LittleBigPlanet sacks AIAA, wins 8 awards

by David Hinkle { Feb 20th 2009 at 10:32AM }

Last night at the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in Las Vegas, Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet walked away with 8 awards. Not only did it win both game of the year awards (overall and console), but it also snagged awards for visual engineering, art direction, character performance (gotta love the Sackboy!), and innovation. Basically, the AIAA just repeated all of the reasons we loved the game.

Other games that scooped up some AIAA awards include Left 4 Dead, Braid, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and God of War: Chains of Olympus.

The full list of winners is presented after the break.

Overall Game of the Year:

LittleBigPlanet

Console Game of the Year:

LittleBigPlanet

Computer Game of the Year:

Left 4 Dead

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction:

LittleBigPlanet

Casual Game of the Year:

Braid

Fighting Game of the Year:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Handheld Game of the Year:

God of War: Chains of Olympus

Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year:

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King

Cellular Game of the Year:

Spore Origins

Role-Playing Game of the Year:

Fallout 3

Racing Game of the Year:

Burnout Paradise

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design:

World of Goo

Adventure Game of the Year:

Mirror's Edge

Sports Game of the Year:

NHL 09

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year:

Command and Conquer 3: Red Alert

Action Game of the Year:

Dead Space

Family Game of the Year:

LittleBigPlanet

Outstanding Achievement in Animation:

Prince of Persia

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction:

LittleBigPlanet

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering:

LittleBigPlanet

Outstanding Character Performance:

LittleBigPlanet (Sackboy)

Outstanding Achievement in Story - Adapted:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Outstanding Achievement in Story - Original:

Fallout 3

Oustanding Achievement in Online Game Play:

Left 4 Dead

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming:

LittleBigPlanet

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition:

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack:

Rock Band 2

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design:

Dead Space

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering:

Spore

Tags: aiaa, aias, annual-interactive-achievement-awards, awards, littlebigplanet, media-molecule

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

rov947 @ Feb 20th 2009 10:38AM

I need to dust it off and finish the story mode. A gremlin keeps putting Burnout in my ps3 and makes me play it.

Dirty @ Feb 20th 2009 10:41AM

Note to self - Play Little Big Planet.

Night Elve @ Feb 20th 2009 10:41AM

One of my favorites games :) My sack boy looks pretty kick ass in his Kratos costume :D

GiggMan @ Feb 20th 2009 10:45AM

Good job LBP, when my son and I play it he laughs so hard it's amazing. It's a must purchase especially if you have an up and coming gamer in the familiy, great fun for all.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 20th 2009 10:45AM

Still haven't played it since I'm waiting for the price drop. Couldn't justify $60 for this after the beta.

AkaMagi @ Feb 20th 2009 10:50AM

Move to Europe, it's in the bargin bins everywhere already.

In the UK, you can get LBP for as little as £17 brand new. That's about $24.50 in the US.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 20th 2009 11:00AM

Now for $25 I could definitely justify the purchase even though I was relatively bored during the beta. But that's too good of a deal to pass up.

AkaMagi @ Feb 20th 2009 11:04AM

Unless I am very mistaken, I believe the game is Region Free.

So you could always order it from someplace like Play.com.

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/3433970/LittleBigPlanet/Product.html

Baby J Penn (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Feb 20th 2009 11:50AM

To each his own but the game is worth every penny of $60. You really get an unlimited amount of content for your money. If you aren't creative enough to build things or if you don't like platformers I can understand not being interested. It's just a very charming game thats got more than a pretty exterior.

It's my GOTY!

slycooper_rocker @ Feb 20th 2009 5:24PM

yeah Baby J Penn summed it up for me. i actually feel like buying it for my friends with ps3's...

pete @ Feb 20th 2009 10:46AM

Sweet. LBP was easily the GOTY, and the only *truly* must-have PS3 title. I adore it.

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 20th 2009 10:49AM

CELLular game of the year Spore lol.

GiggMan @ Feb 20th 2009 10:51AM

For now anyway. It may have some stiff competition soon, but for now I agree.

GiggMan @ Feb 20th 2009 10:52AM

Sorry, supose to be a reply to Pete!

mr mobius @ Feb 20th 2009 10:52AM

Nicely done World of Goo!

Oh, and I guess LBP didn't do too badly either.

Dan Rabot @ Feb 20th 2009 10:53AM

Congratualtions MM! - LBP FTW!

ninjafetus @ Feb 20th 2009 11:00AM

Huh! That's a very reasonable and consistent "best of" list. Impressive!

...though I don't know if i'd put Braid under "casual," just because it's downloadable. It's good to see it get a nod, though.

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 20th 2009 11:01AM

Are there a bunch of llamas on the panel?

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 20th 2009 12:36PM

Monty Python. Llamas. Sacking. Get it?

dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 20th 2009 6:37PM

Well, Downvoting Legion, if you haven't seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, do yourself a favor and rent it.

It is amusing. I promise.

Shimrra @ Feb 20th 2009 11:04AM

All these praises and awards and this game still isn't getting the sales figures one thought it would receive.

Dirty @ Feb 20th 2009 11:08AM

Not to spur a flame war, but I blame the platform.

Shimrra @ Feb 20th 2009 11:13AM

Its not the platform I think this game just did not get the right market push like other games say for example Halo 3 media launch. Every where you went there was advertisement for that game. LBP and Killzone 2 are two great titles that Sony need to shove in everyone's face to get the word out. LBP will continue to sell but Sony dropped the ball they had the chance to really make Sackboy the Sony icon. Now only really true hardcore games know and play this game.

Markez @ Feb 20th 2009 11:18AM

In my opinion, LBP had a substantial marketing push. Saw plenty of it on TV, on commercials, big ads in magazines, soooo I disagree entirely.

It misfired elsewhere, not on the marketing side of things. I think the customizaiton side of the game really only appeals to a very niche audience.

Shimrra @ Feb 20th 2009 11:21AM

Regardless whether you agree or not the point is this game should have been a huge hit right off the bat for Sony at it wasn't like I said before this game does have legs and will continue to sell every month but its just rain drops in a bucket.

Markez @ Feb 20th 2009 11:28AM

Oh I agree on that, should've been big off the bat. Those commercials were goregeous, really oohed and ahhed at those. So go figure o__O

Dirty @ Feb 20th 2009 11:55AM

Well the type of game and the type of people who typically purchase a PS3 (none of these folks round these parts) are, in my opinion, incompatible. It just doesn't appeal to the type of gamer that owns a ps3. I also feel that while the game had a lot of exposure, it was very unclear as to what type of game this was. It doesn't fit neatly into a traditional genre (platforming is only part of it).

Baby J Penn (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Feb 20th 2009 12:00PM

LBP has very long legs. It's actually bucked the trend of selling like hot cakes the first 3 weeks and then dropping off the charts. It's sales have actually increased over time.

I don't blame the platform or the marketing as much as I blame the user base of the PS3 for not buying the game. A lot of the users don't have interest in a cute little platformer with a content creation suite. It's one of those things that you either get or you don't get.

The game wouldn't have sold any better on the 360 IMO so I don't think it's a platform thing. I don't know that it would have even been possible on the Wii given the pressure it puts on the paltry amount of storage. It probably wouldn't have sold better on the Wii unless it had been a first party title. It's really hard to quantify what the sales would have been on aother platform but I don't think it's the platform at all.

Finally I will say that all things considered it has actually sold pretty well. I mean it's a new IP that released during the crowded holiday 2008 period (around the first of NOV I believe). It's the highest ranking ps3 exclusive on metacritic and I believe was the highest ranked game last year not named Grand Theft Auto. I would call it a commercial flop along the lines of Valkyria Chronicles but it hasn't done MGS 4 numbers.

Baby J Penn (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Feb 20th 2009 12:03PM

I *wouldn't* call it a commercial flop along the lines of Valkyria Chronicles but it hasn't done MGS 4 numbers.

*typo

Shimrra @ Feb 20th 2009 12:22PM

Metacritc, they are just not a reliable source for game reviews everyone in the industry is complaining about how there service is just busted. Even Metacritic knows this and are hard at work in updating and correcting there site.

Sony just could have worked hard to push that game more. You cant blame gamers because honestly only hardcore gamers right now are buying the system not your soccer mom. So with that concept the gamer buying a PS3 knows all about what games the PS3 has to offer and what is worth buying.

AkaMagi @ Feb 20th 2009 12:50PM

LBP's problem wasn't in marketing, it was the platform it was on that caused the low sales and eraly retirement to the bargin bin.

It's a platformer, cutsie-looking, and obviously aimed primarily towards the more casual gamer. The problem is it's on a system that has for 2 generations been the home of the more hardcore console gamer and no casual gamer is willing to pay for.

Had LBP been released on the Wii I think it could have been one of the biggest selling games of the year, even with no change at all in the amount of type of marketing. It's just more tailored to the Wii audience than those who spend $400+ on a console where most games are about killing people/things.

And if anyone is thinking it, no, I don't think it would have done any better on the 360 either.

Haldier @ Feb 20th 2009 2:21PM

I wouldn't blame PR or PS3, it came at the same time as HUGE 2, 3 and 4 was released.I bought the all and have only played LBP a bit casual, first finnishing Falout 3 (200 h. played), Call of Duty 5 and for us with both consoles Fable II was good for about 50 h.

Baby J Penn (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Feb 20th 2009 2:57PM

AkaMagi

The game has actually sold very well. I'm not sure what your expectations were but it wouldn't have done 5 million on the Wii either. I can only speak for the NA region and I can say that LBP hasn't reached the bargain bin at all.

Saying LBP is for casual gamers just shows that you either haven't played it at all or you are just ignorant. It's a game that appeals to everyone be it hardcore or casual.

To be honest the only people that I hear saying the game hasn't sold well are Internet arm chair QB's. Compare it to the sales of other high profile holiday multiplatform releases and it outsold them across multiplae platforms.

It's nothing more than speculative conjecture on your part to say why it would have sold better on a different platform. My point is that it hasn't sold bad to begin with so it's really a moot point. It's not constructive anyway especially in a thread about the game winning awards.

The game is incredible. Case closed.

AkaMagi @ Feb 20th 2009 4:58PM

baby J

I don't know where you get your sales info from, but I rather suspect it's close to your back pocket.

in the US the game is a virtual failure. According to NPD it's sold less than 300k copies, and that's nearly 3 months of sales including the Christmas holiday.

In Europe, the numbers look better on paper (according to GFK-ChartTrak), but in Europe the numbers include copies bundled with the system, and as I said (And showed with a link), it's bargin bin priced after less than 3 months on the shelf.

In Japan, according the Media Create, it barely registered the week it launched, and hasn't charted since. That means it's weekly sales are less than 10k, which means in total it's sold less than 150k since launch.

So, if you've got numbers that are more reliable than NPD, GFK-ChartTrack, and Media Create, I would sure love to see them. I'm sure the rest of the world would love to see them as well, since that would make you the retail tracking authority of the entire world. But, as I said before, I rather suspect your "numbers" are coming from your hind end.

Shimrra @ Feb 20th 2009 5:17PM

I would argue your point the is incredible for the ones who put the time and effort into the game. For the casual gamer its just not the right game for them.

And yes the game has sold well but reading on all the media response on this game everyone is just surprise that it is not selling as well as projected. Not to say its a flop oh no the will always be a seller regardless.

Also dont bring up Wii its a mote response at this point the Wii is on a totally different gaming platform. One that no system will touch or get near anytime soon. Right now its hard to say if a game like LBP ever came out on the Wii would be a success who knows. But one can not argue the sales figures this unit is producing on a monthly basis.

LBP is a cute and fun game for gamers who are into this genre. I personally think the creation part is just to long of a process for me to mess around with I rather enjoy the level the people have created on it. That is were I get my enjoyment playing it not creating it.

Congrats to Little Big Planet on all its awards it surely deserves them all...now it is case closed.

Ordeith @ Feb 20th 2009 11:11AM

Great! Now to get it on the 360 so you actually have an audience to play it.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 20th 2009 11:21AM

The same audience that just gobbled up viva pinata right?

HighFiveJesus @ Feb 20th 2009 11:35AM

and banjo, everyone forgot about that game already.

Lionbacker steamID: detfan1957 @ Feb 20th 2009 5:21PM

I LOVE Banjo-Kazooie N&B.

Just throwin' that out there.

Ordeith @ Feb 21st 2009 6:54PM

:) I guess the truth hurts.

scaught @ Feb 20th 2009 11:15AM

I have a problem with LBP, I respect it more than I enjoy it. I like the idea of it and think the technical aspect is pretty amazing. Yet when I play it, I get bored and move on to other things.

Lee @ Feb 20th 2009 11:20AM

Eh it was okay but the clumsy controls put me off playing for too long. I can see why everyone loves it though. Well crafted game through and through if only they tightened the controls up and stopped nickle and diming us with what amounts to low quality textures.

Baby J Penn (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Feb 20th 2009 12:07PM

I'm not going to go all Rambo on you or anything but "low quality textures" is a gross exaggeration. The majority of the level packs that have released contain assetts that are multiple MB's in size. The last thing they are is low quality. As far as nickel and diming goes - They release just as much free content as paid content. It's not as if you are forced to buy any of it to have a great experience with the game. You are only limited by your imagination, ingenuity and creativity.

Julian @ Feb 20th 2009 11:22AM

Sony Cleaned up the awards this year

advil @ Feb 20th 2009 11:40AM

We love LBP here and glad to see the recognition. One and only game my wife wants to play with me (other than Singstar).
I agree it should have been pushed WAY harder from Sony, and SHOULD be recognizable even to non-gamers.

Having said that, and finished 100% on all levels, it's time MM came out with an expansion pack. The user-created levels are fine (and some are downright impressive), but they still don't hold a candle to MM's content.