15 PlayStation Characters Missing From Astro Bot

2 months ago 94

An image shows characters from FF7, Dino Crisis and other games.

Astro Bot contains a lot of references to PlayStation games and hardware from the past few decades. And with over 150+ so-called “Cameo Bots” representing various PlayStation characters, like Nathan Drake from Uncharted or Ratchet from Ratchet and Clank, it might seem like every big Sony franchise and cult classic is represented. But that’s not the case.

In fact, we came up with a list of 15+ characters and franchises that are nowhere to be found in Astro Bot. And while it’s possible some of these folks might show up later this year in the platformer’s first free DLC, I’m not holding my breath.

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When I think PlayStation, I think Final Fantasy 7. I’m not even a big FF7 sicko or anything. I’ve never played the OG game. Yet, it’s one of those PS1 games that is fundamental to the console and the PlayStation brand. Likewise, later Final Fantasy games would be extremely popular hits on PlayStation consoles, too. As well as Square Enix games like Drakengard, Dragon Quest 8, Grandia III, and more. And yet, despite being such an important part of PlayStation’s history, not a single Square Enix character appears in Astro Bot, something fans have noticed and complained about.

The gruff secret agent star of the Syphon Filter games is sorely missing from Astro Bot. Sure, Syphon Filter in 2024 is far from a popular franchise, but back in the PS1 days the first three games were big sellers and had a large fan base. So it’s odd that nobody from the third-person stealth-shooter series popped up in Astro Bot’s latest adventure.

We already mentioned that Astro Bot lacks Final Fantasy characters, which is already a wild and disappointing fact. But it’s also weird that Sony and Disney weren’t able to work out something to get Kingdom Hearts’ main star Sora—who is owned by Disney—to make an appearance in Astro Bot. Perhaps Square Enix’s lack of involvement discouraged the House of Mouse from stepping on the publisher’s toes.

Cinematic third-person action game The Order: 1886 might not be the best PlayStation 4 exclusive out there, but it’s still a part of the company’s history, and leaving out Galahad—the main character in the game—feels like a mistake.

Blasto wasn’t a great game, I don’t think anyone would disagree. But it was a big deal at the time of its release in 1998 on PS1. It starred the late Phil Hartman and looked like a fun space-themed platform shooter. Instead, it was mostly a so-so adventure forgotten quickly after its release. But considering some of the obscure characters who show up in Astro Bot, it feels like Captain Blasto should have got an invite, too.

Let’s run down some of the traits Astro Bot’s cameo characters share. Debuted in a popular game or a beloved cult classic? Check. Starred in a game primarily exclusive to PlayStation? Check! A cool, iconic look that could be easily translated to Astro Bot’s aesthetics? Check! And yet, U-1 from the beloved PS2 rhythm game Gitaroo Man is nowhere to be found in Astro Bot. Sad stuff.

In 2024 people still want Capcom to make more Dino Crisis. The survival horror franchise debuted on PlayStation in 1999, got a well-received sequel in 2000, a mostly-forgotten light gun spin-off in 2002, and then a third sequel in 2003. That last entry was exclusive to the OG Xbox and took the series into space. It wasn’t a fan favorite. Since then Dino Crisis and its red-headed star Regina have been mostly left to gather dust by Capcom. A cameo bot in Astro Bot wouldn’t have satisfied fans wanting more Dino Crisis, sure, but it would have at least been a nice way of Capcom going “Hey, Regina is still around.”

“Do y’know where we are?” NYPD officer Aya Brea asks the mutant blob pursuing her through the bowels of a freighter on the Hudson River, right after she overloads the ship’s boiler to blow the monstrosity to smithereens. “We’re in Hell’s Kitchen!”

I love a good one-liner, and this one, from the climax of 1998’s Parasite Eve, has always stuck with me. Aya’s another Square Enix no-show in the popular PS5 platformer, and it’s a shame, not only because she’s a great character—steely and determined—but because Parasite Eve deserves to be remembered as one of the most distinctive games on the PS1. Certainly, I’ll never forget being enveloped by the simultaneously cozy and unsettling vibes of this NYC Christmastime horror odyssey as I played through it on that unassuming little gray console, all those winters ago. - Carolyn Petit

You could argue that Grand Theft Auto 3 isn’t a PS2-only game, but there are plenty of characters and franchises in Astro Bot that hail from multiplatform franchises. And I don’t think GTA 3's violence and gore stopped Claude from showing up as a bot cameo, either. I mean Last of Us and God of War are in the game. My guess: Rockstar said no or Sony didn’t even bother asking because they expected that answer.

The Twisted Metal series used to be one of Sony’s biggest PlayStation franchises, with multiple sequels and spin-offs across PS1, PS2, PSP, and even a PS3 reboot. The car destruction games are filled with strange, demented, and violent characters, but by far the most famous is the evil clown known as Sweet Tooth. And yet, Sweet Tooth doesn’t appear in Astro Bot, though concept art shows that it was planned at one point.

Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 2 is still considered by many to be one of the best superhero games ever made. It also laid the groundwork for the open-world swinging of later games, like Insomniac’s recent Spidey adventures on PS4 and PS5. The character has a deep history with PlayStation, Sony has a long history with Spidey films, and yet no Spider-Man bot can be found in Astro Bot.

Developed by Ninja Theory and released in 2007, Heavenly Sword was an early attempt to create a new PlayStation franchise. But annoying motion controls and QTE moments as well as a short campaign held the hack-and-slash action game back. While it wasn’t a massive success, it’s an example of Sony trying to create something new and Nariko deserves a cameo bot.

Like Twisted Metal’s Sweet Tooth, we know from concept art that at one point Team Asobi was looking into adding the plump princess from Fat Princess to the PS5 platformer. That didn’t happen and so the main objective from one of the weirder RTS games ever made isn’t in Astro Bot.

The first Resistance game was a launch title for the PS3 and kicked off a franchise that included two big sequels on PS3 and some handheld entries on PSP and Vita. But the alt-history WW2 FPS series about aliens invading Earth never caught on like other Sony franchises and it’s been mostly abandoned by Insomniac since the PS4 generation started. Still, I think the iconic and instantly recognizable Chimera Hybrids should have made an appearance.

Bugsnax was one of the very first games Sony showed running on PS5. It’s wild ending and amazing song have kept it lodged in my brain for years. And yet, there ain’t a single Bugsnax critter or character to be found in Astro Bot. What a shame.