35w ago - Engima Software CEO Daniel Parente has detailed the creation of a character in Alien Spidy on PSN today.

Below are the details, to quote: One of the key factors for a game to be successful revolves around the charisma and empathy of the lead character, a task that seems easy in essence, but which can be an endeavour of epic proportions.

The first step in creating our main character was to try and think of a character who would be full of charisma, and who would have natural abilities that would empower them to move around the world and adapt to the kind of mechanics we wanted to build into the game.

After a lot of brainstorming, coffee, comic reading, watching cartoons and lots of other inspirational tools, we thought that it would be interesting to play around with a small spider with big eyes that would be able to bring some "human" emotional rapport to the game.

We also decided to stick six legs on him - instead of the standard eight - to make the character a little more friendly looking and little less creepy, as there are a lot of people with arachnophobia. See, we do care!

Once we decided on a spider, we knew the game's mechanics would have to focus on web spinning abilities, which in turn adapted very well to the controls for the platforms we had in...

69w ago - This weekend PlayStation 3 developer aldostools has released CreatePS3EXTRA, which is a set of PS3 homebrew utility applications for creating the PS3_EXTRA structure for DLC PKGs, Patches, Fixes, MP4 & P3T files.

Download: CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App / CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App (Mirror) / CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App (Updated PS3RIP.cfg) by BahumatLord (Mirror) / CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App (Update 2) by aldostools / CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App (Update 3) by aldostools / CreatePS3EXTRA PS3 Homebrew App (Update 4) by aldostools / Microsoft VB5 Runtime DLL (Required) / PS3 NET Server GUI v1.0 / PS3 NET Server GUI v1.0 (Mirror) / PS3...

91w ago - Today Sony Senior Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein has shared some Gamescom 2011 footage of LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita dubbed a Touch of Creation below.

To quote: LittleBigPlanet and LBP2 enabled PS3 players to play, create and share custom-made levels and game modes online for all to enjoy.

Now, with the upcoming PS Vita game harnessing the handheld's plethora of inputs and sensors for playing and creating, Sackboy's new adventure will be the most accessible - and empowering - LittleBigPlanet yet.

We've seen glimpses of what PS Vita adds to Play starting at E3, when SCEE's Pete Smith demonstrated how the touch screen, gyroscopes, and rear touch panel helped Sackboy navigate levels in all-new ways.

At Gamescom, Smith was joined by Tarsier Studios designer Richard Meredith to show us some more Play possibilities and tools you'll use to Create new types of games.





Even the "Super Oval" shape of PS Vita is giving the development team novel new possibilities. Smith turned the Vita vertically to demonstrate a gravity-based game where players rapidly sort colored balls into the right chute - reminiscent of a touch-enabled version of PSN game Droplitz.

Next, the duo demonstrated an air hockey game...

95w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has posted up a video today featuring Jonathan Mak demystifying music creation in Sound Shapes for the upcoming PS Vita handheld console.

To quote: Last week I finally had a chance to go hands-on with Sound Shapes, the upcoming PS Vita platformer music studio that left critics reeling in its E3 debut.

Coached by co-designer and Everyday Shooter creator Jonathan Mak and co-designer Shaw-Han Liem, I discovered a deceptively simple platformer that gave me the tools to build a series of game levels - and a corresponding song - in seconds flat.

Sound Shapes' level creation and music composition are inseparable. As you use the PS Vita's front touchscreen to place objects - platforms, lasers, obstacles - that you'll interact with during gameplay, you're simultaneously laying down beats and musical cues that will evolve into a full song when you play.

During the creation process, you'll use PS Vita's rear touch panel to resize platforms and objects to further tweak your level's gameplay or musical style. Where you go from there is entirely up to you: the final version of Sound Shapes will enable you to upload and share your creation via PSN...

125w ago - Recently BludgaBoy has shared a LittleBigPlanet 2 PS3 BETA - Windows: LBP Edition Creation video showcasing the work of Boss_Mob, SaggySackBoy, tomatenbrei and daFRED94.

While the game isn't available until later this month, those interested can check it out below.

To quote from Kotaku: "This Windows XP homage, built in the LittleBigPlanet 2 beta, won't run a copy of Excel or PowerPoint, but it does do a reasonably good impersonation of the operating system's desktop, start menu, built-in timewaster games and, naturally, a blue screen of death."

Finally, from the video's caption: "It works... well, *almost* perfectly (just like the real Windows, there are some kinks in the works), and it's an extremely accurate re-creation, right down to the log in noise. You've got pictures, music, videos; even some built in games for you to play! Who needs the NT kernel or C++ when you've got LittleBigPlanet 2?"