Guys I think the PlayStation All-Stars roster is really weak. Really weak. Incredibly weak. When I see it I find myself asking is this really the best you could do?" Also I find the fact that they copied really inessential aspects of Smash Bros and changed the things that make Smash Bros work incredibly baffling. Like they chose all the wrong parts to copy and all the wrong parts to change. I also find myself thinking that a Microsoft version would somehow be better because I like the sound of that roster a lot better primarily because I loved Rare back in their heyday. So, as a thought exercise, I'd like to ask what you think the composition of the roster would be. I will have an answer that is a little elaborate. Here goes! I'll go by franchise. Compared to Nintendo obviously there are less big ones but, since the rise of XBLA as a publishing service, more small one offs that would be cool to see in a fighting game. I digress, here is the list!

• Halo (4 Characters. I'd guess Master Chief , Arbiter & Diadact. fourth could be an ODST or something Flood-like?)
• Gears (3 Characters. Marcus Phoenix, Cole Train and one of them Locusts)
• Rare (5 Characters. Banjo, Mumbo, Conker, Horstashio, Joanna Dark)
• Twisted Pixel (3 Characters. Splosion man, Captain Smilie, Gunstringer)
• Fable (3 Characters. A Good Guy, A Bad Guy, Peter Molyneux Riding a Horse)
• Forza (2 Characters if possible, guess it'd have to be 2 cars? Worked for Fighters Mega Mix)
• Alan Wake (1 Character, Alan Wake)
• Representing Xbox & Kinect (Your Avatar, Dance Agent, Dubstep Hotdog Costume Robot)
• Representing Windows (Samurai Ghost, Steve from Minecraft, Clippy)
• Representing XBLA (Jason Flemming, Trials Man, A Trench, The Kid & Geometry Wars Polygon)
• Because Who Gives a Fuck (Dracula, Shepard, Batman)

A few notes, one after the big IPs the franchise thing sort of goes away in favor of instead grouping by what bigger thing they're representing. Two that comes out to over 30 characters probably a few too many. Three I tried to give preference to Microsoft published games in the later categories except in the case where I was either going to put The Kid of Dust and decided on the kid. Finally, realistically, if one wanted to see what actual compositions might look like one might start by looking at the Minecraft Skin Packs they've been putting out for the 360 version of Minecraft. That's a fairly good benchmark and, turns out, is in some ways very similar to this breakdown here.

Blinx

I must say I'm kinda impressed with the list you put together, it looks on-par if not better than Playstations roster (even when you remove some of the more joke-y characters)...

Add in Songbird (just to piss on Playstation and their Big Daddy) and Blinx and it'll pretty much be done.

Who's Jason Flemming? Is it the dude Nolan North voiced in Shadow Complex? Google and GB are giving me nothing.

Fez guy

J Allard

Here's a list.

• Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
• Master Chief (Halo)
• Arbiter (Halo)
• Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
• Balder (Too Human)
• Kaim Argonar (Lost Odyssey)
• Baron von Havoc (Amped 3)
• The Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
• 'Splosion Man ('Splosion Man)
• Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper)
• The Agent (Crackdown)
• Hero (Fable)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)
• Skorge (Gears of War)
• The Kid (Bastion)
• Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
• Blinx (Blinx the Time Sweeper)
• Brutus (Brute Force)
• Your Avatar

Stubbs the Zombie.

Voodoo Vince!

Hell yeah, a fighting game featuring Clippy!

"It looks like you're pounding my face in. Would you like help with that?"

Blinx the cat

Frank West

The lizard man from Brute Force.

@Yanngc33 said:

Blinx the cat

@Brodehouse said:

Voodoo Vince!

Yup throw in all of Microsoft's failed attempts to create a cutesy platformer mascot, not being sarcastic at all. Throw in the main dude from Grabbed by the Ghoulies too.

Have a look at the Skins 4J studios has been adding to Minecraft 360 version, there's your answer.

The protagonist from Too Human, just don't render him with the Unreal engine.

Marth.

Totally Shepard.

Here's a list.

• Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
• Master Chief (Halo)
• Arbiter (Halo)
• Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
• Balder (Too Human)
• Kaim Argonar (Lost Odyssey)
• Baron von Havoc (Amped 3)
• The Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
• 'Splosion Man ('Splosion Man)
• Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper)
• The Agent (Crackdown)
• Hero (Fable)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)
• Skorge (Gears of War)
• The Kid (Bastion)
• Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
• Blinx (Blinx the Time Sweeper)
• Brutus (Brute Force)
• Your Avatar

@KevinK said:

@deathfury said:

Here's a list.

• Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
• Master Chief (Halo)
• Arbiter (Halo)
• Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
• Balder (Too Human)
• Kaim Argonar (Lost Odyssey)
• Baron von Havoc (Amped 3)
• The Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
• 'Splosion Man ('Splosion Man)
• Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper)
• The Agent (Crackdown)
• Hero (Fable)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)
• Skorge (Gears of War)
• The Kid (Bastion)
• Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
• Blinx (Blinx the Time Sweeper)
• Brutus (Brute Force)
• Your Avatar

Bastion not a Xbox exclusive. I played it on the PC and I believe there is an Android/iOS version as well.

yeah but the playstation one has raiden and big daddy so I don't think you can get on that fictional list for THAT

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

I think a Double Fine version of this game would have a better roster, to be honest. That Double Fine High entry of Amnesia Fortnight seems like a good idea to revisit down the line after they've built up their roster a little more.

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

Other than the Rare stuff all of Microsofts characters are boring. But hey, I'd be happy to see Conker in anything.

@KillerPidgeon said:

Who's Jason Flemming? Is it the dude Nolan North voiced in Shadow Complex? Google and GB are giving me nothing.

You are correct sir, the OP was just off by one letter. Jason Fleming

Off Topic Note: I really love this line in the page description. "When Claire is taken into custody as a suspected spy, it is up to Jason and his flashlight to save her"

I'd love to see Meat Boy in this thing.

@Yanngc33 said:

Blinx the cat

Blinx was awesome!

@Animasta said:

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

He runs with scissors.

@deathfury said:

Here's a list.

• Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
• Master Chief (Halo)
• Arbiter (Halo)
• Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
• Balder (Too Human)
• Kaim Argonar (Lost Odyssey)
• Baron von Havoc (Amped 3)
• The Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
• 'Splosion Man ('Splosion Man)
• Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper)
• The Agent (Crackdown)
• Hero (Fable)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)
• Skorge (Gears of War)
• The Kid (Bastion)
• Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
• Blinx (Blinx the Time Sweeper)
• Brutus (Brute Force)
• Your Avatar

Fucking amazing list. Way better than the roster for PSA. I feel like PSA has too many "kiddie" characters. Also, The Kid would make sense because Bastion was out first on XBLA and still isn't on a Sony or Nintendo product. I would also add:

• Darth Malak/Revan (Not sure how they'd do Revan...)
• Orta
• Raikoh (badass)

conker / banjo / joanna dark pre-xbox rare characters .. so yeah i dunno...

as for the windows chars , clippy sounds great , but given microsofts track record with windows (at least games for windows) , i dont think they would want to associate themselves with any of that .. and minecraft has been cross platform from early alpha onwards , so steve doesnt even fit.

alan wake needs barry wheeler or someone at least to balance him out , also why is "the kid" a representative of xbla ?

the one thing you could go all out on is those amazing character models in the jeopardy/price is right/randomgameshow games or HORSE .. and RIDER .. also... if its a fighting game why not include characters from some old exclusive fighters .......... like tao feng .......uhhg i just remembered that

Steve Balmer

@Pudge said:

Steve Balmer

Bill Gates & Jay Allard?

@EuricaeriS said:

@Animasta said:

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

He runs with scissors.

With his level 3 you see a BSOD then everyone dies.

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

@MrKlorox said:

@Animasta said:

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

His normal attacks are speech bubbles of varying sizes and positions, and his super is him unfolding himself and jamming his end into the emergency eject hole which boots the game back to the dashboard.

If we're talking about old microsoft tropes what about having the RROD as characters. As soon as you play them your game completely freezes and three flashing lights appear.

Ok, the thing about fighting games, is the characters have to do something different or else you get the whole Ryu and Ken thing happening again. So, gears of war, and halo would at most put out 2 characters combined. But from Rare's library, you can get a lot of characters since there's enough characters there that not only looks different but is without a shadow of a doubt will play different from one another.

The drunken asshole FBI guy from Alan Wake. Also screw you guys PlayStation All-Stars is awesome. 

@Animasta said:

@Demoskinos said:

I pray for the day where I see people making forum topics titled "Clippy is too OP"

what is clippy's super move

"It looks like you're having trouble killing that dude. Need some help?"

They might as well get all of the multiplatform characters, since multiplatform games sell so much better on the 360. Microsoft throws so much money at people to get exlucisivity that I'm sure they could somehow pay enough to get Crash Bandicoot, just to be dicks.

The dragon from panzer dragoon...just putting it out there.

Better roaster then PlayStation. Seriously, Sony's mascots are boring.

Voodoo Vince

Also bring back Sam Fisher to the box and an Agent from Crackdown because everyone forgot about that game

Microsoft BOB.

The drunken asshole FBI guy from Alan Wake. Also screw you guys PlayStation All-Stars is awesome. 

Agent "motherfucking" York, and maybe Raincoat Killer.

I don't like "Smash Bros" type games, they always strike me as fighting games for people who just like to smash buttons. All I see is absolute chaos happening without rime or reason. I've had co-workers who were huge fans of Brawl and even they just button mashed like crazy. The only time I played it, I found the controls floaty and horrible. But anyway, that's beyond the point.

I'd say - and including characters from games published by MS, even if they don't own the IP:

• Alan Wake (Alan Wake)
• Master Chief (Halo 4)
• Arbiter (Halo 3)
• Flood form (Halo 3 / 4)
• Didact (Halo 4)
• Commander Palmer (Halo 4)
• Banjo (Banjo-Kazooie)
• Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark)
• Baldur (Too Human)
• The Gunstringer (The Gunstringer)
• 'Splosion Man ('Splosion Man)
• Captain Smiley (Comic Jumper)
• Frank Woodruff in a Trench mech (Iron Brigade)
• The Agent (Crackdown 1 & 2)
• Hero (Fable 3)
• Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)
• Dom or Cole (Gears of War)
• Locust Queen (Gears of War)
• General RAAM (Gears of War)
• Nameless Ninja (Mark of the Ninja)
• Kameo (Kameo: Elements of Power)
• Blinx (Blinx the Time Sweeper)
• Toy Soldier (Toy Soldiers)
• Jason Fleming (Shadow Complex)
• The Dishwasher (The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai / Vampire Smile)
• Someone from Shadowrun
• Your Avatar
• GUEST: Shepard (Mass Effect)
• GUEST: Garrus or Wrex (Mass Effect)
• GUEST: Isaac (Dead Space)

@DarthOrange

The drunken asshole FBI guy from Alan Wake. Also screw you guys PlayStation All-Stars is awesome. 

Who? Wasn't he only in the game for a scene or two to get Alan to run from one level to the other. The only memorable character in that game was his agent. The rockers or lamp lady would also be better choices than the FBI agent.

You guys are missing the best characters. Where's "Hard-Ass Dude in a Ball Cage" from Fusion Frenzy? How about the little robot from Tinker? Sneakers? Skateboard with Googly Eyes? Microsoft also has an entire line of failed fighting game properties to cull from! Tao Feng, Kung Fu Chaos, that Tekken rip-off with the weird name that I can't remember anything about except that there was a bald black dude with glowing tattoos on the cover.

But seriously, their XBLA catalog alone has some pretty stupid awesome opportunities for weird characters. You could put in ilomilo as a Ice Climbers style tag-team, a group of Keflings and a giant ala Olimar and his Pikmin. Gomez, Dust, Mark of the Ninja...ninja, There's a ton of neat ideas there without counting the obvious stuff. Happy Action Theater level where shit is just going crazy all the time, or fight it out in an abandoned Game Room.

Fuck. Now I want this to be a reality.

A man made of money