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!
Posted May 2nd 2008 11:00AM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
If you were expecting the LittleBigPlanet beta to hit your PS3 this summer, you might have to substitute that joy with something else. Sony is growing quite hesitant to pin a date down for the game's beta and has opted instead to focus on the September release date. It isn't that there won't be a beta, but a Sony spokesperson at SCEE said "we haven't yet made any announcements as to the dates of the LittleBigPlanet beta trials, and are not yet able to confirm a specific month." If it's not so much a beta but more of a trial, then we wouldn't expect it to hit until August. That's just a shot in the dark, though.
Posted Apr 22nd 2008 7:10PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
We can't wait to get our hands on Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet. The release is still a while away, so we're anxious to hear more information about this upcoming PS3 creation game. Mark Healey and Alex Evans, co-founders of Media Molecule, will deliver the opening keynote at the upcoming Paris GDC. According to the press release, "their talk will touch upon the ways in which game developers can incorporate creativity into their designs, and the future of user-generated content as illustrated by their upcoming title, LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3."
While PS3 Fanboy won't be attending the conference, we do hope that some intriguing newsbits will make their way out of the conference. Who knows? Maybe they'll surprise us with an early release date (we hope!).
Update: Paris GDC is the second French edition of the Game Developers Conference, and is scheduled for June 23-24 at the Coeur Défense Convention Centre in Paris .
Posted Mar 26th 2008 3:45PM by Majed Athab Filed under: News
According to VideoGamer.com, who've apparently gotten hold of a Sony UK release schedule, three big PS3 exclusives will be releasing this coming Fall in the British Isles. Killzone 2 and LittleBigPlanet should show up on our beloved console sometime in September, while Resistance 2 caps the trifecta for an expected November release. Sony confirmed that these dates are correct.
Great. Now, we just need to wait for SCEA to give us the heads up on these games and their release dates over here across the Atlantic. Hopefully, North American dates won't be any different. If these games do continue on schedule and actually get released by Fall, then it's safe to say that PS3 owners will be very happy gamers indeed.
Posted Mar 20th 2008 2:30PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
Media Molecule came out of their hiding place to assure anxious gamers that LittleBigPlanet is, in fact, coming along quite nicely and is about to enter the Alpha stage of development. What does this mean? They say that "basically this means all the cool stuff we said will be in there should be playable, even if it isn't pretty enough to release." Well, the last known release date for the game is September. Making the game look pretty shouldn't take all that long, right? Perhaps this is one release date that will stick. We'll find out!
Posted Feb 19th 2008 1:30PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
Just when you thought you knew everything you could about Media Molecule's upcoming world-creator game LittleBigPlanet, we find something else that blows our minds and makes us anticipate the title even more. In the latest Edge magazine, it's been revealed that in addition to the emotions and such your sackboy (and sackgirl) can perform, there are plans to lip-synch voice chat. That is to say, the characters will move their mouths in roughly the same way you do (even if not, it's still cool). Down the line, expect stuff like voice filters, too. We think that's a pretty stellar move.
This adorable real world recreation of LittleBigPlanet has us swooning with incredible joy. Our hearts are fluttering at the thought of being able to grab one of these for ourselves.
Unfortunately, these aren't commercially available. Why? Because it was made by the mother of a Media Molecule staffer. Completely unfair.
Posted Jan 21st 2008 2:15PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
There's a fairly lengthy interview over at GameTap where Sony's senior producer, Pete Smith, speaks up about the hugely ambitious LittleBigPlanet. While we'd love to cover the whole Q&A session, we're just going to give you a glimpse of what's discussed. For example, the concept of the game was brought to Sony when Media Molecule had a total of three members on the development team. Of course, the game has changed drastically since then, but tapping into user-generated content has always been their vision.
The game keeps it's 2D structure primarily to deter users from feeling intimidated. It's much easier to work with a 2D world, anyway. The intense physics engine helps keep things fresh and prevents the game from becoming just a 2D platformer. Keeping things approachable and keeping the single-player experience fun and satisfying are also keys to success. While some levels can be designed with teamwork in mind, if it's not fun alone, it probably won't work online. There's plenty more to read up on, so check out the whole interview. We're just excited to hear anything about this glorious sounding game.
For those hungry for a new LittleBigPlanet video, we've got a nice sandwich this morning. It has some delicious meat and cheeses in it ... have we carried the metaphor too far? This video interview shows off some new features being implemented, such as evil Sackboys, more deaths outside of being smooshed or burned, a beta version coming as soon as they can -- but still prior to release, there is a storyline, and each level should take from 5-15 minutes to complete. That length may or may not apply to user-generated content. Anyway, enjoy the video.
Currently, the 
We can't wait to get our hands on Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet. The release is still a while away, so we're anxious to hear more information about this upcoming PS3 creation game. Mark Healey and Alex Evans, co-founders of Media Molecule, will deliver the opening keynote at the upcoming Paris GDC. According to the press release, "their talk will touch upon the ways in which game developers can incorporate creativity into their designs, and the future of user-generated content as illustrated by their upcoming title, LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3."
