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LittleBigPlanet best original new game, say Game Critics
In a second story regarding the Game Critics Awards, LittleBigPlanet walked away as the winner of the best original title. As a follow-up to their win, technical director for Media Molecule Alex Evans answered a few questions about the win. Needless to say, Evans and the rest of the dev team were stoked to win the award, especially showing off such an early build of their vision. It paid off, they said.When compared to the reaction they got at the Game Developers Conference, Evans says the two are very different since they put the "create" tools in the hands of knowledgeable gamers this time around. Again, he says, the fact those people understood their vision was a great way to bolster confidence in their ideas. Their ideas are plentiful, it seems, as Evans repeats how what we've seen is pre-alpha code and there's a lot left up their sleeves. We're excited to get our hands on something, so we'll wait until they're ready to show off more of our favorite little big game, LittleBigPlanet.
Could Craftworld (LittleBigPlanet prototype) be in development?
LittleBigPlanet had some pretty humble beginnings. Media Molecule started with a 2D demo, then called Craftworld. Sony loved the approach they were taking with the game, and signed Media Molecule to develop what is now (our game of E3) LittleBigPlanet.When speaking with Mark Healey, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal asked whether or not there were plans to ever continue working on Craftworld, either as a new PSN or PSP title. He stumbles a bit, almost revealing something: "There's--we're not allowed to talk about that, are we?" Unfortunately, the PlayStation publicist silenced him before he could go on further.There's something happening with LittleBigPlanet. We just don't know what, yet. We'd be a little bit more demanding to find out more ... but we're too busy waiting for LittleBigPlanet to be finished.
Today's good things in small packages video: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
We've played LittleBigPlanet twice and are waiting for its Spring 2008 release to get unlimited time with the final game. Even as a casual game, there have been rumblings between Joystiq writers that this could be a killer PS3 app. GameTrailers shows LittleBigPlanet level construction in a new interview with one of its developers, Alex Evans.Here's hoping that this quirky little game makes a big impact. See the video after the break.%Gallery-1943%
Hands-on: LittleBigPlanet
Don't be surprised to see LittleBigPlanet score big time when we make our "Game of the Show" awards later this week. Best described as a social game creation experience, LittleBigPlanet left us pleasantly surprised with its charming personality and incredibly intuitive design mechanics.At GDC, the team at Media Molecule wanted to showcase the "play" element of the game. The cooperative physics-based platforming had everyone talking at the show. For E3, the team has prepared a "creation" demo for us to partake in.Up to four players (either online or off) can join in on a creation session. Making a level and its elements happens within the game's regular environment, allowing all participants to play whilst designing the level. For example, while one developer was creating a staircase, I decided to drag Chris Grant's stunned avatar, as it flailed around helplessly. Adorable? Yes. Afterwards, we saw a few blocks being created, and we were able to play with them from the moment they appeared in the game world. The instant gratification, we're reminded, allows level designers to fully understand what works and what doesn't from the moment it's made.%Gallery-3199%
Joystiq impressions: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Don't be surprised to see LittleBigPlanet score big time when we make our "Game of the Show" awards later this week. Best described as a social game creation experience, LittleBigPlanet left us pleasantly surprised with its charming personality and incredibly intuitive design mechanics.At GDC, the team at Media Molecule wanted to showcase the "play" element of the game. The cooperative physics-based platforming had everyone talking at the show. For E3, the team has prepared a "creation" demo for us to partake in.Up to four players (either online or off) can join in on a creation session. Making a level and its elements happens within the game's regular environment, allowing all participants to play whilst designing the level. For example, while one developer was creating a staircase, I decided to drag Chris Grant's stunned avatar, as it flailed around helplessly. Adorable? Yes. Afterwards, we saw a few blocks being created, and we were able to play with them from the moment they appeared in the game world. The instant gratification, we're reminded, allows level designers to fully understand what works and what doesn't from the moment it's made.%Gallery-1943%
LBP taunts us with Mario Sack Boy concept art
We're more than just a tad bit envious over LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule's ultra-cute, ultra-customizable platformer for the PS3; ever since the title was announced at GDC, we've been downright jealous. Videos of the game's cooperative possibilities have turned us into internet stalkers, following every online preview and press release in secret, constantly reloading LBP's MySpace page every five minutes to make sure that other guys aren't moving into our territory with flirtatious comments. So seeing that players will not only be able to create landscapes that mimic scenes from classic games (e.g. Super Mario Bros., World 1-2), but likely also dress up their characters to look like Nintendo's mustachioed mascot has inflamed within us the sort of covetous lust that Moses warned against after coming down from the mount. The Virtual Console has been a great way for us to play old classics, but seeing Sony's plans for its PlayStation Network and comparing it to what we've heard so far about original, downloadable games coming to the Wii has us feeling like chumps. [Thanks Elmer!]
Reggie lost out to Phil on LittleBigPlanet
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Reggie_lost_out_to_Phil_on_LittleBigPlanet'; If you've been eyeing shots of LittleBigPlanet and wondering why it isn't ours, you're not alone. Even Reggie Fils-Aime thought that Media Molecule, the company behind the intriguing platformer, would be a perfect match with Nintendo. Unfortunately, Sony's Phil Harrison beat him to the punch. Reggie couldn't resist getting in a little jab, though. "That product, I think, is quite intriguing. I'm not sure how well it will do on the Sony platform, quite frankly, but I think that the product they showed was outstanding." Frankly, we're not sure how it'll do, either. After all, people need to actually own a PS3 to be able to play it, eh?Reggie's other comments might shed a little light on what's in store for Nintendo. Though he loves LittleBigPlanet, he wasn't too impressed with Playstation Home, the PS3 community. So when our Miis hit the road on some distant future day, it's probably a safe bet to assume they won't be heading for their house or trophy room.
LittleBigPlanet developer on dealing with publishers
When gaming journalists violently collided in the hallways of San Francisco's Moscone center, a common topic of conversation, besides their universally poor navigational skills, was the PlayStation 3's physics-driven platformer, LittleBigPlanet. The game quickly became somewhat of a critical darling after its unveiling, prompting us to attend a presentation by Media Molecule, the company behind it and Rag Doll Kung Fu. A GDC session held on Wednesday was presented by Mark Healey and Alex Evans who both spoke very candidly about their company's origins and their approach to dealing with publishers (the "bad guy" as far as many developers at GDC are concerned)."We're jumping into the abyss with rockets strapped on our back," said Evans in reference to Media Molecule's enthusiastic approach to game development. Part of this attitude reflects in their relationship with publishers, who Healy insisted are best dealt with by being as upfront and communicative as possible. "Everybody has good ideas," added Evans, but the trick is communicating these ideas. Giving the publisher as much information as you can is key in gaining publisher backing, with visual and playable examples being particularly effective -- Evans called it "the power of prototyping."A video of a LittleBigPlanet prototype was shown during the session, depicting a brightly colored and two-dimensional character waving his arms about, grabbing onto objects and striding up stairs in a decidedly awkward manner. Despite its early state, the physics technology and the control method immediately shone through, a fact which ultimately played a large role in Sony's eagerness to pluck the game up. It seems a similar approach would be just as effective on gamers -- forget the feature bullet-points and dry press releases. Just show us why your game is fun!
Sony unveils cooperative platformer, LittleBigPlanet
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Sony_unveils_cooperative_platformer_LittleBigPlanet/'; Sony today announced a rather unexpected and terrifyingly adorable new game, LittleBigPlanet. Officially labeled as a "community-based" game, LittleBigPlanet is essentially a physics-based platformer, though such a description fails miserably at capturing the sheer amount of scrambling, swinging and holding-on-for-dear-life going on in the gameplay footage. Developed by Rag Doll Kung Fu masters, Media Molecule, the game encourages players to help each other over obstacles, interact with objects (often fruit-like in nature) and grab onto everything -- including each other. Four-player pushing and pulling aside, LittleBigPlanet also highlights user-created content, allowing players to design characters, objects and levels to share online. Given the grab-happy, emergent gameplay, downloadable custom levels should enable players to constantly discover new ways to aid or injure their pudgy little avatars. An earlier Sony presentation demonstrated some intuitive controls, with the manipulation of analog sticks and motion controls resulting in all manner of jumping, wiggling and waving."Quirky" and "endearing" are not two adjectives that have recently been linked to Sony, but it's good to see the opportunity to do so finally presenting itself. LittleBigPlanet's stunning graphics, charming characters and strong online component make it a great example of what the PS3 is really capable of. And it's got a 2-D perspective (that's half the Ds the system is capable of) to boot!A trial version of LittleBigPlanet is expected to arrive on the PlayStation Network this fall, with the full version following in early 2008.%Gallery-1943%
Rag Doll team enlisted for PS3 exclusive
Mark Healey's Media Molecule has inked a deal with SCEE to develop an exclusive title for PlayStation 3. Having yet to release a game since cutting ties with Lionhead, the small, 20-plus-sized team is hungry to prove themselves.While neither Sony or Media Molecule is yet prepared to speak publicly about the concept behind this new title, Mark Healy was quick to tout his small team's abilities, boasting, "[we] can deliver a world class, triple A, next generation product." If successful, Media Molecule could blaze the trail for a new generation of small development teams that provide innovative "next-gen" content on a cost effective scale ... while multimillion-dollar uber-studios blow loads of dough on those spiffy sequels and genre clones.
Media Molecule: Rag Doll Kung Fu creator's new studio
Here's the newest installment in the ongoing adventures of Mark Healey, the ex-Lionhead programmer who created Rag Doll Kung Fu. After cutting loose from Lionhead -- which, let's not forget, has since been acquired by Microsoft -- Mark reportedly started to pursue "other projects".He's now founded a new studio, Media Molecule, which includes other ex-Lionhead staff. For the next part of this ongoing soap opera, stay tuned -- the team are "mega busy" at the moment, and we're looking forward to what comes out of this new indie developer.
