From the PlayStation blog:

Today, we’re happy to announce that the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Beta will kick off for PlayStation Plus members on PS3 tomorrow, October 16th and expand to everyone October 23rd through PlayStation Store! What’s more, as a special treat, PS Vita users will be able dive right into the multiplayer beta starting tomorrow – no Plus subscription required. The Beta will support Cross-Play, so PS3 and PS Vita owners will be able to fight with and against each other.

So what will be in this limited Beta?

• You’ll be able to play as Kratos, Sweet Tooth, Colonel Radec, Sly Cooper, PaRappa, and Fat Princess.

• You’ll be able to play in both the Metropolis and Hades stages.

• You’ll be able to try out four-player online tournaments and 2 v 2 online tournaments. For the 2 v 2 games we’ll be supporting friend invites, so you and a friend can fight another team online.

For Europe, the beta opens for PS+ people on the 17th and for the rest of PSN users on the 24th.

Also, they've revealed the rest of the pre-order bonus costumes:

I'm excited for this. I've been getting less and less interested in this game and I'll finally be able to see if I like the way it plays or not. The game comes out on the 20th of November, so I wonder how long the beta will last for.

Woop woop! I was pretty lukewarm on this until I played it at Eurogamer Expo last month. I had a tonne of fun. All the characters felt great! It was great to be able to play it on the Vita. Looks like this beta might be that same demo, but it's got online play which is exciting to me. Can't wait to give it another go!

Still iffy on how only super moves can kill, but no harm in giving it a fair whirl.

Oh so they just opened the private Beta they had a few months ago? not adding any new characters or anything that's kinda lame ... wich is kinda what that game is, I didn't like it the look or the feel of it it's just kinda bland , needs more randomness.

@AngelN7 said:

needs more randomness.

Oh dear god no. If you want tripping... well, you know where to go.

@FluxWaveZ said:

@AngelN7 said:

needs more randomness.

Oh dear god no. If you want tripping... well, you know where to go.

But that makes the game fun though , only those " Final destination , Fox only" people hated that , Smash Bros isn't about being fair is about the crazyness wich PS All Stars lacks, everything is calculated to make the match "even" for everyone wich I don't know maybe that's what some people want? to turn it into a tournament fighting thing where you can count frames and all that stuff but to me just makes the game even blander than what already is... I want to lose a fight because someone threw a shell at me from the other side of the screen , instead of the game giving me a one hit kill attack just because I built a meter.

@AngelN7: There are items, though, so the element of randomness is still present as well as stage hazards like that Buzz! stage. I do not find arbitrary randomness like tripping fun and I'm one of those who value fairness and balance in "serious" matches, so Final Destination has always been one of my favorite stages in SSB.

I think the random element is still there for those that want it, though. I've never played the game so I really don't know either way.

@FluxWaveZ said:

@AngelN7: There are items, though, so the element of randomness is still present as well as stage hazards like that Buzz! stage. I do not find arbitrary randomness like tripping fun and I'm one of those who value fairness and balance in "serious" matches, so Final Destination has always been one of my favorite stages in SSB.

I think the random element is still there for those that want it, though. I've never played the game so I really don't know either way.

Yeah but they don't do anything! when I played the beta I didin't felt the "punch" in anything that's supposed to hurt you (stages, items) , if someone grabs an item who cares? is not like that's gonna kill you is not the same sense of desperation when someone grabs the hammer in SMB and everyone is trying to get away from it or when you scream because the pokeball got you a goldeen , you could spend 10 min building a level 2 super meter in PS All Stars and fail your attack not kiling anyone wich then what's the point of having them? at least in smash you don't need to be super skilled to have some fun with the game and be competitive it gives you plenty of tools , I do enjoy the serious matches but they just aren't as fun as playing the game as it was intended, they inserted some stuff in PS All Stars to make it "random" but it doesn't really work if it doesn't screw you in some way.

I think this might be one of those occasions where the beta/demo will decide if I buy it or not. I like the idea of a Smash Bros with a somewhat deeper combat system and I think the roster is pretty good if not a little too small (there will be DLC obviously). Let's see if the feel of the gameplay is any good.

Downloading the beta now. The PSN Store page says that it ends on October 30th, so two weeks from now.

Ohhh man, I want that Raiden alt and the Kessler costume. Kratos' brother is a good choice for an alt costume too.

I tell ya though, if the Raiden alt was just Grey Fox I'd be way more excited.

I've got the Beta now and the matchmaking is FUCKED (because the PS store still hasn't updated maybe...)

Anyone want to add me (TurboMan) on PSN and play around?

Downloading now, and I'm probably gonna take video/stream it for a bit later.

I guess the best way to throw where I stand on this is I'm anticipating it, but in the same way as a trainwreck. If that makes any sense.

Probably a little self-advertisingy, but I'm live http://www.twitch.tv/Thefakepsychic for the last little bit of download and install before I mix it up.

@TurboMan: Just finished downloading for me and yeah, things are pretty messed up right now. Don't know if it's related to the game's servers or because the store hasn't actually updated, like you stated. I'll add you, but I'm not too sure if invites would change anything right now.

Loving this menu music though.

Wait, All-Stars has been updated in the PSN Store for a while now, so something's up.

Tried to accept your invite, TurboMan, but that failed.

I got into a match but the camera was all janky and it looked like it was a 1v1 match the entire time, but at the end it was revealed that there was two invisible players!

Ya gotta love Betas :)

Yep, after more than 30 minutes of attempts I've not been able to get into a single game and, according to my Vita, that version will take approximately 3 hours to download... so I guess I'll stop trying, heh. Bumpy beta launch, but I suppose that should have been expected.

I downloaded the Vita beta in 30 minutes. But can't get into a game on Vita either. "Failed to connect all clients"

:(

took 20 mins and did not get a chance to invite players to a game. So no idea if it will work.

Jesus PSN is slow. It took well over and hour to download it and it looks like there are too many playing because I got a matchmaking server is down error. I couldn't get accept an invite and no one could accept one I sent to them. I hope they get this fixed soon.

It started connecting to a game for me and then just went back to the character select screen. Now it doesn't even try anymore. It just says matchmaking is down.

Alright, servers seem to be slowly working now because I got into my first match right now and there are similar reports everywhere.

And I won! I'm the best All-Stars player ever!

How can you download the Vita beta? I and many others can't seem to find it. Is it out everywhere now? A friend in Puerto Rico says it isn't anywhere to download.

What am I missing? ha. Or is it just not everywhere yet. And if so, where would you find it?

@TruthTellah: In Europe it's available tomorrow, I believe.

It's just on the PSN Store. First thing in new releases.

@FluxWaveZ said:

@TruthTellah: In Europe it's available tomorrow, I believe.

It's just on the PSN Store. First thing in new releases.

hm. I figured it would be on the Puerto Rico store by now, but maybe it's taking a while.

Yeah... seems to be working now. Easy pass. Frustrating as hell of a game imo. The leveling up a super in order to get kills is not a fun mechanic.

@handlas said:

Yeah... seems to be working now. Easy pass. Frustrating as hell of a game imo. The leveling up a super in order to get kills is not a fun mechanic.

I agree. I only made it into 3 matches, but it doesn't seem rewarding. I even finished 1 match with 2 kills, and I had no idea I even got them.

@gla55jAw said:

@handlas said:

Yeah... seems to be working now. Easy pass. Frustrating as hell of a game imo. The leveling up a super in order to get kills is not a fun mechanic.

I agree. I only made it into 3 matches, but it doesn't seem rewarding. I even finished 1 match with 2 kills, and I had no idea I even got them.

It probably didn't click for me until the 10th battle or so. Each character is deadly in their own way. Killzone Guy's Super 3 is super awesome, but for Parappa, his skateboard attack can be devestating at level 2 and you can get Cooper's level one to land so many times if you play him right. Also the controls get some getting used to... I'd say play it a bit more (I was super frustrated as well my first couple of matches)

@TurboMan said:

@gla55jAw said:

@handlas said:

Yeah... seems to be working now. Easy pass. Frustrating as hell of a game imo. The leveling up a super in order to get kills is not a fun mechanic.

I agree. I only made it into 3 matches, but it doesn't seem rewarding. I even finished 1 match with 2 kills, and I had no idea I even got them.

It probably didn't click for me until the 10th battle or so. Each character is deadly in their own way. Killzone Guy's Super 3 is super awesome, but for Parappa, his skateboard attack can be devestating at level 2 and you can get Cooper's level one to land so many times if you play him right. Also the controls get some getting used to... I'd say play it a bit more (I was super frustrated as well my first couple of matches)

I definitely won't give up on it yet. It was just frustrating, that I was sitting there for 45 minutes and only made it into 3 matches. I know it's a Beta, but it would have been nice to have some practice mode or something. I know IGN's Greg Miller and Colin Moriarty didn't really like the idea of the way it played at all, until they played it a bunch and figured it out.

Man, it's Kratos all day everyday. Just got out of a match with 3 Kratos' and me as the only other character (Sweet Tooth). I showed 'em, though.

I'm not too sure I'm feeling the battle mechanics yet. The game manages to be even more chaotic than a Smash Brothers because of its reliance on combos, no percentage meter and the invincibility on wake-up and such. I feel like the one winning mechanic is wait for level 3 and do your best; that's how I'm winning most of the matches I've played in. Hopefully I'll come to appreciate it more over time, but it's weird to me. At the end of a round, for example, there is no chance for a comeback or anything if you have no meter. Having meter be the only way you can get a win or any points is something I'm still unsure about.

Is it me or does this game just not seem like very much fun?

@Shookems said:

Is it me or does this game just not seem like very much fun?

It feels to much "by the book" is gonna be interesting to see people's reactions. I played the private beta a few months ago and while I didn't think it was bad ... it was kinda sterile and bland to me some of the mechanics that make it different than smash are just there for that purpose but they don't make the game better or more fun to play.

@AngelN7: Yeah it's just sort of boring. Mechanically it's almost identical to smash brothers but it seems to be missing whatever spark makes smash such a blast to play.

@Shookems said:

but it seems to be missing whatever spark makes smash such a blast to play.

To me, it really all comes down to the percentage system. It makes so much sense in a game like this, but All-Stars doesn't even follow a traditional health bar system. This isn't Sony Smash Bros., this is some weird half step.

I think the more that you try playing this game like smash, the more you're going to be dominated in a match... I can't quite grasp it just yet enough to describe why.

I had a lot of doubts going in. Maybe its because I haven't played Smash Bros in a long time but I'm having a blast with this.

1. Cool that Vita owners get it early (good move, since most Vita owners don't have PS+ obviously), and cross platform

2. It must be the same build as the Quick Look, because it's still easy to lose track of your character, and even worse on the small Vita screen.

3. Boring as shit. Not a Smash Brothers fan either, so yeah...

Sweet Tooth is boss. Time that dynamite kick just right and you will get two or even three kills. I also love his Molotov cocktail, it helps deal with the assholes that pick Radec and like to keep away. The mines and the shoulder charge are also amazingly powerful. This game is awesome, but then again I am still enjoying RE6 so maybe I am once again in the minority on the Giant Bomb forums. 

I am for one having a blast with it. Seems like a more tactial game then Smash Bros. Better? No. Just diff. If anyone would like to create a party and do a few games with each other id be game! better then playing randoms ever game. :D

@Gonmog said:

I am for one having a blast with it. Seems like a more tactial game then Smash Bros. Better? No. Just diff. If anyone would like to create a party and do a few games with each other id be game! better then playing randoms ever game. :D

I would be, as well. I've been having a great time with it so far as well. My PSN is the same as my username if you'd like to add for some matches.

Can anyone name some of the obscure looking pre-order costumes? Like Sweet Tooth's looks like a completely different character that I'm not aware of.

@SupernormalStep said:

Can anyone name some of the obscure looking pre-order costumes? Like Sweet Tooth's looks like a completely different character that I'm not aware of.

I believe it's supposed to be a Starhawk costume? He looks a lot like the ghoul type creatures you fight.

Found a list here: http://playstationallstarsbattleroyale.wikia.com/wiki/Alternate_Costumes

the ones I was most curious about: Big Daddy = Jeremiah Lynch's Doll, Kratos = Deimos, Sweet Tooth = Outcast Sweet Tooth, which was a DLC version of Sweet Tooth for multiplayer in Starhawk.

I'm really liking it, I thought I wouldn't at first because of the fact there is no off stage. But it is quite fun, I think Sly Cooper is overpowered because of his invisbilty though, a few times I've been able to actually hide for a good amount of time.

I've played a fair bit of the game while having Parappa as my main character. Honestly, I just feel more frustrated when I play the game because its really difficult to pull off any good moves, combos or even juggling characters. At least Parappa has a move where he can grab people with his microphone, but I've had a few times where some of Parappa's attacks are supposed to essentially attach him to another player and deliver damage, only to find Parappa punching or kicking the air. I do kind of feel that his AP gain is kind of slow. Though I found grabbing people, punching them against a wall and (Trying) to use Up and Circle to use a launcher with a wide range to gain AP fairly quickly. Or throw down a boom box and step away from it to spawn AP orbs and lure people to the Boombox. Much like many others have stated, Parappa's level 3 is not worth the trouble, especially since his level 2 skateboard move does a decent job at netting you between 2 to 4 points. They really need to balance that out for him.

I usually get between second and first place, yet it all just feels unsatisfying performing moves or supers. Plus the game doesn't really fix any of the issues that Smash Bros. has. Environments are huge, its easy to lose your character, fair amount of stage obstacles, plus characters with a larger reach have better chances of building AP, and characters like Parappa are at a real disadvantage. I haven't had too much trouble with characters like Radec or Kratos who can just sit in one corner of the stage and land hits. I'd use my skateboard dive move to interrupt them and gain a fair amount of ground fairly quickly. Though if you have two other players who don't really "Get it" and just fight each other and keep you entangled in their bout to deal with the sniping player. I've been able to dodge people who use level 3 supers so long as the environment isn't too flat. Sly Cooper I've haven't had as much success of avoiding, but it's somewhat possible.