I am still torn about this game. On the one hand I love the fact that they are trying to do something original and on the other hand I think the game will be consumed by it's own Hype. The amount of hype this game has garnered is astronomical. There is no way that it could ever live up to it's own legend. If it does, the game will be heralded as a masterpiece and it will become an icon of the videogame industry. I think the game has some fantastic potential, but I'm not as excited as most people on it delivering this divine grail of gameplay. My fear is that it will be fun for 2 hours and ,once I'm done trying things out, I will never touch it again. Instantly lost in my gigantic gaming queue. Your thoughts?

I think it is because it has no wrestling. You can only play games where you can do batista bombs =P.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/05/06/ps3-fa...ittlebigplanet/

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/photos/littlebigplanet-1/

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!

Thankfully, death isn't too menacing in the game. Scattered through each level are respawn doors, which will burst open with a brand new copy of your fallen friend. The object of the game is to collect as many point orbs as possible, and the punishment for death is simply lost time. There are a number of ways to die in the levels we played: if it wasn't being burned alive, it was being crushed by a giant, rolling boulder. If not that, it was because we trailed behind the others, and the camera had already moved on without us. In these situations, a timer appears around an icon representing your character. If you don't return to the gameplay screen in time, your character will respawn at the next available respawning point.

It was a pleasant surprise to see how challenging, yet still accessible, the designed levels of LittleBigPlanet are. While we all wait patiently for the creation tools to become readily available, it's clear that the team at Media Molecule is trying to create as much original content as possible before shipping the game. Rest assured, it seems like the final retail product will be a rather substantial single and multiplayer offering -- even for those uninterested in creating and sharing their own levels. The limited amount of time we had with LittleBigPlanet has us begging for more. Let's hope a beta or demo comes to satiate us soon.

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.

How were the Killzone Sackboys introduced into LittleBigPlanet?
Alex, one of our technical directors, he happened to know one of the people at Guerilla. That particular thing came about over a couple of beers. It's a really small world, the games industry, really. We're definitely interested in getting first party game elements into the LittleBigPlanet universe. I don't want to say too much about it, really. As things unfold, we'll definitely make them known. And, I have to be careful ... Brandon (SCEA PR) might snap some legs if I go any further.

What's the breadth of content we can find in the final game, considering it's been taking so long?
"There's a whole game there you can play through ... strung together in the form of a story."
First of all, out of the box, there's going to be a whole heap of example levels. Last time I counted, there were fifty plus. We put a lot of time and effort into those. We wanted to kill a few birds with one stone. A, we wanted to show what's possible with the tools. B, for people that don't want to be creative, there's a whole game there that you can play through, basically. They are strung together in the form of a story. A very loose story, but incredibly funny at certain points. There's elements in those levels that will satisfy a lot of different type of gamers. So yeah, there's definitely going to be enough content to just play.

We've seen levels that scroll from the left to the right. Will levels be able to go from the right to the left?
When you create a level (or scene, as I like to call it), you can place an entrance anywhere you'd like. You've got a huge area you can build your level in ... so yes is the answer to that.

Some people will want to build more risque content for the title. How are filters being implemented and can people get away with putting more ... adult content on the service?
First of all, I can tell you that you can make private levels. You can publish a level and make it locked and give away keys to friends. But, I personally wouldn't put risky content in there. We have a post-grievance system. The way that works is ... pretty much at any point in the game, you can press a button and effectively take a screenshot. That screenshot knows lots of information of where that screenshot came from, what players were there, etc. You can send that screenshot to the powers that be ... If you want to make a private level, give keys to people you trust. You can do that, I suppose.

Can we use the Playstation Eye to customize our characters?
Absolutely ... For example, you can wear a cardboard box and put a sticker of yourself there. And presto, you have a little creepy version of yourself walking around in the game. So yes, you can absolutely do that.

Can we expect more quirky music (featured in the trailers) in the game?
Absolutely. We've got some real gems in there. I won't name them now and spoil the surprise. But we've got ... well, I forget the number. We've got several really cool tunes in there from bands that aren't necessarily very well known. In addition to that, we've got a whole set of interactive pieces of music. So, things like the Go Team track are effectively licensed track that you can place into a level if you like and they just play. But we've got some other pieces of music where you can actually tinker with a virtual mixer, so you can alter what they sound like. You can alter the drums, or the bass, or change the vocal parts. You can sequence that and have different mixers throughout the game. Hours of fun just messing with that. I'm not going to say more about that ... but that's very cool. There's some exciting things related to that in store. It's something that's never been done before, I don't think.

Are there any plans to sell Sackboy plushies?
I hope so. I want one. And everyone I know wants one. I think it'd be silly not to really. I don't know what plans have been made to start the process, but I think it's a no-brainer, really. I need one to give one to my newborn child, to start. [Ed's note: check the podcast for more details on that!] So that's got to happen. Do you know anything about that Brandon?
Brandon: It's on the way. Details will be emerging shortly.

Did companies other than Sony try to get LittleBigPlanet?
"It was pitched exclusively to Sony. They said the right things."
Well actually, Sony were the first people we showed it to. They just got it straight away. They loved it, really. They said all the right things, and they really went out of their way to establish us as a new studio. We didn't even feel the need to go to show it to anyone else, really. It was pitched exclusively to Sony. They said the right things, so good Sony!

Thank you, Sony, for saying all the right things.

I'm so looking forward to this game. On par with and maybe even exceeding my anticipation for the two Final Fantasy XIIIs coming. Now that's saying something.

Man, LittleBigPlanet looks great. So, so, so great. In yesterday's LBP breakout session, Media Molecule's Alex Evans walked us through the game, pointing out all sorts of fun facts. Like? Well....
• The game will feature trophies.
• If two players of different levels play co-op together and one falls behind, that player will instantly die and respawn so the two players can keep up.
• There are over 60 tutorials that focus on creating.
• Because the Sony E3 press conference showed it was possible to embed text on objects, it will now be possible to do that in-game. (Media Molecule wants to make sure everything it's now showing with LBP is actually possible for users to make.
Hit the jump for the rest.

• Originally, they planned to give players complete freedom of depth, but found that a richer experience could be gotten with only three layers of depth.
• If you use voice chat, Sack Boy will be lipsynched to your speech.
• The tags used to label level you create are pre-selected and were intially from LOL Cats. This has since been changed.
• Stephen Fry does voice over work for the create mode.
• It hasn't been announced if you can import your own music into the game. Says Evans, "There's no reason technically why not."

I think I missed whatever you guys find so amazing about this game. =x

• If two players of different levels play co-op together and one falls behind, that player will instantly die and respawn so the two players can keep up.

Hahaha... Contra had that option! Kept dying all over the place then, this is going to be fun!

heck yea it is..

and that level they showed at E3 only made me want this game more.

You mean the video in this page?

yup

Ooh.. yes, it has the same effect on me. Can't wait for the game to be out. I didn't listen to the video though (listening to my new obsession <3), so I may watch it again later. But I swear I saw Sackboy did a 'buahaha' expression. Ahhhh, It was so cute!!

Holy Hell! Buahaha + headbang = WIN! <3

Another video I found via youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ4REMCP_BM&NR=1

I don't think it'll sell well at all.

Character Customization
• There is a Tron suit you can wear in the game, along with a killzone helmet and mask.
• Not only that, but there are about 25 different materials and designs that you can choose to have your sackboy made out of, including 3 types of camo.
• There are held items that you can choose from, such as a wooden sword and a magic wand (a stick with a star on the top). You can’t use them as weapons, but when you slap while holding an item you hit them with said item.

Level Editor
• For those of you that don’t know, you can switch back and forth between flying and running around by pressing *down* on the d-pad.
• When everyone has a menu open, the menus auto-adjust to the top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right corners to keep the screen clear.
• LBP comes with a nice 10 premade vehicles or so(I drove a lowrider!), but as with everything else you can edit them as you like.
• Logs burn. You can make a log, or anything out of wood, really, and set it on fire. We made a floor full of burning logs and then we drove a monster truck over them.
• There are “triggers” that you can place to have events happen right when you want them to. For example, you can make it so halfway through swinging on a rope across a gap, the rope snaps and you fall down to another area.
• Anything you can think of, you can make. Just be careful when making a “Sonic” level or a “Mario” level, because that won’t fly on the servers. Name it something generic that won’t warrant deletion.
• If you want to make carpet, you can. All you have to do is take a picture of some carpet, apply the sticker to something thin and soft(sponge, for example), and save the item.
• If you made a kickass vehicle, you can make that vehicle collectible through your level. For example, you could reward players who made it past a particularly difficult portion of your level with a buggy you made, which they could use at any time throughout making their levels. This applies to items, such as carpet, as well.
• The size of your crater on the moon corresponds directly with the amount of items you can place on a level. This way you can have a minigame taking up a small crater, while a full, hour long level would take up one of the largest craters.

The Construction Yard
• Eric (the producer) was really stressing the term “Coopetition”, which is cooperating so you can compete for the collectible items and points. For example, there was a lever that would slide a girder across a gap. It requires two people(at least) to complete. One would move the girder across using a lever, the other would grab the chunk of sponge at the other side, which the first player would now bring back with the same lever. That sponge was required to reach a certain height, so you could collect more goodies. In my case, I stood on the sponge with a friend while another guy dragged it across, and right before we got there I slapped my friend off so I could have the stuff to myself. That, essentially, is coopetition.
• The developers love to hide goodies that you have to find later. I didn’t notice all the stuff I could eventually collect until the third playthrough. If you’ve ever played Portal, and you know that usually there is more than one way to beat a level, the same applies here. The more difficult task you accomplish, the more collectibles they reward you with.
• At any point, you can bring up a sticker which is basically a live image recorded from your PS Eye. When you stick the image on a surface, it takes a picture at that moment, so you can tack yourself onto the walls in a level(or whatever else you feel like doing).

Emoting
• Emoting is awesome. Using the d-pad, you can select three different degrees of sadness, anger, happiness, and fear. For example, you press up to smile, press it again to smile big, and press it again to be ecstatic with your tongue hanging out.
• If you hold R2, the right stick becomes a controller for your right hand. The same goes for L2, the left stick, and the left hand.
• The sixaxis controls which direction your head is facing, and it was surprisingly intuitive.
• If you click and hold L3, the sixaxis controls your hips instead of your head.
• Using a combination of these, I made my guy do a pretty kickass hula dance. I forced him to do it, though, so he was pretty scared at the time.

After months of thinking about it, and pretty much deciding this game looks very clever and creative, but maybe just not for me, my girlfriend caught me watching a trailer for this last night and has insisted I purchase it so it looks like I'll be getting LBP. Still not sure if i'm creative enough for the level making, but I'm sure I'll love playing everyone else's!

Someone did a very insane thing.

They made a calculator in LBP. The beginning might not be so thrilling, but the second half of the video shows you how it's created.

My jaw dropped.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiRgYBHoAoU

So how is the game? Does anyone have it yet? I'm probably going to get it around Christmas, but I would really like to hear some impressions.

I think it's down on purpose now for maintenance, since the servers have been a bit slow. Wait a day or two?