Parsons students create 'Shadow of the LittleBigColossus'

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 23rd 2008 at 9:30AM }

"We're not a bunch of gamers here," a faculty member of the Parsons New School told the audience. "A project like this means much more to us than working with a new game. What we're interested in is collaboration, learning in new tools, in testing possibilities with environments and products we haven't worked with before. The experience we had with LittleBigPlanet this weekend is more than that."

Over the weekend, students from NYC's Parsons School worked for twenty four hours continuously with LittleBigPlanet. Their challenge? To create a level from scratch using early copies of the PS3-exclusive. With little or no background in the game, the students were able to create a wide assortment of hugely innovative and different levels.

There were a number of winners, across multiple categories. In fact, additional prizes were handed out by Sony due to the overwhelming number of great submissions. However, one level stood out as the single best level -- one created by Team Sportsmanship. We've lovingly dubbed the level "Shadow of the LittleBigColossus." Watch the video (above) and see why.

Gallery: Parsons LittleBigPlanet Design Jam

We were thoroughly amazed by all the finalists on display at Parsons last night. Getting our hands on "Shadow of the LittleBigColossus" left us absolutely awe-struck. Not only was the concept of the level truly outstanding, but the execution was spot-on. Yes, a little more playtesting could be done to make it not as challenging, but to know that such a massive moving level was created in the time of just 24 hours is an incredible achievement.

More impressive than the level itself is the process. The winning team, Team Sportsmanship, essentially became a mini games design studio, with various pipelines handling the different aspects of production. Many of the textures and objects you find in their level were created by hand, and then captured through the Eye camera. Being able to create and manipulate textures in such a way show the near-infinite possibilities that LBP can offer.

Although this level won Best of Jam (and the accompanying $1000 prize), it was far from the only noteworthy level on display. Each of the levels that made it to the awards ceremony showed incredible promise. One of our other favorites from the evening had to be the level created by Team Bloody Clowns. It appropriately won the award for "Most Fun." And why? Just watch this video to see:

Thankfully, you'll be able to play all of these levels when LittleBigPlanet launches on PS3 in October. Just look for the Parsons city in the online world and start downloading. Simply seeing such creative designs done in such a short amount of time is so incredibly humbling -- makes us realize that we're going to have to up the ante quite a bit when we want to make our own levels.

Most Persistent - Team Smiley
Best Use of Tools - Team Sleepwalkers
Most Innovative - Team Awesome / Team MakeShift
Most Personal - Team P3
Most Fun - Team Bloody Clowns
Most Beautiful - Team Rocket
Best of Jam - Team Sportsmanship

There's a BIG amount of coverage on this not-so-Little game. Check out our LittleBigPlanet page for all our coverage!

Tags: joystiqfeatures, littlebigplanet, media-molecule, parsons, shadow-of-the-colossus

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Kspraydad @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:38AM

iSight?

Anyway...I'll NEVER make a level but I'm sure looking forward to playing the creations of others.

Lootskin @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:38AM

Haha, neat.

JoeTheBlow @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:46AM

Awesome, that level was HUGE!
God, just the user created levels in this will keep us going for years.

shortyvs @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:47AM

Boy that was massive! I loved that the enemy IS the level! Also, in the brain section, when they showed what the monster was thinking, that idea should get it's own prize.

ozroller @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:55AM

Unbelievable...they're really not exaggerating when they say that you can create *anything*, are they?

Zimon @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:05AM

I'm so impressed I can't find words!

Kluv @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:48PM

holy coooow, that was amazing. too bad the guy who made it kind of sucked at gettin through the level haha. i wanted to see it played through. i hope you can'tjustdrag and drop wherever you want on any level.

Mr. Joe @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:13AM

all i have to say is.. wow. i had no idea how enormous and fun these stages could get. i was a skeptic. but i've seen the light. i am now a believer in lbp.

I.AM.IRON.MAN @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:25AM

I hate to say it but watching this video has made me less intersted in the game!!!

I do still want to try it out because i love the concept (and sack boy is so damm cute), but i might now rent/borrow before i buy.

Mr. Joe @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:50AM

not to start a fight, but you're the only one unimpressed. can you explain why?

I.AM.IRON.MAN @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:01AM

well maybe it's just because i'm watchin the vid at work so i don't have the sound on making it hard to get the whole vibe....

But the endless jumping from one ledge to another with nothing going on inbetween reminded me of the games i was playing 20+ years ago; games that always ended with me hurling the joystick at the tv!

Don't get me wrong, i think this game is an amazing achievment and i hope it does well.
I just hope that the game really is as good as the hype is telling us...

tbh i'm sure that i'll love it when i get my hands on it.

Devin @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:59AM

@I.AM

You need to watch it with audio turned on to hear the commentary.

After you watch it with audio on, then see what you think because the guy playing does not play video games and they were able to skip ahead. Also, the level is really really hard, which is a good thing. This will keep me/friends/family occupied forever. This will be Day 1 purchase for me. Media Molecule and Sony deserve to be rewarded for such a revolutionary game.

Byron517 @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:43AM

GOTY 'nuff said!! WOW... I can't wait to show my buddy who said this game wasn't going to be about shit!! I'll try and snap a photo of his face after he see's this!!! LMAO PS3 EXCLUSIVE!!!

igorponweed @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:31AM

Aw man! Someone beat me to it!

Byron517 @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:30AM

AMAZING!! I've watched this video ten times already, I cant' wait to try and make a level!!!

laru87 @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:59AM

Our Team Rocket level won most Beautiful..
i feel pretty oh soo prettyy lmao

HHH @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:08AM

am i the only one underwhelmed and unimpressed by the amateurish-ness

brett @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:30AM

Compared to the LittleBigColossus, the most fun level does look very basic.

But LittleBigColossus is genius, very smart & creative for just ONE day!

Can't wait to play it :)

Binaryfiend @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:55PM

Nope. I have to say they had some good ideas but the monster looked like crap to me. It hardly looked like a monster at all.

pliny5678 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:13AM

It's impressive, but overall the action seems rather aimless aside from getting higher.

Popfrogs @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:35PM

The same could be said of Sonic, Mario and other games that have you marching endlessly towards the right. That's how platformers work dude.

privatejoker360 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:28AM

@I am iron man...

You gotta be joking right? This was done in a 24hr period by groups of 5 people (talented agreed) per level who'd never played the game before. What a magnificent success! How can you not be drooling with childlike anticipation for this game?
Always knew it would be GOTY

I.AM.IRON.MAN @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:50AM

ahhh, maybe i should pay more attention (and turn the speakers on!)...

I didn't read the whole artical; for 24hrs work it's pretty damn good...

privatejoker360 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:31AM

@HHH...

Yes you're alone.

londontko @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:40AM

I really don't see the appeal of this game, it looks really boring if I'm being honest. I think it will be cool to see some of the levels that people come up with, it's just that the gameplay is so basic I can't see it being any fun. Can you punch or do anything besides jumping and grabbing?

Byron517 @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:52PM

Can you create anything you imagine, can you literally take real life objects using your EYE TOY and use it in game, can this game literallly be endless only limited to the imagination of the world!!???? YES!!! NOT ALL GAMES ARE ABOUT VIOLENCE AND GUTS AND PUNCHING!! STEP OUTSIDE THE BOX DUDE!!

p.s. there is punching and you can knock around your fellow sack boys/girls!! LMAO

Rottentomatos @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:54PM

Man, I love it when people go out of their way to bash a game that they don't have a single clue what it's about, or understand. The frustration really pours in, doesn't it? Pathetic.

red-orc @ Sep 24th 2008 4:32AM

I hope LBP will have anything more than just good looks ... a certain something that feels like a new challange.
Cause cooking this down it's only a good old 2D-Jump 'n' Run. Or did I miss something?

red-orc @ Sep 24th 2008 4:30AM

I hope LBP will have anything more than just good looks ... a certain something that feels like a new challange.
Cause cooking this down it's only a good old 2D-Jump 'n' Run. Or did I miss something?

PC-Max @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:01PM

Mmm not sure what the hubbub was for that. I guess for doing it in 24 hours is one thing, but I think it goes to show that it does take time to make a quality level.

Not really knocking them but time and effort makes a great level. Not rushing it. That said, as I said above, good for the time it was done it, but not much on creativity.

But a level to play is a level to play.. especially if its free.

elephant_stone @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:25PM

Jesus thats amazing! My ideas are NEVER gonna be as cool as that video!

p.s. Shadow of the Colossus rocked!

fish @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:32PM

This has got to be one of the most mind-numbingly, boring looking games I've ever seen in my life. I see people using phrases like "revolutionary", "goty" and "amazing". LOL, too funny. Revolutionary for 1986 maybe. I wouldn't even try this game if it was a gift.

I remember people spewing the same hype for Spore before they actually played it and then they proceeded to bash it to shreds. Spore did suck, but at least Spore had gameplay more complex than running left or right and jumping.

Sorry for the bashing, hopefully it delivers for you guys. I would like to see the game succeed. It's just not for me.

Rottentomatos @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:55PM

This comment:
"Man, I love it when people go out of their way to bash a game that they don't have a single clue what it's about, or understand. The frustration really pours in, doesn't it? Pathetic."

is for you.

"This has got to be one of the most mind-numbingly, boring looking games I've ever seen in my life."

You have to be one of the most pathetic gamers I've ever seen. You haven't played many games have you? Just hating on a single game because it isn't on your console.

"I wouldn't even try this game if it was a gift."

You kid yourself, way too much. Go back to playing your mindless shooters while we who can actually appreciate something NEW and actually "THIS GEN", no, not updated versions of previous games, but an actual new concept that can be fun if executed well.

Seems like people forgot about Mario, and it seems to me you don't like platformers.

Might want to actually PLAY the game before spewing more crap.

kentuckyfried @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:45PM

^ I'm not grasping what all the hype is about, but I've pre-ordered and I will admit that I am intrigued. Not so much by the gameplay (which seems like your typical platformer). But by the creative tools that are being espoused as "easy to use" as well as the fact that everyone's creations will be shareable, making this a first in terms of online level creation and distribution.

The creation aspect is almost certainly going to be the more fun part for a large number of people, and that can only be a good thing if it ignites a craze like the Sims.

tom @ Sep 24th 2008 7:33AM

the vid wont play on my ps3

Junction @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:38PM

This video managed to do absolutely nothing to improve the over-all appeal of this game. The fatalities in LBP aren't particularly 'galvanizing' -- they're sackpeople, tear the little tossers up. I want to see gory simulated deaths: beheadings, dismemberment, disfigured limbs, with the stuffing acting as innards, and what not -- brutal cutesy savagery.

Littlebigplanet and hormonally challenged sadism, now that's an amusing combination. The main objective should be the design of intricately involuted death-traps. This is just... dull.

Rottentomatos @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:57PM

Sorry, this was actually a reply to "fish"s comment.

Binaryfiend @ Sep 23rd 2008 4:46PM

I sure hope it looks this cruddy due to time and artists skill limitations and not limitations in the game itself. I am determined to make levels that are more creative and waaay more polished than this.

lorddshadow @ Sep 23rd 2008 5:31PM

OMG that was the coolest thing i have seen all month.

Jawon @ Sep 23rd 2008 6:46PM

Where is the Colossus?

joe @ Dec 12th 2008 7:07PM

let me set the record straight. I built the "Most Fun" level with my three team mates. To the naigh sayers... The game is awesome, revolutionary, etc. After 24 hours of straight building I went home and sat on my couch and thought, gee I wish I could play little big planet right now. What makes this game is the physics engine. It is tweaked perfectly, allowing enough realism for interesting things to happen but also enough forgiveness so that... well... interesting things can happen.

To those critical of our entry: yes the level was basic. We started that at five in the morning after ditching an effort that we spent most of the previous day on that was going nowhere. The level we ended up with is tons of fun with more than one player. Everyone ends up screaming at each other to keep the car pointed in the proper direction (you control the pitch of the car with the left analog while holding on). We are going to put a bit more effort into it before it is released online with the game.

The Colossus level is pretty really beautiful and really really hard...

T minus 10 @ Sep 24th 2008 1:44AM

I never really looked to much into this game, but this video has me really interested. I kinda has swayed my decision to check it out. Looks like it could be a lot of fun.

Whubbsie @ Sep 24th 2008 6:34PM

I this just a graphics design school? better off giving it to a new media school.

Anyway I loved how huge the level was and the look the idea was good but the gameplay was poorly executed, I hope people realize they need to add other elements of gameplay than just run and jump, and set goals for their levels to be interesting.

Obvious elements would be lots of physics puzzles so you can move forward.

This level could of had puzzles to solve where you hurt the monster and once you have done them all the monster dies/collapses and you finish the level.

Bux @ Sep 24th 2008 10:21PM

I would think that making the monster "collapse-able" would take longer than 24 hrs dude ;) Although I was expecting like a power shortage of the brain or something like that since the fish told him to save the sackboys from it, the level was amazing and I hope that I will be imaginative enough to create something even remotely similar to this :D

I'd kill to play this game right now, curse the slow server speed of Eurogamer :(

Whubbsie @ Sep 25th 2008 8:09PM

yeah I guess that would be expecting too much for just 24hours, but like you said even a simple trigger to shut the monster off would of been good, at least that would give you a goal to work to.

Tell you the truth I think I'd expect better from a group of designers in 24 hours students or not.

Still it was cool

Lepruk @ Sep 28th 2008 9:40PM

I can't believe anyone is saying 'I expected more'...

Firstly; Strip away everything and LBP is a platformer; run, jump. dodge and score... If these concepts bore you then of course LBP will 'look dull'...

I am a HUGE Megaman / mario / sonic fan etc and love platformers. Anyone whom claims this to be 'mindless jumping' should go and play old-skool Megaman games... Platformers present as much of a challenge as any other genre.

You can say the same about racing; every racing game you have to drive your car/bike/buggy to the finish line; yet the style of the game and flow and new physics dictates the impressiveness.

Super Mario Galaxy was an evolution in 3D platforming (with the exception of maybe psychonaughts)
and LBP is the evolution of 2D.

This level very much reminds me of Sotc and I think the thing is complicated enough without adding enemies etc; I think getting through this whole thing flawlessly is going to be difficult.

Aside from this bash against basher's the creativity side of LBP is through the roof... the game is as customizable as something like myspace.

I really can't wait and as long as the platforming works I will be playing this for at least a good 3-4 months (though probably much longer).