Big Multinational, Little DIY Savior
Posted by kylestallock on October 8th 2008 in Gaming
Don’t let Sackboy’s button-cute looks fool you. Harmless as he seems at first, LittleBigPlanet’s star: packs enough power to beat the testosterone out of every Tom, Dick, and chainsaw-wielding space marine he encounters…with a paintbrush?
Well, not really. In the actual game, the pint-sized protagonist needs only his bare hands and a magical lasso (not the “of truth” kind) to redefine user-created content in the videogame industry. In the upcoming dual-layer, Blu-ray-filling title, players can tackle a traditional platforming game, create their own levels, and/or check out other users’ content online. The fundamentals alone are enough to leave party animal Will Wright with a procedurally-grown banana in his pocket.
LBP’s broad appeal might also help bridge what some armchair accountants see as an ever-widening gulf. A few weeks ago, Forbes columnist Chris Morris asked “are hardcore gamers still relevant to the industry’s bottom line?” Of course they are, Chris, long as they’re willing and able to keep throwing stupid dough at smart tech. Crysis has managed to sell over a million copies in its first year, and graphics card powerhouses Nvidia and ATI are still carrying on with their usual banana-waving, charging equally insane admission to susceptible overclockers and anyone in need of e-Viagra.
Even at $500.00-plus, ATI’s 4870 X2 makes the PS3 seem somewhat slightly bargain-like. Kinda.
Regardless, hardcore games are looking more and more like risky propositions to any publicly-traded company likely to value probable profits over innovation. For better and for worse, these speculators’ playthings have commandeered the good ship SS Videogame Industry.
This guy matters…especially to his monitor dealer.
Let’s start with “worse.” After more than a year of hype, Sony launched its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Playstation 3 in November, 2006, hoping the console would smell like the cat’s pajamas to Christmas shoppers. Instead, it ended up being the emperor’s new electric thong. The hype dinghy had plenty of passengers, but no one really knew its destination. Was the PS3 a media center? A game machine? An excuse to rack up huge power bills while contributing to the “Folding at Home” project?
In reality, the device was–and is–all of the above. After all, Sony needs to give us handles for rationalizing a $600 investment. But as most people didn’t care for multidimensional media functionality (two years later, they still don’t), the PlayStation 3 seemed like an overpriced “Nintendo” to many. The dearth of quality games didn’t help consumer confidence either.
Worse still, that newly-released other console almost surely helped stunt PS3 sales. You know, the one “even your grandmother can play” (or penguins), currently enjoying the greatest impact on gaming’s business end since a spastic plumber invaded homes around the world in the ’80s.
Just wait until they log onto Xbox Live…
Smelling money, everybody–meaning captains of the industry as opposed to people who actually make videogames–is scrambling to create accessible titles. EA have admitted they’re currently refocusing efforts, and Activision’s trimming speaks louder than words. Microsoft are, for the most part, trying to broaden their market by tapping the resources of a developer whose best days lay in the past, while Sony seem bent on stealing the twelve people who still “play” Second Life, griefers not included.
They’re lucky to have third parties watching their marketing department’s back. On the most recent 1UP Show, Game Videos associate producer David Ellis noted that LittleBigPlanet should be packaged with every PS3. He’s got a point.. Even in beta, the game is cute enough to lure non-gamers and casuals without losing hardcore cool points; its controls are immediately familiar to veterans of any 2D Mario game, and its content creation tools rank among the most flexible of any platform’s. Innovation-wise, the title’s high-res graphics, online connectivity, and EyeToy camera option give the potential experience Sony have long touted legs, lungs, and a voice. If the company’s bosses are truly interested in luring new wallets to an allegedly hardcore console–and they better be–their revolution might just begin with Sackboy.
Cute.
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