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Round 1: Josh Miller on behalf of Dart from Legend of Dragoon
One of the biggest errors when it came to the original PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PSASBR) lineup of characters was omitting a genre that the Sony brand helped keep alive. While the Super Nintendo is arguably the best system for japanese role playing games, the original PlayStation carried that torch for the next generation and continued on with the PlayStation 2.
So when PSASBR was revealed to have no JRPG characters, I was understandably bummed out. Nintendo was capable of snagging Cloud, but not the people of the console he released on? Not even another character from the biggest JRPG franchise in gaming, some of which had the most success on a PlayStation console? Frankly, I found it absurd.
But then the question was…why not do something from one of their own games? It would be a deeper cut, but this game has a cult following and characters that would sync up well with a game like PSASBR.
I’m talking about The Legend of Dragoon and it’s main character Dart.
Part of why I believe he would be a good inclusion is simple – he almost made it into the original game. He was planned to be a DLC character that was scrapped due to low sales on the game.
But even taking that out of the equation, Dart has abilities and move-sets that make him perfect for this game. The number of different additions give him an option for multiple combos that most characters wouldn’t have available.
On top of that is his dragoon form. Obviously the Red-Eye Dragoon is more iconic than his later dragoon form, so that would be the transformation which also would give him a unique aspect during combat. Each super move in the game could be the special attacks while in dragoon form. Whether it Flame Shot or Final Burst, these vary in impact and area of attack.
As I feel I’ve conveyed, Dart would make a perfect addition to this dream PSASBR. He would be a character from a genre sadly lacking and has the moves and abilities that would translate well into the game and make him a unique fighter.
Round 2: Emmett Watkins Jr. on behalf of Juan from Guacamelee
Juan from Guacamelee is unquestionably one of the most iconic mascots in all of PlayStation history and deserves a spot on a hypothetical roster for an All-Stars sequel. But I’m not just saying that, because I can back it up.
Juan is such a vitally important character because his game, Guacamelee, was one of the best games on the PlayStation Vita, and still is to this day. Sure, the Vita is a bit of a sore spot historically for Sony in the eyes of most, but the system is still a part of PlayStation history, and the inclusion of Gravity Rush’s Kat in the original All-Stars goes to show that history is worth remembering. And also, for a system with such a strong launch lineup, including new Uncharted, Killzone, and Wipeout games, this junior effort from Drinkbox Studios had to have been of exceptional quality to be remembered so fondly, and to get a stelar sequel as well!
Speaking of it’s sequel, there’s one feature of it that proves my point even more, Greg Miller- erm I mean, Shirtless Arachnid Man’s appearance in the game. Love him or hate him, Greg Miller is one of the most well known PlayStation fans in the games industry, despite the fact he plays games on all systems. He and Colin Moriarty’s championing of the original game back at launch helped put Drinkbox Studios on the map, and has lead to the success of the Guacamelee franchise. In fact, the series is so well known that, before Guacamelee 2’s release, Juan appeared in another platform fighter: Brawlout. And this brings me to my next point.
Because of his appearance in Brawlout, Juan’s moveset should easily transfer to PlayStation All-Stars. Sure, since he’s already a mexican wrestler, his moveset was already a great fit, but because of the recent sequel, newer moves could be added to keep things interesting. For instance, now that Juan’s chicken form has a full moveset in combat in the sequel, that could now be incorporated into his moveset in an All-Stars sequel.
So, that’s why I think Juan would be a great fit for the roster. Guacamelee is one of my favorite games of all time, and it’s still my favorite portable game of all time with little to no contest. Seeing a character that started from such humble beginnings on Vita stand toe to toe with juggernauts of PlayStation history like Kratos and Nathan Drake would be so inspiring for those of us hardcore fans that loved the handheld. So let’s get the protector of the Mexiverse his due!
Round 3: FIGHT
So, who do you think deserves the slot: Dart or Juan? Vote in the Twitter poll embedded below, and follow @LosHarrowGames for the next match up!