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LittleBigPlanet 2 goes gold, European release date confirmed
Though the untold millions of new levels which the LittleBigPlanet community will almost certainly churn out have yet to be created, the sequel to Media Molecule's 2008 platformer is completely in the bag. The developer has announced that LittleBigPlanet 2 has gone gold, revealing that the DIY title will arrive in Continental Europe on January 19, followed by its release in Australia and New Zealand the following day and in the UK and Ireland that Friday, January 21. These dates coincide with the North American launch date on January 18, which is great, because the more pedestrians we have making levels for us, the merrier. If you're finding it difficult to wrap your brain meat around the month standing between you and Sackboy's next outing, you'll be relieved to learn that a demo for the game is set to launch today on the North American PlayStation Store and tomorrow following the European PSN update. Get your creative caps on, everybody! Also, your creative pants.
LittleBigPlanet 2 beta used to create 'Sony vs. Marvel vs. Capcom'
Even though we should be totally used to seeing insane feats of game design in LittleBigPlanet 2, we're still amazed by this Marvel vs. Capcom-style fighting game created by beta player "POLLOIZARRARAZ43." The stage, inspired by Resident Evil's Umbrella Mansion, is awesome, and introduced with dramatic camera movement, and the game's existing Marvel costumes are put to great use to create a character lineup. But neither of those features is the best part. The best part is how, after all this buildup, the round starts and it instantly devolves into a rapid-fire Sackboy slap fight -- punctuated by impressive special moves. Really!
LittleBigPlanet 2 gets sporty, shows off billiards, basketball, bowling and more
Thanks to the beta, we're seeing how truly versatile LittleBigPlanet 2's creation tools actually are. This montage video released by Media Molecule highlights some of the more sporty games available online. Who could have thought that billiards (seen above) would be possible?
Create your very own Sonic the Sackboy
Ever wonder what it'd be like if Sackboy and Sonic had a kid? Well, let your imagination take a break and check out the real deal past the jump -- complete with instructions on how to make one of your own!.
Wolfenstein 3D recreated (with alarming accuracy) in LittleBigPlanet 2
If you're a game developer who isn't Media Molecule, you should be quivering with fear right now: LittleBigPlanet 2 beta player "RAPHAEL" has created a near-perfect mock-up of Wolfenstein 3D using the game's creation tools. See? We tried to warn you guys. LBP 2 is every game.
Sony representative says no 3D support for LittleBigPlanet 2
Sony and Media Molecule have remained relatively tight-lipped on whether their even-more-customizable platformer, LittleBigPlanet 2, would feature the kind of 3D support that's quickly becoming a mainstay for major PS3 releases. Though we've heard a few reports to the contrary from Sony in the past, SCEA marketing manager Mark Valledor recently responded to a PlayStation.Blog commenter who asked whether LBP 2 would feature the eye-popping tech, explaining, "Sorry, no 3D this time around." We've contacted Sony and Media Molecule to find out if Valledor's statement is on the level, and to see what he meant by "this time around." Is he hinting at the limited, future release of LittleBigPlanet 2: This Time For People With Really Expensive Televisions Edition? Hopefully, we'll find out soon enough.
LittleBigPlanet 2 beta adds voice recording feature
On January 18, Media Molecule will launch Griffin McElroy's 2011 Game of the Year, LittleBigPlanet 2. Some people are lucky enough to be in the beta right now, supping on the game's alluring blend of platforming and secret spices before they must pay to do so. If you're one of those lucky few, we'd like to inform you of a new feature in the beta: voice recording. In a pre-launch update on the PlayStation Blog, Mark Valledor, marketing manager at SCEA, offered a tutorial video showing how users can record voices in the game and assign them to characters. It was made by YouTube user Sackinima and sums voice recording up pretty well, so we've gone ahead and embedded it past the break -- fast-forward to 2:30 for the good stuff.
LittleBigPlanet 2's latest innovation: the 'Controlinator'
Today, Media Molecule unveiled the latest (verb)-inator device (after the Creatinator and the Grabinator) usable in LittleBigPlanet 2: the Controlinator. This device allows objects to be controlled directly, instead of by complicated arrangements of switches. We're excited by the possibility of better vehicle implementations in player made games, but at the same time ... there are starting to be a lot of -inators for us to learn. Hopefully the next device revealed will be some kind of Educinator.
LittleBigPlanet 2 demo and more beta invites coming in December
Sure, the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 got bumped to next year -- but that doesn't mean you won't get to play it before 2010 expires. Yes, we're talking about time travel. Are you down? No? Well, we guess you could just download the LBP2 demo that Sony has announced will launch December 21. The sample will give players access to a select sliver of the Story mode -- and all the new gameplay mechanics therein. Of course, for the full "Play, Create, Share" experience, you're going to have to receive one of the beta invitations going out in the next batch, which Media Molecule will send out early next month. This wave will include PlayStation Plus subscribers and community contributors, as well as a few random giveaway winners -- so if you're hoping to get on board, you might want to get on that Plus train, become an LBP creation maven and/or get really lucky.
Move-based, co-op 'Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves' hits PSN in December
As expected, Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves, the title outed by Australia's ratings board, refers to a new LittleBigPlanet spinoff. Sony officially revealed the game today as a multiplayer-only game requiring one PlayStation Move wand and up to three DualShock controllers. One player uses the Move to clear a path -- by blasting crates, flicking switches and triggering platforms -- allowing up to three other players to make their way through the ten prehistoric-themed levels platforming-style. The game title pretty much sums this one up: Sackboy in a prehistoric landscape, using the Move. PlayStation Plus members will get to see Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves as early as December 7, for free -- as will an unspecified number of "LBP supporters." The game will be released to the general PSN population one week later for $6. It'll also be included as a bonus on the LittleBigPlanet 2 disc, which will be available on January 18. %Gallery-107765%
LittleBigPlanet 2 'Grabinator' featurette introduces Sacketball
Though Sackboy's opposable thumbs weren't doing him a lot of favors in the original LittleBigPlanet, the "Grabinator" power-up in the upcoming sequel lets him haul around any old object (or any fellow player). Check out a sporty featurette showing off the uses of this new ability after the jump.
Europe's LittleBigPlanet 2 special edition ditches plush, bookends
North America's LittleBigPlanet 2 Collector's Edition will include a bunch of extra costumes, a Sackboy plush, and bookends. The European Collector's Edition, announced today, includes the same Sackboy costumes (specifically, the Toy Story 3 Alien, Tron Legacy "Clu," Gonzo, and four from the "Even More Animals" set), but replaces the soft, huggable Sackboy with a piece of metal, and replaces the bookends with nothing. The packaging for the Euro special edition is a Steelbook designed to resemble Sackboy's torso, with a transparent outer sleeve for all the logos and other box art imagery. That means if you display it without the overwrap, it looks like you're displaying a rectangular, disembodied Sackboy torso. That's ... that's cool.
Media Molecule makes a Creatinator trailer for LittleBigPlanet 2
What is the Creatinator? It's a new tool for LittleBigPlanet 2 that lets you shoot anything. And we mean anything. As this new trailer shows, you can fire off blocks, shoes and missiles. It's a totally worthwhile upgrade from the Paintinator, don't you think?
LittleBigPlanet 2 beta takes to the skies
It may not be the most impressive standalone fighter jet game we've ever seen, but the fact that the video after the break was created using LittleBigPlanet 2's game-building tools makes it really, really impressive. Also, there are sackboys, so ... yeah, it's pretty adorable too.
LittleBigPlanet 2's Sackbots are ready to do your bidding
The PlayStation blog has posted a featurette on Sackbots, which are little AI versions of LittleBigPlanet 2's Sackboy (or girl). Sackbots allow you to add a lot more movement and intelligence to characters in LBP2's levels -- you can set them up to follow Sackboy around, interact with the environment, or, as the video shows, teach them to dance. And honestly, we're a little bit more excited about that last option. Yeah, it's nice to set up Lemmings-style puzzles or command an army of cute little blockheaded robots. But sometimes you just need backup for a dance party.
Hey, you got Portal in my LittleBigPlanet 2!
Like the passing of a particularly nerdy kind of torch – maybe one built out of Lego Technics? – the era of "But can it run Doom?" is being replaced by the era of "But can someone on the internet make Portal with it?" While we're not certain if it can run Doom yet – even money says it probably can – someone on the internet has used the now-in-beta LittleBigPlanet 2 to make a variation of Portal, replete with an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (aka: portal gun), a meme-required Weighted Companion Cube, and a meme-exhausted cake. Yup, it's all here folks, all you've got to bring is your weariness of Portal gags. Get your gape on with the video after the break.
Thatgamecompany's Flower recreated in LittleBigPlanet 2
We get legitimately excited when we see how beta testers are using LittleBigPlanet 2's creation tools in an ingenious way -- but sometimes, the logistics of their creations give us a wicked headache. Like, for instance, PSN user RAPHEAI's in-game recreation of Flower. It simply boggles the mind.
Second phase of LittleBigPlanet 2 beta invites next week, Bounce Pad trailer today
Look sharp, US-based Sackboy enthusiasts -- an update on PlayStation.Blog has revealed that the beta test for LittleBigPlanet 2 will be expanded next week, when a second round of invites will be sent out to a mix of "LBP contributors, DLC owners and PlayStation Plus members" worldwide. The update explains that this will be a "small phase," so if you're not one of the chosen ones, don't feel too bad about it. Just kidding, of course! You're going to feel really bad about it when you watch LBP 2's happy-go-lucky "Bounce Pad" featurette posted after the jump, because you're going to be sad that you're not playing it right now.
LittleBigPlanet 2 delayed to avoid launch-day patches, Evans says
Media Molecule delayed LittleBigPlanet 2 until next year because the developer did not want the game to be dependent on launch-day patches. Speaking with VG247, MM head Alex Evans explained the team wanted the retail disc to "perfect" and something the company could be "proud of," ensuring that folks who didn't have a PS3 connected to the internet would still receive the "full experience" without patches. "We could have shipped it and it would have been fine," Evans told the site. "However we realized that with just a couple of extra weeks we could make the game super amazing, adding the super onto the already amazing which exists today. This is something that will live forever and the delay, people will forget about." Strangely, at no point in the interview did Evans say, "Oh yes, and one more thing, the real reason we delayed LBP2 was to spite that Griffin McElroy. Muahahahahahahaha!" Seriously, poor guy hasn't stopped rocking in the corner, wracked with denial, since the delay was announced last month.
Digital Foundry compares LittleBigPlanet 2 engine to original
While we're still so totally mad at LittleBigPlanet 2 for its recently announced delay, we couldn't avoid sharing Digital Foundry's recent examination of the game's improved graphics engine. In a series of levels designed to test the game's graphical strength, the Digital Foundry team compared the fog, lighting, textures and special effects to those of LittleBigPlanet the first, concluding that ... um, the sequel looks way better. However, the comparison brought about concerns that some minor changes between the two engines, such as the draw distance of fog effects, might end up breaking some of the user-made levels from the first game. Check out the comparison photos and video over on Digital Foundry.
