[PS3] LittleBigPlanet 2

[JardeL]

LBP2 is officially announced so it deserves its own thread imo.

LittleBigPlanet 2 for PS3 Officially Announced for Winter 2010!

I’m pleased to share some exciting news involving our crafty, stitched-together character we all know and love – that’s right, I’m talking about the one and only Sackboy. Today, we are officially announcing that our cloth friend and all of his fellow Sack-people will be back for a completely new adventure in LittleBigPlanet 2, which will be released later this year for PS3!

LittleBigPlanet established the Play, Create, Share creative gaming genre and we can’t thank the fans and critics enough for the praise and support we’ve received. The game continues to grow and evolve, helped by countless players around the globe. In fact, the sharing nature of the game has become so embraced, it has attracted fans to publish more than two million levels to the PlayStation Network since the award-winning game was released!

So, what can you expect from LittleBigPlanet 2?

First of all, it’s developed by Media Molecule, the extremely talented team that brought you the first game, so you know you’re going to get a special experience. LittleBigPlanet 2 will provide a whole new collection of tools and rules for fans to Play, Create, and Share, including an evolved approach to control and customization that has never been seen before.
LittleBigPlanet has always empowered users to create their own levels by utilizing the same tools as the development team. Now in LittleBigPlanet 2, we’ve upped the ante, giving players the ability to not only make better levels, but completely new games – think top-down racing games, multiplayer shooters, flying side-scrollers, RPGs, etc. The possibilities are really endless.

LBP2 will also have a loads of new features, including revamped graphics, a fresh storyline, added accessories and equipment for Sackboy, and much, much more – trust me I’m only scratching the surface here!

[ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010...for-ps3-officially-announced-for-winter-2010/ ]

Also more detailed info with one of the best game trailers I've seen to date on ; [ http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-us/2/ ].

http://i41.tinypic.com/rlw2l0.gif
http://i44.tinypic.com/34ynwa8.gif
http://i42.tinypic.com/r1hcgp.gif

WOW!!!

 

[tha_con]

Mind.Blown.

My hype meter for this is THROUGH THE ROOF. Even though I was never really a huge creator, I stayed in create mode for hours just tinkering. Even when I didn't get what I wanted, I still had a huge sense of gratification from it. Cannot WAIT for this.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

The best part was the Sackboy Invaders, but the music is once again killing me.

The game seems to be carving out its devoted fan base, but I'm not sure how far that can be extended. Maybe the new possibilities will offer different gameplay, not just platforming that can be annoying for those with bad timing for the jumps and such...

 

[tha_con]

The music was one of my favorite parts of the trailer XD. I love that it's not "typical".

 

[JardeL]

the music is once again killing me.

The music was one of my favorite parts of the trailer XD. I love that it's not "typical".

Yup, it's awesome.

 

[Gradthrawn]

Interview with Mark Healey. A couple of rather interesting tidbits:

It was surprising to learn that it was only in the early days of the first game that you used PC tools to create Media Molecule’s own levels and that you’ve exclusively been using the very same PS3 set-up everyone else uses ever since...

The funny thing is that the PC tools we were using were quite crap, to be honest, a pain in the arse, and it got to the point where the pop-it in Create mode was actually much better. Obviously, we’ve really embraced that now and from scratch [on LBP2] we’ve only been using that to create stuff, which is the obvious thing to do really because it forces us to make the improvements that mean you can do things better and faster, so it’s real-time playtesting of it, if you like.

But something we’ve also added is keyboard and mouse support for the PS3, so you can draw things and navigate Pop-it with a mouse and stuff.

Is there a limit to the size of a circuit board?

Well, the size of a level, I suppose. But the interesting thing is that you can nest microchips as well, so you can put a microchip on a circuit board, so you can have circuit boards within circuit boards.

It seems like a bit of a hardcore creation thing, the microchips, but there is going to be a small group of people that really embrace that, I think, and do scary, mental things with it, I’m sure. So yeah, I’m really excited. And you haven’t just got the same switches and things you had in LittleBigPlanet 1.

You’ve got those anyway, but there’s a whole bunch of stuff we’ve added that just makes it so much more flexible. So you really can... program, basically. It’s... it’s... cor... it’s... I dunno, I just can’t wait, man... I just can’t wait to see what the community does with this stuff.

 

[Cornsnake]

This game just went from "does this really need a sequel" to "want it now". It seems to improve on a lot of small issues from the first game, and add a ton of new stuff to experiment with.

 

[patsu]

The best part was the Sackboy Invaders, but the music is once again killing me.

The first one was great ! Even Microsoft used it to promote Xbox 360 for a brief period earlier this year (or late last).

The new theme is also very unique. Takes a little getting used to, but it fits the "Create" theme very well.


I am still a little awed at the LBP 2 news. Will take a little time to digest. [size=-2]There must be a catch somewhere ![/size]

 

[RobertR1]

For creaters this seems like the Holy Grail. From a gaming standpoint, the appeal is limited. I'll wait for a greatest hits edition and then pick it up. Why? becasue by then, the community creations will be fleshed out well, along with a matured rating system for user generated content. With pretty much the full development set availabe to end users, I'll be curious to see if we'll see PC level modding being done with some spectacular results. An example of a PC mod is a little game called Counter Strike. The user created contect for LBP, that I tried atleast based on the buzz received on neogaf and here, was quite meh from a gameplay standpoint.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

For creaters this seems like the Holy Grail. From a gaming standpoint, the appeal is limited.

That depends on what content it comes with. LBPO was a worthwhile game. LBP2 could be much, much better, maybe. Clearly at the moment they're talking about the incredible create prospects, but the presence of Create doesn't mean an absence of good Play.

Caveat : I've read none of the articles nor seen any videos yet! Maybe they've talked about gameplay?

 

[RobertR1]

That depends on what content it comes with. LBPO was a worthwhile game. LBP2 could be much, much better, maybe. Clearly at the moment they're talking about the incredible create prospects, but the presence of Create doesn't mean an absence of good Play.

Caveat : I've read none of the articles nor seen any videos yet! Maybe they've talked about gameplay?

I'm going by the game informer bullet points: http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1428335&postcount=992

"- LBP 2 has less of a focus on platforming altogether and it's more of a platform to actually create games with"

 

[patsu]

For creaters this seems like the Holy Grail. From a gaming standpoint, the appeal is limited.

The game can come with great built-in but open-ended levels.

More importantly, creation is an integral part of the game. What you probably meant is: The appeal to people who are not into creation is limited. But it is gaming nonetheless. An added dimension to gaming.

For the masses, like my kid, the cuteness and presentation sold the game.

 

[patsu]

Oh wow, I just took a quick scan at the blog, LBP2 is slated for winter this year ?
[size=-2]I kept telling myself it's going to be a 2011 title.[/size]

EDIT: I think someone should remake "Lair" in LBP2. A smaller scale but charming dragon game, like that "How to Train a Dragon ?" movie.

From the comments section...

Eric Levine | May 10th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Yup, LBP2 will be backwards compatible so all levels created online in LBP will be accessible in LBP2.

Eric Levine | May 10th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Nope, we have a new graphics engine, so LBP2 will look awesome, and all original LBP levels will look even better than they do in the original game.

Eric Levine | May 10th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Would have been impossible, LBP2 is fundamentally a new game, new graphics engine, etc. so releasing LBP2 on disc is a must, and well worth it .

Eric Levine | May 10th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Yup, Stephen Fry is back!

 

[Arwin]

The game seems to be carving out its devoted fan base, but I'm not sure how far that can be extended. Maybe the new possibilities will offer different gameplay, not just platforming that can be annoying for those with bad timing for the jumps and such...

Devoted fan base perhaps, sure, but the 3.3 million aren't just to hardcore level creators though! I'm willing to bet that the majority just played the game, and I know that the sales of this game have been consistent.

Personally, while I thought as a platformer it wasn't perfect perhaps, very few platformers are, and I finished it. It is only the third platformer ever I've finished (Pandemonium and Gods are the other two) and I liked it a lot.

The latest Pirates expansion as well as the PSP version's levels show that since LBP's first single player levels, a lot has been learned about what the strengths and weakness are in the game and the levels that have been designed with that wisdom are much better.

Add to that some really important improvements in part two that also affect gameplay, which allow level designers to solve the momentum issue if they choose to (while still supporting the existing levels), the ability to control vehicles, the ability to change the camera to reflect top-down, the ability to create art properly with mouse and keyboard, and, I presume, the Move controller, and being able to play the game (or co-play the game) with the Move controller all adds up significantly.

Combine that with the fact that the PS3 is both already in the progress of reaching a new, more 'casual' audience since the 299 price piont, and will do so even more later in the year with the release of the Move peripheral, and I think that LBP2 could become a really big hit.

 

[goonergaz]

The biggest OMG for me is the number 2010!! OMFG!! I need to go lay down! LOL

 

[thop]

Unfortunately it still seems to be floaty.

 

[goonergaz]

Unfortunately it still seems to be floaty.

I think you can tweak SB control should you desire

 

[patsu]

According to deepbrown's post:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1428891&postcount=1026

"So for everything from the crucial question of content discovery to the not-so-little matter of how Sackboy should move - short answer, the floaty jump should no longer be a problem, as you can tweak all aspects of his movements, from his stickiness to his inertia, in the Popit menu"

LBP2 is backward compatible with LBP. They have to support the old floaty control, plus whatever new ones MM comes up with.

 

[joker454]

Awesome, LBP is one of my favorite games. I didn't see it mentioned in the blurb, but did they say if it will be able to play all existing user created levels, or only new ones created with the new tools?

 

[patsu]

Yap, see my post above.

Eric Levine | May 10th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Yup, LBP2 will be backwards compatible so all levels created online in LBP will be accessible in LBP2.