Waggle 2.0: Still for Noobs Only

When Mr. Keeley and I discussed the Wii a few weeks back, I concluded that motion gaming's future looked more promising on the two other systems – Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Sony seems to agree since, last week, they announced Playstation Move. This is not an autonomous system; like Microsoft's camera-based Project Natal, it will serve as a relaunch of sorts for the company's existing system. Because of this, Move has a bit more work to do than the Wii did. It must rope in casual gamers while still appealing to discerning hardcore gamers. In other words, it has to be every bit as inviting as the Wii but offer some genuine depth.

The way Sony chose to unveil this new wand/camera control system to the public showed a clear focus on the former: Wooing the Wii crowd. One of the first games they unveiled is a naked attempt to emulate Wii Sports, but in HD – Sports Champions. Sony claims that the Move controller is far more precise than the Wiimote and that this will markedly enhance the experience. It will be impossible to assess the quality of the gameplay before it is released, but the game's subject matter clearly suggests that the Playstation Move is more an upgrade over the Wii than an attempt to reinvent motion gaming.

That fact only became harder to ignore as Sony trotted out a slew of party games and rail shooters at their press conference. The technology may have been upgraded but the creativity has not.

Naturally, if the motion-centric games are proving hopelessly shallow and derivative, an alternative lies with games that deign to incorporate motion as a secondary form of control. Cue LittleBigPlanet. The demo Sony provided illustrated how this constantly evolving game can grow to incorporate motion control. Users will be able to create levels that are played normally by one person but contain obstacles that require assistance from a second person with Move. It was not entirely organic, with one person controlling the onscreen character and another controlling a disembodied force, but it seemed like it had some potential.

The other entry in this category was SOCOM 4, the latest in Sony's line of military shooters. This game is fully playable with either the traditional DualShock 3 controller or Move. Options are always nice, but this raises a few concerns. First, will the motion control ever be a preferable alternative? It is not likely to prove as precise as the DualShock, especially in a third person shooter. Second, will players using one form of control play against those using the other in online matches? That would create a huge potential for imbalance, as both modes of control will surely have different strengths. Finally, will the added work necessary to implement all of this detract from the overall experience? I cannot imagine that either mode of control will be as tight as it could have been if only one had been included.

Sony clearly wanted to throw serious gamers a bone with SOCOM 4, but I doubt that they will bite, given all of these issues. Furthermore, similar issues will probably plague any other games that try to straddle the line. Sony needs games that are substantive, but still built from the ground up to utilize what the Move has to offer.

Oddly enough, the only game Sony presented that I felt even hinted at this ideal was about as simple as a game could get: EyePet.

Now, this hardly qualifies as a deep game, but I bring it up for the potential it shows. This game illustrates the unique capabilities of the Playstation Move like nothing else does: Nintendo has motion control and Microsoft has camera-based control, but Sony has both. That could result in some surprisingly dynamic and immersive experiences. The number of ways in which players can interact with their EyePet is impressive. There will obviously need to be much more to any games that wish to capitalize on this potential, but EyePet was the only Move game that felt like a glimpse at the future.

Or maybe it was just the pop music.

Even that one flash of excitement I felt was quickly tempered by a dose of reality: This crap is going to be expensive. Sony has promised that a starter pack, including a Move controller, a Playstation Eye camera and a Move-enabled game, will sell for less than $100. Not a bad deal, on the face of it, but when considering the social experience for which these games are clearly striving, one controller simply will not cut it. Some games may even require one person to use two Move controllers or one Move and something called a Sub-Controller (think Wii Nunchuk). So, while experiencing EyePet will only cost $100, experiencing all of the possibilities of Move will cost considerably more.

At the very least, the introduction of Playstation Move represents a renewed commitment to the Playstation 3 on Sony's part. No one wants a new generation of systems anytime soon, and this ensures that it is not coming. At the same time, Move will certainly open up real gaming to new people. It has a unique capacity to bring casual gamers to a system with a deep library, creating a viable path for their growth into serious gamers.

That path will likely lead them to outgrow Move, however. Sony seems to have a weak case for this acting as anything more than a hook for the uninitiated. If that is the extent of their plan, an aggressively priced Move may very well do its job. I would not count on gaining much attention from those who are already on the boat, though; they will see Move for what it is.

LittleBigPlanet: One Year Later

For all of my excitement over LittleBigPlanet last summer, I could not help but feel a bit apprehensive. Media Molecule's humble, little game for the Playstation 3 had tremendous buzz from the media, but no one could be sure how well the game would really work until it was loosed upon the world and given some time to grow. Some wondered if putting faith in the gamer masses to keep such a game alive and vibrant was naive. Thankfully, the game's whimsical aesthetic was not merely window dressing. LittleBigPlanet has not only captured the imaginations of millions of gamers; it has allowed them to flourish.

LittleBigPlanet's launch was, admittedly, a bit rocky. Controversy over the lyrics in one of the game's licensed songs delayed its worldwide release by a few days. It was, sadly, a faux pas that resulted from the developers' desire to make a game that drew from a diverse mix of cultures, but it was rectified swiftly and the delays were ultimately minor. There were a few other flaws, these more closely related to the game itself, that initially hampered the game, as well. The original system for locating a user-created level was woefully clunky. Players only had one choice for finding a level – the cryptic "Cool Levels" section that would select a few new and popular levels to advertise. It did not take more than a few weeks, however, for robust search and sorting options to be introduced to the game.

Suddenly, a burgeoning world full of excellent levels was easily accessible. Yes, there is certainly the predictable share of junk levels – "Easy Trophies!" "1,000 Free Objects!" – but it does not take much work to locate countless, other levels that are easily on par with Media Molecule's own (excellent) work.

The first level I recall truly blowing my understanding of the game's possibilities out of the water was Upsilandre's "LittleBigComputer." Hardly a typical level, there is no platforming and no clear goal for the player; there is simply a fully-functional calculator that the creator had built using the mechanical materials provided.

I find it very unlikely that the developers foresaw their tools being used in this sort of way. That such work is possible speaks to the versatility of the tools they created – not to mention the obvious ingenuity of the level's creator. Be sure to check out the end of the video, when the creator explores the guts of the device. It is jaw-dropping.

Most players, undoubtedly, came to LittleBigPlanet for a more traditional, platforming-based experience. Media Molecule's own levels that shipped on the disc certainly fit the bill. Yet, the developers have not released a single new level since the game's launch. It is a shrewd move – a decisive show of faith in the community and the spirit of the game. I, admittedly, often find myself wishing that they would make a few more levels but the developers know better than to try to overshadow the work of the game's community.

There is no shortage of excellent, traditional levels from the LittleBigPlanet community, either. Countless works showcase an incredible knack for level design, lighting, art design and engineering among many community members.

One example, dan_e2040's "Yggdrasil," remains one of my favorites to this day. It boasts a solid mix of jumping-and-grabbing traversal sections, disappearing platforms and original vehicle sequences. It is all set in a wonderfully atmospheric forest of ancient trees, softly lit by multicolored lights. Even down to the carriage that ends the level, each object is rendered with an amazingly detailed array of rustic branches and planks.

Other creators have dreamed up levels that are equally fun to play, but push the creation tools to their extremes, making levels that not only provide unique challenges, but incredible visual experiences, as well.

ShadowFlareX's "Illumina Garden 2," for example, makes wonderful use of the game's powerful lighting tools. Players must traverse platforms of light, as they navigate the otherwise pitch-black level. Simply jumping from one platform to another takes on a whole new level of difficulty when only the character's feet are visibile. Glowing spheres lift the player for surreal floating sequences and other sections have the player navigating the level in silhouette. While the aesthetics in this level certainly have an effect on how it is played, it will affect viewers' eyes more than it does their fingers. The level is simply beautiful, with bold colors and ethereal shadows permeating every corner.

One glance reveals that this level is brilliant from an artistic standpoint, but anyone familiar with LittleBigPlanet's creation tools will also be floored by ShadowFlare's innovations from a technical standpoint. I am quite familiar with the Create Mode in the game, and I no idea how the creator achieved much of what he or she did with this level.

Needless to say, I have have barely even skimmed the top of what has become a massive collection of levels – over one million as of late July. There is no question that players will continue to break new ground with this game, providing much fun for others to discover. Media Molecule has showed no interest in letting the pace slow, either. The addition of the Paintinator (a paint gun pickup) to the game late last year added a whole new level of gameplay mechanics and the impending addition of water and swimming mechanics this fall promises to change the game even more. LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition was recently released as well, featuring exclusive, new levels from some of the community's best creators.

One year later, it is apparent that LittleBigPlanet did not merely meet the huge expectations it fostered before its release; the game continues to surprise in both the versatility of the platform and the brilliance of its community's creators. In short, gamers have proven that Media Molecule's faith was well placed and that we all get to reap the benefits.

Sackboy: He's Kind of a LittleBigDeal

Who would have thought that something as humbly named as Sackboy would be poised to turn the gaming world on its ear? Media Molecule and Sony Computer Entertainment's new game, "LittleBigPlanet" has been receiving almost boundless praise from the gaming media since it was announced roughly one year ago. The game's full impact, however, cannot be gauged until it is loosed into the wilds of pop culture at large. Once that happens, mark my words, it will become a phenomenon.

At first glance, "LittleBigPlanet" seems quaint. It features a bunch of top-heavy little characters flopping around what looks like a carnival attraction. The objectives are simple: find this, go here, avoid this, fight that -- time tested mechanics of 2D platforming games, such as Mario and Sonic. Obviously, there is a new sheen of warmly lit, high definition graphics, but the simplicity is still apparent.

This simplicity is both central to the game's appeal and highly deceptive. It is deceptive because it belies a staggering amount of complexity. Media Molecule touts three words that will define gamers' experience with "LittleBigPlanet": create, share and play. Playing through the dozens of levels contained on the game disc is certainly part of the fun. The game has striking art design and seems to have solid gameplay, but this is only one aspect of the experience. Users have a staggering array of tools at their disposal, allowing them to create levels of their own and then, perhaps most significantly, share them with the world. "LittleBigPlanet" is essentially going to do for games what YouTube did for video. Suddenly, it does not require tons of software, education or (for better or worse) effort to share your creations with the world.

The level of creative freedom players have in the game is hard to convey. The full breadth of options, after all, is still not known, as the game will not be released until October. Examples of what has already been done, however, show much more than any list of bullet points ever could. The possibilities as far as art design, gameplay, and even storytelling are boundless.

Keep in mind that everything you see in these clips was created with the same tools gamers will have at their disposal.

There are countless other videos on YouTube that show the actual creation process, and it is apparent that its depth does not come at the expense of accessibility. The interface and controls are extremely intuitive, ensuring that players are only bound by the limits of their creativity.

By and large, there is nothing like "LittleBigPlanet." Microsoft does provide low-level development software for users to create Xbox Live games, but it is aimed at aspiring game designers and not the masses. The game's focus on community and its nostalgic aesthetic are what really bring the experience together and raise it far above any other gaming experience.

Whether you are creating a level, playing one of the pre-designed levels or playing another user's level online, you can be joined by up to three friends at any time, both those sitting on the couch next to you or those across the ocean -- and it's all seamless. Users' levels will be regulated with a star-based rating system and organized geographically, based on the creator's location.

Every step of the way, the game maintains its striking aesthetic. The main menu is a Sackboy navigating a paper maché solar system in a cardboard box that has been fashioned into a spaceship. Levels are set in the grass or dirt of a backyard. The Sackpeople have visible stitches and wear outfits of construction paper and yarn. It is simply impossible to lay eyes on the goofy expressions of these simple, little characters and not be overcome with a childish spirit of whimsical imagination.

This all may be very high praise for a game that has yet to be released, but the if the universal excitement this game has received thus far is any indication, the gaming community is only the first group of people that is going to fall in love with "LittleBigPlanet." Picasso once said it took him his entire life to learn to paint like a child. With "LittleBigPlanet," it seems that people the world over are going to take one big step in that direction.