Playstation All-Stars: Hunger Games (PS3)

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So Sony's putting out a Super Smash Bros. clone, and I mean that in the kindest way possible because I love me some Smash, but the reason Nintendo can pull that off is because they have so many iconic characters. Sony, not so much, and I think the roster they've already announced shows that: Kratos (of course), Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Mael Radec (Killzone 2, and also, seriously?), Fat Princess, PaRappa the Rapper.

Patapon and Ratchet and Clank assets will at least show up in levels, if not as fully-fledged characters.

A lot of great characters have appeared on the PS3 and in PS3-exclusives, but not a whole lot of those came from first party games. Let's be honest, all they need to do is tap Final Fantasy 7 and they'll sell a few million copies on launch day, and fans have already been asking for Old Snake. Personally I'd like to see some of Team ICO's characters on the roster. But when they announce a generic space marine from their flagship generic FPS, it sounds like they're already scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Secondly, Super Smash Bros. games are known to contain a ton of content, which is one of the reasons we only see one per generation. Maybe Battle Royale will too but so far I'm not really seeing it.

Guess we'll see more at E3, but at this point I can't help but wish they'd just tapped Capcom to make a new Power Stone game.

LobsterMobster wrote:

A lot of great characters have appeared on the PS3 and in PS3-exclusives, but not a whole lot of those came from first party games. Let's be honest, all they need to do is tap Final Fantasy 7 and they'll sell a few million copies on launch day, and fans have already been asking for Old Snake. Personally I'd like to see some of Team ICO's characters on the roster. But when they announce a generic space marine from their flagship generic FPS, it sounds like they're already scraping the bottom of the barrel.

You'd think after the Michael ad that's what they would've done.

So is this going to be another E3 where we don't get any real surprises because all the announcements happen in May?

I'm cautiously hopeful just because I love Smash Bros so much and know there won't be another one of those for quite a while. The Sony roster isn't nearly as iconic as Nintendo, surely, but I think it's still a little better than you give it credit for. They have a pretty large library of potentially interesting characters, especially since it's been hinted that 3rd party characters will likely make an appearance also.

As you mentioned, my biggest concern is sheer breadth of content. The Smash Bros. games are completely overloaded with characters, stages, amazingly orchestrated music, and unlocks to keep players interested for ages. If Sony comes in with a 12 character roster, 8 items, and 10 stages, that's just not gonna cut it. If nothing else, this is a chance to play a Smash Bros style game with proper online multiplayer. That alone has me excited. I hope it's good.

There's no reason to expect any Final Fantasy characters to show up in this game. Square Enix has never licensed their characters out to anybody, and if they were to start now they're much more likely to go with a proven franchise, like Smash Bros, than a brand new attempt from Sony. Square also already has a lot of effort put into the Dissidia series, so I think it far more likely that they'll push forward on that.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Mael Radec (Killzone 2, and also, seriously?)

This part made me do a double take, and not for good reasons. Why announce this game with this guy and Fat Princess? Why not start with stronger names like Nathan Drake, Sackboy, Wander or Yorda?

Sony may not have the immediately recognizable names of Link, Mario, and Yoshi, but they do have a lot of big franchises to pull from. Cautious optimism is the name of the game for me at this moment.

ahrezmendi wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:

Mael Radec (Killzone 2, and also, seriously?)

This part made me do a double take, and not for good reasons. Why announce this game with this guy and Fat Princess? Why not start with stronger names like Nathan Drake, Sackboy, Wander or Yorda?

Sony may not have the immediately recognizable names of Link, Mario, and Yoshi, but they do have a lot of big franchises to pull from. Cautious optimism is the name of the game for me at this moment.

Actually I thought having the Fat Princess in there was a fresh and unexpected thing, if they actually want to have something to show off at E3 they have to keep the initial pool small. As far as having a Helghast in the game, it wouldn't surprise me too terribly much to see a Chimera in there as a character (or more likely as a stage theme) as being the iconic figures of each of their own games.

That said, my hopefuls include: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Sackboy, Dante, Nariko, Cole, Captain Quark, Jak, Pox, Sora or Riku, Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap(A longshot, I know), Alex Mercer, A Castle Crasher, A PixelJunk designed stage (specifically Eden), A thatgamecompany designed stage, Loco Roco designed stage, Wipeout or MODNation designed stage, and anything to do with Moogles.

The Playstation Blog had this video posted:

Game looks fun and could be well crafted. The only thing that bugs me is that guy in the interview making it sound like this is some revolutionary and original idea. Dude, it's a direct ripoff of Smash Bros. You don't have to admit that, but don't try to yap up your game like it's some brilliant idea. It's a great response to one of their competitors strongest franchises, nothing more or less.

Farscry wrote:

The only thing that bugs me is that guy in the interview making it sound like this is some revolutionary and original idea.

This is Sony we're talking about here. I seem to recall they went well out of their way to try and make the Move not look like a Wii knockoff.

Farscry wrote:

Game looks fun and could be well crafted. The only thing that bugs me is that guy in the interview making it sound like this is some revolutionary and original idea. Dude, it's a direct ripoff of Smash Bros. You don't have to admit that, but don't try to yap up your game like it's some brilliant idea. It's a great response to one of their competitors strongest franchises, nothing more or less.

Yeah. My favorite quote.

"Parappa the Rapper. Not really a character that you really see do a lot of melee action."

No, good point. We haven't seen that.

ahrezmendi wrote:

Why not start with stronger names like Nathan Drake, Sackboy, Wander or Yorda?

Sackboy, sure, but I don't think Sony owns those other IPs. Same with Snake (who was already in Smash Bros.) and Cole.

I have a couple closed beta invites that come with a 30 day PS+ thing. I don't have a PS3, so...PM* me if you're interested.

*coffee grinders have coffee to grind

Edit: One left!

So since the kindly PS+ fairies (thank you, i38warhawk) left a PS+ key in my inbox and I love me some Smash Bros. I figured it would only be right of me to give this thing a shot. I have some impressions but before I get into that, anyone know if this thing's still under NDA?

LobsterMobster wrote:

So since the kindly PS+ fairies (thank you, i38warhawk) left a PS+ key in my inbox and I love me some Smash Bros. I figured it would only be right of me to give this thing a shot. I have some impressions but before I get into that, anyone know if this thing's still under NDA?

No idea, but spill! Im interested, but as a Smash Bros. fan, I have big time reservations about the emphasis on specials. It seems to make brute force offense the only viable strategy. It looks like there's no real penalty for getting hit. The game just looks very one dimensional in comparison.

Am I wrong? I'd love to be wrong about this.

I thought it felt really one dimensional.

As far as the NDA, this is an open beta so I doubt there's any restrictions.

I don't think you're wrong, Dyni. It does seem to be all about the specials, which are well done but render the rest of the game (you know, the fighting part) more or less irrelevant.

The controls are solid and the game's very pretty but it's no Smash Bros. It doesn't feel as tight and while I can appreciate the roster of more mature characters, they also tend to be more detailed and end up indistinct against the backgrounds.

I'm more of a "messing around with friends" kind of Smash Bros. player rather than a hardcore one, so I kind of like the random nonsense you get from items constantly raining down. I saw all of three items in All Stars: a pair of golden boots (no idea what they did), an RPG-7, and a dual-bladed purple crystal pike thing.

I think it'd be a good time if you had three friends to play with, but I'm no longer in college so I can't just go pound on a few doors and get a game together (my elderly neighbor is a total scrub). It's not a bad brawler but Sony characters are not Nintendo characters. With very few exceptions, they lack the iconic charm to draw players in. The latest Smash Bros. game gave us Sonic versus Mario. All-Stars gives us Killzone Guy versus Sly Cooper, and no one ever asked for that.

It has potential and it plays better than I was expecting but right now it's little more than a quirky 2D brawler. If it were $15 on PSN I'd totally buy it, but a $60 retail game? I think that's asking a bit much.

Watching the IGN Live stream confirmed my purchase. That, and a $20 voucher doesn't hurt. Loved the feel of the game in the beta. A mix of Smash Bros and a fighting game. As long as the game's stable online, I could see myself playing this for a very long time.

First DLC announced:

Kat from Gravity Rush, and Starhawk's Emmett Graves.

Seth Killian wrote:

We’re very happy to announce these first two DLC characters will be free to everyone for the first two weeks once they are available for download early next year.

That may sound a little tricky, so let me be clear: once Kat and Emmett are finished, we’ll put them up for download. They’ll be totally free for two weeks. The only limit is that you have a two-week window to claim the characters. Once you have Kat and Emmett, they are yours forever. That may sound like a lot to remember, so don’t worry, we’ll be back closer to their release to remind you of all these details.

Two great choices, I think. Kat has powers, so that's obvious. But Graves has versatility beyond his shooting with Starhawk's aerial drops.

So ... anybody else playing this? I played around with it a bit tonight. First, the tutorial was good at establishing the basics - I wish I had access to it during the beta tests. I played through the story with Big Daddy (aka Mr. Bubbles). While I did play it on the easiest level (helpfully called "Hero") it was fun and the final boss wasn't a cheap PIA. As you play, you unlock stuff, and there is a LOT of stuff to unlock. It appears to be all cosmetic. Finally, the level designs were quite cool, since they are mash-ups of two two different games, such as Loco Roco and Metal Gear Solid (I think). I hope to get some multiplayer going with my kids the next few days.

I think I'll pick it up first good sale I see. Anyone know if you'll be able to pick up Kat and Starhawk before you buy the game?

I have the game. Just haven't gotten to it with Persona 4 out. I plan on playing it soon, though.

I am interested in this, but might wait for a sale. I enjoyed what I played of the beta, thought I had trouble figuring out the fighting system.

Besides the lack of presentation beyond the gameplay, I'm digging it. Oh, and I think their matchmaking is terrible, but I would hope that's just growing pains and something to be easily addressed. The characters that don't have fast melee attacks are definitely the toughest to play. I thought I was doing fairly well with Sweet Tooth, completing Arcade in both higher difficulties, but as soon as I got online I was given a heaping helping of humble pie. This is a game that I'm either going to take the time to get good at by playing online, or just play SP and with friends. Understanding blocking and the rhythm of moves seems essential.

If I'm not your PSN friend, add me already! Really looking forward to friendly match as currently 2v2 and 1v1 is only available that way. Which is bat sh*t insane.

Ahrezmendi, turn your notifications on! How else are we to play together? Don't be selfish!

The kids enjoyed beating the crap out of each other. I found my knowledge of game trivia challenged as well ("Why is there an evil Cole?", "Who's the guy in the mask?", "Why is the princess fat?").

I tried getting my Vita working with it, so we could have 4 controllers, but to no avail. I'm guessing you can't do cross play unless you are on different accounts with the PS3 and the Vita, and then connect via Wifi.

Any cross-buy owners may want to know how to cloud save, but they unfortunately don't provide that info. Either on the Vita, or PS3, go to Tournament>Rankings>Leaderboards>Friends tab. That will usually do it, but I've found times when it hasn't worked, and had to redo it until it worked.

Patch incoming:

A new item, Medusa’s Gaze, has been added to the game
View Invites has been added to the Party Bar Menu
Voice chat icon added to loading screens
AI logic enhancements
Network performance improvements
Issue where players were stuck with a different character than the one picked has been addressed
Issue with matchmaking in regards to player skill has been addressed
Overall improvements to network connectivity
Sackboy changes
Level 1 Super - Increase cost from 100 to 150 AP
Level 2 Super - Increase cost from 325 to 400 AP
Level 3 Super - Increase cost from 600 to 750 AP
Jam Session (Neutral Triangle) - Reduced AP generation from 25 down to 10 AP
Cakeinator (Neutral Circle) - Reduced AP generation from 25 down to 20 AP

I've mostly been playing this with my three kids. This afternoon I was at Frys with two of my kids, and I ended up walking down the PS aisle pointing out the different characters and scenes that come up in the game.

I've got Raptr installed, and when I can, I like to look at my friends list and see if anyone's playing. I saw Ahrez on last night, but was just too tired at that point, and wanted to finish my dungeon run in P4G. How many are open to a game later tonight?

It was fun to play with you Cyrax and Ahrezmendi! We should get voice chat going next time.

I really need to spend some time learning moves for everyone. I've only done a handful of the story missions so far! Kratos and Raiden seem to be my best guys of the ones I've tried.

Yeah, good times despite the childish voice chat. We were also paired up with a team of Rackets that were abusing quite a potent combo of the mid-range gun followed by super 1. I would play the game more, but the lack of save during SP really kills my engagement. Especially on the Vita, I don't want to commit 15-30 minutes on one mode with one character. Respect my time, developers! Why are save states so hard?

At least on the Vita you can shut it off and come back to it.

Aristophan wrote:

At least on the Vita you can shut it off and come back to it.

Sure, but my point is that I have to finish my current session, or wipe my progress. Incredibly unideal for mobile devices, and imo just short-sighted game design without reason to prohibit the player to continue their progress at another time. It's just a bunch of arbitrary, arcadey fights. It's not like I'm playing survival horror, or any action title, where I need to overcome challenges to get a save.

I blame you, Cyrax, for making me have to replay 3 levels of Drake's story I thought it might save....but... -_-

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