LittleBigPlanet: coming soon with number suffix [Archive]

epthegeek

05-10-2010, 07:01 AM

I could have sworn there was an LBP thread around here already. I searched for several variations of "LBP" and "LittleBigPlanet" in thread titles, and didn't find one.

On to the actual news, Media Molecule announced Little Big Planet 2 for winter 2010.

Details: http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-us/news/article/announcing_littlebigplanet_2/

Trailer: http://www.littlebigplanet.com/en-us/2/

The current new issue of Edge has screenshots of new bits, which you can find all over the internet if you care to, but are probably bad form to link to.

Their article: http://www.edge-online.com/news/littlebigplanet-2’s-big-new-features

Loaded with new stuff that probably would have been ridiculous to add as add-ons to the original, like the Sack-bot programmable characters and the ability to condense a lot of logic programming onto a single item now (rather than building a large switch array). Along with other great new things like the ability to switch to a pseudo top down view (which appears to be just sticking the characters onto the back wall of the current setup), direct control seats that allow for complicated control of in-game items, and a grappling hook.

Also of note Mouse and Keyboard support for the create mode confirmed in this post: http://ps3.nowgamer.com/news/3117/lbp2-to-support-mouse-and-keyboard

red guy

05-10-2010, 07:05 AM

Looking for this thread? (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=45914)

epthegeek

05-10-2010, 07:29 AM

Dagnabit. I know I searched for the name with and without spaces. Darn my failure.

A full sequel deserves it's own thread anyway, right? RIGHT?

Rock8man

05-10-2010, 07:36 AM

epthegeek

05-10-2010, 07:40 AM

Further info: A playtest writeup and several interviews from the annoucement in London on vg247:

Playtest: http://www.vg247.com/2010/05/10/playtest-littlebigplanet-2/

Interviews: http://www.vg247.com/2010/05/10/littlebigplanet-2-five-interviews-from-london-reveal/

Horrible Oscar

05-10-2010, 08:08 AM

It does sound like they're de-emphasizing the platforming a little. The wonky jump in LBP is indeed terrible, but somehow it never really annoyed me that badly because the levels I found memorable were the enormous Tic Tac Toe computers or fully functional pianos that people built.

Fozzle

05-10-2010, 08:09 AM

Wow... this is a huge change to this franchise. I cannot wait.

BobJustBob

05-10-2010, 08:20 AM

I hope they change the physics of sack-person. I just didn't enjoy jumping in the first game, which is a problem for me in a platformer. If they can make that part fun for me, I'm back in for the sequel. Otherwise, meh. If they can't even make jumping fun, then whatever new features they add are meaningless to me.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/littlebigplanet-2-first-preview:

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

Eduardo X

05-10-2010, 09:15 AM

I thought I read that they never wanted to make a "2" as it would make all the work people did in the first obsolete?

05-10-2010, 09:19 AM

I thought I read that they never wanted to make a "2" as it would make all the work people did in the first obsolete?

One of the info bits that leaked over the weekend noted that the stuff created in LBP1 can be imported in the sequel. Or something along those lines.

05-10-2010, 09:24 AM

I thought I read that they never wanted to make a "2" as it would make all the work people did in the first obsolete?

According to the trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs0T5l24JL0) all the LBP planet levels will work in LBP2 and "look better than ever."

epthegeek

05-10-2010, 09:42 AM

I thought I read that they never wanted to make a "2" as it would make all the work people did in the first obsolete?

They did say this. Quite often in fact. They didn't want to split the user base, and didn't see any reason why they couldn't just keep cranking stuff out as DLC to improve the platform rather than make a whole new game.

Then sony bought them, and explained the concept of making lots of money by not doing that (Note: this is my assumption of what happened).

So now it's ok to do a 2, with a bunch of new stuff instead of sticking to expanding the first one. I'm sure it is probably easier to make drastic large changes by doing a 'new' engine rather than continued bolt ons, and it's not as if incremental sequels aren't the norm. It's just 180 degrees from what they used to say, so that's a wee bit off-putting.

It is great, though, that all the LBP 1 levels will work in the new game, and render with new features for lighting and such.

Vesper

01-18-2011, 02:41 PM

Anyone pick this up today and have initial impressions?

Vincent19

01-18-2011, 03:30 PM

I'm pretty interested to hear some impressions, too. I loved the first one when it came out. Though I never actually published a level, I have fond memories of building a working tank with my roommate. It sounds like they've polished up the creation tools to make them a little more user friendly this time, so who knows, maybe I'll finally get a level off my harddrive.

lordkosc

01-18-2011, 05:25 PM

I'll let you gents know sometime tomorrow, I ordered the collectors edition from Amazon.

Nicholas Shurson

01-18-2011, 06:22 PM

I played through the Story Mode last week.

I liked it more than the first game. It feels more cohesive. You feel like you are actually progressing through the game rather than playing a few similarly themes levels before moving onto the next set.

Jumping feels largely the same, though the levels are better designed around the way the character moves, mitigating the frustration I know I felt during the first game.

Another subject that caught players' ire in the first game, layer switching, also returns; though, like jumping, it feels like it is handles better than in the first game.

The additions are hit and miss, though they mostly are welcomed. The first accessory you get, a grappling hook, was my least favorite, while the "Grabinator" was an excellent addition.

The game feels like a reward to those who loved the first game rather than a plea to those who didn't. I admire that Media Molecule is playing to their dedicated base rather than dramatically changing things chasing an audience that may not be there.

The gameplay additions, in Story Mode at least, feel very like Mm saying "Look at what can be done" as, at times, a new mechanic or accessory is used once and never seen again.

It feels maybe a bit less charming than its predecessor, less like things could break apart at any moment, though I think this feeling will be retained in the community levels.

So, yeah, it feels like LittleBigPlanet, but smoother and more polished than the first. I really liked it.

-Nicholas

Eduardo X

01-18-2011, 06:28 PM

I've only gotten about an hour of play, if that, and I'm pretty happy. I love LBP a lot. I find the game extremely charming, enough that I don't mind playing through the developer's campaign over and over.
This game is more of the same, with a bit more polish, and that is everything I want in a sequel.
I can't wait to play more.

epthegeek

01-18-2011, 06:32 PM

There are additions are hit and miss, though they mostly are welcomed. The first accessory you get, a grappling hook, was my least favorite, while the "Grabinator" was an excellent addition.
-Nicholas

I'm not a big fan of the hook so far either. It's a hot mess when you've got more than one player in the game, most of the time. And I can't get the hang of the 'reel in while swinging to launch' down.

I just got it today, so I haven't had much time to play. All the time I have had so far has been drug down by an eager, but inept 5 year old. She begs to play the game (going back to LBP1) because it's cute, and you can play dress up -- but dragging her through the levels and listening to her complain about not being able to make the tricky timing/jumps really ruins the experience. It's like if you got to go see your favorite band ever and then they just played a whole set of Milli Vanilli songs.

Thankfully, she'll be in bed soon. Then the rocking can start.

Eduardo X

01-18-2011, 07:40 PM

It's like if you got to go see your favorite band ever and then they just played a whole set of Milli Vanilli songs.
Holy shit does that sound awesome.

Mind Elemental

01-18-2011, 10:50 PM

Does the game give you infinite continues at each save point this time?

Nicholas Shurson

01-18-2011, 11:02 PM

Does the game give you infinite continues at each save point this time?

Nope.

-Nicholas

Vincent19

01-18-2011, 11:46 PM

Thankfully, it does at most of them.

ImpAtom

01-19-2011, 01:28 AM

Honestly, the hook was my least favorite part of the sequel. It just... doesn't work well. I get what they were going for, but it really doesn't feel comfortable or natural, at least outside of the segments where it has bouncers to guide you along the intended paths.

epthegeek

01-19-2011, 04:58 AM

Got to play a bit farther without the boat anchor (5 year old, mentioned previously) and am really loving it. The second set of levels, where the grabinators and createinator are introduced was a blast to play and awesome to gawk at. A lot of the new additions to the engine really punch up the visuals -- transparent materials, animated surface materials, the added cut scene actors/cameras.

Jazar

01-19-2011, 05:40 AM

I haven't played the retail game but the beta had some amazing user community levels. The variety that can be made is astounding. Community levels can completely change around how the game is played from the jumping physics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddjlQ2Q7L6Y&t=45s) to cinematics to music to controlling non-sackboy objects.

Finally, having the ability to queue up community levels from your browser will really bring the best levels to the forefront.

Vesper

01-19-2011, 08:18 AM

Whoa, didn't know you could browse/queue up levels from your browser. Got a URL? That'll help a lot as I'm not wild about browsing content in-game.

Also, I only had a small amount of time to play the first 3 levels last night but I'm liking it a lot better than LBP1. I liked LBP1 but it never really 'grabbed' me especially in single player. This campaign seems a lot more cohesive and fun so far.

epthegeek

01-19-2011, 08:29 AM

Whoa, didn't know you could browse/queue up levels from your browser. Got a URL?

http://lbp.me

Vesper

01-19-2011, 10:54 AM

Having spent some time on the website, I'm very impressed. The ability to browse all of this content to queue up for later is outstanding. I suspect this will greatly increase my enjoyment of this game.

Vincent19

01-19-2011, 12:13 PM

I've been going through all the tutorials for create mode, and I'm impressed. MM has done a great job expanding on the good areas of the first game's editor and minimizing some of it's more glaring weak spots (the ability to edit things behind other materials is a godsend). I can't wait to start really seeing what the, uh, controllanator can do. Making vehicles has always been one of my favorite things to do in LBP, and this is going to make it far better.

Also the music sequencer is a ton of fun. I spent quite awhile last night making my very own crappy song.

Brad Grenz

01-19-2011, 01:13 PM

Giant Bomb just did a live Quicklook and this game looks epic. One of the user levels they tried was a twin stick shooter that look freaking incredible.

Jazar

01-19-2011, 01:35 PM

just did? I only see the QL of the beta.

Brad Grenz

01-19-2011, 03:02 PM

They were doing it live. The video will probably be posted later today once they have it edited and encoded.

lordkosc

01-19-2011, 03:15 PM

If you are a release week buyer don't forget to download your free space suit in the PlayStation store, the free suit is only available till Wednesday 26th I think ( I read 1 week ).

Vincent19

01-19-2011, 03:54 PM

So, as much as I'm loving the game, I gotta ask, is anyone else noticing the excessive amount of blurring when the screen moves?

I've seen the issue in other games, and I know it's at least partially connected to 60hz TVs, but for some reason in LBP2 the blurring seems particularly severe. I'm almost constantly aware of it, and it's gives my eyes some strain.

Sucks too, because other than that, I'm quite in love with the game. So is anyone else noticing the problem? Any potential ideas for a fix?

Vesper

01-19-2011, 04:40 PM

No blurring here on my Samsung (120 hz, although I doubt that is your issue.). Are you using HDMI?

Horrible Oscar

01-19-2011, 06:39 PM

How's the loading on custom levels? I seem to remember that being a weak point in any beta stuff I saw.

I'm definitely going to pick this up, but it's hard to say when. I know I'm not going to bother with any of the "official" single player and there can't be that many really excellent custom LBP2 levels out yet, but I haven't played the first in a while so there's probably quite a few new things to explore anyway. Hm.

Coca Cola Zero

01-19-2011, 06:55 PM

Any potential ideas for a fix?

Have you turned off any and all shitfuckery your TV might be doing to the image (eg. "Smooth Motion", etc)? There are many HDTVs out there that try to do things like smooth out panning motions and the results are almost always very bad on movies and are universally horrendous when applied to videogames.

Vesper

01-19-2011, 10:46 PM

Ran into another awesome thing: Nightwish music for a boss battle. (Ok, so that's probably not a big deal to all of you. I was just impressed they had some licensed music.)

Vincent19

01-20-2011, 12:21 AM

Thanks for the tips guys. I am using HDMI, so that shouldn't be a problem. As for the other stuff, I'm about to go mess around with my TV, and I'll report back if and when I find the cause of the issue.

epthegeek

01-20-2011, 06:08 AM

Played through the third set of levels last night with the sackbots. There's one in there in particular that will be 'the bunker' level of frustration when trying to ace, I think. Lots of use of explosives in dangerous ways.

I like the addition of the incremental levels of prize payout at the end of some levels. I know the baubles you get only matter if you're going to make stuff in create mode - but it serves the OCD collector of incremental rewards bit that works so well (for me) as incentive to try harder and/or again.

Vesper

01-21-2011, 08:16 AM

Played multiplayer last night with epthegeek and had a lot of fun. Grappling is still not great, but the rest of it was a blast. (We must have spent 10-15 minutes trying to get some prizes that were above a section where you had to grapple around to launch yourself up. Yuck.)

Fozzle

01-21-2011, 11:06 AM

I've played through the first two worlds with my daughter, and some community levels. The whole time I was playing, I just kept watching all the new gadgets, camera controls, lighting effects, and tools and thinking to myself that I can't wait to see what the creative community comes up with for this.

MonkeyPunky

01-21-2011, 02:20 PM

Have you turned off any and all shitfuckery your TV might be doing to the image (eg. "Smooth Motion", etc)? There are many HDTVs out there that try to do things like smooth out panning motions and the results are almost always very bad on movies and are universally horrendous when applied to videogames.

Is there an explanation for the crazy motion smoothing stuff? I've seen 3 different tvs where we had to turn off the motion smoothing stuff. It makes everything look worse. Does it actually look better to some people, is that why it's on by default?