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Parsons hosting LittleBigPlanet level making marathon
Despite a well-documented obsession with LittleBigPlanet and its emphasis on user-generated content, our skills pretty much begin and end with penis-themed level design. This is probably why Sony has tapped New York's Parsons The New School For Design and not us to host a LittleBigPlanet level-making competition. The event, taking place in New York City from September 21-22, aims to pit 120 students in teams of five against each other over a 24-hour period in order to see which group can create the best custom level as judged by developer Media Molecule, as well as members of the media and Parsons faculty. Winners will see their creation make it into LittleBigPlanet as "a specially branded Parsons section" of the game. We can't wait to see what comes out of the competition. As for the penis levels, that's something best left to the masters.
Devs say Little Big Planet not possible on the 360
Chatting with GamesIndustry.biz, developer Media Molecule (the creative geniuses behind the PS3 exclusive and overly charming Little Big Planet) admits that Sackboy and friends won't be gracing the Xbox 360 anytime soon, because it wouldn't be technically possible."We couldn't have made it on the Xbox 360 and the reason for that is actually because we designed it around the PS3's strengths" says the Media Molecule folks, explaining that they built Little Big Planet around the PS3's architecture, Blu-ray disc capacity and that "having a hard drive on every unit makes a difference." But they aren't entirely anti-360, admitting that the console is an "incredibly capable machine" that, theoretically, could be home to LBP, "but it'd be a different game." Ouch! And all along we were under the impression that LBP could eventually release to the Xbox Live Arcade way under the 150MB Arcade limit. We guess we were wrong ... ZING!
Joystiq has a LittleBigChat at Leipzig
Joystiq's Leipzig coverage continues with an interview with LittleBigPlanet developer Jim Unwin and producer Pete Smith. They discuss the game's humble beginnings at GDC 2007, post-launch add-on content and ... did he just say "we could brick someone's PS3"? LittleBigPlanet is shaping up to be the game everyone is hoping for and we're getting hyped all over again. Just over two months to go and it'll be in our grubby little paws. Make sure you check out the full interview for yourselves.
Joystiq interview: LittleBigPlanet's Pete Smith and Jim Unwin
The LittleBigPlanet breakdown session was a little different than most. We've been seeing the game at every trade show since it was revealed at GDC 2007. As a result, the session took a more informal Q&A approach, rather than a showcase for the game's features.Those present – producer Pete Smith and interface designer Jim Unwin – did start off by volunteering some information: Firstly, the game is finished and pretty much ready to go. The European release date has been finalized as October 29th, with other regions to be confirmed later. Barring unforeseen circumstances there's no reason at all why this game shouldn't ship in time.We were also told that when LittleBigPlanet was first shown at GDC, Media Molecule had only about five members. As much as the presentation at GDC was a glimpse into the PS3's future, it was also a hiring pitch. Media Molecule was looking for new members in order to work on this incredibly ambitious project. The level shown at GDC was the entirety of LittleBigPlanet up until that point. In fact, they hadn't even finalized the name until a few days before.%Gallery-1943%
LittleBigPlanet confirmed region free by SCEE rep
Chalk this one up as a LittleBigWin for LittleBigPlanet fans. A Sony representative has posted on the official European PlayStation forums to clarify the region locking issue, stating that "there will only be one region for the game.... a LittleBigRegion.""The confusion arose out of regional differences in how moderation will work as there are different legal rules each region have to play by, and at one point this looked like it may require the game to be independent in each region". Thankfully, this was unnecessary in the end. So you can stop fretting now; your level creations will be playable worldwide and, perhaps more importantly, we're going to have a huge selection of content from all different cultures to play with soon after launch. Is it October 29th yet?[Thanks, Benny Boy]
Nariko Sackgirl is Play.com's LittleBigPlanet preorder bonus
Europe, rejoice! You're not being left out in the cold. Those amazing LittleBigPlanet preorder bonuses will be available on both sides of the Atlantic. So far, we've spotted Nariko hanging out over at Play.com, but there's no sign of any of the others. At least, not yet. The Nariko Sackgirl (who is actually a Sackboy playing dress up, but don't let that put you off) is downloadable via the PlayStation Network. Instructions will be sent out during the week of release, according to Play.com, so don't expect to be playing with your new heavenly pal on launch day. Now, where's that Kratos Sackboy got to? We're sure he's hiding around here somewhere.
Amazon and Gamestop LittleBigPlanet pre-order details
Last week, we reported on the various pre-order goodies for LittleBigPlanet. We now know the identity of two of the retailers you can pre-order from in order to obtain their respective bonus. If you place your order with Amazon now, you will receive a Brady Games miniguide which is "a primer for LittleBigPlanet's CREATE tools and provides users with a quick tutorial to begin developing their own levels." Click here if you want to pre-order with them.If you pre-order from GameStop, you will receive the exclusive (in North America) Kratos Sackboy costume set. Keep in mind Kratos is an in-game object that will be downloadable via a promotional code on a voucher. The costume set consists of four individual in-game items: signature Kratos skin, goatee, Blades of Athena and Kratos garments. These items are inter-changeable with your costume inventory so you can place the Kratos goatee or Blades of Athena on any Sackboy or Sackgirl. Head over to GameStop now if you want to take advantage of this.No word yet on which retailer to pre-order from to get the LittleBigPouch, LittleBigStickerBook or Nariko Sackgirl costume set, so stay tuned if you are interested in those bonuses.
LittleBigPlanet news site debuts
A LittleBigPlanet news site has just launched. With the game's release date of October approaching soon, the site aims to "keep you informed, educated and hopefully excited about" LittleBigPlanet. Two blog entries are the only real content on the site at the moment; one welcoming visitors and another listing the honors LittleBigPlanet has received so far, including an honor we bestowed upon it. You can even be creative and customize the website with 27 stickers by clicking on the sackboy in the upper right corner of the site. Check it out here.
LittleBigPlanet pre-order bonuses are terrifyingly awesome
When it comes to LittleBigPlanet, we're a spoiled bunch. Not only will the game feature a full story mode, as well as a level editor, which is playable online with up to three of your friends, but now there are a set of pre-order bonus goodies which have our minds reeling from the choice. From the looks of things, these five bonus items will be available from separate retailers. More details on the how, whys and wherefores are yet to come, but what we do know is that choosing between any of them is going to be incredibly difficult.First up are three physical items relating to the game. A "LittleBigPlanet Creator miniguide" from BradyGames, a sticker book and a burlap sack to keep your game box safe inside. We don't like to think how many Sackboys were killed to make each one, but we're still desperate to get our hands on it. Additionally, there are two downloadable bonuses in the form of Kratos (from God of War) and Nariko (from Heavenly Sword) in Sackboy form. You can see KratosBoy above, and can find images of all the bonus items on the PlayStation Blog. It all looks so awesome, how could we possibly choose? It looks like we'll be preordering multiple copies of this one ...
LittleBigPlanet tutorial level video and information
ConfusedCartman over at LittleBigPlanet Central got some decent game time in (1.5 hours split up into five 15-20 minute intervals) with the upcoming PS3 exclusive over at Comic Con. There's a whole heap of information on LittleBigPlanet: character customization (Tron suits, Killzone helmets, stickers and magic wands!), the level editor (menu setup, vehicles, event triggers and how to set things on fire!), emoting (SIXAXIS controls your head and hips, leading to hula dancing!) and a level called the Construction Yard ("I stood on the sponge with a friend while another guy dragged it across, and right before we got there I slapped my friend off so I could have the stuff to myself."). ConfusedCartman even filmed a part of the tutorial level for us, after the jump. Or check out the entire article here.
Sackboy knight rescues his princess in LittleBigPlanet trailer
Sackboy wants to be a hero. In this infuriatingly cute trailer (yes, we're so bombarded by cuteness we're angry) you see the regular sackboy dreaming about becoming a knight rescuing his princess. It's another trailer showing how free you are to create your worlds and this is another success in our eyes, even if sackboy doesn't get his kiss. It's also got a great musical number going on in the background. October cannot arrive soon enough!
Official LittleBigPlanet website comes online
The LittleBigPlanet website just went live! And it's adorable too! You have Sackboy asking you to choose what country you are located to start. That brings us to our planet and the moon, where you can choose between Game Info and Downloads. The music sounds a bit like an old-school dot-matrix printer though ... Under Downloads you can check out wallpapers and trailers for your PC or PSP. Under Info there's some good information on the game, but nothing new if you've been following the game closely like we have. There's also trailers you can watch directly online. Not much yet, but more is sure to come as the game inches closer to its release date later this year. [Thanks, Danny and Jay!] %Gallery-3199%
Don't Panic! Stephen Fry provides LittleBigPlanet narration
Don't panic, but famed British comedian and noted Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy voice (he's done the audio books and narrated the movie) Stephen Fry will provide narration for LittleBigPlanet. Media Molecule's Alex Evans made the announcement during a press briefing for the game, although he had the TV muted at the time. Seems fitting for when we make our whole sort of general mishmash.
More LittleBigPlanet levels to look at, minus the audio
Here's another gameplay video of LittleBigPlanet. Pull up your favorite song to play alongside the video, since this footage decided to leave out any audio. It's possible there was a lot of background noise going on, so if that's the case, we're grateful for the silence. We're always impressed by the level designs that keep popping up and this video is no exception. Hopefully, you all agree!
LittleBigPlanet dev made Sony presentation in 2 days for SCEA
Following a LittleBigPlanet press briefing, we had a chance to ask Media Molecule's Alex Evans about their participation in Sony's E3 2008 press conference. (In case you missed it, a LBP level was made for the company's power point slides. We've embedded video of the level above.) According to Evans, SCEA approached the dev two days before their press conference. They spent the first day making the level and the second day tweaking. We're hoping this sets a precedent for all future press conferences. Rare, we're looking at you to show how Banjo can make Xbox sales data fun.
LittleBigPlanet devs announce new PSN title
A brand new game from the developers of LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule, is coming for the PSN. The title is called Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. It is a sequel to the PC game. There are no further details thus far.
Little Big Planet beta growing, Trophies teased
We admit that we have an obsession with Little Big Planet, bordering on addiction. It's something with which we're trying our best to cope, a therapy helped somewhat by Media Molecule co-founder and technical guru David Smith. We like to think of his recent interview with Eurogamer as a kind of patch, letting information seep into our bloodstreams, taking the edge off as we pine for the game's October release. Among the number of topics discussed, Smith spoke out in support of the game's beta testing, something he noted as being "in progress," and -- contrary to earlier reports -- that "it should gradually grow to include more people." In addition, with the recent addition of Trophies, he stated that the team is "having a lot of fun working out what trophies most fit" Little Big Planet, teasing that one will involve "making your sackperson be thrown at some huge velocity." Check out the full interview for more words strung together about Little Big Planet. We'll be quietly twitching in the corner.
LittleBigPlanet devs will 'support' interesting tool exploits
It isn't that we're disgruntled with LittleBigPlanet or interviews in general, but we can't help but think we know pretty much everything we possibly can about this little giant of a title short of having it on our consoles. Its release date is still far off, but Gamespot took the time to question Media Molecule, the developers, on its progress. Let's listen in with our handy-dandy summary goggles.There are interesting parallels between the Media Molecule office and LittleBigPlanet -- both have co-op and versus modes, both have dark sides, and both are totally awesome. They feel the game could have existed and risen in popularity even without user-generated content. They want to enforce that concept: they pitched the gameplay mechanics and tactical elements to Sony. The user-generated idea wasn't the focus. It's a fun game where building stuff yourself is merely an option and not a necessity.Still, they hope what users create is as professional or better than what they ship with the game. Those kinds of talents are in every game with user-generated content, after all. In fact, if people find ways to exploits the creation tools Media Molecule provides in interesting ways, they'll promote it. On the flipside, offensive or poor content will get rated down, similar to our own website's comment system where the "rubbish" simply fades away, while the good remains. We look forward to hearing more as the game draws closer to release.
LittleBigPlanet video features a king locked out of his castle!
It has no audio, but you can surely add your own soundtrack in your mind as you watch this LittleBigPlanet video. It's also available in high-definition off of IGN's website, so if you're having trouble seeing things, go ahead and try that version. We're working on a dinosaur of a laptop, so the framerate's really choppy on the HD version for us. Anyway, watching sackboys with capes running around is a great way to lower your stress level, until they can't quite advance through the level and it infuriates you. Not that it happens here.
LittleBigPlanet open beta will never happen
We had the opportunity to speak at length with various LittleBigPlanet producers at PlayStation Day, as well as get some hands-on time with the title. Top of our discussion list was the beta. We wanted to know as much as possible about when it's coming and have done since it was implied last July. However both Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) maintained that a public, open beta will sadly not be happening. The game will go through a beta phase, obviously, but this will be performed by an internal group at Sony.There's a possibility of a small number of gamers and press being invited into the beta phase, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Releasing the game in its entirety to the public, free of charge would be suicide. Instead, there's talk of a demo being made available, which will curb our monstrous hunger pangs for the game until its October release. What the demo will contain and when it will arrive is still being discussed.Check out our gallery below for some new images of LittleBigPlanet straight from PlayStation Day. Also be sure to check out the video of the cute-but-ghastly Helghast Sackboys. %Gallery-3199%
