5 Games that Tried to Copy Smash Bros. and Failed
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Imagine a game that takes all of your favorite characters from one of the most popular names in gaming and pits them against each other in multiplayer arena combat. No, no, no this isn’t Smash Bros; this is PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for the PS3.
Possibly the most infamous Smash Bros. clone, PlayStation All-Stars suffered from a great strength that managed to become an insurmountable weakness. People love the PlayStation brand, and over the years they really have created a solid cast of characters that are recognizable to fans.
This meant that people were excited to see this project come together and if anyone could pull off the Smash Bros. formula then it had to be Nintendo’s biggest rival Sony, right? Well, that was kinda the problem, they couldn’t pull it off. At least not with the same polish that Nintendo had for many years now.
The biggest flaw with PlayStation All-Stars was its win condition. Instead of the usual damage system that Smash Bros. had become known for it relied on characters building up special meters. Meaning that the only way to best your opponent was by filling up your special meter and unleashing a finishing blow.
It was clever of Sony to try and give their fighting game a different angle than the game it was so obviously inspired by, but this system makes the game feel fairly cheap and unbalanced.
Ultimately, skill counts for very little in All-Stars. Only the player that can successfully land their finishing blow the most will win, and that takes a lot of the competitive nature out of the game.
As a party game, All-Stars still holds up, but it will never have that level of competitive gameplay that Smash Bros. has. After all balance and competition are instrumental in keeping any fighting game relevant.
5 Games that Tried to Copy Smash Bros. and Failed
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash-Up
Okay, this one literally has the word ‘Smash’ in the title… that takes a lot of guts. Thankfully, TMNT Smash-Up is actually pretty slick to play, which you’d probably expect that from the development studio that worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii.
TMNT Smash-Up plays a lot like Smash in all the right ways. The character’s attacks are unique and there’s a well-thought-out damage system. So what gives?
The problem centers around fan service, or lack thereof. While Nintendo’s brawler has managed to capture the spirit of its many franchises through iconic stages and weapons, TMNT Smash-Up just feels lifeless. And with multiple movies, cartoons, comics, and games it’s not like there wasn’t anything to pull from.
There is so much nostalgic goodness in the TMNT brand that could have easily been incorporated into this title but was puzzlingly ignored.
Where is the Pizza Launcher vehicle? What about a stage based on that infamous club fight from TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze? And don’t even get me started on lack of characters. Where is Baxter Stockman, for example, and what about Rocksteady and Beebop?
TMNT Smash-Up had so much potential to become something truly special, but it ended up as nothing more than an okay brawler that really lacked the polish of its competitor. Maybe one day the Turtles will get the fighting game they deserve.
5 Games that Tried to Copy Smash Bros. and Failed
Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion
Few things are as nostalgic as Cartoon Networks classic line up. Shows like Dexters Lab, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack will always be classics among those ’90s kids that dedicated their weekday afternoons to the television screen. So having these beloved characters duke it out in a Smash Bros. style fighter is a no-brainer.
Sadly the only no-brainer in this game was the design of its fighting game mechanics. Every character feels the exact same, which is the worst crime that a fighting game could commit. Dexter shouldn’t be using his fist to attack. He is a boy genius, his attacks should make use of his different gadgets and gizmos.
It’s like this for every fighter and it just feels lazy. On top of that, the characters are extremely floaty, flying across the stage while taking even the slightest amounts of damage. There is no sense of weight which always manages to feel really bizarre when Samurai Jack feels just as light as Mojo Jojo. A character that is literally half his size.
While the nice roster of characters and nostalgic stages are here, poor mechanics and poorly considered design holds it back in a big way.
5 Games that Tried to Copy Smash Bros. and Failed
Brawlout
Brawlout is the most recent entry on this list. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it much better than some of the other offenders here. That’s not to say Brawlout got everything wrong. The inclusion of both the Drifter From Hyper Light Drifter and Juan from Guacomeelee are very welcome additions to the character roster.
Who wouldn’t want a fighter starring some of the coolest indie game heroes? Oh wait, those are the only two indie game characters. It turns out the rest of the roster is filled out with what almost appears to be rejected Skylanders characters, and none of them are particularly memorable.
The actual gameplay mechanics aren’t terrible, and the actual move-sets share many similarities with Smash Bros. The issue, again, pertains to how bland and uninspired everything feels, from the character and level design to the generic music. There’s just a lack of ingenuity across the board.
5 Games that Tried to Copy Smash Bros. and Failed
Viewtiful Joe Red Hot Rumble
Viewtiful Joe is a series that thrives on style. With cell-shaded 2.5D animation that appears to be ripped straight from the pages of a comic book, it’s hard to not be completely mesmerized by everything happening on screen. Viewtiful Joe’s attempt at a Smash Bros. style brawler luckily manages to keep that visual style intact. It’s a beautiful game with lots of personality and tons of flare.
The problem here is the misunderstanding of what makes Smash Bros. gameplay so much fun. Instead of a traditional style of brawling action, Viewtiful Joe Red Hot Rumble leans more towards a chaotic party game than a fighter.
You and your opponents will be more focused on collecting the most coins than dishing out damage. Coins are scattered around stages and it is encouraged for players to sock it to each other in order to steal the most loot. Much like PlayStation All-Stars, this formula completely removes the competitive nature of the game.
It’s a bummer too because the game’s style really helps set it apart from other Smash clones. If only the developers put a little more thought into the gameplay this really could have been an awesome experience. Instead, it feels more like a bonus mode than a fully fleshed out game. If you’re looking for a quality Smash clone than I’m sad to say that this one is a ‘Henshin a No-No Baby’.
Looking for more Smash Bros. content? Then you are already in the right place. Make sure to check out our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tips for beginners. You can even get a head start on unlocking some of your favorite characters with our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wiki.
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