In 1999, gamers were given the opportunity to see who would win in a fight between their favorite Nintendo characters in Super Smash Brothers.  The series has gone on to become one of the gaming company's most popular and lucrative franchises, and I was a bit surprised that no one else wanted a taste of the formula.  13 years later, Sony PlayStation has finally stepped into the ring to release their own exclusive character fighting game: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.  According to Joystiq, the company has decided to clone the mechanics of both Smash Brothers and the fighting game Power Stone.

Hit the jump for more including the first footage from the game:

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Sony recently offered gaming journalists a hands-on demo of the game at a PlayStation event in Los Angeles.  Only six characters were available on the demo:  Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper (hero of the eponymous franchise), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Colonel Radec (Killzone 2), PaRappa the Rapper (title character of the 1996 rhythm game), and Fat Princess (based off the PlayStation Network game of the same name).  There are also support items and level designs that pull from other franchises like Patapon, Ratchet and Clank, Buzz!, Little Big Planet, and Wipeout.

While I'm sure we can expect additions to the roster, Expect Sony fans to go ballistic if Nathan Drake (Uncharted) isn't thrown into the mix.  Personally, I don't see how the studio can ignore Crash Bandicoot.  All of his fighting moves are in his games, and he was the company's original mascot.

Click over to Joystiq for their full review of the demo, which boils down to: "It's Super Smash Brothers with PlayStation characters, but it's still a lot of fun."  Expect more details on the game at E3, which runs from June 5 – 7th.  PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is due out later this year.

Check out the first footage from the game along with comments from the developers:

And if you're trying to think of other PlayStation characters that could join the fray, watch the awesome PlayStation commercial, "Michael":