LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

Last updated

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita cover.jpg
Developer(s) Double Eleven [1] [2]
Tarsier Studios [3]
XDev Studio Europe [4] [5]
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Artist(s) Per Bergman
Marcus Ottvall
Sebastian Bastian
Christer Johansson
Composer(s) Winifred Phillips
Series LittleBigPlanet
Platform(s) PlayStation Vita
Release
  • EU: 19 September 2012 [6]
  • JP: 20 September 2012 [6]
  • AU: 20 September 2012 [7]
  • NA: 25 September 2012 [6]
Genre(s) Puzzle-platformer
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer (co-op)

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is a puzzle platform video game developed by Double Eleven, [1] Tarsier Studios [3] and XDev Studio Europe [4] [5] for the PlayStation Vita handheld game console. It is the fourth game of the LittleBigPlanet franchise; a series of puzzle platformers centered on user-generated content. The game was announced in January 2011 along with the reveal of the PlayStation Vita console, then known as the Next Generation Portable (NGP), [8] and the first details of the game were revealed on 6 June 2011 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It was released on 19 September 2012 in Europe, 20 September 2012 in Japan and Australia, and 25 September 2012 for the North American markets. [6]

Contents

The online servers for the game have been permanently shut down in March 2021 due to attacks on the server suffered during the prior year. [9] [10]

Gameplay

Players can use the touch screen controls to interact directly with the environment. LBP-Vita-Touch-Gameplay.jpg
Players can use the touch screen controls to interact directly with the environment.

As in previous titles in the LittleBigPlanet series, players control a character named Sackboy through a variety of worlds utilising the character's various abilities such as jumping and grabbing objects. It also features various non-platforming mini-games. Numerous multiplayer options are available. As well as up to four-player online competitive or co-op gameplay, the PlayStation Vita's multi-touch display can be used by two players for competitive games. "Pass'n'Play" is also available, enabling turn-based gameplay. [11] The Vita's rear touchpanel is also used for pushing objects toward the player, creating platforms out of parts of the world. [12]

Content creation

Players are able to create their own levels and share them online using the PlayStation Network. The PlayStation Vita's touch-screen display can be used to directly draw objects and platforms in the game world. As well as unique creation tools such as these, the game also includes all of the tools available in LittleBigPlanet 2 (with the exception of its downloadable content tools such as the Wormhole). However, materials and stickers/decorations from prior games are not available in the game. Costumes bought from the PlayStation Network used to customise the player's character are transferable between the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games, including LittleBigPlanet Karting , through costumes from the PSP game are not available in LittleBigPlanet PS Vita. [11] Content can also be shared over both Wi-Fi and a 3G network. [12]

Additional content

The PlayStation Vita version of the game has tools from previous versions of LittleBigPlanet that have been adapted to suit the Vita's control system, as well as new tools such as the Motion Recorder, the Touch Sensor, the Touch Tweaker, the Touch Cursor, the Touch Material and the Layer Tool, all of which provide players with touch controls. There are also tools used for other purposes such as the Dephysicalise Tool, the Sticker Scrubber and a tool that makes a jelly like substance that Sackboy can pass through. [13] Another new tool, the Memoriser, can store data between levels and play sessions. [14]

A bonus with BioShock costumes was included to those who pre-ordered the game. The pack includes a costume of a Big Daddy and a Little Sister. A "Knights of Old" Pack was also announced, allowing to dress as a knight, dragon or a princess. [15]

Plot

The story involves a puppeteer who is believed to control wooden puppets called "The Hollows" which are dangerous enemies of Carnivalia. They were created by him as replacements for the puppets he threw away due to being booed at a circus event. In order to stop the threat, Sackboy travels through various locations such as the Land of Odd and meets various characters who assist him in reaching the Spooky Mansion, where the Puppeteer is known to live.

When he reaches the mansion, it is discovered that the Puppeteer, named Franklin according to a tape recording, was captured by his own Hallows. After being saved by Sackboy, he reveals the Hollows were merely an unwanted creation made during an attempt to recreate his puppet friends, who are the same Creator Curators Sackboy met while aiming for the mansion. Due to growing bitterness from always being behind the scenes, he had thrown away them, and when he later tried to find them he shed a tear that made them fully alive. Franklin is ecstatic about reuniting with his now alive friends, and afterwards they laugh so hard, the Hollows revert to their original Sackperson forms. [ citation needed ]

Reception

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita received positive reviews, garnering aggregated scores of 88/100 at Metacritic and 88.68% at GameRankings. [16] [17]

Justin Calvert from GameSpot called the game the best in the series so far and stated: "This is the game that your Vita has been waiting for. For months, the shiny handheld has been aching to show you what it's really capable of, and with the arrival of Little Big Planet PS Vita, it finally has an opportunity to do so." Calvert, who gave the game an 8.5 out if 10, praised the "wonderfully varied" story levels, "excellent" controls, and the "easier than ever" creation tools, but disliked tutorials for feeling incomplete. [21]

Matt Helgeson of Game Informer wrote: "While LittleBigPlanet has clearly settled into a comfortable groove, it’s still one of the best pure platformers on the market. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is another stellar entry on Sackboy’s impressive resume." Helgeson awarded the game an 8.75/10 and spoke well of the overall design, the graphics, the soundtrack, and the developers' ability to create a LittleBigPlanet game on par with the main games. [20]

In his review, IGN's Greg Miller concluded: "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita is the definitive LittleBigPlanet game. It's everything you loved (or possibly didn't) from the past games boiled down into a package you can play anywhere at any time. You can collect prize bubbles while watching TV, download user-created levels at home and then play them on a plane, and sink the hours into learning create mode via 10-minute chunks at the Laundromat. Then, there's all the new stuff like touch controls, games that don't involve Sackboy, and the creation potential that could give you an endless supply of free games. Yes, the jumping is still floaty, the creation complicated and the load times a bit too long, but that doesn't stop LittleBigPlanet PS Vita from being an amazing experience." [14]

Sophia Tong of GamesRadar commended the narration by Stephen Fry, the controls, and the story levels, saying: "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita encapsulates what the system can do, and deserves a spot in your Vita library. Running through each level (even multiple times) is a charming, creative, and incredibly rewarding experience, regardless of whether it's to beat your friend's leaderboard score or if you're simply going after every collectible for that satisfying "pop" sound. Even when you feel like you've exhausted all your minigame options, what you can create in the Imagisphere with the game's powerful toolset is only limited by your imagination." [22]

Awards

YearInstitutionAwardResult
2012Gamescom AwardsBest Mobile GameWon [25]
TIGA Games Industry AwardsGame of the YearWon [26]
IGN Game AwardsVita Game of the YearWon [27]
2013Pocket Gamer AwardsPS Vita Game of the YearWon [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Interactive Entertainment</span> Sonys software company

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American multinational video game and digital entertainment company of Sony. Jointly established by two subsidiaries in 2016, it primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments.

<i>LittleBigPlanet</i> (2008 video game) 2008 video game

LittleBigPlanet is a 2008 platform game developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, and is the first game of the LittleBigPlanet franchise. The level editor is the main focus of the game, allowing the player to create levels and publish them online. The player controls Sackboy, a customizable ragged doll with the ability to create. Story mode consists of pre-made levels built around Sackboy's basic control scheme, and they are grouped into areas, each centering around a theme; the story revolves Sackboy helping various Creator Curators around LittleBigPlanet before facing the Collector, who has been kidnapping and stealing creations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media Molecule</span> British video game developer

Media Molecule Ltd. is a British video game developer based in Guildford, Surrey. Founded in 2006 by Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired the firm in 2010. It became part of SCE Worldwide Studios. The company is best known for developing the LittleBigPlanet series, 2013's Tearaway, and 2020's Dreams for PlayStation consoles.

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie Waldron</span> Musical artist

Winnie Waldron is an American music producer for video games, a producer for radio, a radio script editor / adapter, a manuscript editor and a radio host.

Exient Entertainment is a video game developer and publisher based in the United Kingdom and Malta. Developing for handheld, mobile, console, VR and PC platforms, Exient grew a name for designing and developing popular series' games to portable systems. It is known for its ports of various games in the Madden NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for Electronic Arts and for developing numerous titles in the Angry Birds series. The company was incorporated in 2000 and began operations in January 2001.

<i>LittleBigPlanet 2</i> 2011 puzzle-platform game

LittleBigPlanet 2 is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in North America on 18 January 2011, in mainland Europe on 19 January 2011, in Australia and New Zealand on 20 January 2011 and the UK and Ireland on 21 January 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sackboy</span> Fictional video game character

Sackboy is a fictional character and main protagonist of the LittleBigPlanet video game series published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Introduced in the 2008 video game LittleBigPlanet, Sackboy is a small, anthropomorphic, humanoid doll-like character made of burlap sack with a brown knit pattern by default, with a zip fastener and button eyes. Sackboy was originally designed to be a "blank canvas" for LittleBigPlanet players, and is fully customisable using costumes which are either in-game unlockable content, or purchased as downloadable content (DLC) from the PlayStation Store. Sackboy was jointly created by the founding members of British game studio Media Molecule. Scottish composer Kenneth Young provided the vocal effects for the character from 2008 to 2014.

<i>LittleBigPlanet</i> (2009 video game) 2009 video game

LittleBigPlanet is a puzzle-platform game for the PlayStation Portable developed by SCE Studio Cambridge in conjunction with Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. An addition to the LittleBigPlanet franchise made for the PSP, featuring a brand new story mode. It was released on 17 November 2009 in North America and 20 November 2009 in PAL regions. The game's servers have been shut down since July 30, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Vita</span> Handheld game console by Sony

The PlayStation Vita is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territories beginning on February 22, 2012. The console is the successor to the PlayStation Portable, and a part of the PlayStation brand of gaming devices; as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles, it primarily competed with the Nintendo 3DS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarsier Studios</span> Swedish video game developer

Tarsier Studios is a Swedish video game developer based in Malmö.

<i>LittleBigPlanet</i> Puzzle platform video game series

LittleBigPlanet (LBP) is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the series put a strong emphasis on user-generated content and are based on the series' tagline "Play, Create, Share". The tagline represents the three core elements of the series: playing alone or with others locally or online, creating new content using the in-game creation tools, and sharing creations and discoveries online with other players.

Sony has released a number of previously released PlayStation video games, remastered in high-definition (HD) for their newer consoles, a form of porting. A number of related programs exist, the most prominent two being "Classics HD" and "PSP Remasters". The former consists of multiple PlayStation 2 games compiled on one Blu-ray Disc. The latter are individual PlayStation Portable games republished on Blu-ray. These games are not direct ports, but remastered versions in high-definition, to take advantage of the newer consoles' capabilities. The remastering of the games include updated graphics, new textures, and Trophy support, and some of the remastered games released on PlayStation 3 have included 3D and PlayStation Move support. Some HD remasters have also been released individually or in bundles as downloads on the PlayStation Store; others are released exclusively as downloads.

<i>Joe Danger 2: The Movie</i> 2012 racing and platform video game

Joe Danger 2: The Movie is a racing and platform video game developed by Hello Games for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and PlayStation Vita. According to Hello Games's managing director, it is "kind of" a sequel to the successful Joe Danger. The game was announced in August 2011 and released for Xbox 360 on 14 September 2012, and 9 October 2012 for PlayStation 3. A Microsoft Windows version was released 24 June 2013, followed by Mac OS X and Linux on 7 January 2014, and PlayStation Vita in January 2015. The game centers around the titular character, stuntman Joe Danger, as he performs stunts for an action film. It features multiple vehicle types, and has local multiplayer for up to four players.

The PlayStation Vita system software is the official firmware and operating system for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV video game consoles. It uses the LiveArea as its graphical shell. The system is built on a Unix-base which is derived from FreeBSD and NetBSD.

<i>LittleBigPlanet Karting</i> 2012 kart racing video game

LittleBigPlanet Karting is a kart racing video game developed by United Front Games and San Diego Studio, in conjunction with series creators Media Molecule for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth game of the LittleBigPlanet franchise, and the third LittleBigPlanet game to be released on the console. The game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment and was released in November 2012.

<i>LittleBigPlanet 3</i> 2014 puzzle-platform video game

LittleBigPlanet 3 is a puzzle-platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It was released worldwide through November and December 2014, and it is the third entry in the main LittleBigPlanet series, and sixth entry overall. It was announced at Sony's E3 2014 media briefing on 9 June 2014. It was developed primarily by Sumo Digital, with XDev and series creator Media Molecule assisting in an undisclosed capacity.

<i>Sackboy: A Big Adventure</i> 2020 video game

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 2020 platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A spin-off of the LittleBigPlanet series, it follows Sackboy, and features 3D platforming as opposed to 2.5D in previous entries. It was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and Windows in October 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "Double11 Working Alongside Tarsier On LittleBigPlanet Vita". GamingUnion.net. 27 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  2. ↑ Olly. "Double Eleven » LittleBigAnnouncement". Double11.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 "LittleBigPlanet Vita announced at E3". Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  4. 1 2 Double Eleven, Tarsier Studios, XDev Studio Europe. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (PlayStation Vita). Sony Computer Entertainment. Scene: Game credits. XDev Studio Europe{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 "Review: LittleBigPlanet PS Vita". Destructoid.com. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Simon (2 August 2012). "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Release Date Announced". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "LittleBigPlanet PlayStation Vita" . Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Proven28 (26 January 2011). "Sony NGP Includes Uncharted, Killzone, Resist". Shacknews.com. Retrieved 27 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (13 September 2021). "Sony shuts down online for older LittleBigPlanet games "to protect the community"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "LittleBigPlanet Servers Taken Down After Hackers Post Hate Speech". PlayStation LifeStyle. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  11. 1 2 Schramm, Mike (7 June 2011). "LittleBigPlanet (PS Vita) preview: Touched by a Sackboy". Joystiq. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  12. 1 2 "EB Games Expo 2011: Little Big Planet Vita Stage Demo". GameSpot . 14 October 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  13. ↑ StevenI (13 February 2012). "New Tools, Features, Tweaks and More!". Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 Miller, Greg (12 September 2012). "Sackboy's Definitive Adventure". IGN . IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Moriarty, Colin (25 June 2012). "Get BioShocked by LittleBigPlanet Vita". IGN . Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  16. 1 2 "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita for Playstation Vita". GameRankings . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  17. 1 2 "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  18. ↑ Parkin, Simon (20 September 2012). "Handmade, Handheld". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  19. ↑ "リトルビッグプラネット PlayStation Vita". Famitsu . Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  20. 1 2 Helgeson, Matt (12 September 2012). "Sackboy Conquers Another Sony System". Game Informer . GameStop. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  21. 1 2 Calvert, Justin (18 September 2012). "LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  22. 1 2 Tong, Sophia (12 September 2012). "Another Joyous Adventure for Sackboy Packed onto the PS Vita". GamesRadar . Future Publishing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "LittleBigPlanet Vita Review". GameTrailers . Viacom Entertainment Group. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  24. ↑ Davies, Emma (12 September 2012). "PlayStation's Cuddliest Scales Down Wonderfully". Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) . Future Publishing. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  25. ↑ "And the winners of the gamescom 2012 awards are…". YouTube . Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  26. ↑ "THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!". Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  27. ↑ "Best PS Vita Game" . Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  28. ↑ "Pocket Gamer Awards 2013". Pocketgamer.co.uk. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.