Best PS3 Themes

Gran Turismo 5
European box art featuring the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Developer(s)	Polyphony Digital
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)	Kazunori Yamauchi
Producer(s)	Kazunori Yamauchi
Programmer(s)	Yuji Yasuhara Takahito Tejima
Series	Gran Turismo
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Release	NA/EU: November 24, 2010[2] AU/JP: November 25, 2010[1]
Genre(s)	Racing simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gran Turismo 5 (グランツーリスモ 5, Guran Tsūrisumo Faibu, commonly abbreviated as GT5) is a 2010 racing simulation video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth main installment and the tenth overall in the Gran Turismo series. It was released on November 24, 2010, in Europe and North America, and November 25, 2010, in Japan and Australasia.^[3][2] It was preceded by the Prologue version and is the first main entry of the series to be released for the PlayStation 3.

The game marks the first entry in the series with online races with support for up to 16 players. A damage model has been included with variations of damage depending on the car. Over 1,000 cars, 29 different locations, 77 different tracks, and a track generator are available in the game.^[4] Dynamic time and weather effects make their debut in the series. World Rally Championship, NASCAR and Super GT licenses are utilized for the first time in the Gran Turismo series.^[5][6]

Gran Turismo 5 was well-received critically and a commercial success, becoming the second best-selling PlayStation 3 game, the best-selling PlayStation 3 exclusive and the third best-selling game in the series with nearly 12 million copies sold.^[7] The game also won multiple awards and turned some players into real-life professional racing drivers with the GT Academy competition.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Gameplay[edit]

New features[edit]

Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to provide a damage model, with variations of damage depending on the car. The game also features weather effects, which are available on certain circuits. Optional stereoscopic-3D resolution and karting found a place in the game.^[12] Furthermore, new visual effects have been introduced, including dynamic skid marks, dust and the ability for drivers to flash their headlights. A course editor which allows the player to create new circuits by using tools that randomly generate track-parts according to certain player-selected specifications, including the number of corners, the time of day and the number of sectors. There are a variety of themes the player can choose from to act as a base for each circuit design. Themes also have an effect on track length and highest elevation.^[13]

The physics are significantly revised compared with Gran Turismo 4. Cars no longer instantly turn-in but realistically must load up the outside wheel first, and destabilizing effects (such as under braking) have greater influence.^[14]

Gran Turismo 5 is the first game in the franchise to include both mechanical and external damage modelling, including a real-time deformation engine that processes model deformation according to the speed and angle of impact.^[15] It is also possible to overturn cars for the first time in the series.^[16] The cars in GT5 are separated into "premium" and "standard" vehicles. Premium vehicles are more detailed and include a fully-detailed cockpit view, while standard vehicles are less detailed. Standard cars initially could not receive aftermarket wheels, however, as of the version 2.02 update this is no longer the case. Gran Turismo 2 previously included damage, but was limited to mechanical failures only.

Tracks[edit]

Gran Turismo 5 allows players to drive 31 different locations or "scenery" and 81 different track layouts (the previous iteration in the main numbered series, Gran Turismo 4, included 51 tracks total).^[4] Dunsfold Aerodrome, located in the United Kingdom – the test track of the British automotive television show Top Gear – is included in the game.^[17] The playable demo of Gran Turismo 5 at Gamescom 2009 featured the Tokyo Route 246 track, seen in previous incarnations of the game.^[18][19] Various real-life circuits return from previous games in the series. These include (among others) Nürburgring, Circuit de la Sarthe, Tsukuba Circuit, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca^[20] and Suzuka Circuit.^[21] New real-life circuits included in the game include (among others) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monza Circuit, Daytona International Speedway and two new Rome and Madrid city circuits. Many fictional circuits return from previous games in the series including 'Trial Mountain', 'Deep Forest Raceway' and 'Autumn Ring'. An official list of all tracks available in the game has been released by Polyphony Digital.^[22]

Downloadable tracks[edit]

The "Track Pack" downloadable content, includes Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (with weather change) and Kart Space I/II. On January 17, 2012, Polyphony Digital released the "Speed Test Pack" that includes "Special Stage Route X". In June, Twin Ring Motegi returned to the series as DLC after the 2012 GT Academy.^[23]

Vehicles[edit]

Gran Turismo 5 provides a total of 1,089 cars.^[24] Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti make their first main release appearance in the franchise. The new "gullwing" Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG appeared, along with the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Lexus LFA supercar. McLaren also made their first appearance as a native manufacturer with the inclusion of the McLaren F1 road car, the F1 GTR race edition, and the MP4-12C road car. It is the first main release in the series to feature licensed Formula One cars, with the Ferrari F2007 and F10 included. Le Mans spec cars made a return appearance. Hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are included in the game. The series' creator Kazunori Yamauchi mentioned that the latest hybrid and electric cars would be included, including the Tesla Roadster (2008) and Mitsubishi i-MiEV.^[5][25] At Gamescom 2010, it was also revealed that GT5 would include the Jaguar XJ13 race car prototype, as well as the Ferrari 330 P4 and the Ford Mark IV race cars, and as the developers put it, "will allow players to create the race that never came to be", since the XJ13 program was canceled before the car was ready for competition. Additionally, in association with Red Bull Racing, the development team worked on a new prototype car called the "X2010 Prototype" which was designed with the idea of, "If you built the fastest racing car on land, one that throws aside all rules and regulations, what would that car look like, how would it perform, and how would it feel to drive?" This car was worked on by Polyphony Digital and Red Bull's aerodynamics expert, Adrian Newey, and is one of the cars in the game.^[26] Up to 16 cars or 32 karts would be able to race on track at once whereas previous installments allowed only six cars per race max. Polyphony Digital released the official vehicle list which also shows which vehicles were to be standard or premium.^[27]

The cars in GT5 are separated into two categories, premium and standard. Premium cars are highly detailed and thus have high polygon counts, high texture resolution, feature headlights capable of high and low beams, detailed interior camera views, and detailed damage models. Premium cars also have working windshield wipers which are operated on tracks with rain or snow. Standard cars have lower polygon counts and texture resolution, standard headlights and basic damage modelling. After the Spec 2.0 update they feature simplified interior camera views. For open-topped cars, they have a functioning steering wheel and working gauges. Around 25% of all cars in the game fall into the "premium" category.^[28]

Classic sports cars are also a distinctive feature in GT5. Classics such as the Triumph Spitfire, Mini Marcos and Alfa Romeo Spider have also been added. Alongside this, some commercial vehicles have unusually been added to the game. Vehicles such as the Volkswagen Type 2 and the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen have been added to the game.

Downloadable cars[edit]

In the Spec 2.0 update, there is the #71 Schulze Motorsport Nissan GT-R which Yamauchi drove in the 2011 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the new stock car designs of the 2011 NASCAR Season. In the new "Racing Car Pack" DLC, there are 14 new touring cars that are based on cars in the game like the Honda CR-Z and the Toyota Prius. Also, there is a newer version of the Red Bull X2010 called the X2011. On December 20, 2011, Polyphony Digital released "Car Pack 2" which features 2 new Volkswagen vehicles, the Golf R and Scirocco R, the new 2012 Nissan GT-R Black Edition and the 2011 Mini Cooper S. On January 9, 2012, PD has released a concept video for the upcoming Acura NSX for the North American International Auto Show. However, Kazunori did not state any information about the NSX's DLC release. The week after, Polyphony released "Car Pack 3" together with the "Speed Test Pack" which includes the Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Nissan Leaf, Mini Countryman, Volkswagen Beetle and a Premium Jaguar XJR-9. In June, a free DLC release added a new car: the Scion FR-S, a variant model of the Toyota 86 and Scion's first vehicle to appear as a premium model.^[23] On September 25, update 2.08 brought 3 new cars: the Honda Weider HSV-010 '11 Super GT car, the Subaru BRZ (another variant of the Toyota 86), and the Nissan GT-R N24 GT Academy '12 car, which participated in the 2012 24 Hours Nürburgring.,^[29] On 28 November, the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Prototype was released as a free DLC. On January 15, 2013, the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Final Prototype was released as another free DLC.

Development[edit]

The game was first revealed at E3 2005 under the name Vision Gran Turismo. This was not GT5 but simply Gran Turismo 4 (for the PlayStation 2) with more cars on track and PC-rendered footage. The PlayStation 3 would not be released until November 11, 2006, and with no Gran Turismo game in the console's launch line-up. Various bits of information and news was revealed about the game from then on, but it was not for another three years that the public got a chance to have a proper look at GT5.

At Sony's E3 2009 Press Conference, a trailer for Gran Turismo 5 was shown, revealing the inclusion of Super GT, NASCAR and WRC but no release date was revealed.^[30] Yamauchi said that "We've actually reached a point where we can probably release [GT5] anytime, except that you can also keep working as long as you want to as well, it's just a matter of timing".^[31] Yamauchi later explained that "Deciding a release date for a game is always difficult, as it's not something I can decide on my own. The agreement on a date comes between various parties at Sony, and it's not necessarily a date I would be hoping for. March would've been too early. We could have produced the game in time to make that deadline, but the finished product wouldn't have had everything that I wanted to include". Sony Computer Entertainment has certain control over the release dates of their games, which could be one of the contributing factors delaying Gran Turismo 5.^[32] Gran Turismo 5 was shown off extensively at E3 2010 including a new trailer, a North and Latin American release date, playable demos on the show floor and various private press conferences revealing new information about the game. Alongside the original release, two collector's editions were released; one featuring some extra bonus content and the other, more expensive option containing extra paraphernalia such as further reading on car racing.

Overall, Gran Turismo 5 took more than five years to complete, with a total cost estimated at $60 million, although Polyphony Digital did release four other games during this period.^[33] The first game in the series had also taken five years.^[34] Yamauchi has expressed the difficulty of developing for the PlayStation 3, specifically mentioning how the extensively different (at the time) architecture of the Cell processor had made programming extremely challenging and time-consuming.^[35] This greater than expected difficulty to program for the Cell processor is speculated by some people to also be part of the reasons why Gran Turismo 5 was delayed a number of times.^[35]

All downloadable contents were removed from sale on April 30, 2014. The online servers were shut down on May 30 the same year.^[36] On April 29, Sony announced the final online event for Gran Turismo 5, which started on April 30 and ended with the shutdown of the online servers. Players were awarded with five cars in Gran Turismo 6 for participating in the event.^[37]

Time Trial Demo and 2010 GT Academy[edit]

The GT5 Time Trial Demo was released on December 17, 2009, on the PlayStation Network; it was only playable while the user was signed into the PlayStation Network. It was not so much a demo of GT5 itself, but as the first part of the 2010 GT Academy, with the fastest drivers from the time trial eventually getting the chance to drive a real racing car in a real racing series. Nevertheless, it showed what progress had been made since Polyphony Digital's previous game, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in terms of graphics, physics and other aspects of game-play and design. It featured stock and tuned versions of the Nissan 370Z. The track featured in the demo was the Indianapolis GP circuit, which is new to the Gran Turismo series.^[38] This demo was praised for its graphics and updated physics, however it has been criticized for its stiff camera, and confusion over what aspects of the final game the demo represents. The Time Trial demo is no longer playable since the 2010 GT Academy was finished.

2011 GT Academy[edit]

On November 16, 2010, it was revealed that the GT Academy would return for a third year, this time for drivers in the USA. GT Academy is a three-phase competition with the winner being trained and enrolled as a professional racing driver in preparation for a major race event next year. A reality TV show on sports channel SPEED chronicled the competition. The preliminary virtual rounds tested of driving skills in Gran Turismo 5 using pre-selected Nissan vehicles and all entrants would receive free digital content for playing. The top 32 drivers were then invited to a live GT5 National Finals, with the 16 leading players taken to the GT Academy Boot Camp.^[39][40] The second round of the competition was scrapped due to the widespread use of cheating.^[41]

Sony and Polyphony Digital have confirmed that the Gran Turismo 5 Academy events would be available for European players to participate in from March 4, 2011.^[42]

Song Track Naming Competition[edit]

At E3 2010, a new trailer was shown revealing various aspects about GT5 including a release date. The song used for the trailer was by Japanese composer Daiki Kasho; many fans wanted to know the name of the song, but it was untitled. Polyphony Digital recognised this and started a competition open to all fans around the world, to submit a name for the song. The winner would have their name immortalised in Gran Turismo 5s credits and their title become the official name of the music track.^[43] The winner was chosen by Yamauchi out of 5,444 entries: it was "50UL 0N D!SPLAY" (a stylised form of "Soul On Display") submitted by a fan from Argentina.^[44]

Other peripherals[edit]

Kazunori Yamauchi promised that Gran Turismo 5 could have some compatibility with the PlayStation Portable version. He stated, "we're going to make it so that you can actually export the cars for the PSP version into Gran Turismo 5, so you can export your garage".^[45]

The game was reported by media in September 2009 to allow head tracking using the PlayStation Eye, though no official confirmation came in the following months. This feature would allow the player to move their head naturally while sitting down, upright, and have the view around the 3D cockpit change accordingly.^[46]

Officially announced in conjunction with Toyota in January 2010 was a GPS-based device which, when loaded into the game, would create a 'ghost' lap of a run through a race circuit in real life if equipped for data recording, allowing someone to view or race against their real life driving.^[47] This became available for tracks which exist in real life, but there was no information on which or how many circuits in total would support the feature.

Multiple screens[edit]

The game supports up to six different views that can be presented on six or more PS3 consoles. Two left views, two right views, server view (front with dials), and a front view without any dials all can be duplicated on an extra PS3 console if they are on the same LAN.

Updates[edit]

The game has been updated and expanded several times in its lifespan.^[48] Many of the updates have improved the multiplayer racing, including weight and power restrictions on which cars can be driven in an online session, a car performance rating system, handicaps such as ballast and engine restriction, mechanical damage, and the ability to use the built-in course maker in online multiplayer races. Physics updates have not been documented in the update logs, however many users have noted changes to the physics once updates are installed. Other updates have included additional events, an online car dealership, removal of the copy protection for saved games, friend rankings, and various adjustments to the rewards and restrictions in the game.^{[49][50][51][52][53]}

The final update (v2.16) was released on May 31, 2014, which permanently disabled all online features such as online play and Seasonal events. On July 21 another patch (v2.17) was released, which removed the online requirement for installing the downloadable content after the servers went offline.

Spec 2.0 and DLC[edit]

A new update for Gran Turismo 5, called Spec 2.0 was released on October 11, 2011, featuring 11 new NASCAR vehicles, a new downloadable opening movie^[54] (no longer available after the server shutdown in 2014), the ability to save during endurance races, weather intensity control and AI improvements. Along with the release of Spec 2.0, Yamauchi also announced that four DLC packs would be available on October 18. These packs featured 15 new vehicles, two new tracks, 20 new driver costumes and 100 new paint colors.^[55] The packs were released on October 18, while the North American release was delayed until October 25.^[56] PD stated that all following DLC packs would be released in a two-month time frame.^[57]

• A second car pack was released on December 20, 2011, that features four new vehicles: the Mini Cooper S, Volkswagen Golf VI R, Volkswagen Scirocco R and the Nissan GT-R Black Edition.
• A third downloadable-content pack was released on January 17, 2012, featuring the track "Route X" and a third car pack including Nissan Leaf G 2011, Aston Martin V12 Vantage 2010, Volkswagen Beetle 1200 1966, Jaguar XJR-9 LM Racecar 1988, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 2011, and the Mini Cooper S Countryman (R60) 2011.^[58]
• GT Academy was released on May 1, 2012, as a free standalone title on the PlayStation Network as a collaboration between Nissan and Polyphony Digital. A key feature was the ability to unlock exclusive "academy cars" for use in Gran Turismo 5 as well as a special racing suit for anyone who completed all challenges. The rewards for the game were handed out on July 4.
• A fourth downloadable-content pack featuring Twin Ring Motegi along with a free Scion FR-S was released on 26 June 2012.^[23]
• A fifth pack added three individual cars: a Honda Weider HSV-010 '11 Super GT car, the Subaru BRZ, and the Nissan GT-R N24 GT Academy '12 race car. It was released on September 25, 2012.^[29]
• A free DLC with Corvette C7 Test Prototype was released on 28 November 2012.^[59]
• A free DLC with the Corvette C7 Final Prototype was released on January 15, 2013, revealing the Corvette C7's body and interior.^[60]
• A new cumulative package which contains all the aforementioned content was released sometime in Q2 2015.

As of today, all downloadable content has been permanently removed from PlayStation Store.

Online play[edit]

Gran Turismo 5 also featured an online mode. Players would meet in 'lounges' or 'race rooms' and give away (and/or share) cars, car parts and trained AI drivers to friends. They could also share game pictures and designed tracks.

All online activity closed on May 20, 2014,^[61] but a special event was held from April 30 to May 30 that allowed players to unlock five additional cars for Gran Turismo 6.^[62]

Marketing[edit]

Gran Turismo 5's marketing campaign started on November 18, 2010, with a TV commercial featuring the fictional marketing character Kevin Butler as part of Sony Computer Entertainment's It Only Does Everything advertising campaign for their video game products in North America. The commercial depicts Butler as the 'VP of Add More Awesome' explaining how he made Gran Turismo 5 "more awesome" by adding more features that were previously thought impossible.^[63]

At the October 2010 Australian International Motor Show, Toyota hosted a 24-hour PlayStation 3 GT5 endurance race, a recreation of the 24 Hours Nürburgring, with a total of 48 drivers split into two teams, racing virtual interpretations of the Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept for a full day and night.^[64][65][66]

On November 14, it was revealed that Sony had teamed with Swiss watchmaker Tissot to host the official countdown timer for the launch of Gran Turismo 5. To promote the relationship, Tissot gave away one customized, GT5 edition Tissot PRS 516, every day up until the release date.^[67] In February 2011, a real version of the Polyphony Digital-designed Citroën GT was floated by the Rialto Bridge in Venice, recreating a location in Gran Turismo 4.^[68]

Release[edit]

After promising that GT5 would be released in 2010 after missing its initial March 2010 Japanese release date, Sony announced at E3 2010 that Gran Turismo 5 would be officially launched in North and Latin America on November 2, in Europe and Japan on November 3 and in Australia on November 4, 2010,^[69] but was later revealed that the game would not meet its November release date and would instead be released later in the "holiday season".^[70] Sony producer Taku Imasaki said that the reason for the delay was that series creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital want to "make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience". In addition, the Sony spokesman Makiko Noda said that the reason of the delay was due to production reasons. Later, Sony stated that the game would be released "before Christmas" [2010].^[71]

The actual reason for the delay turned out to be on the production side. Gran Turismo 5 missed its production window by three days. Kazunori Yamauchi publicly apologized via his Twitter account and explained that with such a complex game, a lot has to be ironed out. He finished his Tweet with, "Wait a little longer".^[72][73] It was later claimed by a Blu-ray forum moderator that the delay was due to Sony's decision to release the game under the newer 3.50 SDK firmware standard (to combat piracy), rather than 3.41 as originally intended.^[74][75] While at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show on November 2, 2010, Yamauchi confirmed to automotive blog Jalopnik that GT5 had entered final production for release.^[76]

After weeks of speculation, it was officially announced that Gran Turismo 5 would be released on November 24 for Asia, North America and Europe^[3][2] and November 25 for Japan and Australia.^[1][77]

Retail editions[

Posted on August 2, 2008August 2, 2008

LittleBigPlanet #16

LittleBigPlanet theme by tony

Download: LittleBigPlanet_16.p3t

(6 backgrounds)

Puzzle platform video game series

This article is about the LittleBigPlanet series. For the PlayStation 3 game, see LittleBigPlanet (2008 video game). For the PlayStation Portable game, see LittleBigPlanet (2009 video game). For the Vita game, see LittleBigPlanet PS Vita.

Video game series

LittleBigPlanet
Genre(s)	Platform, endless running
Developer(s)	Media Molecule (2008-2014) SCE Studio Cambridge (2009) Supermassive Games (2010) XDev (2010-2012) Double Eleven (2012) Tarsier Studios (2012) United Front Games (2012) San Diego Studio (2012) Firesprite (2014) Sumo Digital (2014-2020) Exient Entertainment (2023)
Publisher(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation Mobile (2014)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 PlayStation Portable PlayStation Vita PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows
First release	LittleBigPlanet 27 October 2008
Latest release	Ultimate Sackboy March 3, 2023

LittleBigPlanet (LBP - stylised as LittleBIGPlanet) is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the series put a strong emphasis on user-generated content and are based on the series' tagline "Play, Create, Share". The tagline represents the three core elements of the series: playing alone or with others locally (on the same console) or online, creating new content using the in-game creation tools, and sharing creations and discoveries online with other players.

Tarsier Studios, Fireproof Games and Supermassive Games also contribute to the development of the PlayStation 3 games, creating in-game assets (downloadable content) including costumes, backgrounds, objects, and stickers. Some of these assets will also provide the player more tools and gadgets to use in the level editor.^[1]

The series comprises six games across five gaming platforms. The series was launched in 2008 with the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet, which was followed in 2009 by a PlayStation Portable version of the same name, initially developed by Studio Liverpool^[2] and later handed to SCE Studio Cambridge. The sequel to the PlayStation 3 version, LittleBigPlanet 2, was released in January 2011 alongside a smaller spin-off title called Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita was developed by Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven, released in September 2012 for the PlayStation Vita. At E3 2014, Sony announced LittleBigPlanet 3, a PlayStation 4 instalment that was developed by Sumo Digital and released in November 2014.^[3] The games are all published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The latest instalment for the LittleBigPlanet franchise titled Sackboy: A Big Adventure was revealed during the PS5 live event and released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November 2020. A Windows version was released on 27 October 2022.^[4]

On 17 January 2015, it was announced that all LittleBigPlanet servers in Japan would shut down on 31 July, along with the PlayStation Portable version and LittleBigPlanet Karting in late August in all regions. Due to attacks on the online servers, all LittleBigPlanet servers were taken down in May 2021 (the Vita version had remained closed since March).^[5] The servers for the PS4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 were brought back up on 13 September 2021, however, in the same announcement, it mentioned that the servers for LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita and the PS3 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 will remain closed permanently.^[6] On 8 January, 2024, it was announced that, presumably due to more attacks on the online servers, the servers for the PS4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 were being temporarily closed while they investigate them.^[7][8][9]

On 19 April 2024, the servers for the PlayStation 4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 were permanently shut down due to ongoing technical issues.^[10]

Gameplay[edit]

The core mechanics of the series revolve around its tagline, "Play, Create, Share".^[11]

Play[edit]

In the first two instalments of the series, gameplay consist primarily of traditional two-dimensional look in a three-dimensional style platforming like jumping and avoiding obstacles to successfully navigate to the end of a level to win.^[12] Since LittleBigPlanet 2, the series has included mini-games, including ones that do not follow the platformer genre. Most LittleBigPlanet games involve a player playing solo or co-operatively with friends to navigate through a level whilst collecting various "bubbles" along the way, which can take the form of either points or collectibles. In-game collectibles can be used in level creation or to customize Sackboy, the player character. There are also numerous co-operative parts of levels whereby certain prize bubbles can be earned. In LittleBigPlanet 3 and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Collectables are also present, being used in various shops to purchase more costumes.

Create[edit]

The Create component primarily refers to level creation in the game, along with other features like character customisation. Players can create their own levels with the built-in level creator. Many items that are collected while playing through the story mode and from LittleBigPlanet's community can be used to help with level creation.^[13] These levels can remain as the original LittleBigPlanet platforming gameplay, or they can include other game types, such as racing, fighting, shooting and sports.^[12] The player can also make non-gaming creations such as music and films (commonly known in-game as cut-scenes).^[14] In LittleBigPlanet 2, Sackbots were introduced to give players more control over non-player characters in their levels as well as make the levels in their entirety more intelligent. The creation technique introduced on the game gave the possibility for logic, and it gave the ability to build sets of machines and complex contraptions.^[14]

Share[edit]

Lastly, the Share component relates to sharing creations with the game's community by uploading levels to the PlayStation Network. To-date there were an excess of ten million user-created levels available to play on the LittleBigPlanet server in the PlayStation 3 games.^[15] After the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 and the LBP.me community website, the Share component also had a strong emphasis sharing discoveries. Players were encouraged to share levels they found with other players by writing reviews and comments in-game and by sharing links to creations' LBP.me pages via social networks.

Overview[edit]

The series takes place in a world known as LittleBigPlanet. Each curator is in charge of a part of LittleBigPlanet and they govern them independently. LittleBigPlanet has geography inspired by the real-life Earth. All games in the series follow the main protagonist Sackboy, a small anthropomorphic creature made of brown fabric with a zip fastener and button eyes. He can be customized to the player's liking using costumes that are either unlocked in the game or bought as downloadable content from the PlayStation Store. The player can control Sackboy's four emotions; happiness, sadness, worry and anger, each of which has three levels of intensity. The English language version of each game is narrated by Stephen Fry and in all formats Fry's scripts are written by Dean Wilkinson.

Games[edit]

Release timeline

2008	LittleBigPlanet
2009	LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
2010	Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves
2011	LittleBigPlanet 2
2012	LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
	LittleBigPlanet Karting
2013
2014	Run Sackboy! Run!
	LittleBigPlanet 3
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020	Sackboy: A Big Adventure
2021
2022
2023	Ultimate Sackboy

Main series[edit]

LittleBigPlanet[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet (2008 video game)

The first game in the series was released on the PlayStation 3 platform in 2008 and was the first title developed by Media Molecule, under the name The Next Big Thing. The player controls Sackboy as he travels around the titular LittleBigPlanet, helping the eight creator curators of LittleBigPlanet with their problems in their own respective realms. Throughout the story, Sackboy tries to stop The Collector, one of the eight creator curators who has gone rogue, kidnapping the creations of LittleBigPlanet.^[16] The game received widespread acclaim for its design, gameplay, and customization afforded to the player, particularly the built-in level editor. After its release, it received numerous industry awards.^[17]

LittleBigPlanet 2[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet 2

The second game in the series is a direct sequel to the first LittleBigPlanet and was developed by Media Molecule for the PlayStation 3 for a release in 2011. The sequel saw a major shift in the direction of the series, going from a primarily traditional platform game in the first two entries to a more varied style of gameplay called a "platform for games". The second game gave players a wider variety of options when it came to level design, which saw the creation of levels other than platforming such as racing, puzzles, and fighting games.^[18] Following the events of the first two entries in the series, the game takes place when an antagonist known as the Negativitron invades LittleBigPlanet and begins to suck up all its inhabitants. Sackboy must team up with a secret organization known as "The Alliance", led by Larry Da Vinci, to save LittleBigPlanet from the Negativitron.^[19] The game also supported the PlayStation Move, with an update post-launch.

LittleBigPlanet 3[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet 3

LittleBigPlanet 3 is a game for the PlayStation 3^[20][21][22] and PlayStation 4. Announced at E3 2014, it was developed by Sumo Digital and was released in November 2014. In the game, Sackboy is transported to another world, Bunkum, where he has to awaken its three missing heroes, OddSock, Toggle and Swoop, who are new playable characters. Sackboy travels through different worlds in order to free the 3 new characters and stop Newton.^[23]

Handheld[edit]

LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet (2009 video game)

A portable entry of the series was developed primarily by SCE Studio Cambridge in association with Media Molecule for the PlayStation Portable. The game, released in 2009, shared the same name as the original game; however, it was not a port of the PlayStation 3 game, but rather a new entry in the series. It has a story-mode with levels and features many of the same mechanics of its PlayStation 3 counterpart, such as customizations, albeit without the multiplayer component of the game. The game takes place after the events of the PlayStation 3 version of LittleBigPlanet, in which The Collector has been defeated. A carnival is being held and Sackboy decides to go around the world to invite the eight curators of LittleBigPlanet to the carnival whilst finding materials for his own carnival float.^[24]

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

The fourth game in the series was developed by Tarsier Studios, Double Eleven, and XDev for the PlayStation Vita handheld and had a 2012 release.^[25] The game features the same core mechanics from LittleBigPlanet 2, with the focus being on a "platform for games" rather than a platformer like previous entries in the series before LittleBigPlanet 2. The game utilizes the unique controls of the PlayStation Vita by using its multi-touch touchscreen and its rear touchpad to navigate through various obstacles in stages as well as for level creation by users.^[26] The game supports cross-buy of DLC costume packs between LittleBigPlanet 2, as well as LittleBigPlanet Karting.

Spinoff games[edit]

LittleBigPlanet Karting[edit]

Main article: LittleBigPlanet Karting

LittleBigPlanet Karting is a kart racing game developed by United Front and San Diego Studio in conjunction with series creator Media Molecule for the PlayStation 3.^[27] In its story mode, the player ventures through worlds including: LittleBigPlanet, Monster Islands, Victoria's Laboratory, The Progress Emporium, Eve's Asylum, The Space Bass, and Hoard, Sweet Hoard, to put an end to the Hoard racers, who snatch many pieces of the different planets to stash them in the Garage at the End of the Universe. Sony Entertainment America shut down the North American LittleBigPlanet Karting online servers on 31 August 2016.^[28]

Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves[edit]

Main article: Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves

The game was developed by XDev as a spin-off from the LittleBigPlanet series utilizing the PlayStation Move on the PlayStation 3. It was released in December 2010, as a downloadable title from the PlayStation Store and was later bundled with LittleBigPlanet 2. The game was described as a "demo" and featured 10 prehistoric inspired story levels. In the game, Sackboy must save Little Big Planet from the T-Rex. Unlike the main games, which can be played as a single-player experience, the game required a minimum of two players to work.^[29] This was due to the main mechanics of the spin-off whereby one player would control Sackboy traditionally using the gamepad for platforming while a second player had to use a PlayStation Move similar to a pointer to move obstacles and objects out of the way in order to successfully navigate a level.^[30]

Run Sackboy! Run![edit]

Run Sackboy! Run! is a free-to-play endless running game developed by Firesprite and published by PlayStation Mobile that was released on iOS on 30 October 2014,^[31] Android on 17 December 2014^[32] and PlayStation Vita on 31 March 2015.^[33] The game has no real plot, except for Sackboy running through Craftworld from the Negativitron. The game awarded players with exclusive costumes for LittleBigPlanet 3 (which was released at a similar time) by reaching point goals and collecting stickers.^[34]

LittleBigPlanet Hub[edit]

LittleBigPlanet Hub is an unreleased free-to-play game for the PlayStation 3.^[35] It was planned to be a downloadable title from the PlayStation Store which would have allowed players to create levels and play a curated selection of community levels from LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 as well as 16 levels from the games' story modes. LittleBigPlanet Hub would also have contained weekly challenges, not found in other LittleBigPlanet games. Downloadable content purchased in other games were to be compatible with LittleBigPlanet Hub, and users were rumoured to be also able to access additional content from the PlayStation Store.^{[citation needed]}

Since its announcement in August 2013, no further details about LittleBigPlanet Hub were revealed.^[36] In February 2024, a beta tester posted a video showing gameplay from a beta build onto YouTube, and shortly afterwards, with assistance, dumped it online for download. This makes the build playable through unofficial means, such as emulations like RPCS3 or PlayStation 3 homebrew.^[37]

Sackboy: A Big Adventure[edit]

Main article: Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 2020 platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation 4. It was announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event on June 11, 2020, and was released on November 12, 2020; a version for Windows was released on October 27, 2022, marking the series's first release on PCs. Unlike previous LittleBigPlanet entries with 2.5D platforming, A Big Adventure features a range of perspectives and 3D movement.

Ultimate Sackboy[edit]

Ultimate Sackboy is a free-to-play endless running game developed by Exient Entertainment and released on mobile on 21 February 2023. It is the first LittleBigPlanet game to feature limited-time paid subscriptions known as "Marathons." In contrast to Run Sackboy! Run!, it adopts the style from Sackboy: A Big Adventure and is played in 3D.

Reception[edit]

Aggregate review scores

Game	Metacritic
LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3)	95/100[38]
LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)	87/100[39]
Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves	66/100[40]
LittleBigPlanet 2	91/100[41]
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita	88/100[42]
LittleBigPlanet Karting	74/100[43]
LittleBigPlanet 3	79/100[44]
Run Sackboy! Run!	65/100[45]
Sackboy: A Big Adventure	80/100[46]
Ultimate Sackboy	57/100[47]

Most of the games in the series have been well received by critics with the LittleBigPlanet on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable gaining Metacritic scores of 95/100^[38] and 87/100^[39] respectively. LittleBigPlanet 2 garnered nearly as much acclaim as the first game, with an average score of 91/100.^[48] LittleBigPlanet PS Vita also received very positive reviews and was the highest-ranked PS Vita game at the time of its release with an average score of 88/100.^[49] However, the release of LittleBigPlanet 3 did not receive critical acclaim, garnering a mostly positive average of 79/100.^[50] Critically, LittleBigPlanet Karting is the worst-performing major game in the series so far but still gained a "mixed or average" Metacritic score of 74/100.^[51] However, the mobile game Run Sackboy! Run! performed worse, with a Metacritic score of 65/100.^[52] Additionally, the character of Sackboy is often seen as a PlayStation mascot.^[53] In 2011, readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Sackboy as the 50th-top video game character of all time.^[54]

References[edit]

1. ^ "Introducing the Extended LittleBigPlanet Family - Media Molecule - We make games". Media Molecule. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
2. ^ "LittleBigPlanet coming to PSP - CVG". Computerandvideogames.com. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
3. ^ "LittleBigPlanet 3 coming to PS4 this November". 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
4. ^ "Sackboy: A Big Adventure coming to PC on October 27". Gematsu. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
5. ^ "LittleBigPlanet Servers Taken Down After Hackers Post Hate Speech". PlayStation LifeStyle. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
6. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (13 September 2021). "Sony shuts down online for older LittleBigPlanet games "to protect the community"". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
   Posted on August 2, 2008

   Style Girls v2.0

   Style Girls version 2.0 theme by Linkinsoldier

   Download: StyleGirlsV2.p3t

   
   (16 backgrounds)
   

   P3T Unpacker v0.12
   Copyright (c) 2007. Anoop Menon

   This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!

   Download for Windows: p3textractor.zip

   Instructions:

   Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.

   The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.

   The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].

   For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following:
   p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.