SONY’S MAKING THEIR OWN “SUPER SMASH BROS.”


In terms of sheer fanboy adoration, few video games can compete with the much-lauded Super Smash Bros. series.  Featuring Mario, Link, Samus, and an entire host of Nintendo’s top tier characters, the games are cherished by nerds all over the world. The franchise debuted on the N64 in 1998, and since then its seen an iteration on each Nintendo console, having survived the tepidly received Gamecube and thundering onto the monstrosity that is the Wii.

But I’ve always wondered one thing. If the series is so successful, why won’t Nintendo’s competitors copy its format? As fanboys, we’re forced to live through dozens of Call of Duty clones, with no end in sight, but why haven’t we seen a Smash Bro’s clone featuring the best characters from Microsoft or Sony?

Well, according to our trusted friends over at the Paul Gale Network, Sony is nearly done with their own rock-em sock-em brawler, tentatively titled Title Fight. The details are scarce on this one, but here’s some of the best tidbits from an interview with a PlayStation official:

Q1] How many characters will be playable?
A1] This was previously mentioned, but the development team is looking at approximately 20 with the number looking more likely now than two weeks ago, to be slightly higher. It could be less though, initially, with room for an expanded roster via DLC, but these types of things are still being considered. The developer primarily wants to have as well varied a cast as possible, made of stars from lots of PlayStation exclusive titles.

Q2] How violent is the game?
A2] I’m not the ESRB, but the game definitely has “T” written all over it up this point.

Q3] Do the characters talk?
A3] The most notable voice heard in the current build is by far Parappa the Rappa. Whereas most characters have grunts at this point (that sound like their selves), Parappa is on the mic a lot. From busting out moves to his super to respawning. But yes, there is voice acting in the game.

Q4] Any plans for a PlayStation Vita version?
A4] There could be, but this is not information that I know one way or another.

Q9] Which James Bond actor is being considered for the game and why the character at all?
A9] Part one of the question, Daniel Craig. Before going into part two, my recommendation is to have multiple skins that represent the other James Bond actors including Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, and Sean Connery. As for why, as you may know, Sony is helping MGM make the next James Bond film which is expected to see release in 2012. Similar to God of War 4 possibly debuting in 2012 as well, wouldn’t you want to time a game of this magnitude just right, to mesh well with your other properties? You can hopefully start to see the brilliance in how things come together.

Q13] Only Nintendo has nailed the Smash Bros. formula, so will this be any good?
A13] This game is so long overdo for PlayStation fans that trust me: a lot of time, effort, and studying has gone into the development. The game will not be rushed, which is why it wasn’t shown at E3 this past June, nor has it been officially revealed to the major media outlets. This is an important game for the PlayStation 3 to have as it will help fill in that gap of “exclusive fighting game” in the system’s library. The fighting genre is one of my specialties and developers know this. This game is necessary for the PS3 and will for its demographic, hopefully deliver big time.

While I’m not entirely convinced that this project will be released anytime soon, I’m still holding out hope. For more about Title Fight news, head over to our friends at PaulGaleNetwork.