Get ready to rumble - PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale beta is live

For those of you desperate to get stuck into PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale on Vita, splendid news: the beta for SuperBot and Sony's forthcoming brawler has gone live.

The beta edition of this Super Smash Bros-esque title will be available to ALL Vita gamers on the PlayStation Store until October 30th.

Yep, that's right: you don't need to be a PlayStation Plus member to get your hands on the Vita beta. Hurrah!

As alluded to above, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale represents Sony's take on Nintendo's phenomenally successful Super Smash Bros series. Though it could be accused of being a straightforward clone, there are some major gameplay differences.

For example, instead of focusing on smashing your opponents out of the arena in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, your aim is to cause enough damage to earn a special move. This is the only way to eliminate fighters, and will, naturally, lead to some incredibly attack-minded bouts.

Only time will tell if Sony's recently published roster of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale characters can keep us entertained for as long as Nintendo's have, but the demo does give you a chance to experiment with six of the playable fighters (Kratos, Colonel Radec, Sly Cooper, PaRappa, Sweet Tooth, and Fat Princess).

Furthermore, you can take the demo online in 2-vs-2 or four-player tournaments - I mean, who could resist a Fat / Rappa / Sly / Kratos showdown, eh.

PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale also supports Sony's Cross Play service, so those playing the beta edition on the PS3 should be able to take on Vita gamers without a hitch.

This is all in preparation for an official release on November 23rd. We're counting down the days...