Marvel Rivals Could Inspire a Different Kind of PlayStation…

The rapid success of Marvel Rivals has proven that with great IPs must also come great gameplay, something which PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale fell short of achieving. Focusing too heavily on brand recognition to carry the game to success may have been the downfall of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

The ability to team up with a diverse cast of Marvel characters is Marvel Rivals’ primary hook, but what gives it real staying power is the execution of its game design, standing out as one of the best modern hero shooters. This is something PlayStation All-Stars could learn from. Where Marvel Rivals uses its characters to enhance gameplay, PlayStation All-Stars lacked the content and appeal offered by other major platform fighter series like Super Smash Bros. A sequel is not entirely ruled out, but to truly succeed, it may be a good decision to change genre and follow Marvel Rivals’ lead.

PlayStation All-Stars 2 Could Thrive If It Follows in the Footsteps of One Massively Successful Release

PlayStation All-Stars 2 has the chance to be one of the biggest fighting games out there if it followed the lead of other successful titles.

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By Max Borman

PlayStation All-Stars Should Return as a Hero Shooter

Hero Shooters Are Bigger Than Ever

In recent years, the hero shooter has slowly become one of the most popular genres. This surge started with titles like Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch, with more recent additions including Deadlock, FragPunk, and Marvel Rivals. The future of the genre looked bleak due to the cancellation of Hyenas and Concord shutting down, but Marvel Rivals pushed the boundaries of hero shooters and breathed new life into the genre. Though the Sony-published Concord was short-lived, this doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t try again with a different franchise.

Much like Marvel Rivals, a PlayStation All-Stars hero shooter may have a competitive edge over others in the genre because of the power of its IPs. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s roster was the game’s main selling point, and since its initial release, PlayStation’s first-party catalog has expanded massively. A PlayStation All-Stars follow-up using PlayStation’s new IPs could set itself apart in the expanding hero shooter genre and live up to its title by including more beloved gaming all-stars.

The hero shooter genre may actually be a better fit for PlayStation’s characters. While it aimed to differentiate itself from Super Smash Bros. By leaning more into traditional fighting game mechanics, some of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s playable characters originated in shooters. Their skills were generally adapted well to fit a platform fighter moveset, but they would transition much more smoothly into a hero shooter.

PlayStation’s Perfect Opportunity To Revive Older IPs

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale celebrates the games of PlayStation’s past, collecting a varied cast of first-party characters, as well as guests who played a prominent role in PlayStation’s history. Recent reports claim that PlayStation plans on reviving its old IPs, and reintroducing them in a game gathering multiple gaming icons may be a great way to do this. This could help to reinvent some characters and give them another chance in the spotlight, giving new players a chance to learn about these older characters whilst acknowledging longtime fans who have patiently awaited their return.

A new PlayStation All-Stars game could benefit PlayStation in a similar way to Marvel Comics. Marvel Rivals frequently calls back to the comics, and in doing this, some players have started to take an interest in the source material. Marvel capitalized on this with a recent Marvel Unlimited promotion in Marvel Rivals, giving players a better opportunity to learn more about their favorite characters. If PlayStation is considering returning to its older properties, a hero shooter with the PlayStation All-Stars branding may be a good entry point.

Players may have already had a taste of this with 2024’s Game of the Year Astro Bot. The game is a love letter to PlayStation and a nostalgia trip for fans. Astro Bot is full of cameos, referencing everything from retro PlayStation originals like Ape Escape to modern third-party favorites like Persona 5. The game succeeded in celebrating PlayStation’s history, and a new PlayStation All-Stars could expand on this by giving these deep-cut franchises more focus.

PlayStation All Stars 2 Perfect Antagonist

Astro Bot Has Given a Hypothetical PlayStation All-Stars 2 The Perfect Antagonist

A mediocre final boss was just one of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s problems, but Astro Bot could give a sequel an easy fix.

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By Liam Ferguson

What A Hero Shooter PlayStation All-Stars Game Could Look Like

A follow-up to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale would likely freshen up its roster, adding representation from some of PlayStation’s more recent titles. Possible returning characters like Ratchet and Clank and Kratos would likely use their modern designs, but PlayStation now has many new additions to draw from. Aloy could lead a PlayStation All-Stars 2, and with the popularity of The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima, it's likely that the protagonists of these series would join the cast.

Another interesting character to include could even be Spider-Man. Insomniac’s Spider-Man games saw massive success, solidifying them as a staple PlayStation franchise. Because of Marvel Rivals’ Insomniac Spider-Man crossover, this could be the gateway to his inclusion in a potential PlayStation All-Stars hero shooter as well as Marvel Rivals.

Along with adding newer franchises to the game, a PlayStation All-Stars hero shooter should not overlook the classics. The original included iconic PS1 characters like PaRappa the Rapper and MediEvil’s Sir Daniel Fortesque, but it was missing some guest characters that were important to this era. Adding icons like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro in PlayStation All-Stars would give the game more fan service that the original was missing.

Though PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale borrowed some ideas from Super Smash Bros., it managed the crossover aspect in a unique way. As much as the playable roster represented many different franchises, PlayStation All-Stars’ stages were mashups of multiple series at once, taking the idea of crossovers even further. These included references to series that were not represented by the playable cast, such as Patapons attacking God of War’s Hades. A follow-up title should retain this, adding unique stage mechanics from multiple PlayStation titles.

PlayStation, wanting to revive its underutilized franchises, should not overlook PlayStation All-Stars. It’s deserving of its own revival, and would be a great way to show dedication to these revival plans by preparing players for which series will be revisited. PlayStation All-Stars has the potential to be a great hero shooter, and with the success of Marvel Rivals, now might be the perfect time for this to become a reality.

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