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3G Vita launch bundle $200, select PS3 Greatest Hits $15 at Best Buy
If you simply cannot wait for potential Gamescom news concerning the Vita, Best Buy is offering the 3G Vita launch bundle and the plain old Wi-Fi version of the system for $200. Select titles from the PS3's Greatest Hits library are also available for $15 apiece. The launch bundle includes a 3G-compatible Vita, an 8 GB memory card, and an AT&T DataConnect Session Pass for $200. According to Best Buy's listing for the bundle, it also includes an offer for a free PSN game, but it seems to have expired in May 2012. Still, this pack is a nice way to save on a memory card and some on-the-go online gaming. If you'd prefer to sidestep some savings and spend more money later, the non-bundled version of the Wi-Fi Vita is also $200. A cut from the PS3's Greatest Hits library is also yours for cheap if you can beat others to the checkout. Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale, Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time, God of War: Origins Collection, Twisted Metal, Infamous 2, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Killzone 3, LittleBigPlanet Karting, Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition, LittleBigPlanet 2: Special Edition and LittleBigPlanet: GOTY Edition are all available in limited quantities for $15. Playstation All-Stars and Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time are also crossplay compatible, meaning that you can pick up some cheap games for a cheap Vita.
Rumor: LittleBigPlanet 3 is in development at Sonic All-Stars dev Sumo Digital
LittleBigPlanet 3 is rumored to be in development at British studio and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed dev Sumo Digital. VG247 is reporting that, according to sources, Sony and former series developer Media Molecule approached Sumo Digital to make LBP 3, and that the game, which has yet to be announced, has already been in development for "well over a year." Upon inquiry, a Sony representative told the site that it "doesn't comment on rumor or speculation."When approached on the matter, a Sumo Digital representative told Joystiq, "No comment."LittleBigPlanet 2's Cross-Controller Pack, released in December 2012, was outsourced to Sumo Digital, so the developer has hands-on experience with the property. Also, as spotted by superannuation last April, motion graphics artist Naomi Summerscales' LinkedIn profile noted the developer is working on a PS3 exclusive to be released this year.Media Molecule is now working on Vita papercraft game Tearaway, having announced it was stepping away from LittleBigPlanet back in July 2011.
Windows XP partially re-created in LittleBigPlanet 2, ups the stakes for gamer ambitiousness (video)
We've seen an CHIP-8 emulator and even a virtual CPU built inside games, but we've yet to encounter a game recreation of Windows. Thanks to a quartet of industrious LittleBigPlanet 2 beta players, though, we can now finally check that off in our copy of 100 Geeky Projects You Must Witness Before Dying. As the video above shows, major Windows functions they've emulated to date include a working start menu and mouse cursor, multiplayer support for a variety of bloatware games, and even the good ole' blue screen of death. That's pretty impressive stuff from an ambitious platforming title that won't officially ship until mid-January. Needless to say, once the full version arrives, we expect to see a working copy of Lion running stat. You heard us folks -- we're setting the bar that high.
EpicWin aims to turn your real-life tasks into a social game
Given the amount of iPhone and iPad apps coming out these days, I'm not all that interested in getting excited about an app before it comes out. There's already plenty of games and apps available now, so worrying about not-yet-released apps isn't all that important. That said, this app called EpicWin is gaining quite a bit of attention -- it's a very originally designed to-do list masquerading as a game that gives points for accomplishing things in real life. If this idea sounds familiar, it's because we've seen it before -- Booyah Society was supposed to be a game that rewarded you for real-life accomplishments, and there have been a few other apps like it poking around. Most of them haven't worked very well -- the issue has always been that there's no validation, no proof that you've done what you said you did in real-life. But EpicWin has some solid developers behind it (the folks that worked on Little Big Planet for the PS3, and MiniSquadron for the iPhone), and a very intriguing art style and tone, so maybe it'll be more intriguing than what we've seen along these lines in the past. EpicWin is "coming soon" to the App Store -- we'll keep an eye out for it, and let you know when it's out.
LittleBigPlanet 2 trailer falls to Earth
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/littlebigplanet-2-trailer-falls-to-earth/'; Media Molecule officially took the handmade wraps off its game-sweding suite's sequel, LittleBigPlanet 2. How do you make a full sequel to a game that's already had a sequel's worth of free content updates? Media Molecule appears to have expanded its game-making engine significantly. For example, it is now possible to add AI characters called "Sackbots," with behavior you can record or define. Levels can also be bundled to make a whole game, and those games don't have to be platformers. The trailer above gives us brief looks at racing games (one of which appears to involve players riding mice) and a Space Invaders-style shooter. You can even open use a "Direct Control Seat" to alter controls, allowing you to control objects that are not Sackboy, "and make a game that doesn't even remotely resemble" Media Molecule's foundation. This sequel will even, in a way, act as yet another upgrade to the original: all of the two-million-plus LittleBigPlanet 1 levels will still work. LittleBigPlanet 2 will be out on PlayStation 3 in Winter 2010.
NPD: Final Fantasy XIII sold almost twice as many copies on PS3
Let's go back a couple of years, to E3 2008. At the Microsoft Press Conference, the company drops the news that Square Enix has agreed to release Final Fantasy XIII simultaneously on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. There is much cheering and/or weeping and gnashing of teeth, depending on which side of the console wars you are on. Two years later, in April of 2010: Final Fantasy XIII is released on both consoles simultaneously. And the most recent NPD report says that while the Xbox 360 version sold a respectable 493,000 copies, the PS3 version sold 828,000 copies -- almost twice as many. We'll let you guys sort that one out for yourselves. Do remember where the consoles were at in both places -- back in 2008, the Xbox 360 had an early lead on big software (LittleBigPlanet was Sony's biggest game of the show), and these days, PS3 sales are doing much better. But we will say that, according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier, this is Final Fantasy's biggest launch ever, and that XIII has topped the first-month sales of XII by 48%. That's a lot of l'Cie.
PSP-4000 accidentally leaked in print ad over the weekend?
What's this, then? MCV, a British games industry publication, has run an ad for Little Big Planet game accessories that boasts among its many compelling features compatibility with the PSP-4000. Of course, there is no PSP-4000, but you have to admit -- this is more than a simple typo. When asked what the dilly was, a rep from Accessories 4 Gamers told Negative Gamer that it was merely a simple "mistake." Sure, but the questions still remain: was it a mistake because the PSP-4000 doesn't yet exist? You see, we've definitely heard otherwise. Or was this a mistake because you accidentally spilled the beans on some top secret new handheld game console? If that's the case, you might want to contact us with the details. We won't tell anyone -- promise.
13 PS3 motion control games confirmed for next year, motion-enhanced Biohazard 5 coming Spring 2010
Sure, the company's Tokyo Game Show keynote was a bit of a bore, but in a second press conference for Japanese media, Sony did what it could to make up for it by revealing Biohazard 5: Alternative Edition, the first PS3 title we've heard of to support the new motion controllers -- and better still, it's due out Spring 2010. Also confirmed is the existence of 13 first-party titles with motion support coming at some point next year, including Pain, EyePet and Flower. Both Biohazard 5 (known in the US as Resident Evil 5) and a LittleBigPlanet tech demo were shown on stage, and pics from the announcement are being uploaded now, so stay tuned! Update: Some new details of the LittleBigPlanet motion control demo from our friend Ittousai of Engadget Japan. In the presentation, one player was playing the normal way via DualShock while a second person was "assisting" by means of the motion control.
LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo in action on the PSP Go
Across the Atlantic, the folks at Fase Extra got their hands on Sony's PSP Go and a couple of games recently -- LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo, specifically. Lucky for us, Sony Spain allowed them to grab some video of each game, that we've now conveniently dropped for you after the break.Here's the thing: We've got another three months or so until the release of PSP Go, and, ya know, it's really pretty. So, while entertaining, these videos do little more for us than tantalize our already over-tantalized mind grapes. Thankfully though, three months should be plenty of time to put away, um, a lot of extra change for the $250 handheld.
ModNation Racers, like LittleBigPlanet on wheels
It wasn't all sequels and plugged leaks at Sony's E3 press conference. Sony also announced a new PlayStation 3 franchise called ModNation Racers, the latest in the company's Play.Create.Share lineup popularized by LittleBigPlanet. The game looks to strap LBP's overcute style and love of physics into kart racing that, according to Sony, will let players express themselves and become "superstar designers" by sharing tracks, karts and characters over the PlayStation Network.
Maggie Wang strikes again: More custom Sackboys
It's been another busy month for Maggie Wang, expert craftswoman and friend to Sackboys. Last month we fell in love with her Prince of Persia Sackboy, but now Maggie has outdone herself. The image above shows her latest creation, a Sackboy in the image of Reno the Turk from Final Fantasy VII, complete with removable goggles. Adorable.Other creations this month include Ulala from Space Channel 5, the Fruit Brute cereal mascot and Michael J Fox' Teen Wolf character. Check out Maggie's website for more pics. We can't wait to see what she makes next.[Via Tomopop; Thanks Daniel!]
SackBoy plushies available now on Play-Asia
SackBoy plushies have been the object of desire for LittleBigPlanet fans for a very long time now; however, such a prized possession has yet to be made commercially available -- until now, that is. Japan is getting the official SackBoy squeeze toys this month and they're already available for purchase off Play-Asia. Currently, the online retailer carries four versions of SackBoy: Normal, Pirate, Soldier and Sunflower. They're the 4" dolls we've reported on before, and they're actually cheaper than we thought at the price of $9.90. Import them today, or just wait for those North American plushies that we know are coming.
Top 5 LBP levels of the week: a call for nominations
We're on the lookout for awesome LittleBigPlanet levels for an upcoming feature. We're doing our best to scour the community levels to find the cream of the crop, but we need your help. If you've made a level you think is particularly great or if you've played any that blew you away, let us know. We'll be doing a weekly rundown of the top five levels, so keep sending them in as you find them from now on.There are no restrictions; no minimum hearts or views and we don't mind mind levels based on other games, but anything you send in has to be awesome. Send your nominations to us via the following address: LBP @ PS3Fanboy.com with the name of the level in the subject line. We'll credit everyone whose suggestions we use.
LittleBigPlanet levels being deleted with no warning or explanation
If you've put countless hours into crafting a level in Media Molecule's uber-customizable platformer, you know how terrifying that headline really is -- LittleBigPlanet forums across the web are erupting with angry amateur level designers whose creations were 'moderated' (see: deleted) without explanation or forewarning. You read that right -- the levels aren't being removed from your list of published, downloadable creations. They are being deleted. Permanently. Forever. Gone.Affected parties have noticed that the moderations have erased levels which mention (to varying degrees) copyrighted IPs. For instance, that remarkable God of War level that everyone probably played during beta? It is no more. The gaggle of Super Mario Bros. reimaginings? Yeah, those are gone too. Our personal favorite -- a level titled "Failure to Launch" was deleted, supposedly for using the title of a 2006 McConnaughey-infused romantic comedy. Sadly, our very own magnum opus also fell beneath the axe -- yes, "Maid in Manhattan" is gone, and no amount of protest will bring it back.Moderators of the engulfed LBP forums have promised to implement a stronger feedback system to explain why levels are disappearing -- though their unwavering stance on copyrighted content has officially been displayed. Our lesson has certainly been learned -- we'll be keeping our rom-com-based creations to ourselves from now on.[Via Kotaku]
LGJ: User Content Creation Crisis
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games: It appears there has been a bit of a controversy over the recent changes to the PSN Terms of Service with regard to user-generated content, which seems to be at least in part tied to the release of the Sackboy epic Little Big Planet. Of course, user-created content is nothing new, and neither is the management of the licenses associated with that content. However, it seems like as good a time as ever to discuss the issue of managing the intellectual property rights of user created content and what that can mean for you, the user, and them, the game companies. I guess we should get back to basics, though I'll skip the intellectual property primer this time around. When users create content for games, they're creating intellectual property that would likely qualify as a derivative work. After all, what good is the content outside of the game? Some types of mods are more derivative than others, depending on how much is taken from the original work. But the point remains, it's at some level a derivative work. In this case, however, there is at least an implicit authorization for the user to create the work based on the virtue of the developer giving the user the tools to do so. In this way, we're not dealing with a situation identical to, say, machinima.
Boku, Microsoft's 'LittleBigPlanet' heading to 360, PC
Little Big Planet captured players' hearts and free time with its unmistakable mix of ingenuity and cute. Now it appears that Microsoft has its own plan to tap into players' creative wellspring with Boku, a new XNA project billed by The Seattle Times blog as a "visual programming language for kids." Hello World.Following a previous demonstration of the project in 2007, Boku was officially unveiled this week by project lead Matthew MacLaurin during Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. The effort looks to build upon Microsoft's ongoing work with the more complicated XNA Game Studio, allowing players to program their own games using a more inviting set of icon-driven instructions on either the PC or Xbox 360. Sort of makes us want to go back and revisit Carnage Heart. No official release date has been announced yet, though MacLaurin noted during his presentation that players will be able to start playing with Boku sometime "early next year." Until then, check out a video of it in motion after the break. [Via Gamasutra]
PS3 Fanboy review: LittleBigPlanet
Almost two years ago, during my vigil outside the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in New York City, I awaited the chance to buy a PS3. At that time, I wasn't thinking about a game like LittleBigPlanet. In terms of future titles, my friends and I were anticipating the next Final Fantasy, the next Gran Turismo or the next Tekken. None of us knew that a game like LBP was poised to become what Sony expects to be the biggest PS3 game ever. Naturally one would want to know; does it live up to the hype?%Gallery-3199%
Only in Little Big Planet: 360 unloads on PS3
With the beta for the PS3 create-a-platformer Little Big Planet underway, it looks like many PS3 owners are dedicating their time to building levels designed to denigrate our console of choice, the Xbox 360. A quick search on YouTube reveals videos like the one above, which centers (perhaps justifiably) on the Red Ring of Death. There may be more of these anti-360 levels out there. We don't know and, quite frankly, don't care. What we do care about is a pro-360 level sent to us by a reader. We like it for its panache, creativity and, particularly, its toilet humor. Find it after the break.
GoodEvilPlanet: The best and worst levels we've seen so far
... and by worst we mean "with as little taste as humanly possible" -- but first the best LittleBigPlanet level. A PSN user named Upsilandre, whose brain is at least thrice the size of ours, has created an "electronic" (i.e. not mechanical) 8-bit calculator capable of adding and subtracting any double-digit number. In the video after the break, you see both how to interact with the level and how the whole thing works (spoiler: It's nearly maxes out the complexity meter). It's a shame to think this might disappear once the beta is over.As for the other video -- and please don't let this take away from your awe at the above calculator -- file this under the "unfortunate but bound to happen" category. A couple levels have popped up on the beta based on the September 11 attacks. Remember, folks, you can report offensive levels in-game for Media Molecule to promptly slam. GoodEvilPlanet officially launches October 21.[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
LittleBigPlanet brought forward to Oct 24th in UK, 21st in US
LittleBigReleaseDates! We've received a press release stating that LittleBigPlanet will be released in the UK on October 24th. We're not sure whether the rest of Europe will be receiving it on the 29th or not, but the UK will definitely be able to get their hands on the game five days ahead of the date announced at Leipzig. If you want it before then, however, you'll need to be on the other side of the Atlantic. North Americans will be getting their LittleBigMits on the game three days before that, on the 21st. Not exactly simultaneous, but close enough. LittleBigPlanet is (finally!) almost out.[Via Press Release]
