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Marvel Super Heroes star in LittleBigPlanet Vita re-release
Just over two years after the adorable burlap creatures of LittleBigPlanet first reached Sony's Vita, the charming, creative platformer is being relaunched with an extra helping of Marvel Comics cross-brand synergy. Dubbed LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Marvel Super Hero Edition, the new version of the handheld game features all the content included in its original release as well as a host of Marvel Comics-themed DLC. Exactly which heroes might appear is unknown, though given the long history of Marvel Comics character skins in LittleBigPlanet, it could be anyone from the ubiquitous Thor and Iron Man to more esoteric faces like Forbush Man and Squirrel Girl. In total, 18 character costumes will appear in the re-release, alongside three mini-games, "Avengers: Ultimate Escape, S.H.I.E.L.D Interceptor and Hero Rush." According to the EU PlayStation.blog, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Marvel Super Hero Edition will reach European territories on November 19 at a price of €20. There's no word on a North American release just yet, but we've attempted to contact Sony and will update this piece when we hear more. [Image: Sony]
What's this? What's this? The Nightmare Before Christmas invades LittleBigPlanet's dreams
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will become a nightmare before Halloween, thanks to an upcoming costume pack and level kit for LittleBigPlanet 2 and LittleBigPlanet Vita. Neither piece of DLC has a confirmed release date, but the PlayStation Blog and LittleBigPlanet website both claim we'll see Sack Skellington (haa) and friends sometime "next week." The costume pack includes everything you need to transform your Sackboy or Sackgirl into Jack Skellington, Sally, Dr. Finkelstein or Oogie Boogie. Meanwhile, the level kit will contain stickers, objects, a background and an interactive music track. We know it's probably "This is Halloween," and that "Oogie Boogie's Song" will forever be an underappreciated masterpiece, but what're you gonna do?
Mobile app turns LittleBigPlanet Vita package into AR game
A promotional smartphone app lets you play a minigame using ... the package for LittleBigPlanet Vita. The "PlayStation Official App" allows European Vita fans to scan the cover of the game, whether in a store or at home, and then play "a fantastic mini-game with you controlling the hero of the creative adventure series, Sackboy."You can also watch a trailer, and place virtual Sackboys in photos. Really, this is more of a promotional app than a standalone game experience, but at least it's a novel promotion! We have only one question: why is this a phone thing instead of a Vita AR app?
LittleBigPlanet Vita launch trailer has mini-games for all to enjoy
LittleBigPlanet Vita officially launches September 25, but already a few intrepid fans have slaved over strategies and painstakingly outwitted various retailers into selling them copies ahead of release – or there was just a misunderstanding and some stores put out the game early.On the PlayStation Blog, Tarsier Studios community coordinator Simon Rosenkotter says he hopes these players are enjoying the game, but warns the servers won't go live until tomorrow, so online play is still blocked until then. Sony has given the go-ahead to retailers to sell the game early, so check your local stores.To satiate early players and the jealous masses, above we have the LittleBigPlanet Vita launch trailer, showing off the mini-games in the game's Arcade option.
LittleBigPlanet Vita's street date lifted, no online until tomorrow
Originally listed for a September 25 release, copies of LittleBigPlanet Vita are popping up on retail shelves early after Sony lifted the game's street date. Speaking to Game Informer, Sony confirmed the street date is now a "launch date" and retailers can sell the game early.Sony then made an official announcement, noting the game has no online functionality until tomorrow when the servers go live. Compared to the statement given to Game Informer, the wording is more suggestive of certain retailers selling the game early outside of Sony's control. It reads:"Production on LittleBigPlanet PlayStation Vita was completed earlier than expected, and due to the excitement from our retail partners, some have decided to put it on shelves as soon as the product was received. You'll still be able to fully enjoy all the offline features of the game, but the servers will not go live until September 18th. We apologize for any confusion this may cause and will keep you posted on any further updates."While LittleBigPlanet Vita officially launches next Tuesday, it's available at certain retailers now including some GameStop outlets, as confirmed by NeoGAF users. It may well be worth the early hunt, with our review deeming the Vita entry the best LittleBigPlanet yet.
LittleBigPlanet Vita review: Small wonders
Counting portable iterations and spin-offs, Sackboy has made a new game appearance every year since the LittleBigPlanet franchise was born. It's been easy to grow fatigued, adorable as he may be, especially as the series' major improvements came to its creative tools instead of its platforming chops. For the Vita version, co-developers Double Eleven and Tarsier Studios must have been studying the series' progression closely and taking notes, as they have produced the best LittleBigPlanet game to date.That's not to say that it's terribly different from its predecessors. You'll still find the same physics-based platforming, robust building tools, and customization options as before. Rather than redefining the franchise, LittleBigPlanet Vita is more of a "greatest hits" compendium of everything Media Molecule built in previous incarnations, with a few welcome bits of tinkering to improve the already-strong formula.%Gallery-165047%
Most LittleBigPlanet costume DLC to become cross-platform, only require one purchase
Most costumes purchased for use in LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 will not only be compatible with LittleBigPlanet Vita and LittleBigPlanet Karting, but users will be able to transfer the DLC for freezies, in both directions. This means that purchasing a costume once will grant the use of those threads in all four games.Not all costumes will be available cross-platform at launch, and neither Assassin's Creed costumes nor the April Fools Fragrance costume will be available on Karting, but the rest of the DLC will eventually come to all four games.Since dressing Sackboy up as a Disney princess or indie darling is very nearly as much fun as actually playing a LittleBigPlanet game, we'd imagine this news would be music to the ears of anyone whose nights are filled with costume changes, accessorizing and Ben & Jerry's. Not that we would have any personal, first-hand knowledge of that sort of thing. Nope.
Sony Gamescom media megapost: The Last of Us, Assassins Creed: Liberation and more
Welcome friend, to Joystiq's Sony Trailer and Gallery Wildlife Preserve. Here, you will find trailers for upcoming Sony games and/or games exclusive to Sony systems, cohabiting in a forced amalgamation of their natural habitats.Take for instance, The Last of Us' Gamescom trailer, chilling majestically above like a panther stalking its pray. Or perhaps, take a trip through the reserve's front gates and take a gander at LittleBigPlanet Vita and LittleBigPlanet Karting, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, Tokyo Jungle, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Vita's suite of AR card games, all from the safety of your own virtual Jeep.
Finding the right touch in LittleBigPlanet Vita
While PlayStation Vita games output gorgeous visuals on its screen, use of its alternate control mechanisms – like touch and tilt – have often felt flat. But our recent experience with LittleBigPlanet Vita has reinvigorated our interest in tapping and tumbling about with our Sony handheld. Somehow it seems fitting that the first-party series known for its creativity is the one to show developers how to use touch correctly.The touch and tilt features in LittleBigPlanet seems additive to the experience, rather than wasted, unnecessary, or tacked on – a typical error of such functions. And since you're reaching in the adorable and tiny world, impacting small objects in aid to your little sack-person, the conceit of touch makes perfect sense within the LBP theme.%Gallery-130817%
LittleBigPlanet celebrates 7 million user levels with massive, manic infochart
Media Molecule has trumpeted a new milestone for its LittleBigPlanet community: seven million user levels created and submitted. At some time last night, the seven millionth user level was uploaded to the servers, spurring the creation of the busy infographic above. See it in its full glory here.The celebratory image provides interesting context for the milestone, like how 200 new levels debut every hour. Did you know it would take Sackboy 21 years to run through every community level? Indeed, it's been a pretty eventful four years since the first LittleBigPlanet launched, and with the impending arrival of LittleBigPlanet Vita and LittleBigPlanet Karting on the PS3, Sony's newest (and most adorable) mascot shows no signs of slowing down.
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita arrives on our regular size planet September 25
Specifically, the North American part of said planet. An announcement from developer Tarsier Studios on the PlayStation Blog revealed the launch date for the handheld platformer and platformer toolkit today, along with the above trailer.According to the video, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita's world of "Carnivalia," which has mysteriously "gone bad" as of the beginning of the game. Only your playing, creating, and sharing can save it!
LittleBigPlanet Vita pre-orders get Knights, BioShock-inspired costumes
New pre-order incentives for LittleBigPlanet's crafty Vita debut have been announced, and they are expectedly adorable. Two DLC packages are up for grabs with pre-orders: the BioShock pack adds Big Daddy and Little Sister-inspired costumes to the level-crafting world of LBP; while the Knights of the Old pack adds two knights, a damsel in dresses outfit, and a "fearsome" dragon costume.The color of the Knights of the Old pack will remain exclusive to pre-order customers, according to the PlayStation Blog, pointing to these costumes being offered as DLC for those who don't put their money down.Tarsier Studios community coordinator Simon Rosenkotter also notes that details on pre-orders will vary by country. At the time of publishing, Amazon in the U.S. appears to be the only retailer offering the bonuses. LittleBigPlanet Vita is scheduled to launch later this year.%Gallery-134126%
LittleBigPlanet 2 DLC turns the Vita into a PS3 controller
LittleBigPlanet 2 is getting DLC later this year with cross-controller compatibility, turning the Vita into an "enhanced" controller for the PlayStation 3 version, with tilt and touch functions. The DLC will add a new story mode, costumes, decorations and stickers, Sony announced at its E3 press conference.
LittleBigPlanet Vita box art is as joyous as you'd expect
Media Molecule revealed the box art for LittleBigPlanet Vita, shown in its full glory below (that Sack Boy is naked, after all). The LBP team also dropped a behind-the-scenes video that describes how the collaboration between Media Molecule and developer Tarsier, well, developed.
LittleBigPlanet Vita beta now accepting applications
The beta for LittleBigPlanet on Vita is gearing up, and Sony is inviting interested players to enroll in the test run right here. Sony promises "many of you" will have the opportunity to participate in the beta. The enrollment form consists of simple questions, such as "Which LittleBigPlanet games have you played before?" and asks if you've created levels in any of the LittleBigPlanet titles.It also asks, "Do you own a PS Vita?" For those looking to get in the Vita beta, we think that may be the only question with a wrong answer.
Get in touch with Vita launch titles with ten new trailers
Sony sent out a bunch of trailers for first-party launch Vita games, focusing on the Vita-specific features each game uses. The good news: we see clever combinations of controls here, like Escape Plan's "pinch" of both the front and back touch panels. And Gravity Rush looks really neat regardless of how it's controlled. The bad news: we're not nearly mature enough to see ten references to "front touch" and "rear touch" without giggling. If that's how Sony is going to refer to those features permanently, we're going to have a problem at press events.
TGS Vita screen 'splosion: Escape Plan, LittleBigPlanet, Dark Quest, Legion of Hell
We don't know if you realized, but Tokyo Game Show is actually conducted entirely in stop motion, through a series of giant screencap cutouts and mulitcolored strobe lights. Really, it is. No, really. OK, fine. It isn't. We do, however, have a ton of screenshots from TGS, including the following batches of Vita games: Escape Plan, LittleBigPlanet, Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Dark Quest in Japanese) and a new title from Square Enix, Legion of Hell (make sure your speakers are turned up all the way for that website). Switch on your strobes and let the show begin below: LittleBigPlanet %Gallery-134126%
LittleBigPlanet Vita dev signs exclusivity deal with Sony
Sony has added another LittleBigPlanet developer to its collection. Franchise originator Media Molecule became a Sony-exclusive first party in 2010, and now PlayStation Vita LBP developer Double Eleven is joining them in the exclusive club, though through a contract and not outright ownership. Double Eleven has signed a deal with Sony in which the developer, formed by ex-Rockstar Leeds lead engineers, will create games exclusively for SCEE. That includes LittleBigPlanet, along with "new titles for Sony platforms" -- mostly the Vita, we assume, given the studio's predilection for handheld gaming.
LittleBigPlanet Vita being developed by Double11
In case you didn't know, we quite liked LittleBigPlanet's PlayStation Vita outing when we played it during E3. Heck, it was even Griffin's game of the show. And as of today, we know who to thank for brightening our annual week of overwork -- Double11. The ex-Rockstar helmed studio has been recruiting for LBP Vita and grown to over 30 staff members since being formed in 2010. "We've spent the best part of a year recruiting a crack squad of games development professionals and we're delighted that we can finally announce it," CEO Lee Hutchinson notes in the announcement. Also in the release: news that the game is being co-developed by Sweden-based Tarsier Studios, who contributed to previous LBP games on PS3. Reps from Tarsier didn't get to say anything in the release.
