Sony reveals four new characters for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

The PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale cast grew stronger today after Sony announced the arrival of four new characters including Dante and Sackboy.

Sony started off by first announced the arrival of Insomniac's Rachet and Clank. Their many gadgets and tools make them one of the strongest at mid-range and able to cutoff many points of entry with varied angles of attack. Ratchet and Clank will have access to weapons like the Combusto pistol, the R.Y.N.O., and Tesla Spikes. Clank will join in on the fight, as can Mr. Zurkon.

Next up we have Spike from Ape Escape. While he may seem random, SuperBot allegedly had him on their radar from "early on".

"We here at the studio have fond memories of the original Ape Escape on the PlayStation, which was revolutionary at the time for introducing unique gameplay elements facilitated by the first Dual Shock controller," explained SuperBot's Daniel Maniago. "The Ape Escape series has cemented itself in PlayStation’s history, and it’s our pleasure to have Spike as part of our roster. "

Spike is a "well-rounded character that can compete at close range, or from a distance with traps and projectiles." He also has his signature stun clubs and a bunch of gadgets, weapons, and apes at his disposal.

Dante from Devil May Cry is also going to be a playable character as will LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy.

"Fans have been clamoring for his inclusion in our roster, and we’re more than happy to oblige," Maniago said of Sackboy. "We had a panoply of items and gadgets to draw inspiration from in forming Sackboy’s moves for our game, so we eventually decided we’d give him a quirky and curious move set that makes him stand out from the rest of the cast."

The last surprise reveal comes in the form of a new level. Stowaways, from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is described as a "unique stage that forces players to adapt to both long-range and close-quarters combat". As such, the environment will always be changing and moving, so you must always be aware of your surroundings.

While these addition of these four characters is nice, the big news for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is that it will be one of the first titles as part of Sony's new Cross Buy initiative. For those of you who purchase the PS3 version of PlayStation All-Stars, you will be able to download the PS Vita version from the PS Network at no additional cost.