?PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale? Announced, Top 5 Characters That Could Rock The Game

PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale, a brawl-out fighting game that will feature iconic characters from PlayStation's history of titles, was announced last week and will launch during this holiday season. Of course, fans are wondering if this will compare to Nintendo's widely successful Super Smash Bros. series, which has seen various releases ranging from Nintendo 64 to the most recent Wii Console.

But the most critical gameplay aspect is Sony's character selection. With such an array of titles, ranging from old-fashioned platformers like Crash Bandicoot and Sly Cooper, to classic fighting games like Tekken and Street Fighter, to timelessly popular RPGS such as Final Fantasy, there are sure to be plenty of characters fans are itching to see in battle.

Previews reveal six characters that will appear in the game, leaving fans to ponder which popular faces will occupy the other vacant spots. The characters set to appear in the game include Sly Cooper, Colonel Radec of Killzone 2, The Fat Princess, Kratos from God of War, Parappa the Rapper, and Sweet Tooth of Twisted Metal. PlayStation Life Style also revealed the four stages that were playable in the preview, which include a level from the Jak and Daxter franchise, Hades from God of War, Metropolis from Ratchet & Clank, and a level that is being created in Little Big Planet.

The staff over at video game news site Joystiq compiled their own list of characters they would like to see in the upcoming PlayStation showdown, and Sony is sure to include many of the classic icons that fans know and love. Here are five characters that should be included or are likely to appear in the Sony smackdown:

1. Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. This is arguably one of the most iconic PlayStation character in Sony's history. The archaeologist-adventurist debuted in the original Tomb Raider in 1996, and was portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the 1998 adapted film. As one of the oldest PlayStation games, doesn't Ms. Croft deserve a spot in the console's Battle Royale? And how awesome would it be to see Croft and Kratos face off?

2. Jin Kazama from Tekken. Although the fighting game is available on multi-platforms, it originated as a PlayStation exclusive title. The first-generation console even came with a Tekken 3 sample included on its demo disc. Jin is the landmark character of the Tekken franchise, and if any character is going to make it to Battle Royale, a Kazama family member is likely to make the cut.

3. Nathan 'Nate' Drake from Uncharted. This action adventure franchise could be an interesting inclusion to throw into the mix. Drake is used to jumping, climbing, and swinging his way through challenges in the Uncharted series, and therefore can make for an evasive and speedy opponent in gameplay.

4. Crash Bandicoot. This goofy-looking orange-furred creature has sometimes been referred to as the Super Mario of PlayStation. The Crash series has been around since 1996 and was one of the first titles to debut on the console with Tomb Raider. Crash is sure to sport his famous twirl technique in combat, but it will be interesting to see the other power-up moves he collects after defeating bosses integrated into gameplay.

5. Spyro the Dragon. This little purple dragon may seem friendly and cute, but anyone familiar with the action-adventure series knows he's a feisty competitor. Spyro is simply a must-have character in a game that includes classic Sony PlayStation characters. He's sure to pack a powerful head-butt and scorch his opponents on the battlegrounds.

It is unclear exactly which direction Sony will pursue at this point, but the above listed characters would surely make for some enticing combat. Fans should also expect to see Sackboy from Little Big Planet, a Jack and Daxter character, and a Ratchet and Clank appearance, as stages from those titles will probably include characters to match. Perhaps Sackboy will take on the role of the token cute platform character like Kirby in Super Smash Bros., with the ability to take on different personas throughout battle. Although none of this has been confirmed, fans have plenty of time to speculate while waiting for the release.