PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale - 9 reasons we're excited for Sony's brawler

Get ready to smash

The long-rumored PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is not just a real thing, it's a real thing that's coming out really soon. In just a few weeks you'll be able to play the Smash Bros.-inspired brawler yourself, pitting the likes of Kratos against some of the most well-known non-Nintendo characters in the industry.

In preparation for the game's November release, we've put together the 9 reasons we're most excited for this awesome, HD fighter.

The roster is totally awesome

Might as well put the most obvious one first, right? PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's roster is fantastic, bringing God of War, Uncharted, and Killzone characters together with different icons from popular series like Metal Gear Solid and BioShock.

It's a nice mix of old and new, with Parappa being able to go head-to-head with Sly and Fat Princess. There are some... interesting choices... but by and large this roster is jam-packed with awesome.

And so are the levels

Though much of Sony's brawler is obviously inspired by Super Smash Bros., there's one are where it absolutely took things a mile further: The levels. Instead of simply slapping a stage together for each series, SuperBot Entertainment decided to mix and match franchises. That means BioShock Infinite blending with Uncharted, and Little Big Planet mixing together with Buzz! TV Quiz.

And it's not just the style, either--the events that occur in each stage are interesting, too, with Hades thrashing around and doing damage to the player as he's attacked by Patapon characters and golfers from Hot Shots Golf launching balls towards players in a level from Jak & Daxter.

Additional costumes go the extra mile

Forget about pallet swaps--PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's extra costumes are awesome. Sure, there are a few color changed characters here and there, but there are also totally different character models for every character, giving players the ability to change not just their character's hair style, but their overall look as well.

Some will be available as a pre-order bonus as well, changing Fat Princess into a pirate, Sly into Robin Hood, and the Big Daddy into a plushy toy. Seriously. So cool.

It might have some of the best single-screen multiplayer of the year

Single-screen multiplayer has died out over the past few years, leading to developers focusing on online experiences. Though PSASBR will have that as well, the real fun, we feel, will be in playing on one television with a few friends.

That's just something most games don't do well anymore. We're looking forward to buying a case of soda, ordering a few pizzas, and smashing our friends into oblivion as Sly Cooper. Does it get any better than that? We have deduced the answer to be, "no."

Cross-buy and cross-play will bring our Vita's back to life

We're fairly sure that the PS3 version of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is going to be better than the Vita iteration (mainly due to the controller), but, thanks to cross-buy and cross-play, we won't need to choose which to buy--we'll get both for the price of one. Buying the PS3 version unlocks it on the Vita as well, so everyone wins!

What's more, you'll be able to transfer your save between them seamlessly, and even play on the Vita against friends on the PS3. Sony might be a little slow in getting the Vita up and running, but stuff like this has us super pumped to carry our handheld with us everywhere.

We can't wait to see all of the Super Attacks in action

Where PSASBR diverges from others in the genre is with its Super Attacks. These powerful moves have the ability to one-shot-kill foes. In fact, that's the only way to defeat enemies, so it's super important to the gameplay.

We're on the fence about how they will effect the gameplay when it comes to competition, but we're less worried about one thing: How cool they look. Each character has three, and they're unique per fighter. Sweet Tooth jumps into a mech, Nathan Drake pushes over a column, and the Big Daddy floods the level. They're all huge and wonderful and we can't wait to see them all--it's going to be the modern-day equivalent of Mortal Kombat fatalities.

We'll finally be able to settle character rivalries

Nintendo let us solve the big questions with Smash Bros., where we were finally able to have Mario and Sonic battle until only one was remaining (it was Mario, BTW). PSASBR, though, will let us finally get to the other characters in gaming to see which is the best.

Is Kratos a better combatant than Raiden? Is the Big Daddy stronger than Sweet Tooth? We'll be able to definitively answer these questions, knowing once and for all which game characters are the best.

We're actually excited for DLC

Go ahead, sneer and bite your thumb--we don't care. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's roster might be awesome, but that doesn't mean we're content with it. We want more characters, nonstop, until our PS3 hard drive squeeks and screams under the strain. We want Connor from ACIII added, and other Sony characters patched in as new games are released.

In fact, it could even be roped into pre-order bonuses for other games. Imagine if buying the next Tomb Raider meant you got to play as Lara Croft? Or buying Dead Space gave you a code for Isaac Clarke? The possibilities are endless, and our money is ready.

It might make Nintendo speed up Smash Bros. production

Because, seriously, they're taking too long. Though others have tried and failed to make a true Smash Bros. competitor, PSASBR looks to be the first that even has a chance of making a dent. If this is the case, maybe Nintendo will actually hustle and get Smash Bros. out sooner than later.

Ah, who are we kidding, that thing is still years away.

Charge those controllers

And there's plenty we don't even know about the game yet. What modes will there be? Will there be a story? A singleplayer campaign? These are all things that could make the experience even greater, and we can't wait.

And if you want more information on character-driven brawlers, check out the complete PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale roster and our Smash Bros Wii U wish list.