I eat other peoples' food when they're full

It probably ain’t in the works, but it definitively should be.

Kevin Butler, Sony’s fictional VP of Everything, released a live action teaser trailer the other day, which can be viewed here: bit.ly/pyu2Me The purpose of the video remains a mystery, with the date of the 5^th of October given at the end. Until that date, the internet will be, and currently is, rife with talk over what the teaser could be for.

The video references various first-party games, along with some Sony associated franchises, and one of the most exciting, and highly improbable suggestions for the teasers existence is that Sony is currently developing a Super Smash Bros. like game.

Of course the only thing is, they’re not. A game like this would have been announced at a major press event, such as E3 or The Tokyo Game Show, and a much more likely reason for the teaser is the PlayStation Home relaunch. But one can’t help thinking about the possibilities if they did.

Super Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo’s most beloved series, featuring all their major characters in a fun, frantic, engaging fighting game. The game is a massive draw to gamers of all backgrounds, and provides an accessible platform for less experienced gamers. Imagine if Sony could reproduce this success. The new casual gamer Sony seems so intent on grabbing would have the perfect game to introduce them to their characters and worlds, and the hardcore would get to see all their favourite characters hit each other in the face. These are just a few reasons why the game would be a success:

Precedent:

There have been three Super Smash Bros. games, so that is three game Sony can look at, learn from and improve upon. Nintendo has proven that this type of game can work and be a great commercial success.

LittleBigPlanet is also an example of how Sony is capable of incorporating other characters into their games. Media Molecule’s platformer may only use Sony and third party’s franchise for costumes and levels, but this is proof that the franchises can be brought together.

Sony has tried bringing some of their franchises together in a more tangible way through Heroes on the Move, which received a lukewarm response from consumers and critics. Never the less, it can be done.

Game Play:

Naturally the game would have to offer a different approach to Smash Bros., as Sony could (and invariably would be) be accused of plagiarism, but also some of Sony’s characters don’t lend themselves well to the colourful gameplay of Nintendo’s game. They’d have to consider how to keep the gameplay fun and balanced, while also staying through to the characters. Though I can’t imagine Sony wanting to create a game where Kratos rips through vibrant characters such as Ratchet.

The inclusion of Solid Snake in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl proved that a more serious, realistic character could work in this type of game, so Sony should take note.

Vita Connectivity:

What better way to emphasise Vita’s connectivity with the PlayStation 3 than to offer the game on both systems. Players on either system could play against each other; making it a more interesting purchase for consumers. The upcoming ModNation racers game for Vita is completely compatible with the PS3 game, so why not this?

Well Known Franchises:

Sony has a massive first party library, with characters belonging to every game genre. This guarantees that the game will have an appeal to all gamers of all backgrounds. The sheer amount of franchises also provides a wealth of possible stages, power ups and game modes. 

And of course, let’s not forget the characters. There are literally 100’s of characters to pick from, from the PS One era to today. The mind boggles when you imagine the match ups that could occur. Sackboy Vs. Drake Vs. Cole Vs. Sly Cooper, sound good to any one? If Sony could acquire Final Fantasy and Metal Gear characters on top of all they’re first party ones, the game could possibly have the most diverse and largest cast of any fighting game to date.

PlayStation 4 Launch Game?

We are reaching the end of this console cycle, with rumours of consoles in development and the Wii U on the horizon. What better way to entice players to purchase your new console than to have a game with all their favourite characters? Many people bought a Wii to play Brawl, surely many would buy the PS4 for a similar game? It would be a smart launch game and an introduction to a new console.

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Naturally this is all hypothetical, but Sony have a perfect springboard to work from. Three games to take inspiration from, multiple worlds and hundreds of characters to consider who could all have varying fighting styles and techniques, and the infrastructure to have a truly great multi-player mode, a stumbling block of Super Smash Bros. this generation. Why not have PS3 and Vita intractability to boot; giving Sony a host of options and an experience consumers can play anywhere.

So basically if this game were to be made it could hypothetically blow our retro, 8-bit style socks off. So go make it Sony.

Oh, and throw some royalties my way.

There you go Ladies and Gentlemen, my first gaming article. It’s a fragmented, unfocused piece of writing. But hey, it’s a start.

Or how the Apocalypse can be positive.

The unthinkable has happened. A little less than two months ago, my magic portal, my source of euphoria, my opium, perished. Yes, my PlayStation 3 died.

Well, its most important function did at least. The blu-ray drive went kaput and no longer reads discs of any kind. After just one year of having this beautiful machine it decided to call it quits. Naturally of course, I went through the five stages of grief. There were tears, angry tantrums and sleepless nights.  Over the course of all these stages I tried in vain to fix my enchanting Foreman grill. Sadly these attempts didn’t work and left the PlayStation in a worse state.

I will at some point have it fixed (or better yet replaced), but this terrible circumstance I find myself in has provided me with an interesting perspective: I wasn’t appreciative enough of what I was playing.

Over the last year I’ve bought upwards of 30 games, and enjoyed the hell out of the majority of them, but I was spoilt. I wasn’t giving the experiences a chance, too busy trying to plough my way through a game to get onto the next one.  Naturally I gave certain games a large amount of attention, but for other games I feel I didn’t do them the justice of taking my time and enjoying them.

Of course this is the predicament that befalls most gamers today, too many games and not enough time. Some time away from your gaming hobby sheds light on your habits and overall whether you’re getting as much out of your cash as you possibly can.

My time isolated from disc based media has also provided me with an even deeper respect of digital distribution. The PlayStation Store has saved my gaming life. The main games I played on my PlayStation were story driven games with very little time given to arcade games ie. Shatter, Pacman Championship Edition DX. I’ve almost been forced to play these games in a way, which is not a bad thing at all. Overlooking these games was a biiiiiig mistake. My reliance on the PlayStation Store has also shown how little retail games are on the store. Sony is getting better at releasing them on the Store, but we need more. 

The last positive I found about my PlayStation breaking: Looking to other sources for gaming. I now have a Steam account and am trying to get into PC gaming. W, A, S and D aren’t currently my best friends, but we’ll become pals I’m sure. My ignored PSP is even getting some time in the spotlight, opening me up to new experiences.

So all in all, I guess I’m grateful that my PlayStation broke. It’s given me a new understanding of the games I play and what it is to be a gamer.

Now… Anyone want to pay for its repair?