PS3 Fanboy

Phil Harrison will be missed. His groundbreaking "Game 3.0" keynote at GDC showed Sony's exciting and innovative ways forward in the online community. After accusing Sony Japan of not being forward-thinking regarding the online sector, he left Sony and joined Atari.

Harrison's message wasn't simply the creation of marketing folk, however. He genuinely believed in online communities, and without his support, LittleBigPlanet wouldn't be the game it is today. According to Alex Evans, one of the co-founders of Media Molecule, "[Phil's] influence on the game early on ... was hugely useful to have." The development team was focused on the gameplay, but it was Harrison that talked about the online potential LittleBigPlanet had. "He was very instrumental in telling us to think about what it would mean to have user-generated content - to think about what that means for the community."

Alex Evans and Mark Healey, co-founders of Media Molecule, revealed some information on the development of LittleBigPlanet and how the idea came to fruition at a keynote at the Game Developers Conference in Paris. Healey remarks on how he doesn't believe one needs a team of 200 or more people to make a "great, fresh and successful" game, naming Brain Age for the DS as such an example. Profits from games, Healey believes, will be increased by adopting a model of "user-generated content and a willingness to release early and often, combined with people accepting change, accepting patches." Server access to LPB was also revealed to be free and it was even hinted that gamers can potentially sell self-generated content.

Later, Evans sat down for an interview with Gamesindustry.biz and said influences on LBP were drawn from "this interesting timeline of user-generated content" such as the God game genre and games like Shoot-'em-up Construction Kit. Evans was "amazed" that people in the industry resonated with their idea of "creative gaming", commenting that Media Molecule had a "much more open and transparent process with the publisher (Sony)" and this was for them, "defining features of the development process."

Currently, the LBP team at the stage of "improving the quality and the polish" and promoting LBP; the pressure on them is a double-edged sword -- driving them forward at the same time while putting a large weight on their shoulders, especially with their relatively small team of about 30 people. Finally, the co-founder sounded rather modest about LBP being seen as a lead title on the PS3, claiming he had "no expectation(s)" in the beginning and it was "just ... ambition ... we didn't know we'd succeed", and that the "ultimate test" is "when the game is shipped, that's the best time to judge it."

For the latest episode of the PS Nation podcast, we chatted with Media Molecule founder, Mark Healey. He previously worked on Rag Doll Kung Fu, before moving onto the hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive, LittleBigPlanet. In our 40 minute chat, we covered a number of topics. For example, did you know LittleBigPlanet will have a story mode? Did you know that you'll be able to share "risque" levels privately amongst your friends? Finally, we have confirmation that Sackboy plushies are being made. Yes! Read on.

LittleBigPlanet has been evolving at every show. For example, enemies were introduced in the most recent build. How is Media Molecule staggering these features? What's the schedule and why are certain things only being shown at certain times?
To be honest, because we showed the game at GDC originally, so early on in the development process. Really, we've been showing things as they go into the game. People have been seeing the game evolve. Quite often, people show the game much nearer the end and are very careful about what they show and what they don't show. It's literally as we're designing the game that we're showing things. There wasn't one big master plan. At some point, we decided "we need enemies," so we put enemies. And then it was shown to people.

YouTube video uploading has been discussed for games like PixelJunk Eden and an educational title in Japan. Is it something that's being considered for the game?
We haven't made any plans to do that yet. But, like we've always said. We really want to listen to the community. Really, whatever they're most hungry for, we'll make every effort to feed them with what they're hungry for. Like the fluid, with YouTube -- I'm taking a guess, but those are going to be high up on that list. I don't really know what the logistics are, who you have to talk to at YouTube. If there's a huge desire for it, and it's possible, then I'm sure we'll have a go at doing it.

Have you been aching to play LittleBigPlanet? If you have, then perhaps you might want to check out the PlayStation Experience -- a roving 10-wheel truck of PlayStation gaming goodness -- when it swings by your town, or a town near your town. The truck will be making stops at certain events across the USA this summer and people can come up and try out LittleBigPlanet, SingStar, and Rock Band.

A second mammoth truck dubbed PlayStation Patrol will also be going cross-country. This one will have kiosks and a player's lounge for playing Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and tons of PSP games. For tour dates and when to expect these trucks to roll into a place near you, check here for Experience and here for Patrol. Hit up the PlayStation.Blog for some pics of the big rig sets.

Here's an interview with Alex Evans, co-founder of Media Molecule, the developers of LittleBigPlanet. The gameplay footage in the video is mostly old news, but Evans spits out some really good narrative that'll give you more of an idea about the open-endedness (it's a word for today) the game offers. A very interesting and creative part of the interview comes when Evans is talking about creating a "race" level where everybody sprints to the finish -- but the creator of the level put the sign that says "finish" on wheels, so it keeps "running away" from the sackboys. That's really funny and rather creative. He says the game should be done this Fall and it's got an October date slapped on it, so let's hope that remains the date of release.

Play. Create. Share. That's the mantra for the LittleBigPlanet team. We know that the "Play" aspect of the game is swell, but what about the creation aspects? Media Molecule wants to make their creation engine as simple as possible, and they released a few images showing how a deadly crocodile can be constructed using just a few spare parts.

Playing with Legos was always fun, but something of this depth and magnitude has been almost unheard of -- at least for a mainstream audience. Hopefully, we'll be able to showcase some original creations of our own when we get our hands on with LittleBigPlanet soon.

It isn't that we're disgruntled with LittleBigPlanet or interviews in general, but we can't help but think we know pretty much everything we possibly can about this little giant of a title short of having it on our consoles. Its release date is still far off, but Gamespot took the time to question Media Molecule, the developers, on its progress. Let's listen in with our handy-dandy summary goggles.

There are interesting parallels between the Media Molecule office and LittleBigPlanet -- both have co-op and versus modes, both have dark sides, and both are totally awesome. They feel the game could have existed and risen in popularity even without user-generated content. They want to enforce that concept: they pitched the gameplay mechanics and tactical elements to Sony. The user-generated idea wasn't the focus. It's a fun game where building stuff yourself is merely an option and not a necessity.

Still, they hope what users create is as professional or better than what they ship with the game. Those kinds of talents are in every game with user-generated content, after all. In fact, if people find ways to exploits the creation tools Media Molecule provides in interesting ways, they'll promote it. On the flipside, offensive or poor content will get rated down, similar to our own website's comment system where the "rubbish" simply fades away, while the good remains. We look forward to hearing more as the game draws closer to release.

It has no audio, but you can surely add your own soundtrack in your mind as you watch this LittleBigPlanet video. It's also available in high-definition off of IGN's website, so if you're having trouble seeing things, go ahead and try that version. We're working on a dinosaur of a laptop, so the framerate's really choppy on the HD version for us. Anyway, watching sackboys with capes running around is a great way to lower your stress level, until they can't quite advance through the level and it infuriates you. Not that it happens here.

Currently, the top-selling PS3 game in Europe is Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. With over a million pre-orders for the game, it became a clear system-seller in that territory. However, Sony Europe is expecting 2D community platformer LittleBigPlanet to surpass even GT5's impressive sales. "We're hoping sales will be higher than GT5 Prologue," David Reeves told GI.biz.

Analysts have called LittleBigPlanet a potential system-seller for the PS3. Its accessible gameplay and emphasis on creation and sharing will undoubtedly draw in a new audience to the PS3. However, will the casual gamer really jump to a system that's still considered prohibitively expensive (especially in comparison to the Wii)?

Kaz Hirai noted that "[LittleBigPlanet] will completely revolutionize the way gamers interact with their games, especially through the community functions and the ability to interact with LittleBigPlanet lovers around the globe," during the PlayStation Day keynote.

We had the opportunity to speak at length with various LittleBigPlanet producers at PlayStation Day, as well as get some hands-on time with the title. Top of our discussion list was the beta. We wanted to know as much as possible about when it's coming and have done since it was implied last July. However both Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) maintained that a public, open beta will sadly not be happening. The game will go through a beta phase, obviously, but this will be performed by an internal group at Sony.

There's a possibility of a small number of gamers and press being invited into the beta phase, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Releasing the game in its entirety to the public, free of charge would be suicide. Instead, there's talk of a demo being made available, which will curb our monstrous hunger pangs for the game until its October release. What the demo will contain and when it will arrive is still being discussed.

Check out our gallery below for some new images of LittleBigPlanet straight from PlayStation Day. Also be sure to check out the video of the cute-but-ghastly Helghast Sackboys.

The dramatic horns ... the red eyes ... Surely this must be Killzone! Nope! It's just a Killzone-themed Sackboy from the upcoming LittleBigPlanet. This was displayed at yesterday's PlayStation Day conference, and we're glad that it's finally available to see in motion. These little critters are absolutely adorable: can we adopt one now?

If you don't feel like downloading this 300+ MB trailer off the PSN, then you can alternatively watch it livestreaming here. There's some new SOCOM Confrontation footage to look at as well as other upcoming titles like Elefunk, LittleBigPlanet, SingStar, and Siren Blood Curse.

Also, check out the video after the break. It's Buzz from Buzz! Quiz TV showing us the all new features: choose a category, My Buzz connectivity, and other downloadable content.

We recently had a chance to sit down and play an updated build of LittleBigPlanet. The latest build has all the bells and whistles of a complete game, and has us clamoring for the game even more than ever before. At the core of our latest hands-on experience was the game's "Story" mode, an adventure mode with pre-designed levels that challenge players to get to the end with the highest score possible.

The levels we played were quite varied. Players will navigate a globe, littered with icons that represent where each level was created. Already, we saw a map that featured dozens of levels -- an overwhelming amount of content has already been crafted during the game's painfully long development. The adventure mode is where the game will teach players the essentials of LittleBigPlanet: each level will demonstrate the possibilities of the game's incredible engine. Massive mechanical beasts, complex physics-based puzzles, and a number of fun playable gizmos can be found within each level. At the completion of these levels, players will unlock more and more things to use in their own creations.

We were surprised by how challenging each level can be. One level had us being chased by a contraption that threatened to steamroll us into oblivion. If the obstacles placed in front of us weren't enough of a hindrance, the creature shot out fiery balls of charcoal at the characters -- a single touch would char them to death. Yes, your critters can die -- and they'll die quite often!