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Joyswag: LittleBigBeta code giveaway, day two
Update: All codes have been emailed out for tonight. Check your inboxes!It's day two in our quest to hand out beta codes for LittleBigPlanet. We've got 10 for you today; all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what internet meme you want to see turned into a level. To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us what internet meme you want as a LBP level. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec and Rick Astley -- sorry dude). Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and an angry Walrus will come looking for his bucket). This entry period ends at 11:00pm ET on Tuesday, September 30th. We'll randomly select 10 winners at that time to each receive a LBP beta code. Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules, click here. Also keep an eye out on The Not Unofficial Joystiq Twitter™ for a chance to win more beta codes!
Joyswag: LittleBigBeta code giveaway, day one
Update: No more for today! All codes have been emailed out, try again tomorrow!Ready to make your own colossus? All week, we'll be handing out beta codes for LittleBigPlanet. We've got 10 for you today; all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what you'll create in the game first. To enter this giveaway: Leave a comment telling us what you want to build first in LittleBigPlanet. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec and ImaginationLand). Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and Stephen Fry will never be friends with you). This entry period ends at 11:00pm ET on Monday, September 29th. We'll randomly select 10 winners at that time to each receive a LBP beta code. Please check your e-mail! For a list of complete rules, click here. Also keep an eye out on The Not Unofficial Joystiq Twitter™ for a chance to win more beta codes!
LittleBigWeekly Webcomic Wrapup
We're still enjoying our beta status at the moment, and so is LittleBigPlanet. Some intrepid gamers have already recreated Tetris in-game, as seen above (via PS3 Fanboy). We showed you Super Mario World earlier this week and we're sure there are dozens more mind-boggling creations propagated around the internet. The best we've tried our hands mittens at making is a pendulum. Anyway, here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!The Origin of the CD Keys, Part One (Penny Arcade)No Avoiding It (Digital Unrest)Easily Unlocked (Dueling Analogs)A New Creative Outlet (Cross Platform)The System 62 (Rosscott, Inc.)Mega Man Upgrade (Pilli-Adventure)You'd Never Guess (Sidescroller)
Sony announces more sites for LittleBigPlanet beta keys
[Update 1 -- IGN is beginning their giveaway. They have a "few thousand codes" and all you have to do is send an e-mail over to beyond@ign.com. Make sure your subject is "LBP Beta Code" and send them your idea for a LBP level. It doesn't have to be long, as long as you show you are "interested in creating something." It's a first-come-first served type of deal, so get to it ASAP! Thanks, freebluespike!]Some of you were lucky enough to have your LittleBigPlanet beta keys and are enjoying some fun with Sackboy right now (*ahem* Andrew *ahem*), but others aren't so lucky. Fortunately, the guys over at PlayStation.Blog just complied a list of where you will find LittleBigPlanet beta keys in the "the next few days." They have listed IGN, 1UP, Gametrailers and the official LBP news site but no additional information was provided. Needless to say, we'll update you guys as soon as more information leaks out. G4 has release partial details for their beta key giveaway; tune in to their X-Play show at 8PM on Tuesday, September 30th for a chance to win one of their 2,000 beta keys. PS.Blog also provided instructions on how to install the beta if you managed to obtain a voucher, so check that out after the jump.
LBP beta is an old build, full game will have many more features
It's been over 24 hours since people have had access to the LittleBigPlanet beta (pronounced beeeeta in Europe, naturally). We know a lot of you managed to get codes from Eurogamer, so congratulations to those who did. How are you enjoying it? We're having a blast, but there are a few things that we feel are lacking. Thankfully, a new post on the official Media Molecule blog states that "it's already quite an old build. We have some cool new stuff that's been in our private test for a few days, I won't give it all away but there are things cooking such as 5-star ratings, (much) better performance and less lagginess, better online stability, better UI for publishing, faster downloads...." Consider our minds put to rest. We're looking forward to seeing expanded user profiles, level rankings based on ratings and improved level filters. So hopefully they're included in Media Molecule's current cooking pot. If not, we're sure they'll be implemented one day, thanks to the company's emphasis on developing the LittleBigPlanet experience based on user demand. So, LBP beta testers, what are your demands?
LBP won't have online co-op level editor at launch
PS3's much-anticipated LittleBigPlanet will not ship with the online co-op create mode, according to Sony's official US forums. The feature will be added with the "first major update" of the game after launch, but no indication was given as to when we can expect said update.The four-player co-op will still be online and four-player level creation will still be possible -- as long as everyone is sitting in the same room. LBP is slated for release globally at the end of October.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
LittleBigPlanet officially arriving Oct. 21 in North America, other regions confirmed
Now, it's official: LittleBigPlanet will launch in North America on October 21. During launch week, those who purchase the game will be able to download a free "limited edition Spacesuit costume" from the PSN store (picture after the break).Sony also confirmed other regional dates: Europe, Australia & New Zealand Oct. 22; UK & Ireland Oct. 24 and Japan Oct. 30. Meanwhile, the 80GB LBP PS3 bundle will release Oct. 29 in Europe and Oct. 31 in the UK and Ireland. And those are LittleBigPlanet's OfficialReleasePlans.[Via PS3 Fanboy]%Gallery-1943%
Getting sick of Sackboy? Throw him around in PAIN soon
Even before PAIN first came out there were mentions of bringing other Sony characters into the game, but we didn't expect the first one to be poor naive Sackboy. If Game Informer (via 1UP) is to believed, however, we'll be flinging him out of a giant slingshot "at some point in the future." That's pretty much all the info that's available on the subject. Could this be the first downloadable character for PAIN that's worth the money? Or would you rather Sackboy was a little more choosey about the games he visits? We've been conditioned to think that he's no bigger than a plush toy, so seeing him all human-sized is going to be a little weird.
LittleBigPlanet features Facebook-esque tagging system
LittleBigPlanet has taken inspiration from a number of web sites, one of them being popular social networking site Facebook. In the LBP world, players will be able to network with others as they develop a persistent online persona. Players will be able to take pictures within the game, and those pictures will end up featured in the user's feed. "You'll have feeds of photos of you - levels that you've been in, photos people have taken of you," Alex Evans told GI.biz. "Then we take it even further, like Facebook. In any photos we know what kind of Sackboys were in it, who they were logged in as, so we put a box around their face which you can click and go and see that person. So if there's a cool level with a guy wearing an awesome costume, you just D-pad up to him and hit X, and now you can see his levels, his favorites."This kind of interactivity should be familiar for the millions of users of Facebook. Perhaps the blokes at Media Molecule are attempting to do to videogames what Facebook did for the web -- considering the success of the latter, that bodes well for LBP.
Rumor: LittleBigPlanet lands in North America Oct. 21, Europe Oct. 24
A few hours ago, a press release was issued by an outside PR agency in the UK on behalf of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, stating that LittleBigPlanet's European release date is October 24. Naturally, we were a little confused, as we'd previously been told by SCEE directly that the release date was October 29. When we followed up with this agency, we were informed that the Oct. 24 date was definitely for Europe, and that the game would be released October 21 in North America.Although Oct. 21 is the date that's been batted around in North America for a while, we still haven't received any official confirmation and, after contacting SCEA, were informed by a rep: "We have not yet announced an official North American release date." This is official: LittleBigPlanet's release date is giving us a VeryLargeHeadache.
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!
LBP (LittleBigPlanet) gets LPB (limited public beta) this month
Those of you who just can't wait for that somewhat amorphous Little Big Planet release date should keep your ears to the ground this month. A developer on the PlayStation message boards let slip that the game will be put through a "limited public beta" sometime this month -- a sort of stress test of the game's architecture before the full release.How do you get in on that hot, hot customizable platformer action? Well, that's also a little amorphous. "If it will be possible to 'sign up' for this test, full information on how to do so will be made public in advance of the test," the developer writes. "Similarly if the test is going to be conducted in an invitation-only we will let you know ahead of time." Of course, once that information is out there, you'll read about it here.[Via PS3Fanboy]
PAX 2008: The LittleBigJoystiq level
To demonstrate LittleBigPlanet's level creation tools in a way that we haven't seen or written about ad nauseum, the gang at the PAX 2008 Sony booth helped us model the Joystiq logo and vomit stickers all over it. The entire video initially clocked in at just over 10 minutes, so in the interest of time we've sped up the creation part.Here's the full LittleBigJoystiq logo -- click for a (slightly) higher-resolution version:
European 80GB PS3/LittleBigPlanet bundle spotted
Apparently, Sony won't be satisfied until every single PlayStation game is available as part of a bundle with a system. The latest title in this cavalcade of software tie-ins is apparently LittleBigPlanet, which a French retailer has revealed as part of a €399 European bundle with the 80GB PS3. The combo package will be available on Nov. 5, according to the retailer, complete with the incredibly busy box pictured above. Seriously, it looks like a unicorn vomited a graffiti-flavored rainbow on this thing. Also, is it just us or does that masked face in the lower right look suspiciously like Strong Bad?[Via PSExtreme]
It's a wrap: LittleBigBox
click to make little ... BIG! Life at Joystiq HQ used to feel a lot like Mount Crumpit. It was cold and lonely and it just seemed like our hearts were, in the words of Dr. Seuss, "two sizes too small." (That, and Ludwig refused to take his damned antler ears off.) But then LittleBigPlanet rolled along and slapped the cynical smirk clean off our faces. And -- wouldn't you know it? -- our hearts grew three sizes that day.%Gallery-1943%
LittleBigPlanet to feature personal 'copyright' system
We love it when games like Soul Calibur IV challenge us to add a personal touch to our favorite pastime, whether it be in creating our own fighters or stitching together a brand new level. But if there's anything this bounty of creative tools and user-generated content has shown us, it's that people aren't very original. When they're done recreating all of Nintendo's intellectual properties, they'll likely start copying, editing and spreading all of your creations too. They must be stopped!Thankfully, the PlayStation 3's impossibly cute platformer, LittleBigPlanet, will feature its own "copyright" system for user-generated items. "You can basically dictate the distribution rights on any object you create," Media Molecule's Alex Evans tells Eurogamer. "If you put something in your level as a collectable item, people can collect it. People can control who comes into the level, both by how hard it is and by giving away keys, but you can also choose whether to copyright that object."Items sans copyright can be modified and shared with wild abandon (perfect for the inevitable penises!), while those cherished by the creator must be collected and remain within the confines of the user's level. Which is probably just a recreation of Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 anyway.
LittleBigPlanet dev wants to see your redesigned logo
Calling all graphic design enthusiasts: Media Molecule is looking for your ideas on a LittleBigPlanet logo. The aptly-titled LittleBigChallenge -- the first of many to come according to the new LBP community site -- is just for fun; there is nothing to win from this and we're fairly sure your creation has no chance of becoming the official LBP logo. You can use the (tragically small) 324 pixel-width template, or go ahead and make your own from scratch. Creations are asked to be added to Flickr with a LittleBigChallenge 001 tag (as of this writing, two images have already been uploaded). We'd like to see what the Joystiq Design Community is capable of, so be sure to show off your submissions in the comments below.
LittleBigPlanet news and community site launches
Another cog has been added to the LittleBigPlanet this week: a website, which should help to get the potentially massive ball of kinetic users rolling after the game's "big bang" this October. For now, "LittleBigPlanet News" predictably functions as a hype machine, luring in audiences with that adorable SackBoy and his widget full of stickers (visitors can actually customize the background of the site with an extremely modest sampling of the game's content). The welcome message reveals that, eventually, the LBP site will "evolve into something much bigger and better to support our community of Players, Creators and Sharers." And who might those important sounding folk be? Why, you of course! Remember: The fate of this little, er, big? planet is in your hands. (Cue ominous music.)
Five LittleBigPre-order bonuses, including Kratos Sackboy
The God of War himself will soon find himself under new employment as Super Awesome Sackboy Superstar. The official US PlayStation blog has revealed that there are plans for five separate LittleBigPlanet pre-order bonuses in North America, depending upon where you reserve the game (a key detail that has yet to be revealed). Here are the bonuses: The Official "LittleBigPlanet Creator" MiniGuide by Brady Games A LittleBigStickerBook, which is -- shocker -- a sticker book LittleBigPouch, a burlap sack reportedly big enough to at least fit a copy of LBP An exclusive Nariko (of Heavenly Sword fame) SackGirl Exclusive Kratos (God of War) SackBoy Sure, the exclusive SackPeople are nice, but we're willing to bet those will eventually arrive as premium downloadable content or recreated/shared via the LBP community. We'll take two pre-orders for the decidedly more tangible LittleBigPouch, wherever that reserve bonus may end up.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
LittleBigPlanet coming to Japan Oct. 30
Big news: The Japanese part of the Planet is going to get a little Littler this October, as Sony's Japanese press site brings word that LittleBigPlanet is coming to the country on Oct. 30 for 5980 yen ($56). Still no word on when the game will come to other parts of the planet, but this official Japanese date seems to line up with the rumored 10/21 U.S. release date hinted at by a Target reservation card.[Via MCV]
