While the execution could have been better, All-Stars is a passable counter to Nintendo's popular franchise.
One simple aspect All-Stars thankfully doesn't screw up is the character selection. Major Playstation exclusive characters you would hope to see make their appearance such as Drake, Sackboy, Cole (including his evil counterpart), and Kratos to name a few. A few popular third party characters are also thrown into the mix like Big Daddy from BioShock and Dante from Dante's Inferno. There's a couple of odd, lesser known characters tossed in, namely Toro (not-so familiar outside of Japan for the most part) and Sir Daniel from a game called MediEvil. Nonetheless, the overall character selection is sufficient.
As for the gameplay, it's distinct enough to set it apart from constant comparisons to Super Smash Bros. Plenty of variation is present among each character in terms of their move sets. The square, circle, and triangle buttons each perform a different attack, while pointing the left thumbstick in one of the four directions simultaneously results in a yet another separate move. Also, the right thumb stick chucks an enemy in the air when in close proximity. In all, the controls function well for both the Playstation 3 and Vita; they're virtually the same, minus the fact that items must be picked via the touchscreen on the Vita, which is slightly cumbersome. The only minor issue in both versions is that sometimes the controls don't feel responsive, which is possibly to blame on the lack of fluidity in the combat at times. Still, there's roughly a dozen combos to learn for each character, thus adding more depth to the combat system. As a whole, the combat system is quite a bit to take in with the sheer number of different moves and combos there are to perform, though it's not too difficult to get by with not knowing every single move and combo possible.
The largest catch with the combat is how opponents are dealt with, or "killed", if you will. For starters, a meter must be filled up with AP, which is earned by dealing attacks to opponents, or found scattered about the stage due to random events or items. Once it's filled, a special attack may be performed, which may or may not take out nearby enemies. Furthermore, there are three levels of special attacks, each of which intensify and take longer to refill the bar. Special attacks are unique from character to character, though the power of each character's special attacks doesn't always feel balanced. For instance, some characters like Raiden have an excellent Level 1 special attack, while others like Sir Daniel possess a lousy special attack. Level 2 attacks are similarly unbalanced in some cases, though Level 3 attacks are generally more balanced in that they're all powerful enough to practically guarantee kills. Overall, it's a somewhat unique concept for a fighting game, but it completely eliminates the tension of possibly dying from regular attacks or being flung off the stage. On the flip side, you never know when an opponent is going to perform their special attack, especially if they're saving up for a higher leveled special.
Playstation All-Stars provides the basic game modes you would expect, including an arcade (story) mode and various multiplayer options. For single player, arcade is to go-to place to begin. Unfortunately, this portion of the game is rather lackluster. While each character has their own unique little story with cutscenes, (consisting only of slides and dull dialogue) the experience is practically the same with every run through. Every time, it begins with a simple three minute one on one fight, then works its way up to a free-for-all with two other opponents, then three. The only factors that change are one of the opponent's difficulty levels increasing and the type of fight (timed or kill-limited). There aren't any special modes or fights, save for the final confrontation. A final engagement prior to the final showdown consists of an occasionally humorous ,though usually cheesy, back and forth between your chosen character and another set character. After that, the same boss must be dealt with each and every time, with the fight itself being laughable, along with the actual boss, which I can only describe as some giant purple dude. It's a shame the single player isn't all-that exciting. While not horrible, the arcade mode simply could have been put together better.
Aside from the arcade mode, the single player experience consists of challenges and a practice mode. There isn't much incentive for completing the challenges, except that they level up the characters, which leads to a multitude of unlocks, including outfits, emblems, backgrounds, taunts, and so forth. Three difficulty levels to choose from may add some re-playability to the arcade mode, though you might not want to touch it again after tackling it 20 times with all the characters.
Despite the underwhelming single player experience, the multiplayer functions about as well as it should. The online multiplayer component is rather accessible. Jumping into a quick match is generally seamless, though the tournament mode is where the true competition is. Tournaments last a certain duration of time, and various ribbons are earned based off your performance for the aforementioned time period. It's one of the more interesting components of All-Stars, though probably more enjoyable for the hardcore, competitive crowd.
If online multiplayer competition doesn't pique your interest, offline multiplayer is always a viable option. Perhaps the best feature regarding the multiplayer in general is the fact that both the Playstation 3 and Vita versions can interact with one another. To clarify, those with a PS3 version of the game can play against someone who owns the Vita version. Inviting friends across each system is simple, and from there you can easily customize matches and have yourself a blast. Multiplayer, no matter the form, is decisively the most enjoyable aspect of this game, unsurprisingly of course. Still, the experience can potentially wear thin after a short while. One reason is the simple fact that the stages aren't too eye-popping for the most part, and the gameplay can simply lose its appeal after a short while. Concerning the stages, here are definitely some delightful ones, but many of them feel like too much of the same, not factoring in the background visuals and all the nonsense occurring at the same time.
Visually, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale isn't stunning by any stretch. The sounds and visuals suit the Vita version quite well, but the Playstation 3 version is virtually identical. Despite having similar feels, there are, once again, actually some impressive stages, though. One that sticks out is the Uncharted stage that recreates the airplane scene in Uncharted 3. BioShock's Colombia stage is a wonderful sight as well, accurately presenting a portion of BioShock Infinite. Most of the characters can be associated with a stage, in fact.
In conclusion, you can't genuinely blame Sony for attempting a Super Smash Bros.-like game with character's from its several popular franchises. Their effort to truly set this game apart from Super Smash Bros. didn't quite pay off in the end. Those who have played Super Smash Bros. will more likely find this All-Stars to be lackluster and short lived, yet those who haven't may appreciate this game to a fuller extent. On the bright side, with cross-play, it doesn't matter too much version you decide on. With the PS3 version, you automatically gain access to the Vita version if you so happen to own one. Overall, the experience feels a tad more natural on the Vita. It's a slightly better fit, though not by much. So, again, the idea for All-Stars was good, but the execution didn't quite hit all the marks that made Super Smash Bros. a monumental success. Nevertheless, it's a decent pick up for those looking for a good fighting game on either the Playstation 3 or Vita.