Media Molecule teases new LittleBigPlanet reveal

by Christopher Grant { Aug 5th 2008 at 11:58AM }

The place: Game Developer's Conference, San Francisco. The date: March 2007. LittleBigPlanet was revealed to the world, some nineteen months before its eventual October 2008 release date. We'll be honest: we count ourselves among that group of people that Media Molecule developer Alex Evans says "didn't see it coming." Sony's knockout PS3 exclusive still excites us, and Evans, remembering that initial reveal, tells Eurogamer, "I want to do another LittleBigPlanet reveal that people don't see coming." Oh, you tease! Give us something!

Evans elaborated, "It's still LittleBigPlanet, but people will be saying, 'I thought it was this - now you're telling me it's this as well?!'" So, we thought LBP was this – namely, an uncommonly creative console game with an unprecedented level of user-generated functionality – but Evans wants to tell us it's something else as well? A time machine perhaps? The alchemical secret to transmutating lead into gold? LittleBigPlanet PSP? What?

Gallery: LittleBigPlanet

Tags: Alex-Evans, LittleBigPlanet, Media-Molecule

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Paulmichael @ Aug 5th 2008 12:02PM

My GOD this update has to come NOW. I've played the game firsthand thanks to the PlayStation Experience Truck at the X-Games, and all I can say now is that this little masterpiece is the best thing to happen to gaming since ELECTRICITY.

StLouisRibs7734 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:08PM

The game is going to cost $80 for a special edition with a mini sackhead doll.

That's how different it is.

Paulmichael @ Aug 5th 2008 12:09PM

If that's true, where to I pre-order? Oh and it's Sackboy.

deaftly @ Aug 5th 2008 12:37PM

Sackhead heh, I gotta remember that one.

McBrick @ Aug 5th 2008 12:10PM

I continue to be completely non-plussed by this game. Can some one tell me, succinctly, what I'm missing? It's a platformer with cool graphics, a nice character creator, and the ability for user-designed levels. They lost me at "platformer."

OTAM @ Aug 5th 2008 12:11PM

This is one of those games that can't be explained in text,but only a 2 hour demo.

Dracula Jones @ Aug 5th 2008 12:18PM

I am also a little curious why this game is getting so much attention. I'm not a PS3 owner, but I am waiting for a good excuse to buy one... maybe this is the game to do it, but it looks pretty much like a next-gen Yoshi's Story. You know, things made out of cardboard and quilt, it's all very cute, but what exactly is it about the game that sets it apart from what's come before?

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread) @ Aug 5th 2008 2:38PM

@ Dracula Jones

i guess the fact that you can create and share your own stuff, so if the community takes off, it could essentially make it a completely different game every time you touch it. plus, sometimes your average joe will be WAY more creative than some dev that is getting paid to be creative.

Paulmichael @ Aug 5th 2008 2:39PM

It's an extremely accessible game. Anyone and everyone can pick-up-and-play it. Yet there are so many aspects of it that also appeal to the hardcore audience. Even the level editor, which by nature SHOULD be a hardcore feature, can be both easy enough for a basic user and yet complex enough for a hardcore, script-using junkie!

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 12:11PM

Why don't we wait and see if it turns out to be a good game before we start calling it "Sony's knockout PS3 exclusive?"

I come to Joystiq to read gaming news, as opposed to IGN or Gamespot, because I get tired of those sites prematurely rolling out the red carpet for every game they want to be a big hit, regardless of whether or not the game actually delivers. Can we try to avoid that here, or am I expecting too much?

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 12:11PM

Oh, and... In before the people telling me I'm expecting too much, I'm being too critical, blah, blah, blah.

MC Double Def DP @ Aug 5th 2008 12:30PM

you're expecting too much, you're being too critical, blah, blah, blah.

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 1:04PM

Voted down for being critical about pre-game enthusiasm. Oh well... journalistic objectivity wasn't important anyway.

Jfk Aok @ Aug 5th 2008 1:25PM

For it to be important...it kinda first needs to exist.

Hype > Reality

It doesn't matter anymore if the game will be good or not. It's been predetermined in the minds of the hardcore.

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 1:49PM

Look at my words, growing fainter with each vote, haha.

LBP had better be a good game - people are so sensitive about even the slightest negative comments about it, it seems that worlds will literally be crushed and tears will flow if the game turns out to be anything but great.

Vidikron (FU) @ Aug 5th 2008 1:57PM

"journalistic objectivity wasn't important anyway."

First off, this is a blog.

Second, why worry about a game getting hype? It's a waste of time to fight it. Lots of stuff like movies, games, sporting events, electronic gadgets (e.g. iPhone), etc... receive hype. It's human nature. Often said item/event won't live up to the hype, but it's still going to happen again and again. Always has and alway will.

Paulmichael @ Aug 5th 2008 2:06PM

Well, I've already tried this thing out, as have many media outlets, and I can concur with the general consensus that this game kicks ass. I hope Sony sees all this hype and markets the hell outta this game, it could be another serious console seller.

Oh and Jfk Aok, this game DOES exist, plenty of people have played it in its current state.

KC @ Aug 5th 2008 12:15PM

"but Evans wants to tell us it's something else as well?"

Also coming soon to an X-BOX 360 near you? I mean just keeping with the trend of PS3 losing all its big exclusives...

ushman @ Aug 5th 2008 12:29PM

That would be awesome news if it does come out for the 360. But I highly doubt it.

j.howlett @ Aug 5th 2008 12:31PM

if that happened then some people will have to find another game on ps3 to make passively aggressive remarks about.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:31PM

The game is being published by SCEE so I highly doubt it'll come to 360.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:35PM

LPB is not only being published by SCEE, it's apparently owned by them too so no shot of a 360 or wii release.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_Europe

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 1:05PM

How about we wait and see if it's worth the trouble before we bother worrying about which console it comes out on?

The Sound @ Aug 5th 2008 2:10PM

"The game is being published by SCEE so I highly doubt it'll come to 360."

That and they have all but about 12 people working on this game.

lordwindowlicker @ Aug 5th 2008 7:35PM

People have played with it MANY times in various levels of completion.. They know how well it plays, it isn't as if we've all just been watching trailers this whole time. What could be bad?

j.howlett @ Aug 5th 2008 12:18PM

maybe the secret is some psp connectivity

LAZoftheTamarinds @ Aug 5th 2008 12:27PM

Yeah maybe by Remote Play. Seems plausible.

koehler83 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:19PM

It's also a music mixer so that you can create your own soundtracks for your own levels.

Tada!

Metal Gear!? @ Aug 5th 2008 12:21PM

If you are not even the slightest bit excited about this game, you are NOT a gamer. Even if the gameplay sucks, the editor in this game is like a wet dream for gamers that don't have programming skill. I can't wait for all the NES/SNES/GENESIS game level remakes, because you know those are going to be sweet. Sackboy jumpin' on a Goomba, yeah!

McBrick @ Aug 5th 2008 12:27PM

You can accuse me of not being a gamer all you want - that's not enough for me to generate any enthusiasm for LBP, nor is all of the love given this game by G4/Joystiq/Giant Bomb/insert the name of your favorite gaming media source here.

I'm not suggesting it won't be an excellent game; I'd just like to know why so many people think a platformer is going to be the PS3's killer app.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:32PM

"I'd just like to know why so many people think a platformer is going to be the PS3's killer app"

I don't know, why is Mario...a platformer...nintendo's killer app?

Dracula Jones @ Aug 5th 2008 12:44PM

So what makes this game desirable is not the game itself, but that you can make other, familiar games out of it?

McBrick @ Aug 5th 2008 12:57PM

tmac: is it, though? Is Mario Galaxy the Wii's "killer app"? Is it moving systems? (I guess the answer is "it might be, if there were enough systems to be moved.") Are the "hard core gamers" that everyone at Nintendo keeps talking about catering to aware that this game is available? It's a great game, but a killer app?

But I think I have my answer: it's a very-well executed platformer (to the extent that anyone who's not an employee of Sony or a member of the game press knows) with some significant customization capabilities. Perhaps there's something... transcendent about it that you only get from some hands-on time; I can imagine that might be the case. The whole point of my original comment was to see if there was something remarkable about it that I wasn't aware of; so far, the answer seems to be "no."

Marty @ Aug 5th 2008 1:01PM

First we're not a real gamer for not owning all the systems, now we're not a real gamer for not being excited about Little Big Planet?

Please.

You might find it fun. You might enjoy it for a few hours and then get bored with it. But your lack of enthusiasm for what is essentially a game where you play with dolls shouldn't exclude you from being a "gamer" (whatever that means). Not even close.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 1:05PM

It's not something that's very easy to explain. You need to not rely on someone else's word and look it up yourself if you're intrigued and watch the videos that are out there. But at the end of the day it's something that needs to be played to fully understand the magic about it.

EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Aug 5th 2008 1:19PM

Lol sony arrogance at its best.

If you don't like any sony games you're NOT a gamer. End of the matter. NO DISCUSSION. It's OVER.

Jfk Aok @ Aug 5th 2008 1:33PM

No, mario (the jumping on goomba kind at least) is no longer the killer app. Wii "Whatever" is the killer app. Pay attention. 2d platformers mostly died for a reason. They're out of ideas and no, you are not the savior of gaming, nor are you a good level designer. It's also a lot of work and no, you won't come up with anything that will distinguish your sack boy level from anyone elses.
If you want to level design, great...level design. You got a pc and a brain that can intake information? Then Go for it! The process is not a game and it's not what you think, however.
I'm sure it's great for what it is and you will enjoy it for approximately 2 weeks...and then you will want to play a game that's done by people that make games.

Vidikron (FU) @ Aug 5th 2008 2:12PM

@Jfk

Everything in your post from "2d" on was pretty much worthless. You could have just saved yourself the time and stopped there.

Paulmichael @ Aug 5th 2008 2:27PM

Hmm I know what you mean. At its outset, it would appear that LBP has a simple level editor. But, after having some hands-on time with it, I have seen that there is a pretty complex scripting-type thing going on behind the scenes of the level creation. Sure, there will be plenty of mediocre levels, but then there is the whole voting aspect to the "Share" area of the game...There are going to be plenty of great levels by tons of hardcore players.

BIGFAT @ Aug 5th 2008 2:39PM

while i do think this LBP is going to be good i don't think its going to be the "best thing to happen to gaming since ELECTRICITY".

see thats the problem i have with this game, not that its going to be good or bad, but the way gamers are hyping it up to be the best thing since slice bread.
You don't see GOW2 fans saying gears is going to be Jesus reincarnated into a game disk. so why do sony fans think this game is going to.

Note: i actually think it will be a good game but not the best thing to happen to since electricty.

j.howlett @ Aug 5th 2008 2:53PM

bigfat, if you want to see gow2 fans falling over themselves you'll have to look at some playstation 3 articles. thats where they were going to stroke each other off about how awesome its going to be. i'm not saying it won't be awesome

riggs @ Aug 5th 2008 12:21PM

buddy cop movie

meetmyphantoms @ Aug 5th 2008 12:22PM

Maybe some of you non-believers can research the game. It might change your opinions on the game.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 12:26PM

Hmm dunno about that, but I can tell you what will make them excited about it all of a sudden...if it came out for 360 too. Remember, it's not popular to like ps3 only games on this website (from a comment perspective, not the bloggers themselves)

j.howlett @ Aug 5th 2008 12:41PM

hey tmac, i'll try something i see often around here when they group up against something. GG, nice one, +1, and all that jazz

EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Aug 5th 2008 1:37PM

Uh no tmac...even if this game were to come to the 360 which you know there's no chance of that happening I still wouldn't buy the dumb game?

Do you honestly believe some of the stuff you say? LBP is BORING. It's been boring since day 1! What's magically going to change between now and when it releases if it were to come to the 360?

NOTHING.

Sorry but I'll take Viva Pinata and Banjo and Kazooie any day before some hyped up puppet control game with admittedly so nice graphics.

tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 5th 2008 1:46PM

"even if this game were to come to the 360 which you know there's no chance of that happening I still wouldn't buy the dumb game?"

I don't know, you're telling me so aren't you supposed to know?

"Sorry but I'll take Viva Pinata and Banjo and Kazooie any day before some hyped up puppet control game with admittedly so nice graphics."

Funny you should say that, because that's EXACTLY what Viva Pinata is.

Why do you even bother typing? When you come on here and say blah blah ps3 game sucks you impress absolutely no one and surprise the same amount of people.

Also, you're the kind of shallow-minded troll that would drool for this game if it came to 360. All anyone has to do is go to the article where FF13 was announced for 360.