littlebigplanet-psp posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Like a child with all the world's toys at his disposal but no one to play with, Sackboy drifts lonesomely across the 2D plane. At first glance, the confines of LittleBigPlanet PSP appear to be punishment for the heaps of joy he carelessly reaped with his now missing friends -- even with complete strangers -- as they indulged in orgies of pure fun in the PS3 version. Had he taken these spontaneous acts of foolishness and delight for granted, Sackboy wondered.

"The one thing we've lost is multiplayer," senior producer Mark Green explained of LBP PSP to Eurogamer at GamesCom this week. "The system is physically capable of doing multiplayer, but perhaps not with the full physics system. On the technical side of things you lose a third of the processing power or a third of the system memory just to do multiplayer at all. With those limitations we couldn't achieve it." Couldn't achieve what? Joy?

Green did clarify that the PSP game will feature "full" level creation and sharing (online/ad-hoc) modes. Additionally, further tweaks to LBP PSP include downsizing the game field to one 2D plane (no foreground and background planes) and so-called improvement upon the original's floaty jump mechanic. Did we also mention there's ... no multiplayer?

Playing only makes up for one third of the "Play, Create, Share" motto. We know LittleBigPlanet for PSP plays a lot like the PS3 version. But, how's the creation aspect? Sony Cambridge shared a new trailer at Gamescom today highlighting the creation tools of LBP PSP.

For better or for worse, it looks exactly like it did on the PS3. The Pop-It tool seems to drive the familiar experience, giving players access to a variety of textures and objects. The PS3 editor certainly has been successful so far (creating over a million levels so far), but those that expected a more streamlined process for the handheld version may be disappointed.

When LittleBigPlanet PSP was first announced, we instinctively guessed there would be connectivity with the PS3 game. Looks like we were right. Players that own the original game will be able to unlock bonus content through a feature Sony is calling "Cross-Talk." No details on what the bonuses will entail, but we wouldn't be surprised if owners of both are treated to some exclusive costumes.

In addition to confirming PS3 connectivity, a leaked retail sellsheet notes that Sony will be planning a "multi-million dollar marketing push" for the game -- makes sense, when you consider the PSP Go is launching this year. Finally, Sony also confirmed plans for a PlayStation Network demo of the game. For the millions of PSP owners that don't have a PS3, this will undoubtedly the very first taste they get of LBP's "Play, Create, Share" motto.

[Thanks, Stephen H.!]