat. His zipline attack will be changed to a dodge/counter ability. We also have a newcomer. One of two “Ice Climbers” styled characters. The Duo of Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross based on their appearance from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Your primary control if of Chloe, who makes use of quickfire gunplay and her grappling hook. Your secondary control is of Nadine whose attacks are more melee and knife focused. To play them affectively to need to effectively place them on the stage and combo between different moves from both characters.
inFamous’s Cole MacGrath is another character with a pretty big change from the last installment. If you played that game, you know that Cole and is Evil self were two separate characters. Their neutral, triangle, and even super attacks were basically identical. The primary differences between the two were their circle attacks and their level 3 super moves. In order to fix this bit of redundancy, Cole has been given a Zelda/Sheik style transform move in he form of Karma Switch (replacing both characters original down circle). Switch between the two to compensate for the shortcomings of both Good and Evil Cole.
In addition to the new version of Cole, we also get Fetch. Who was the protagonist of inFamous: First Light. Her special powers allowed her to control Neon, which she uses to fire neon beams and small consecutive blasts. She can send out a blast of Neon Wind to put enemies in stasis, and fire multiple simultaneous Neon rockets. If her oponant gets too close she can use her Neon Sheild as a counter attack. Her fast punches and kicks are powered by her energy, and she can change into neon to move at superhuman speeds. She is also able to generate a singularity which draws enemies in before exploding.
The Ratchet and Clank series featured the second largest amount of characters playable, totaling three. Ratchet and Clank themselves return from the last game, alongside newcomers Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious. Qwark combines his superhuman strength with his Crouching Kitten style martial arts. As well as his laser blaster, twin Combusters, Tornado Launcher, Agents of Doom (small androids dispensed by the Glove of Doom), and Groovitrons (a weapon that forces people to dance, prepare for PlayStation All-Stars dancing animations!). Dr. Nefarious has great agility and energy powers. He can perform powerful flips and jumps, raise energy walls, rain down rainbow energy strikes, and lob explosive energy balls. He can also fly with his booster jets on his feet.
Jak and Daxter make a return alongside their longtime friend and ally Keira Hagai. As a sage of Light Eco, Keira is a Zelda-esque mage character who can channel it into enhanced melee attacks, create Light Eco crystals, creates damaging Eco clouds, and syphon it from other foes on the battlefield (think Robin).
The MediEvil series gets ample representation with the Returning Sir Daniel Fortesque as well as his arch enemy, the evil wizard Zarok. Sir Daniel has been given extra speed and a few changed moves. He now always carried his shield, and his shield summon move has been replaced with his arm boomerang. His sword attacks are also faster and can combo into a full 360-degree spin. Zarok uses his trident for his basic melee attacks and uses magic spells to fire magic blasts, spew acid, steel enemy power, generate a story, and summon zombies and animate objects to assist him in battle.
Often considered the Mario 64 of the PS1, Ape Escape representation returns with its returning protagonist Spike and series villain Specter. Specter attacks with his lance and psychic abilities. He can create psychic blasts, and false versions of himself which attack enemies. He can create energy blasts similar to nuclear detonation and psychic energy shields. Specter mishandling the game’s Time Machine is also part of the catalyst for these game worlds coming together.
Moving on to new characters, we start out with Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy uses her bow on triangle with various types of arrows (Fire, Tear blast, corruption, freeze, and shock). Her neutral circle allows her to switch between them Shulk style. Her neutral attacks use her spear, and her specials also allow her to use her Tripcaster to create tripwire traps and her Ropecaster to temporarily snare enemies. The Tripcaster also inherits the elemental properties of the arrows.
Two representatives of the Bloodborne series also appear. I know the first idea would be a generic Hunter, but instead I decided to go with two specific characters from the game. Eileen the Crow uses the Dual wielding skill with her Blade of Mercy and inherits many of the gameplay aspects available to the player. She also has a single shot pistol attack and can both Counter Shot and Backstab. We also get the fan favorite boss character Lady Maria. Maria uses the Rakuyo and a gun, using the game’s transform mechanic to change specific melee moves. She can stab herself to temporarily enhance her own attacks, and siphon energy from other foes. This doesn’t result in increased health or super meter, but instead temporarily powers he up with fire.
Lets go into a semi-lightning round for a bit.
First up we have the Crash Bandicoot franchise. Crash takes the place as the game’s Mario. An easy to use middle of the road character that should be your first pick when playing. His Square and Triangle moves are martial arts moves borrowed from the Titans games, as well as his yo-yo. His Circle moves are his powerups and gadgets from Crash 2 and 3. The Belly Flop, the jetpack, the Fruit Bazooka, and the Classic Spin Attack. His Sister Coco also functions as an alternate costume. We also pick THREE of Crash’s iconic villains. Dr. Neo Cortex fires balls of energy from his pistol that can be chained together like his first boss fight. As well as moving across the stage in set patterns. He can board his hoverboard for enhanced speed and better jumping, place mines like in Crash 3, and use his staff attack from Skylanders: Imaginations. Dingodile moves fairly slowly, and his large flamethrower has amazing reach. His claws and teeth make for extremely effective tools if your enemy gets close. He can fire straight blasts and arcing fireballs, create fiery explosions to launch into the air, and surround himself in a flame tornado. Finally, we have Dr. N. Tropy. Tropy has a projectile which traps enemies in Witch Time, shoot fireballs and energy waves across the stage, and teleport.
Just as important to the PS1 is Spyro the Dragon. I tried to have representation from all across the multiple versions of Spyro, as I know each one has its fan (I LOVE The Legend of Spyro, fight me). But the iconic purple dragon himself uses his design from the original trilogy… Mostly. Spyro’s melee attacks are his Dragon Kata martial arts from the spin off RPG Shadow Legacy and the Legends Series. His Triangle moves are where his flame moves come from. The Classic Flame, The Super Fireball, The Comet Dash, and a circle of flame (ever flamed while spinning in a circle? It’s awesome!) His charge attack is mapped to the Circle button. As well as a ground pound head-butt and flight. He can also knock enemies into the air for areal combos. Also representing the classic series is Hunter the Cheetah, who obviously makes use of his bow and arrow, as well as his claws and handglide. His supers utilize the various vehicles from Spyro 2 and 3.
Cynder is our chosen rep for The Legend of Spyro and utilizes a similar string of normal Square moves as her purple love interest. Her Triangle and Circle moves are each an elemental attack from Dawn of the Dragon, Triangle being melee attacks and Circle being projectiles. Scorpion strike, Phantom Fright, Twister, and Shadow Strike are on Triangle. While Venom Spit, Siren Scream, Cyclone, and Shadow Fire are on Circle. Finally, what better way to represent the Skylanders series than with the character Portal Master (yes, it’s a rip-off of Pokémon Trainer. Shush). The character makes use of Stealth Elf, Eruptor, and Trigger Happy, and you can switch between them using down circle. Stealth Elf uses her blades for her normals, acrobatics for her triangle moves, and Poison spears and Shadowsbane Blade Dance are on circle. Eruptor swings his magma ball hands like clubs, lobs and spits balls of lava, and… well, erupt. Finally Trigger Happy’s normals are single shots from his golden pistols. He can throw a golden safe, fire a charge shot, and use a golden machine gun.
Coming up next is Ignatius Blackward from Nightmare Creatures (your welcome Caddicarus). He uses his bladed staff for his normal attacks. As well as pistols, mines, fire bombs, and magic spells.
Another icon of modern PlayStation is Red Dead Redemption. So how about including John Marston. Withe Arthur Morgan from 2 as an alt costume. He’s a cowboy gunslinger so his play style is pretty obvious.
Dante returns with a major rework. He uses his design from Devil May Cry 5 and his gameplay is now more reflective of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Fear not though, Dante can wear the costumes from all his previous games, including DmC. The same can be said for his brother Vergil, who also has a moveset reflective of MvC.
Who better to reprisent Resident Evil than Jill Valentine. It's totally not just because she's my favorite Resie character. What are you talking about? She's Iconic! Anyway. Her moveset (like Dante and Vergil) is going to be reflectivs of Marvel vs. Capcom, taking moves from her MvC2 appearance and Chris's appearance in 3 and Infinite. If you can't tell, she's based off of Resie 1 and 3. So no fancy gun moves or skin tight suits. Well, maybe for a super attack and alternate costume.
While not really specifically Iconic to PlayStation, Mega Man X did go there and stay there after the SNES, so i figured he would work here. Unlike Mega Man in Smash Bros, X actually knows how to punch people. However he will run and shoot if you move while hitting Square. He also uses Shotgun Ice, Electric Spark, Rolling Shield, Homing Torpedo, Boomerang Cutter, Storm Tornado, and Fire Wave for his Circle and Triangle Moves. Also, fun fact, X stole Ryu's Final Smashes for his level 2 super attack, and they work the exact same way.
To represent the Street Fighter series, and to be more unique than Smash, I chose M. Bison. Sense he's from a fighting game I don't really need to describe how he's play. He plays like M. Bison in PlayStation All-Stars. The same can be said of Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden, who will also be included here. She's Sofia. In PlayStation All-Stars. Moving on.
Kept you waiting, huh? Of course Metal Gear gets representation. Raiden returns from Battle Royale but with a better combo system more reminesant of his base game, as well as use of Blade Mode and Zandatsu. But he's not alone. Solid Snake also makes his All-Star debut. His appearance is based off of Old Snake. And his story centers on him suiting up one last time to answer a destress call from Raiden. He plays a bit like Smash, with his square attacks being CQC combos and his Circle moves being the weapons he uses in Smash. His Triangle attacks are a single shot of the tranquilizer gun with three shots before reload (Project M), and his directional triangle moves are all command grab CQC slams.
Representing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the iconic son of Dracula joins the battle. Alucard is a simple and nimble character. His square attacks use the Crissagrim, his triangle attacks are the sub-weapons from SotN, and his transformations are his circle moves.
Silent Hill's iconic monster Pyramidhead shambles into battle. He is extremely slow but has three hits of free super armor called Fear Factor which can be recharges (Aganos from Killer Instinct). His sword attacks are heavy and quick, but have very little combo potential. And he can even stun oponants with radio distortion.
Before the PSP dethroned it the PS1 was a JRPG machine. And one of the most iconic onces WAS.... Suikoden! Gotcha! But seriously, I saw this game on alot of best PS1 games lists and PS1 mini wish lists. So i figured it's protagonist Tir McDohl would fit here nicely. His main weapon is a bo staff and he is a powerful mage. (But sadly I don't have the time right now to play through it to find specific moves).
We need an injection of cuteness. How about Klonoa! His primary attack is picking up enemies to inflate them and then throw them at other enemies. This would transfer into his throw. His specials are his Wind Bullet, Boomerang, Beam Gnome, and Hammer. His triangle moves are him using Huepow like Kan-Ra uses bandages in Killer Instinct.
Dark Souls is an icon of video gaming, and sense FromSoftware developed Bloodborne i figured a Dark Souls rep would fit in here well. Artorias is probaly the most popular boss in the game, so.... His square moves combine his Light Stab, 2-hit Hurricane Swing, Slashing Combo and Somersault Slashing Comco. His triangle moves are his Slashing Dodge, Stabbing Charge, Gliding Slash, and Savage Leaping Strike. His circle moves all involve him using Darkness, with the Oozing darkness move as well as a couple original ones using the substance.
How would you like to play as Alice from Alice in Wonderland? If you answered yes then you've probably played American McGee's Alice. A twisted version of the Lewis Carrol classic. Alice is an athletic fighter who uses items to change her strengths and abilities. She can become Grasshopper Alice for a high jump, She can change size at will after bathing in a pool of Drink Me, and she can use her Butterfly dodge. She also can use a variaty of weapons. Including the Vorpal Blade, Playing Cards, a croquet mallet, Jacks, a blunderbuss, The Ice wand, demon dice, the Jackbomb, and the Jabberwock's eye staff.
Persona is iconic to the PlayStation, and Persona 5 is currently the best and most recognizable game in the series. So it's protagonist, Joker, makes an appearance here. He makes use of his knives and pistols, and the Persona Arsene. (I'm not very familiar with Persona. I think I'm talking about this right. Please don't kill me)
Yakuza is very much assosiated with modern PlayStaion. So let's get Kazuma Kiryu up here! Kazuma mainly makes use of his Brawler style with a sprinkling of Rush and Beast styles. Dojima no Ryu is reserved for a super move transformation.
Now we get to Final Fantasy. Specifically Final Fantasy VII. Yes. I know. But it's literally the most iconic FF game and a PS1 classic. You get both Cloud and Sephiroth. Cloud taking a bit from Smash and a bit from Dissidia. Sephiroth also takes from the Dissidia series. I was also thinking about including Noctis, but I'm starting to realise he's not as well loved and evergreen as I thought. Should I replace him? And if so, with what other Final Fantasy protagonist?
What's another iconic Square Enix PS1 game? Tomb Raider! Lara Croft should take inspiration primarily from the classic Tomb Raider series, and like Isaac Clarke, her normal square attacks are all shots from her pistols. Her special moves involve her climbing axes, torches, and Dirty Tricks.
Another cartoony PS1 platformer, Gex attacks with his tail, electric breath, and various weapons from the media dimension. I'm getting tired. Good thing we're near the end.
These three I'm just gonna say because I f you know who they are you know how they're gonna play. They need no explaining. Sora from Kingdom Hearts, Rayman, and Ezio from Assasin's Creed. You know why they're here and you know how hey'd play so NEXT.
Oddworld was once as iconic to the PS1 as Crash and Spyro, and Abe almost made it in the first one, so he should finally get his chance. He uses slapping, swarms of birds, gamespeak, mines and grenades, and possession.
Raz from Psychonauts is a bag of tricks character who can levitate, fire psi-blases, and use both pyrokinesis and telekinesis.
Croc is a simple character from a simple game who attacks by swinging his tail and backpack, and throwing small furry creatures called Gobbos.
And finally we have Juan from Guacamelee. Thankfully from a combo heavy action game so you can just imagine for yourselves how he would play.
So there you have it. An 84 character roster full of PlayStation and Gaming icons. I also have a bunch of DLC Characters picked out. But I’d prefer to let this roster sit for a but before I reveal it. Now if you'll excuse me. I'm tired and need to go to bed. I literally finished writing this at 10:55pm
First a brief overview of the gameplay of the first one, and what alterations will be made. PlayStation All-Stars is, much like smash, a platform fighter in which iconic characters jump and battle around various themed stages. With a few key differences to make it distinct. First of all, is has 3 attack buttons and one jump button (instead of Smash’s redundant two of each). Second of all, instead of racking up damage to launch oponants off of the screen, your objective is to build up your super meter by keeping up high combos and staying un-hit, until you are ready to unleash one of your three super moves to kill your oponant. This offers a different kind of strategy from smash as every super for every character is quite different and needs to be considered when planning your strategy. Generally, your Level One super is easy to charge up but has a high chance of missing. Your level two generally involves some sort of transformation or timed attack that has a wide AOE. The Level 3 move takes the longest to charge and varies between ultra powerful attacks to screen nukes, but in the time, it takes to charge up you could get killed yourself. You also have items to use just like in smash, which range from status effects on your opponent (stunning, health leaching, movement speed alterations) to damage dealers that spawn orbs which ANYONE can pick up to increase their meter. It’s very different from Smash and I think it’s mostly fine the way it is. The only thing that really needs to be changed is… more things to do in the game. More characters to pick, more items to use, more stages to fight on. That’s where the roster comes in.
Starting out, I’m going to go franchise by franchise detailing the characters I picked and how I see them playing. And I’m not cutting ANYONE from the first game. There’s only like 20 to begin with and I think my additions will more than make up for a few of them. Some will get gameplay revisions which I will detail. Each character will also have story elements which I will try to detail as I can.
We begin with the God of War series and its head honcho, Kratos. His appearance in the last game was Pre-PS4 and based around his moves from those games. I didn’t want to lose this, but I also wanted to recognize the new installment. My solution is to combine them. The narrative goes that Kratos is hunting with Atreus when a strange magic comes over him as they fight a group of monsters. A familiar magic. He realizes that when he equips his Blades of Chaos, he can mysteriously use all of his discarded Olympian weapons. He sets off with Atreus to the Stadium to find the source of this power and destroy it, lest a familiar evil rise again. His square moves (neutrals) would revolve around his leviathan axe. His triangle moves (speed of a normal attack but with something other than the main weapon) are him calling for attacks from Atreus and his bow, but this isn’t like Ice Climbers and the two cannot be KO’d separately. His circle moves (specials) are his gauntlet powers, while his down special switches his weapon to the Blades of Chaos. In this state he plays exactly like the first game but without his down special counter.
Also from the God of War series we have a returning Zeus. After an accidental synchronization of the Time Station from Ape Escape and the Time Twister from Crash Bandicoot, many universes began to synchronize. This included Zeus’s soul being transported from Hades to Calypso’s Hell. Teaming up with the mad devil, the two plan to resurrect the Polygon Man and claim the power he can give for themselves. (Yes, this game will have a cinematic Story Mode). Zeus’s playstyle remains unchanged from the first game (aside from balance adjustments). He’s basically the way we all wish Ganondorf played in smash.
Moving from the super serious to the super cute, we come to the NanaOn-Sha series of rhythm games which includes Parappa the Rapper and UmJammer Lammy. Parappa was in the first game and remains unchanged. And his design philosophy translates over to how Lammy will be designed as a newcomer. Her Square attacks being with her fists, her triangle attacks using her rollerblades, and her circle attacks using her guitar both by using it as a melee weapon and shredding to create soundwaves which stun. The characters from this series will also now have an actual flat design style more remiscant of the source game, as opposed to the 2.5D look they tried in the original crossover.
I’m going to get a ton of one off characters out of the way right here while I’m at it. Characters who are returning from the first one, are the only representation of their game, and will largely remain unchanged. These Characters include Fat Princess, Colonel Radec (Killzone), Nariko (Heavenly Sword), Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Toro Inoue, Kat and Dusty (Gravity Rush), Emmet Graves (Starhawk), Big Daddy (BioShock), Heihachi Mishima (Tekken), Isaac Clarke (Dead Space). I think they’re fine the way they are and will just get them out of the way here.
Moving on to the Twisted Metal series, we start with the returning Sweet Tooth. He still plays mostly the same as the first game, but with a fire effect added to most of his melee attacks. This is because of what has happened to him sense we saw the menacing clown. Spoiler Alert for the end of the most recent Twisted Metal. When Sweet Tooth won the tournament and wished for Calypso to teleport him to his lost daughter (so he could kill her), he wound up trapped underground. In her coffin. Because she was already dead. This allowed Calypso to claim Needles’ soul and he has been made into Calypso’s enforcer so to speak. Keeping the other souls in Hell in line and getting to torture them. He still prefers to fight and kill the way he did when he was alive, but this hellfire is so useful.
Calypso also makes his playable debut. His design philosophy is very similar to Dr. Fate in the Injustice series. He never actually touches the oponant while fighting. Even his neutral moves are a swipe of demonic energy. He generally is a zoning/keep away character with teleports and special status effect attacks thanks to his magic.
Moving on to the Sly Cooper series, of course the master thief returns, with a bit of a rework from the previous game. His non-directional Triangle move has been changed from a counter to him throwing an explosive or planting it on an oponant if close enough. His counter has been changed to the down Triangle move. It improves the flow of the gameplay. New from the Sly series we also have Inspector Carmelita Fox. Carmelita uses her shock pistol in her gameplay and is very adept at it. Working close range blasts into her Square combos. Her triangle moves are all about maneuverability, dashing and in the direction the stick is tilted. Her special moves are her special ammo types from Thieves in Time; Auto, Charge, Stun, and Triple.
Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series returns and retains his gunplay focused combat. His zipline attack will be changed to a dodge/counter ability. We also have a newcomer. One of two “Ice Climbers” styled characters. The Duo of Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross based on their appearance from Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Your primary control if of Chloe, who makes use of quickfire gunplay and her grappling hook. Your secondary control is of Nadine whose attacks are more melee and knife focused. To play them affectively to need to effectively place them on the stage and combo between different moves from both characters.
inFamous’s Cole MacGrath is another character with a pretty big change from the last installment. If you played that game, you know that Cole and is Evil self were two separate characters. Their neutral, triangle, and even super attacks were basically identical. The primary differences between the two were their circle attacks and their level 3 super moves. In order to fix this bit of redundancy, Cole has been given a Zelda/Sheik style transform move in he form of Karma Switch (replacing both characters original down circle). Switch between the two to compensate for the shortcomings of both Good and Evil Cole.
In addition to the new version of Cole, we also get Fetch. Who was the protagonist of inFamous: First Light. Her special powers allowed her to control Neon, which she uses to fire neon beams and small consecutive blasts. She can send out a blast of Neon Wind to put enemies in stasis, and fire multiple simultaneous Neon rockets. If her oponant gets too close she can use her Neon Sheild as a counter attack. Her fast punches and kicks are powered by her energy, and she can change into neon to move at superhuman speeds. She is also able to generate a singularity which draws enemies in before exploding.
The Ratchet and Clank series featured the second largest amount of characters playable, totaling three. Ratchet and Clank themselves return from the last game, alongside newcomers Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious. Qwark combines his superhuman strength with his Crouching Kitten style martial arts. As well as his laser blaster, twin Combusters, Tornado Launcher, Agents of Doom (small androids dispensed by the Glove of Doom), and Groovitrons (a weapon that forces people to dance, prepare for PlayStation All-Stars dancing animations!). Dr. Nefarious has great agility and energy powers. He can perform powerful flips and jumps, raise energy walls, rain down rainbow energy strikes, and lob explosive energy balls. He can also fly with his booster jets on his feet.
Jak and Daxter make a return alongside their longtime friend and ally Keira Hagai. As a sage of Light Eco, Keira is a Zelda-esque mage character who can channel it into enhanced melee attacks, create Light Eco crystals, creates damaging Eco clouds, and syphon it from other foes on the battlefield (think Robin).
The MediEvil series gets ample representation with the Returning Sir Daniel Fortesque as well as his arch enemy, the evil wizard Zarok. Sir Daniel has been given extra speed and a few changed moves. He now always carried his shield, and his shield summon move has been replaced with his arm boomerang. His sword attacks are also faster and can combo into a full 360-degree spin. Zarok uses his trident for his basic melee attacks and uses magic spells to fire magic blasts, spew acid, steel enemy power, generate a story, and summon zombies and animate objects to assist him in battle.
Often considered the Mario 64 of the PS1, Ape Escape representation returns with its returning protagonist Spike and series villain Specter. Specter attacks with his lance and psychic abilities. He can create psychic blasts, and false versions of himself which attack enemies. He can create energy blasts similar to nuclear detonation and psychic energy shields. Specter mishandling the game’s Time Machine is also part of the catalyst for these game worlds coming together.
Moving on to new characters, we start out with Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy uses her bow on triangle with various types of arrows (Fire, Tear blast, corruption, freeze, and shock). Her neutral circle allows her to switch between them Shulk style. Her neutral attacks use her spear, and her specials also allow her to use her Tripcaster to create tripwire traps and her Ropecaster to temporarily snare enemies. The Tripcaster also inherits the elemental properties of the arrows.
Two representatives of the Bloodborne series also appear. I know the first idea would be a generic Hunter, but instead I decided to go with two specific characters from the game. Eileen the Crow uses the Dual wielding skill with her Blade of Mercy and inherits many of the gameplay aspects available to the player. She also has a single shot pistol attack and can both Counter Shot and Backstab. We also get the fan favorite boss character Lady Maria. Maria uses the Rakuyo and a gun, using the game’s transform mechanic to change specific melee moves. She can stab herself to temporarily enhance her own attacks, and siphon energy from other foes. This doesn’t result in increased health or super meter, but instead temporarily powers he up with fire.
Lets go into a semi-lightning round for a bit.
- Knack gets more powerful the more you play. The more super meter he accumulates the more mass he gains. His moves gaining physical power as he charges up but loosing a bit of speed as he grows. Knack can also cover himself in Ice, Metal, and Wood for different movement and attack stats, and use magic energy to unleash tornado attacks, shockwaves, and projectile attacks.
- Dart Feld appears from The Legend of Dragoon, using his Claymore sword and fire elemental abilities. Double Slash. Volcano. And Burning Rush.
- Ico and Yorda from the critically acclaimed PS2 game join the battle. Ico attacks enemies with his stick. And Yorda helps him jump onto high platforms on the stage. Ico can grab onto Yorda’s hand to guide her around oponants but be careful. If you leave her alone too long, she can be Kos, leaving you partially defenseless.
- Wander from Shadow of the Colossus is the game’s base swordfighter. He has many fancy tricks learned from his battles with the Colossi and he can call his horse Argo for assistance. (Think Marth with the Wario Bike)
- The second duo character is Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us. Joel can pick one use melee weapons from his back pack (bats and pipes) and fire long and short-range firearms Ellie mainly attacks using her bow and can throw bottles and bricks.
- Gabe Logan from the Syphon Filter series is a weapon master character who uses various rifles, handguns, and grenades. As well as a knife and a taser.
- Captain Blasto is a heavy weight character who makes use of his laser pistol, heat seeker, ice gun, and flamethrower.
- From the Resistance series, we have the series villain Daedalus controlling the body of a Chimera Hybrid. The hybrid uses his Bullseye gun and Hedgehog grenade; and Daedalus can summon other types of Chimeras for special moves. The Leaper, The Burrower, The Widowmaker, and the Leach.
- Bet you didn’t know Q*Bert was a first party Sony character, did you? Q*Bert can shoot balls from his nose and suck up enemies to stick them to his nose and throw them.
- Sofia de la Rente, the Feisar pilot from the original WipeOut, uses handheld versions of the Power-Ups common on the WipeOut racetracks. She can fire unguided rockets, a plasma bolt, create a miniature earthquake, drop a trail of mines, and reflect other attacks back at the oponant.
- Iota and Atoi from Tearaway share a character slot (Olimar and Alph). They both can roll into a ball, ride on a pig, use the Squeeze Box to blow away enemies, and stun them with the Guiding Light.
- Kutaro from Puppeteer uses his magical scissors, the Calibrus, in his attacks. As they were mainly used for environmental manipulation in his source game, his attacks with them are mostly original.
First up we have the Crash Bandicoot franchise. Crash takes the place as the game’s Mario. An easy to use middle of the road character that should be your first pick when playing. His Square and Triangle moves are martial arts moves borrowed from the Titans games, as well as his yo-yo. His Circle moves are his powerups and gadgets from Crash 2 and 3. The Belly Flop, the jetpack, the Fruit Bazooka, and the Classic Spin Attack. His Sister Coco also functions as an alternate costume. We also pick THREE of Crash’s iconic villains. Dr. Neo Cortex fires balls of energy from his pistol that can be chained together like his first boss fight. As well as moving across the stage in set patterns. He can board his hoverboard for enhanced speed and better jumping, place mines like in Crash 3, and use his staff attack from Skylanders: Imaginations. Dingodile moves fairly slowly, and his large flamethrower has amazing reach. His claws and teeth make for extremely effective tools if your enemy gets close. He can fire straight blasts and arcing fireballs, create fiery explosions to launch into the air, and surround himself in a flame tornado. Finally, we have Dr. N. Tropy. Tropy has a projectile which traps enemies in Witch Time, shoot fireballs and energy waves across the stage, and teleport.
Just as important to the PS1 is Spyro the Dragon. I tried to have representation from all across the multiple versions of Spyro, as I know each one has its fan (I LOVE The Legend of Spyro, fight me). But the iconic purple dragon himself uses his design from the original trilogy… Mostly. Spyro’s melee attacks are his Dragon Kata martial arts from the spin off RPG Shadow Legacy and the Legends Series. His Triangle moves are where his flame moves come from. The Classic Flame, The Super Fireball, The Comet Dash, and a circle of flame (ever flamed while spinning in a circle? It’s awesome!) His charge attack is mapped to the Circle button. As well as a ground pound head-butt and flight. He can also knock enemies into the air for areal combos. Also representing the classic series is Hunter the Cheetah, who obviously makes use of his bow and arrow, as well as his claws and handglide. His supers utilize the various vehicles from Spyro 2 and 3.
Cynder is our chosen rep for The Legend of Spyro and utilizes a similar string of normal Square moves as her purple love interest. Her Triangle and Circle moves are each an elemental attack from Dawn of the Dragon, Triangle being melee attacks and Circle being projectiles. Scorpion strike, Phantom Fright, Twister, and Shadow Strike are on Triangle. While Venom Spit, Siren Scream, Cyclone, and Shadow Fire are on Circle. Finally, what better way to represent the Skylanders series than with the character Portal Master (yes, it’s a rip-off of Pokémon Trainer. Shush). The character makes use of Stealth Elf, Eruptor, and Trigger Happy, and you can switch between them using down circle. Stealth Elf uses her blades for her normals, acrobatics for her triangle moves, and Poison spears and Shadowsbane Blade Dance are on circle. Eruptor swings his magma ball hands like clubs, lobs and spits balls of lava, and… well, erupt. Finally Trigger Happy’s normals are single shots from his golden pistols. He can throw a golden safe, fire a charge shot, and use a golden machine gun.
Coming up next is Ignatius Blackward from Nightmare Creatures (your welcome Caddicarus). He uses his bladed staff for his normal attacks. As well as pistols, mines, fire bombs, and magic spells.
Another icon of modern PlayStation is Red Dead Redemption. So how about including John Marston. Withe Arthur Morgan from 2 as an alt costume. He’s a cowboy gunslinger so his play style is pretty obvious.
Dante returns with a major rework. He uses his design from Devil May Cry 5 and his gameplay is now more reflective of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Fear not though, Dante can wear the costumes from all his previous games, including DmC. The same can be said for his brother Vergil, who also has a moveset reflective of MvC.
Who better to reprisent Resident Evil than Jill Valentine. It's totally not just because she's my favorite Resie character. What are you talking about? She's Iconic! Anyway. Her moveset (like Dante and Vergil) is going to be reflectivs of Marvel vs. Capcom, taking moves from her MvC2 appearance and Chris's appearance in 3 and Infinite. If you can't tell, she's based off of Resie 1 and 3. So no fancy gun moves or skin tight suits. Well, maybe for a super attack and alternate costume.
While not really specifically Iconic to PlayStation, Mega Man X did go there and stay there after the SNES, so i figured he would work here. Unlike Mega Man in Smash Bros, X actually knows how to punch people. However he will run and shoot if you move while hitting Square. He also uses Shotgun Ice, Electric Spark, Rolling Shield, Homing Torpedo, Boomerang Cutter, Storm Tornado, and Fire Wave for his Circle and Triangle Moves. Also, fun fact, X stole Ryu's Final Smashes for his level 2 super attack, and they work the exact same way.
To represent the Street Fighter series, and to be more unique than Smash, I chose M. Bison. Sense he's from a fighting game I don't really need to describe how he's play. He plays like M. Bison in PlayStation All-Stars. The same can be said of Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden, who will also be included here. She's Sofia. In PlayStation All-Stars. Moving on.
Kept you waiting, huh? Of course Metal Gear gets representation. Raiden returns from Battle Royale but with a better combo system more reminesant of his base game, as well as use of Blade Mode and Zandatsu. But he's not alone. Solid Snake also makes his All-Star debut. His appearance is based off of Old Snake. And his story centers on him suiting up one last time to answer a destress call from Raiden. He plays a bit like Smash, with his square attacks being CQC combos and his Circle moves being the weapons he uses in Smash. His Triangle attacks are a single shot of the tranquilizer gun with three shots before reload (Project M), and his directional triangle moves are all command grab CQC slams.
Representing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the iconic son of Dracula joins the battle. Alucard is a simple and nimble character. His square attacks use the Crissagrim, his triangle attacks are the sub-weapons from SotN, and his transformations are his circle moves.
Silent Hill's iconic monster Pyramidhead shambles into battle. He is extremely slow but has three hits of free super armor called Fear Factor which can be recharges (Aganos from Killer Instinct). His sword attacks are heavy and quick, but have very little combo potential. And he can even stun oponants with radio distortion.
Before the PSP dethroned it the PS1 was a JRPG machine. And one of the most iconic onces WAS.... Suikoden! Gotcha! But seriously, I saw this game on alot of best PS1 games lists and PS1 mini wish lists. So i figured it's protagonist Tir McDohl would fit here nicely. His main weapon is a bo staff and he is a powerful mage. (But sadly I don't have the time right now to play through it to find specific moves).
We need an injection of cuteness. How about Klonoa! His primary attack is picking up enemies to inflate them and then throw them at other enemies. This would transfer into his throw. His specials are his Wind Bullet, Boomerang, Beam Gnome, and Hammer. His triangle moves are him using Huepow like Kan-Ra uses bandages in Killer Instinct.
Dark Souls is an icon of video gaming, and sense FromSoftware developed Bloodborne i figured a Dark Souls rep would fit in here well. Artorias is probaly the most popular boss in the game, so.... His square moves combine his Light Stab, 2-hit Hurricane Swing, Slashing Combo and Somersault Slashing Comco. His triangle moves are his Slashing Dodge, Stabbing Charge, Gliding Slash, and Savage Leaping Strike. His circle moves all involve him using Darkness, with the Oozing darkness move as well as a couple original ones using the substance.
How would you like to play as Alice from Alice in Wonderland? If you answered yes then you've probably played American McGee's Alice. A twisted version of the Lewis Carrol classic. Alice is an athletic fighter who uses items to change her strengths and abilities. She can become Grasshopper Alice for a high jump, She can change size at will after bathing in a pool of Drink Me, and she can use her Butterfly dodge. She also can use a variaty of weapons. Including the Vorpal Blade, Playing Cards, a croquet mallet, Jacks, a blunderbuss, The Ice wand, demon dice, the Jackbomb, and the Jabberwock's eye staff.
Persona is iconic to the PlayStation, and Persona 5 is currently the best and most recognizable game in the series. So it's protagonist, Joker, makes an appearance here. He makes use of his knives and pistols, and the Persona Arsene. (I'm not very familiar with Persona. I think I'm talking about this right. Please don't kill me)
Yakuza is very much assosiated with modern PlayStaion. So let's get Kazuma Kiryu up here! Kazuma mainly makes use of his Brawler style with a sprinkling of Rush and Beast styles. Dojima no Ryu is reserved for a super move transformation.
Now we get to Final Fantasy. Specifically Final Fantasy VII. Yes. I know. But it's literally the most iconic FF game and a PS1 classic. You get both Cloud and Sephiroth. Cloud taking a bit from Smash and a bit from Dissidia. Sephiroth also takes from the Dissidia series. I was also thinking about including Noctis, but I'm starting to realise he's not as well loved and evergreen as I thought. Should I replace him? And if so, with what other Final Fantasy protagonist?
What's another iconic Square Enix PS1 game? Tomb Raider! Lara Croft should take inspiration primarily from the classic Tomb Raider series, and like Isaac Clarke, her normal square attacks are all shots from her pistols. Her special moves involve her climbing axes, torches, and Dirty Tricks.
Another cartoony PS1 platformer, Gex attacks with his tail, electric breath, and various weapons from the media dimension. I'm getting tired. Good thing we're near the end.
These three I'm just gonna say because I f you know who they are you know how they're gonna play. They need no explaining. Sora from Kingdom Hearts, Rayman, and Ezio from Assasin's Creed. You know why they're here and you know how hey'd play so NEXT.
Oddworld was once as iconic to the PS1 as Crash and Spyro, and Abe almost made it in the first one, so he should finally get his chance. He uses slapping, swarms of birds, gamespeak, mines and grenades, and possession.
Raz from Psychonauts is a bag of tricks character who can levitate, fire psi-blases, and use both pyrokinesis and telekinesis.
Croc is a simple character from a simple game who attacks by swinging his tail and backpack, and throwing small furry creatures called Gobbos.
And finally we have Juan from Guacamelee. Thankfully from a combo heavy action game so you can just imagine for yourselves how he would play.
So there you have it. An 84 character roster full of PlayStation and Gaming icons. I also have a bunch of DLC Characters picked out. But I’d prefer to let this roster sit for a but before I reveal it. Now if you'll excuse me. I'm tired and need to go to bed. I literally finished writing this at 10:55pm
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