A Dozen Reasons why PlayStation All-Stars isn't a Smash Bros. Rip Off
Everyone knows about Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers game franchise, even if they are not fans of the games Nintendo puts out. It was a novel idea at the time, “Hey! Let’s take the established characters that our fans know and love and have them beat the crap out of each other!” Though it did not originally feature these Nintendo icons, it is safe to say that their inclusion played a huge part in the franchise’s success.
When Sony announced their take on what I am choosing to call the “arena fighter” genre, many gamers were quick to say that it was just a rip off of Smash Bros. However, there have been multiple other games that follow this format including Power Stone, Jump Super Stars, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash up just to name a few. It's clear that Nintendo doesn’t “own” this style of game.
So how exactly is All-Stars different from Smash Bros.?
- There are multiple moves for each direction-button combo giving more options to deal damage as opposed to the standard attacks that we have become accustomed to.
- While the stages in Smash Bros. strive to take you into each of the Nintendo worlds, each stage in All-Stars is well thought out and carefully crafted to blend two franchises together.
- In Brawl, Final Smashes were introduced and are an optional super move that relies on players obtaining a Smash Ball. In All-Stars, each character's super moves are innate and are one of the most important factors of the gameplay.
- From what has been playable, you are only able to get kill points for defeating your opponents with your various super moves.
- Though it has its fair share of cartoonish and silly characters, All-Stars overall has a more serious tone.
- Items play a much smaller role in All-Stars
- All-Stars has no "clone characters". Even the characters Cole and Evil Cole both have unique gameplay styles and moves that make them two separate and distinct characters.
- Having All-Stars on the Vita as well as the PS3 allows for players to play on the go. Not to mention, you get the Vita version free (digitally) if you buy the PS3 version.
- Some of the character's moves in All-Stars are support based as opposed to damage dealing, this greatly changes the style in which team combat is played.
- Smash Bros. has a lot of characters with projectile attacks, but god damn, All-Stars has guns all over the place.
- Sony promises DLC characters, costumes, and patches for All-Stars therefore, it has a much greater digital presence than Smash Bros. which ultimately is a finished product, balance issues and all.
- THERE IS NO FUCKING TRIPPING!
I have personally played All-Stars and I am also a huge Smash Bros. fan. In my opinion, it is a fresh take on the familiar formula. It has a unique feel and charm, but this might not be up the alley of some Smash addicts. Regardless, I say that if you are a fan of arena fighters then go do yourself a favor and pick it up when it hits store shelves November 20th – 23rd.
» Tagged In: #All-Stars, #Arena Fighter, #battle royale, #Drake McWhorter, #Super Smash Bros. PlayStation
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g1 DISCUSSIONS
darkhyrulelord
Hmmm....interesting reasons. Perhaps I might review it later and see how different it is myself. Thanks Drake!
Sun-Wukong
More serious tone? Did you play through the Subspace Emissary? I'm not saying that it's even a factor in one or the other being a superior game, but come on.
NickP
Your list is okay, and you make some pretty good points.
However, I actually prefer Smash Bros. over PSA. Here's my list explaining why:
12 REASONS I'M NOT IMPRESSED WITH PSABR!
1) I don't like the fact that the only way you can get kills in PSA is by using super moves. You can only fill the meter by attacking other players, but you'll probably spend most of your time being juggled, so that's not going to happen unless you're lucky.
2) Either gravity is barely existent in PSA, or all the characters are filled with helium. One hit will send you flying all over the place. This can be especially frustrating, as you can not fill your super meter while being tossed around.
3) Some characters are particularly spammy (Radec, Kratos), and with such a high knockback rate, it's a little frustrating how easily they can keep you from playing at all. So remember kids; Kratos + Radec = Free Win.
4) Certain characters don't have basic abilities that everyone else does-- like the ability to dodge or block (*cough* Sly Cooper *cough*)
5) The game often picks characters for you to play, instead of just letting you pick your own character. This was a common problem during my playthrough of the demo.
6) Sometimes when you die, you won't respawn for several minutes, or at all.
7) Everything that was wrong with Brawl's Smash move system is here. You can even be super'd out of existence right after respawning (if you respawn at all).
8) The demo wasn't very impressive, and didn't make me excited for the game's release.. It had only 1 game mode, 2 stages, 2 items, and 6 chara- Y'know what? No. There were only 2 characters available to play, or rather, worth playing-- Radec and Kratos. Those are the only 2 you will ever see online, unless you're lucky enough to witness the extremely rare PaRappa, or the occasional Sweet Tooth. It also has all the problems on this list so far.
9) Online mode will drop your signal, a lot.
10) Certain characters who hold a prominent place in Sony's history, and are all-stars in their own right (and deservedly so), are absent from the game. You know very well which two in particular I'm talking about.
11) Has some Iconic characters, like Sly, Sir Dan, and Kratos. However, I feel that some of them are either too new (like Cole/Evil Cole), or obscure to be considered an icon. I realize that, to some, this may not be the case, and they may even be familiar with characters like Tomo Inoue-- who I only just saw in a trailer recently. This also applies to Polygon man-- if he was ever a mascot for the PS1, I never saw him or heard of him.
12) Certain characters don't look quite right. Heihachi and Dante, to be specific. Heihachi is too young, in my opinion. I have always seen him as an old man in the Tekken games. A dangerous old man, with a goofy clown haircut, and the ability to eat metal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSr4ZyNuzog (fast forward to about 0:45)
See? That's what he supposed to look like.
And, Dante... Dante is just plain wrong... (I'll stop here to avoid ranting about how I don't like the Reboot/Prequel they're going to do for DmC. I really don't like it.)
Also, I wrote a blog about the demo for the PSA demo. You should check it out.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/playstation-all-stars-demo-my-thoughts
DRQ
i like ur points but disliking a game for beta flaws is not a reason for disliking them (wise words of wisdome :P). and for the 2 characters u miss. i think u meant spyro and crash. well they both began at sony there now owned by activision. and because activision has a better conection with microsoft it maybe not possible for sony to get rights for those 2
NickP
First off, I don't dislike it just because the demo has flaws. Demos always have some flaws, and they usually get fixed before the game comes out. What I really dislike here is the way the game plays.
For example, I don't like how Kratos and Radec are broken, or that Sly Cooper lacks the ability to dodge/block, or the way Heihachi and Dante look, or that the game has gravity that is less than or equal to the friggin' moon, or the fact that the developers will most likely fix none of that in the final product.
I think you get the point.
Secondly, yes. I was referring to Crash and Spyro-- they are the most requested characters from what I've read. It just seems negligible not to include them when they are a vital piece of Sony's history.
Third, I appreciate your wisdom and all, but with the way this game is, I'm really not impressed. The demo didn't "wow" me, and I'm pretty sure the actual game won't either. In my opinion, everything this game does, Smash Bros. did not only first, but better too.
RADSheikah
My list to contradict your list 1.we have the exact same thing 2. We havemultiple stages with more opertunity and have to plan our characters based on stages 3.Th smash ball was and super move were invernted WAY before PSASBR was concived 4. we had that to WAY before! 5. TP Link TP Zelda TP Ganondorf SNAKE! 6. GUESS WHAT YOU CAN TURN THE ITEMS OFF *ahem* 7. the original didn't 8.WAY you before with the dual platform thing! in fact sony ripped that off! 9. and this helps your argument how? 10. your argument is invalid we are equals 11. You guys are now ripping off CAPCOM oh boy... 12. How does this help your argument but good point (MEELEE) 13. Sony even said this was their version of SSB!
Mcgunn
Honestly. To not call it a rip off is just wrong. It is obviously a rip off, a couple of details are different so that they don't get sued. With that said....IT"S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE STARTS RIPPING OFF NINTENDO! It'll be SSB with actual working online! Now to Rip off Zelda and Star Fox, and have actual current-gen capabilities put into these ideas.
And don't whine: Waah, the WiiU will look like Current Gen. No it won't. The GPU is just not that special. It's comparable to the current systems.....which launched 7 YEARS AGO. But soon current-gen will be re-defined by Sony and Microsoft. Think of Moore's Law...Computer power doubles every two years. PS4 and 720 will be 4 times as powerful as the Wii U, an even bigger gap than was left with the Wii. Everybody rip off Nintendo, and give the franchises hardware they deserve.
Player4
I wish it was a rip-off. It wouldn't suck if it was
Lizardguy
I don't have a PS3, but I wouldn't call this a ripoff. I mean, if this is a ripoff of SSB then you might as well call Half-life a ripoff of Doom. Just because one game is the first of its genre doesn't mean every game in the same genre is a ripoff.
RedPunk
SSB isn't actually the first!