Mon, Mar 08, 2010 | 09:31 GMT
Rumour: “LBP2″ is out this year
It’s GDC week! And you know what that means? It means developers get lippy with their secrets. First up: Sony’s releasing something called “LBP2″ this year.
Whether the LittleBigPlanet product’s disc-based or a download is unknown as yet, but our source was cast iron on a 2010 ship.
Sony’s holding a press conference in GDC’s locality this week, but we have no idea if anything from Media Molecule’s to be included.
A second game in the series would signal a major change in tack. The UK developer categorically said last November that releasing a full sequel is something it’d “never want to do,” with level designer Danny Leaver adding it’d “be the most counter-productive thing you could do, I think.”
Producer Martin Lynagh said in the same interview, “I think what you’ve seen so far from LittleBigPlanet, that’s the way it’s going to continue. We have a lot of stuff coming out, especially next year.”
To date, the game has been serviced by DLC through PSN.
We asked Media Molecule co-founders Kareem Ettouney and Mark Healy at Develop last summer if they were working on a disc-based sequel. Answer came their none.
It was announced last week that Sony has fully bought the studio.
LittleBigPlanet is a platform game featuring a little sack character and a suite of user-used development tools. It was released in 2008.
It was confirmed in November last year that more than 1.3 million gamer-generated levels had been created for LBP, and last week that more than 2 million have been made to date.
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Posted in: GDC 2010, Hot, PS3, Platformer, Rumour, Sony
Tags: LBP, lbp2, littlebig, littlebigplanet, littlebigplanet 2, media molecule
22 comments
#1
Joe Anderson (wotta)
08/03/10, 9:24 am
Ha told you
lol
#2
frod
08/03/10, 9:56 am
fix the floaty gameplay (needs far more weight and inertia) and I’m interested.
#3
Mike
08/03/10, 10:08 am
frod’s right. Far too floaty.
#4
DrDamn
08/03/10, 10:16 am
Oh a little light has just gone on in my head. Full sequel is something which would be counter productive yes. A sequel which exploits, say, a new piece of hardware Sony are going to be pushing this year hell yes. Not LBP2, LBP:Arc!
#5
frod
08/03/10, 10:20 am
ew, really? You might be right, insofar as it might be a better tool for creation. Which means the focus is on the creation tools again, to the detriment of the actual gameplay, again.
#6
DrDamn
08/03/10, 10:25 am
I think they already did a demo of sorts didn’t they? Where the controller was used to show enhancements in co-op gameplay. One person points to swinging element and pulls it towards sackboy controlled by the other player?
Yeah here … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeAHhUF7qSM
#7
Psychotext
08/03/10, 10:25 am
Little Big Sports Resort
#8
frod
08/03/10, 10:29 am
@DrDamn: that just makes the actual platforming element seem even more pointless. Why not just have a pointer-based puzzle game instead?
further thought: it’s like ‘manual’ lemmings, heheh.
#9
DrDamn
08/03/10, 10:33 am
A lot of the stuff in the demo was very much supporting the pointer player – it was basic for the platformer player. It’s not too tricky to see how those elements could be made to support a more involvement on the platforming side though is it?
With a nunchuk you could also end up trying to do both elements as a single player.
#10
frod
08/03/10, 10:35 am
I don’t find it difficult to see how they could crowbar pointer stuff in no, I just don’t see the point. Much like quite a few Wii games that have already tried: it’s a solution looking for a problem.
#11
Blerk
08/03/10, 10:39 am
Those little guys in Modnation Racers must be fearing for their little virtual existences.
#12
Robo_1
08/03/10, 10:40 am
Expect, lots of cross over.
#13
ChaosSmurf
08/03/10, 11:04 am
Every single god damn time I go “WAIT, THEY’RE MAKING/THEY MADE ANOTHER LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE GAME?!” and then I am overcome with disappointment.
Every god damn time.
#14
Psychotext
08/03/10, 11:08 am
Twinsen for president!
#15
Erthazus
08/03/10, 12:12 pm
Its impossible for them to make LBP 2 NOW… I think they are going to make a big ADDON thing and a lot of cross over will be.
Because if you will make LBP 2 you are fucking with your fanbase.
#16
No_PUDding
08/03/10, 1:25 pm
I doubt it will be LBP2, but I don’t doubt it will be noticeably similar.
#17
deanimate
08/03/10, 1:29 pm
Floaty gameplay needs sorting out and the computer auto choosing what it thinks is the best of the three platforms to land on when you jump. It’s not hard to jump and then push up or down to choose. Unless this has been fixed. I don’t have a PS3 myself so haven’t played it much.
#18
NiceFellow
08/03/10, 1:47 pm
The ‘floaty’ gameplay is deliberate. LBP isn’t a pixel perfect world, you’re supposed to be a small, fabric creature, the floating is expected given your character is susceptible to the same physics as everything else.
It’s not supposed to be like Mario, etc. I know those who want the kind of platforming this it’s wrong, but it’s not an error or weak coding, it’s fully deliberate and the developers stated many times they tested it for ages getting a balance they liked between too realistic and unresponsive and too fake perfect gameplway which destroys the feeling your little sackboy’s really there in his world.
The auto switch issues between planes though I agree with, that could be better.
#19
OlderGamer
08/03/10, 2:14 pm
I enjoyed LBP, much more then I would have thought. However, I agree, intended or not, its too floaty.
It isn’t about if they wanted to make it floaty or not. it is more about if the fans want to play it swo floaty or not. My wife won’t touch the game because of it.
She says it has horrible controls.
She wants a mario clone with allows her to create levels. She could careless about the sockboy elements. I think most people just view it as a 2D platformer, but feel that such games should have tight controls.
It will be LBP2, but it will work with with all created content and add ons from LBP. It is just away of refreshing the franchise and maybe updating a few things(like arc support).
#20
frod
08/03/10, 2:48 pm
Agreed. I don’t see the point in defending it as “intended”; I’m sure it was intended, but it sucks as-is, and it’s not a minority complaining either.
#21
DrDamn
08/03/10, 3:03 pm
@frod
“defending it”
Surely it’s just another opinion and as valid as yours?
I agree with NiceFellow. Make LBP a Mario clone with the controls of the 2D Mario’s and it’s not LBP anymore. It loses something as well as gaining. I prefer it as it is.
#22
deanimate
08/03/10, 3:32 pm
Fair enough if they intended it to play like it does but I would like to think they would at least test out settings that are “tighter” and see what people think. Obviously if most people say that they prefer it with less floatiness then it’s a bit of a no brainer to change it. If not then leave it in.