Over a dozen reviews have popped up online, and it looks like LittleBigPlanet is on track to be the PlayStation 3's best-reviewed first-party title -- despite some well-strung criticisms. In fact, according to Metacritic's data, it's the only game in the PS3's Top 5 that doesn't have a "4" in the title (in order: GTA IV, Call of Duty 4, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). Of course, glowing reviews don't ensure the game will translate into ca-ching, but it's a great indication that we'll be seeing plenty of LittleBigPenis levels for years to come.
PlayStation Official Magazine UK (100/100): "There simply isn't anything else like LBP on any system, anywhere. It's a beautifully elegant and powerful creative tool that puts unlimited potential in the palm of your hand."
CVG(96/100): "You'll look for inspiration for levels, mechanical dilemmas or puzzles in every corner of your life. And in your sleep. It will take over your conversations with fellow players. You will become obsessed. You have been warned."
IGN(95/100): "Media Molecule has created a brilliant platformer, and then given you the tools to recreate the whole thing over again, or better yet, to create your own ideas from scratch. It's not perfect - the controls could be tighter, automatically shifting between planes can be problematic, the editor isn't quite as robust as you might hope - but what's there is nothing short of astounding."
Eurogamer(90/100): "The promise that anyone could create something simple and fun and personal with LittleBigPlanet hasn't come true. In a way, it's the opposite of Spore, which makes it easy and fun for every single player to have creative input, but doesn't let any of them change the fabric of the game. LittleBigPlanet lets them run wild, with unprecedented results, but it locks the majority out of the creative process, because it's time-consuming and simply not very enjoyable."
Ladies and gentlemen of the Western Hemisphere, start your PlayStation 3s. Sony has released released firmware 2.50, which as we told you yesterday. The update includes support for the official PS3 bluetooth adapter, automatic shutdown after downloading, Flash 9 support and more. No word on PSP firmware 5.0, also expected today, but we've fired up our handhelds just in case. SCEE confirmed that both firmware updates will be available in Europe today.
Update: (1:32 AM ET) Two hours after the launch of the PS3 update, PSP firmware 5.0 is now also available.
It's a rare-yet-joyous day when the gaming comic we really want to see win actually does earn the popular vote. Joystiq readers, thank you for picking 2P Start's Echochrome Auditions. No, really, we think you made the right choice. You should consider doing that more often.
Second and third place both went to Penny Arcade (Magnum Opus and The Great Divide, respectively, although the commenters are right that all three of their comics last week were gold). Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week! (Protip: It's best to use the comments field for that kind of stuff, or if you go via our tip line be sure to include "webcomic" in the subject or it will likely get ignored.)
While we're awaiting the recently-completed, more competitively-priced Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2, the official site has given us a way to bide our time. Introducing The Official PAA Papercraft™, which includes regulars Tycho, Gabe, Anne-Claire and Fruit ... erm, Lover.
Also available are Episode 2 foes Hat Spider, Asylum Patient and Dr. "I see you've been staring at my balls" Wolfington (his balls are not currently available as papercraft). Fun fact: In a display of irony, should you find yourself surrounded by papercraft Fruit Lovers, the use of fruit juice will actually harm them.
It looks like US Presidential Nominee Barack Obama is seeking out the oft-overlooked "virtual maniac driver" voting bloc. Gamers who fire up their copy of Burnout Paradise for Xbox 360 will notice that some of the bilboards now feature an advertisement from Obama that says early voting has begun and features the URL of his campaign website.
Electronic Arts Director of Coroporate Communications told GigaOM, "I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout," while also noting that they accept ads from "credible political candidates" and that such ads do not reflect the opinion of EA or its employees. As recently as yesterday, Obama is still citing video games in stump speech about underachieving kids.
Today, Blizzard will be releasing World of Warcraft patch 3.0.2, also known as "Echoes of Doom," the first major update since March's "Fury of the Sunwell" patch. "Echoes" marks the introduction of the Achievements System, sure to push the game into an even higher echelon of addiction. Expect also new locations, arenas, spells, talents, abilities, a barbershop, an in-game calendar and a new profession, Inscription.
Our MMO-obsessed (or "MMObsessed") friends at WoW Insider have the full patch notes and an archive of extensive coverage. The "Echoes of Doom"patch should be returning your calls around 2:00PM PT (or 5:00PM ET). In case you missed it (and then, of course, we must ask how?), check out Joystiq and WoW Insider's coverage of this past weekend's BlizzCon.
This week, we had the chance to enlist into the Call of Duty: World at War beta for Xbox 360, which features a handful of online maps to play. What follows is a back-and-forth discussion of our initial impressions after playing the game for a few hours.
Alexander Sliwinski: Um, isn't it just Call of Duty 4 with a different setting?
Ross Miller: More or less, and I think that's a great way to describe the game: It's Call of Duty 4, with a few differences. For example, instead of helicopters, you've got dogs.
Since the New Xbox Experience requires 128MB of free space, Microsoft is offering a storage solution for those who may lack the proper storage with either (a) a free 512MB memory unit or (b) a 20GB hard drive for $19.99. If you purchased an Xbox 360 console with no memory solution (i.e. no hard drive or memory unit), you can enter both the 12-digit serial number and the 12-digit Console ID here to see if you're eligible for the offer. We're not sure if there might be an issue with replaced Xbox 360s and proper serial numbers; if you're one of the eligible few, let us know your experiences in the comments below.
We finally have some news on the long-awaited patch for Castle Crashers. According to a post on developer Behemoth's site, the problems (including connectivity issues) have been "knocked out" and the team is currently verifying the updates before sending it off to Microsoft for certification.
In perhaps one of the biggest understatements, the post states, "we are aware that many of you are unhappy about the wait" but explains that they had to fix all known issues at once, as opposed to release incremental updates. Certification can take a few weeks, so don't hold out hope for seeing the patch before Halloween. There should be more than enough titles to keep your attention in the interim.
A NeoGAF member who hobbies as ESRB archive scavenger has stumbled upon an update for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 that lists the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game, a frenetic 3-on-3 arcade bralwer from 2000 (and probably one of the main reasons you keep a Sega Dreamcast around, assuming you didn't pick up the PS2 or Xbox One version), seems like a perfect fit for Xbox Live Arcade or PS Network. We've reached out to Capcom for more information.
We don't have much to say about this week's WiiWare release of World of Goo (2D Boy, 1-4 players, 1,500 Wii Points) because, quite frankly, it might actually be good. While great for Wii owners, it makes the weekly announcement post quite boring.
We have even less to say about this week's other WiiWare offering Art Style: CUBELLO (Nintendo, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) since, much like last month's Art Style: ORBIENT, there's virtually nothing on the internet about it that we can find. From the official description, it sounds like Cubello might be a remake of the bit Generations title Coloris. Is this and Goo enough of an incentive to finally give Mega Man 9 a break?
... We might have an improper homonym there. We're all a bit worn out (har) from the multitude of conferences this weekend and had to kick (har) this to the until tonight. Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomics, be sure to vote for your favorite!
An article purported to be from the Associated Press has been floating around today that very casually dates PlayStation's Home for November 19 -- coincidentally, the same day as the New Xbox Experience launch. The origins of this version stem from The Inquirer ("Sony, Microsoft begin battle of virtual worlds"). It's also interesting to note that the article does not mention NXE's simultaneous launch date.
When you search the AP website, however, you will instead come across a "Sony, Microsoft virtual communities to start" from the same day (via Yahoo!). In this version, Home is "dated" for "later this year," while NXE is coming November 19. Both pieces also use the exact same quotes from Enterbrain's Hirokazu Hamamura, Sony's Ryoji Akagawa and Microsoft's John Schappert. It's likely that the former piece was an earlier, now-corrected draft from the AP or a gross misread by The Inquirer (and subsequently propagated from there).
It should also be noted that at Sony's Tokyo Game Show press conference this weekend, the company announced an open beta for Home would be launching in Japan this month and end in November. We've gone ahead and contacted Sony and AP to confirm.
Well, that was fast. With just over a month since Will Wright's Spore was released to the masses, a listing has popped up on Electronic Arts' online store for Spore: Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, something we've known to be coming since our E3 2008 interview. You can currently pre-order the expansion, available as direct download for $19.95 on Tuesday, November 18, though that could change. Are you ready for an onslaught of creepier (and cuter) penis creatures?
We've got a handful of the network in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, another handful in Anaheim, California, and another handful at home doing nothing but posting. And playing some games, of course:
Alexander Sliwinski: Must, must, must finish Infinite Undiscovery this weekend. Also been meaning to try Hinterland.
Christopher Grant: Still stationed in Japan, far from the upcoming onslaught of major releases and the LittleBigPlanet beta, I'll have to settle for using the Tokyo Game Show as my own personal gaming closet until I return. Looking forward to stumbling my way through Gyakuten Kenji's Japanese menus, trying out some Resident Evil 5 co-op, and eating delicious ramen. Admittedly, eating ramen isn't a game but stumbling my way through ordering it is pretty fun (and challenging!).
Griffin McElroy: I'll be playing the LittleBigPlanet beta as much as time allows until its untimely end this Sunday, making tweaks to my first ambitous published project (ostentatiously titled "The Blimp and the Birdhouse: A Cautionary Tale on Unsturdy Flora") and playing through some of the classier levels currently available to those lucky enough to procure a beta access code. I imagine I'll fit a bit of Rock Band 2 in as well, as the release of the first ever Harvey Danger DLC was met with much fanfare in my apartment.
Kevin Kelly: I'll be playing Diablo III at BlizzCon, baby! Also Starcraft II and... archery, apparently.
Kyle Orland: In between campaign volunteering, squeezing in some time for LittleBigPlanet, Mega Man 9 and more Rock Band 2.
Jason Dobson: As a side effect of my recent move, I've begun going through the assortment of old games I've collected throughout the years, deciding what's worth revisiting and what's best left remembering through rose-colored glasses. I've decided this weekend will be devoted to tackling Sir-Tech's Realms of Arkania trilogy, beginning with Blade of Destiny, assuming I can even get the thing to run.
Randy Nelson: Now that I know the LittleBigPlanet beta content will carry over to the final release, it's on! You'll be playing my level based on Leonard Part 6 day one! (That is if I don't let my new-found addiction to Galcon on the iPhone or my goal to lose 200 lbs. in one weekend using Wii Fit don't get in the way – I know the anthropomorphic Balance Board says it can't be done, but I'll see it in skinny Hell!)
Ross Miller is so happy to have contributed to today's GameDaily's HUD (take that ... people who didn't) that he's just going to paste the same WRUP response here: Before this year's Great Explosion of AAA Releases, I'm going back through some of the library and playing through Half-Life 2 and BioShock. It'll be interesting to see how their narrative style and presentation differ from next week's Dead Space. There's also a handful of LittleBigPlanet levels I've been told to check out. Beyond that, I'm a few performances away from Endless Setlist in Rock Band 2, which time permitting I might try to take a stab at on Sunday.
