For years, rumors have persisted of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2. If such a game exists, these are the 10 characters we would like to see on the roster.
For years, rumors have persisted that Sony is working on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, a sequel to its Super Smash Bros.-like crossover fighting game. The latest rumors have pegged the game for an announcement at the upcoming PlayStation Experience event on December 9th, with a slew of new first- and third-party characters said to make up its roster.
Whether PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2 is announced at the PlayStation Experience or not remains to be seen. However, if such a game is in development, we would like to see these ten new characters added to the roster.
Nier: Automata was a surprise hit when it released earlier this year, selling over 2 million copies worldwide and earning widespread critical acclaim. Since launch, Nier: Automata protagonist 2B has received quite a bit of praise herself, thanks to her unique look and intriguing character development. It’s easy to see how 2B’s acrobatic fighting style would translate well to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, and the fact that Nier: Automata is console-exclusive to PlayStation 4 makes her an even better fit for the hypothetical game.
Out of all the PS4 exclusives that have launched in 2017, few have earned as much praise or attention as Horizon: Zero Dawn. The game’s impressive visuals and engaging open-world gameplay have seen it quickly become one of Sony’s most successful new IP this generation, but some credit for its success also has to be given to its engaging protagonist, Aloy. Seeing Aloy duke it out with other famous PlayStation brand characters would be a treat for fans, and could help tide them over until the inevitable Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 reveal.
The original PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale featured legendary treasure hunter Nathan Drake as a playable character, but the sequel could potentially swap Nate for Chloe Frazer. Now that Naughty Dog has wrapped up Nathan Drake’s story, the Uncharted franchise is focused on other characters, with Chloe given the starring role in the standalone Uncharted 4 expansion, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy has made Chloe even more popular than she was before, making her a strong candidate to represent Uncharted in a PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale sequel.
Final Fantasy 7 and its hero Cloud will be forever linked to the PlayStation brand. And with the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the horizon, it would make sense for Sony to forge a deal with Square Enix to include Cloud in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2. It wouldn’t even be the first time Cloud has appeared in a crossover fighting game, having previously fought Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Crash Bandicoot was once Sony’s mascot, with his games serving as the PS1’s flagship titles. Even so, the Crash Bandicoot series has been dormant for years; that is, until Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy launched last summer, earning strong reviews and successfully bringing the original trilogy to PS4. It’s clear by the response to Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy that fans are hungry for more Crash, and including him in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2 could be an excellent way to keep his comeback momentum going strong.
While technically two separate characters, if Joel and Ellie from The Last of Us join PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, we picture them functioning as a single unit, like the duos of Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank in the first game. Given the solemn, dark tones of The Last of Us, some fans may be shaking their head at the idea of adding Joel and Ellie to a crossover fighting game, but the first PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale had some moody characters its roster as well, including Isaac Clarke from Dead Space and the Big Daddy from BioShock.
With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The Witcher franchise has reached new heights, making protagonist Geralt of Rivia more popular than ever before. Geralt’s Witcher abilities could make him a particularly interesting addition to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2‘s roster of fighters, and could potentially draw in RPG gamers that would otherwise stay away from a crossover fighting game.
Like Cloud, the fact that Metal Gear Solid‘s Snake appeared in a Nintendo-themed crossover fighting game before the PlayStation equivalent is a little strange. With a potential PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, Sony can right that wrong, though one has to wonder which Snake would be in the game. Since Solid Snake was playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, perhaps a different take on the character could be used in PASBR2, like Naked Snake, Old Snake, or Metal Gear Solid 5‘s Big Boss.
Like the previously mentioned Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon was one of the original PlayStation’s mascots. And also like Crash, the Spyro the Dragon video game series has seen better days. Other studios failed to capture the same magic as Insomniac Games, and in recent years, the once-popular character has only been seen in the Skylanders franchise. Thanks to the success that was Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, there have been rumblings that Spyro the Dragon may get a similar treatment, and an excellent way to promote a remastered collection would be including him in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2.
Bloodborne stands out as one of the most critically-acclaimed games in the PS4’s early life, and a title that fans of the Dark Souls series may even consider a system-seller. Like Dark Souls, Bloodborne‘s “The Hunter” doesn’t have a defined personality, but his Gothic visual style and unique weaponry seem like they would do well in a crossover fighting game environment.
Besides the ten characters listed here, many other potential video game heroes seem like they would do well in a possible PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale sequel. One, in particular, is classic Dante, who is rumored to be making a comeback of his own at the PlayStation Experience as the star of Devil May Cry 5.
