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Just missing the opportunity to become the ideal — and stuffed — stocking stuffer, the first official line of LittleBigPlanet plushies is now available on Amazon.com. This two-pack bundle from Senario includes one naked Sackboy and one white Sackgirl for $20. Unfortunately, the online retailer won’t have these dolls in stock until the December 30th, so you’ll have to take Amazon’s prohibitively pricey “One Week Ago” time-travel shipping option.

[Via PlayStation.Blog]

LittleBigPlanet Sackboy plushies go on sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alas, we’ve gone yet another decade without a single jetpack, hovercar, hoverpack or jetcar. We’ve got high hopes for unimaginable technological advancement in the 2010s — for instance, if a recent advertisement for a bundle of LittleBigPlanet-branded PSP accessories that ran in MCV’s latest “Digital Edition” is any indication, we’re thinking that a new model of the old-school, UMD-equipped handheld might not be out of the question.

Proudly printed on the ad is a lineup of PSP models the accessories are compatible with — including the PSP-4000. Now, this could just be a mistake on the ad designer’s part, or it could be an accidental hint of things to come. Maybe not things as awesome as sky-based personal transportation, but hey — we’ll take what we can get.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

LittleBigPlanet accessory bundle ad references PSP-4000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As rumored last week, LittleBigPlanet will receive a massive chunk of DLC just before Christmas — the “Pirates of the Caribbean Premium Level Kit.” This pack includes the highly anticipated Water update, along with the tools Sackboy will need to navigate said fluids (scuba tanks, air ducts and the like). In addition, the pack includes five pre-made Pirates-themed levels, four new audio tracks, a new background, a free “Cannibal” costume, and a whole mess of decorations, stickers and materials to collect.

The pack will land on the PSN alongside a six-pack of Pirates costumes, which include Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones, Will Turner and other characters from the movie, on December 22 for $5.99 each. Check out the pack’s aquatic, buccaneering offerings in the trailer above.

[Thanks, Casder.]

Pirates of the Caribbean, Water coming to LittleBigPlanet Dec. 22 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been nearly a year since Media Molecule created the Metal Gear Solid level pack for LittleBigPlanet. A recent Trophy leak shows that the PS3 platformer is finally getting an official MM-developed playable add-on — this time, inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

This partnership was first teased at E3. We presumed the partnership would result in nothing more than a downloadable costume, and we were wrong. The open seas should provide a fitting setting for the impending addition of water to the LBP universe. The various playable challenges Media Molecule have created should provide inspiration for LBP authors, thirsty to have their water-filled creations hit the PlayStation Network.

See the new Trophies after the break.

[Thanks, Stargateheaven!]

Continue reading Pirates of the Caribbean arrr coming to LittleBigPlanet

Pirates of the Caribbean arrr coming to LittleBigPlanet originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alright, Europe. We’re not sure what you did to get into Sony’s good graces, but we wish you’d share that information with your pals in the States. Not only do you guys have access to the PSP Go incentive program, which grants owners of UMDs three free game downloads through March 31, but Sony Europe just went ahead and threw another complimentary game on the pile. Anyone living in Europe who owns a PSP Go is eligible to receive a free copy of Gran Turismo, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge or Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (or, in Germany, LittleBigPlanet) until January 10.

For more details on the promotion, visit Sony Europe’s official site. We’ve contacted Sony America to find out if we’ll be getting a similar offer stateside.

Europe gets more incentive to purchase PSP Go with new bundle originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unsatisfied with simply winning the “Artistic Achievement” category of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards earlier this year, Media Molecule and its charming, customizable platforme, LittleBigPlanet, took the BAFTA’s Children’s Awards show by storm last night. The title took top honors during the ceremony, beating out Boom Blox Bash Party, de Blob and Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise for the coveted “Best Videogame” award.

Media Molecule’s Mark Healey teased GamesIndustry about the future of the infinitely award-winning title, saying, “LittleBigPlanet has a lot more room to absorb a lot more things before we say goodbye to that one. I think every year from now on should be a big year for LittleBigPlanet, hopefully.” With the Online Create mode patch out today and the Water Update coming soon, we think the studio’s got plenty of big ideas to keep the Planet turning for a long, long time.

LittleBigPlanet wins big at the little BAFTAs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This past week has been one long LittleBigDisappointment for early PSP Go adopters due to unforeseen technical snafus which prevented SCE Studio Cambridge’s adorable platformer from jumping onto the PSN. Fortunately, the latest “Sack it to Me” news update brings word that the game will finally be available to download tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Perhaps even more newsworthy than that is the fact that the studio has already launched a patch for the title which “will improve the performance of some of the physics and tools in the Create mode.” To download the game-specific update — a fairly new feature on the handheld — make sure you’re connected to the internet, select the game’s icon on the XMB, press Triangle, and select “Update.” Now, sit back, and prepare to witness unthinkable technowizardry in the palm of your hand. Or hands, should you still be using the original double-wide PSP.

LittleBigPlanet PSP coming out on PSN tomorrow, patch available now originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the game industry lobby group, today announced two new game creation contests meant to support President Obama’s STEM initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math studies). A partnership between the ESA, Microsoft, Sony, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), and the MacArthur Foundation will help to fund and run a series of STEM-related game design competitions.

Details of the first two competitions – “Game Changers” and the less creatively titled “STEM National Video Game Competition” – are scant at the moment, though the former will involve Sony donating 1,000 PS3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community-based organizations in low-income districts, with plans to share the winning levels free to the gaming public. When asked, an ESA representative told Joystiq that more information would be revealed in “the coming weeks.”

ESA partners with Microsoft & Sony for STEM initiative, launches game creation competitions originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The White House is announcing today a program to improve science and math education with a variety of initiatives including a program backed by Sony to put LittleBigPlanet in libraries and a $300,000 game design challenge.

President Barack Obama announced the overarching directive that the gaming plans are part of at a White House press conference that furthers the Administration’s commitment to its STEM program, an initiative for focusing on science, technology engineering and math education. The new push is dubbed “Educate to Innovate.”

Among the participating private-backed initiatives that are part of the program, according to a run-down in the New York Times, is a two-year focus on science on Sesame Street, a commercial-free science programming commitment by the Discovery Channel, a new website backed by Time Warner Cable, as well as a variety of video game initiatives.

“Our industry’s lifeblood is the energy and innovation of new, emerging developers,” Michael Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association, the industry’s lobbying group, said in a press release today. “To create the next generation’s epic titles and incredibly immersive storylines, we need America’s youth to have strategic and analytic thinking skills along with complex problem solving abilities. It is my hope that it will produce games that will have a lasting impact on the STEM skills our nation’s students so desperately need.”

The Sony LittleBigPlanet initiative, Game Changers, is part of a $2 million 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition funded by the MacArthur foundation. It involves Sony donating 1000 PlayStation 3s and copies of LittleBigPlanet to libraries and community organizations. Participants will strive to create levels that involve science, technology, engineering and math.

A second program, called the Stem National Video Game Competition, was also announced. It is a three-pronged $300,000 contest encouraging entrants to create the best browser video games that teach the STEM disciplines for a trio of age ranges: 4-8, 8-12 and 12-16. This competition is intended to reach “historically underserved populations including girls and minority students,” according to an ESA press release. Specifics for this contest will be announced in early 2010, with winners showcased at E3 in June.

The gaming initiatives announced today are backed by the Information Technology Industry Council, an advocacy group. Microsoft and the Games4Change group are also both involved in these plans, according to the ESA release.

More details about both contests will be announced in the next few weeks, according to the ESA.