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PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale rebalanced in 'ultimate' update
PaRappa the Rapper now stands a greater chance of winning a fistfight with Kratos, as Sony has released a major update for its franchise crossover fighter PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale targeting character balance. The patch institutes more than 100 balance tweaks across its entire playable roster, ranging from frame adjustments to major gameplay additions. The game's throw system has been overhauled, players can now manually disengage timed super moves, and double-jumps can no longer be chained off of certain attacks and recovery animations, among other significant changes. Battle Royale's latest update also unlocks alternate costumes for add-on characters Isaac and Zeus. Both characters are included as part of "The Graveyard Pack," a DLC expansion on sale for $1.99 through April 24. [Video: Sony]
Former PS All-Stars devs form Dead Alien Cult, introduce Viking Ghost
Indie developer Dead Alien Cult introduced its first game on Steam's Greenlight service this week, Viking Ghost. The developer comprises four people, two of which are former PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale developers: Andrew Marquis and John Lawrence. Viking Ghost is listed as an "Arcade Action Adventure-Dual Stick Shooter-Dungeon Crawler-Rogue-Like-Lite" game with weapons, abilities and an experience point-based upgrade system. The developer cites the Zelda series, The Binding of Isaac and Spelunky among its inspirations for the game, which has eight locations and procedurally-generated levels that liven up every playthrough. Marquis and Lawrence's former developer Superbot parted ways with Sony in February 2013 before downsizing in April. [Image: Dead Alien Cult]
Superbot 'substantially' smaller after Sony split, working on new IP
Superbot, the developer behind PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, is a smaller studio following its split with Sony earlier this year, which saw the Culver City-based outfit make a number of positions redundant. Its next step is to work on a new property."We have substantially shrunk down our operations but are still going strong while we work on a new IP," director of operations David Yang told Edge.Superbot was formed in 2009 as Broodworks, a studio focusing on developing video games for Sony handhelds. The studio was later renamed Superbot Entertainment and made its debut with PlayStation All-Stars.
See Zeus, Isaac Clarke throw down in PlayStation All-Stars
Sony will release downloadable characters Zeus and Isaac Clarke for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale on March 19, along with a new stage that is a cross-over of MediEvil and The Unfinished Swan. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog from newly appointed Sony lead game designer Seth Killian, the stage will be free to play in online ranked matches, $1.99 to own.Both Zeus and Isaac are being offered gratis to those who purchase God of War: Ascension, available through an included voucher; or you can buy each combatant for $4.99 through PSN on March 19. Above, you can see Isaac battle back the madness – hop past the break if you want to see Zeus choke Sackboy.%Gallery-180147%
PSA: PlayStation All-Stars get Kat and Emmett Graves today, free for 2 weeks
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale gets an infusion of fresh blood today with the addition of two more classic Sony mascots. First up is Kat, star of last June's Gravity Rush. Next is Emmett Graves, grizzled protagonist of Starhawk, who comes to us all the way from last May.Okay, so maybe developer Superbot didn't dig too deep into the Sony library for these two, but the good news is that they're both completely free for the next two weeks. After that, they're $4.99 each.
Sony and Superbot part ways, Superbot 'excited' about its future
Sony and Superbot Entertainment, the developer behind PS3 and Vita brawler PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, are no longer an item. Sony confirms in a statement to Kotaku that its business relationship with Superbot is over:"Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that the working agreement with developer Superbot Entertainment has amicably ended. We have had a positive working relationship with this talented studio, and wish them the best of success in their next endeavor. PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale and the title's forthcoming DLC releases will continue to be fully supported by Santa Monica Studio."Superbot's director of operations David Yang provides a statement on the split, noting that the studio doesn't have plans to reduce its staff now, but that could change soon. "It is unlikely we can continue with our current work force for an extended period of time," Yang says. "We are still working things out and hope to continue on with as many of us as possible."Superbot's complete statement reads as follows:"Superbot Entertainment can confirm that the relationship with SCEA has ended on good terms. We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work on with Sony on Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and are extremely proud of the work we have done. Superbot Entertainment will continue working on projects that reflect our passion for games and our commitment to creating award winning titles. We are very excited about beginning the next chapter of our future and invite all of our fans and supporters to follow our journey."On January 25, Sony confirmed layoffs at Superbot and promised to support any future All-Stars DLC. A character pack for Battle Royale including Gravity Rush's Kat and Starhawk's Emmett Graves is due on February 12.
PS All-Stars dev SuperBot lays off unknown number of employees
Superbot Entertainment, the Sony-owned developer responsible for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, has suffered layoffs today, IGN reports."SCEA can confirm that SuperBot Entertainment did make a reduction in their workforce today," a Sony representative told IGN. "The studio and SCEA remain committed to supporting PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale post launch, including developing the title's forthcoming DLC releases in the coming months."Currently, the number of employees affected by the downsizing remains unknown, though we have reached out to both Sony and Superbot for more information about the situation and will update as details become available.Update: Sony has confirmed to us that layoffs have indeed hit Superbot, though no further information was given. Its full statement on the matter can be found after the break.
Kat, Emmett join PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Feb. 12
Gravity Rush's Kat and Starhawk's Emmett Graves will be joining the fray as PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's first DLC characters on February 12, Sony has announced. Both characters will be free for their first two weeks of availability, though their price point after the fact remains unknown.As we learned during their initial reveal last December, both characters make heavy usage of the abilities their own games are based on, with Kat (above) manipulating gravity and Emmett summoning mining equipment, as seen after the break. Both characters sport the same amenities as the original cast: extra costumes, full arcade stories and trial modes, etc.The previously announced Heavenly Sword/Wipeout stage has also been slated for February, though a specific release date or price was not provided. We're still holding out for a ship from Wipeout as a playable character.
PlayStation All-Stars adding Kat and Emmett Graves, plus Heavenly Sword/Wipeout level
SuperBot Entertainment showed off a new pair of fighters in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale at the Sony Santa Monica studio recently: Kat from Gravity Rush and Emmett Graves from Starhawk will be the first two DLC characters to join the fracas. The character pack containing both will be free for a limited time when it arrives sometime early next year.SuperBot's director Omar Kendall also premiered a brand new level for the game, combining the worlds of Heavenly Sword and Wipeout into a beautiful but precarious environment. The actual pricing (and release date) for the level hasn't yet been decided.While letting us play a little bit with each character, Kendall talked to us about the reaction to PlayStation All-Stars, why these two characters are the first to make the DLC cut, and what else SuperBot has planned.%Gallery-172572%
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale review: Smashing
Nintendo's presence looms large in the fledgling category of game mascot fighters. For years, the company has had a monopoly on the concept with its Smash Bros. series, essentially making it a genre of one. Sony may be the only other publisher with a large enough bench to support such a concept, and as a result PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale has been subject to many comparisons with Nintendo's beloved franchise (not all of them favorable).All-Stars certainly wears its influences on its sleeve, but thanks to some clever ideas, it also earns its keep. This isn't just a carbon copy, but a well-designed game that could go toe-to-toe with Nintendo's fighters.%Gallery-171477%
PS All-Stars Battle Royale live-action TV ad, the European take
This European TV ad for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is an interesting take on the live-action vid rolled out by Sony last month. The guy supposed to be Drake looks like the one person who didn't dress up at a Halloween party.
All-Stars Battle Royale ad sees PlayStation heroes fight in live action
When you think about it, this was a predictable step from the creators of last year's "Michael' commercial for PS3. After successfully expressing the thoughts of live-action PlayStation characters, this ad for PS All-Stars Battle Royale shows the time for talking is over. Maybe because the budget was blown on fancy special effects; Nolan North doesn't come cheap, you know.Though it doesn't quite match the brilliance of last year's ad, it's another imaginative and fun effort for what will hopefully be a game with similar qualities. On a side note, live-action ads seem to be the rage at the moment. Last week Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Halo 4 got their real on, and now All-Stars Battle Royale follows suit. If only Nintendo would join the club.
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale brings the party to iam8bit this week
Los Angeles' trendy video game art house iam8bit is hosting a one-night event for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, with the final release code playable for the first time in public. The event is dubbed the LA Beatdown, and it takes place on Wednesday, October 24 from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. at this location.LA Beatdown is completely free to enter and includes the following goodies: the game playable on a 25-foot widescreen; exclusive, one-time-print t-shirts and posters with art by Boneface for the first 500 attendees (check out the design above); a museum-style exhibit featuring characteristic items from each Battle Royale character; a photo stage with props from the game; and complimentary alcoholic beverages for those 21 and older. Vizzi food truck will be parked outside as well.Entrance is first-come, first-serve, so if you're in the LA area start planning for a thumpin' hump day now.
PlayStation All-Stars features writing by Ken Levine
The PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale team has been very careful to treat the game's many franchises with respect, said director Omar Kendall in an interview with Polygon. "We take this very seriously, and sometimes the IP holders know best, and obviously we want to present the characters in the best way for the developers and the fans," he said, after noting that Irrational creative director Ken Levine wrote the dialogue for the Big Daddy / Little Sister character. According to Kendall, Levine "wrote every line of script and dialogue" for the pair.The same care went into every character, with each studio getting "complete, 100 percent approval" on its characters, he said. That includes characters owned by Sony studios, like Nathan Drake, the star of Naughty Dog's Uncharted series.As for Levine's script, we're presuming it includes several instances of "Mr. Bubbles" and "MMMRRUUUNGGHHH!"
Rumor: Gravity Rush's Kat in PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale
There isn't a lot to go on with this latest PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale character rumor, but if we've learned anything from the last few, it's that we should probably pay attention to leaks and speculation.The above picture (full-sized and uncropped here) appears to show the PlayStation All-Stars character bio of Kat of Gravity Rush fame. The style is consistent with the official site's existing bios, but we were unable to locate Kat's bio ourselves through clever URL manipulations or otherwise. For now, we're keeping this in the "maybe" pile, but we'll also keep our ear to the ground and will update with any new information that surfaces.
Nariko and Fortesque confirmed for PlayStation All-Stars [update]
Two more characters have been announced as members of the PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale roster, both of which attach firmly to either side of the "deep cut" spectrum: Nariko of Heavenly Sword fame, and MediEvil's Sir Daniel Fortesque.As has been the case with the last few All-Stars character reveals, both Nariko and Fortesque were originally rumored a few weeks ago when files pulled from the beta found their way to neoGAF. Nariko's fighting style is described as "high risk, high reward" by designer Seth Killian in the video above, while Fortesque is said to be much slower and more methodical. Both characters, however, use weapons culled from the annals of their respective series' history.Update: The video originally embedded above, belonging to Gamespot, has been set to private. We have replaced the video with a mirror located here and have updated this post's source link to reflect that change.
PlayStation All-Stars public beta now accepting applications
The PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale public beta starts on September 11, lasting one week to September 18. Anyone interested in being a part of the frantic action can sign up on the PSN beta site right now.Players chosen will be notified via email, get a voucher code for the download on either PS3 or the PS Vita, and receive "test night information." Presumably, developer SuperBot will aim to test specific heroes, modes, or stages, so it'll direct players that way.If you don't make this early cut, you'll have to wait until the full game arrives on November 20.
Metal Gear's Raiden cutting into PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale roster [Update: Video]
Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid series is officially in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Lead game designer Seth Killian shows off Raiden in a video on Gamespot.Raiden's strength lies in one-on-one attacks and air combos, and his level 3 super involves trapping all of the other players under boxes for easy pickings. Characters in All-Stars generally have about two dozen moves, but with his combo chains, Raiden has three or four dozen, Killian says.We first heard rumblings about Raiden in All-Stars back in July, alongside a major character leak.Update: We've added the official trailer showing off Raiden's slick moves, just up there.
Shocker: Evil Cole McGrath is in PlayStation All-Stars
The latest "new" character to be revealed for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale is Evil Cole McGrath. Based on the trailer, he looks a lot like regular Cole McGrath, who also happens to be playable. The big difference: Evil Cole is eviler. Seriously, dude's a jerk.
Dante, Sackboy, Ratchet, Clank and Spike join PlayStation All-Stars' roster [Update: Now with trailers]
DmC's Dante, LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy, Ratchet and Clank's, well, Ratchet and Clank, and Ape Escape's Spike have just been revealed as playable characters in PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale during Sony's Gamescom press conference in Germany.All five four of these characters – Ratchet and Clank fight as one – were included in that leaked character roster we posted near the end of last month, which gives us hope that the other "unannounced" characters listed (Nariko, Raiden, Sir Daniel Fortesque, etc) may in fact be totes legit. The game will launch for PlayStation 3 and Vita in November, but people with both systems will only need to buy it once.Update: Trailers for each new character have been added beyond the veil.
