Over the past couple of months,Astro Bothas exploded onto the scene as a shining new PlayStation 5 exclusive. It’s unknown if its 1.5 million sales in that time, as reported by Sony’s November financial results, actually turned a profit for Team ASOBI’s 3D platformer, but there’s an argument to be made that it did, and another to assert that it’s on track to become profitable during the holiday season. Whatever the truth may be, Sony’s gamble onAstro Botgetting a regular console game has paid off, and it looks like it has another strong IP and studio on its hands.
Astro Botand Team ASOBI’s next moves won’t be visible for a few years, but at a time when PlayStation needs more PR wins like it, the mascot platformer does bringanother celebration of all things PlayStationto mind.PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalewas a 2012 PS3 and PS Vita platform fighter developed by SuperBot Entertainment, with support from the now better-known Bluepoint Games and Santa Monica Studio, and picked up similar sales toAstro Botwith a far worse reputation. A lot would need to change for aPlayStation All-Starssequel to take off, but its fellow crossoverAstro Botcould give a few pointers.
Astro Bot Managed To Produce A Strong Final Boss
Besides the obvious use of Captain Astro himself as the face ofPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2’s roster, theAstro Botuniverse has a lot to offer to a new PlayStation fighting game. Rendering all of its characters as Bots is not one of them, with the fully proportioned versions of the originalPSASBRbeing preferred, but Astro could justify their worlds coming together with his intergalactic expeditions. Beyond the “how” ofPlayStation All-Stars 2,Astro Botalso provides the “why,” as it has an antagonist that would be perfect for another final showdown.
Space Bully Nebulax Is A Simple But Effective Antagonist
This may come as a surprise to newAstro Botfans, but theAstro Botseries already consists of three games and has built a small recurring cast. Captain Astro goes without saying, but the giant green alien Nebulax has been his enemy sinceAstro Bot Rescue Missionfor the PS VR headset. Nebulax served as the final boss inRescue MissionandAstro Bot, and the PS5’sAstro’s Playroompack-in game ends with a T. rex battle that takes many cues from Nebulax’s first fight. This cartoon space bully isn’t anything more than that, but his punch-able face has been the perfect center point for theAstroseries' climactic boss fights.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2 Would Be Great Stomping Grounds For Nebulax
With Nebulax surviving each encounter to sabotage the Bots another day, he would be the perfect villain to kick offanotherPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalecrossover. It’s a premise simple enough to be set up in a single trailer or opening cutscene, and Nebulax has a limitless pile of gadgets that he could pull out for a final arcade or story mode bout. Being so large and lacking Captain Astro’s iconic status, but still having a fun personality that could play off even the most serious PlayStation mascot, Nebulax is the ideal crossover fighting game boss character.
Nebulax Could Put PSASBR’s Old Boss To Shame
It’s a good thing he is because the alternative is far from ideal. The originalPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalemade an impressive deep cut using the retiredNorth American Sony PlayStation mascotPolygon Man as its final boss, but that initial “wow” factor is all he had. Polygon Man had some good battle quotes but relied on cloned characters to fight, and was just as forgettable as his real-life counterpart.Astro Bot’s Nebulax taking over for Polygon Man in aPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2would produce a much more satisfying experience and could reference PlayStation’s history even more in the process.
