Archive: 5 posts

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Sony have always avoided adopting a mascot simply because they prefer painting with broader strokes and wouldn't want to pin a product down to any particular franchise. Many, though, would argue that Sackboy/Sackgirl IS the unofficial PS3 mascot, myself included. But I want to look further than the console and at the franchise itself. When we first got a glimpse of Sackboy/Sackgirl we fell in love with the character. There was something generic and childlike about him/her that perhaps reminded us of simpler times when material was the stuff of comfort for our podgy little infant hands. I still recall my first Teddy Bear and I'm 53... an indication of how lasting those tactile friendships can be. I did eventually dismantle that Teddy bear to find out how the winding mechanism worked and how the tune was produced. Something I later regretted. Nevertheless, without Sackboy/Sackgirl the LBP franchise would never have gathered such a vast and diverse following. But is it time to dismantle Sackboy/Sackgirl? Each iteration of the franchise has offered opportunities for expanding beyond a Sackboy/Sackgirl world and many have taken up that challenge with no regret. And yet, there are still those amongst us that see it as sacrilege to forget the reason we picked the game up in the first place. LBP1 was essentially a platformer, but a lot of very clever people managed to bend the rules and take it beyond, even discarding Sackboy/Sackgirl in the process, but these attempts were only ever demonstrations of ingenuity and never really worked as intended. Then LBP2 came along with it's logic and a plethora of other useful creating alternatives that helped broaden the possibilities. Still though, Sackboy/Sackgirl sat there, watching over the process and the community were always aware of their presence. Even though the tool set had been increased and the games got ever further from the roots, they still couldn't escape the clutches of the past and although some were extraordinary in concept and design, they didn't quite reach the quality one would expect from a dedicated games design. Furthermore, it appeared as if MM just wouldn't allow Sackboy/Sackgirl to be discarded, perhaps out of genuine love for the character or a worry that it could lose its appeal if Sackboy/Sackgirl weren't at the centre of it all. I feel it's more likely the latter. Now we have LBPVita, a version that seems to have a fresh feel, a more grown up, Tim Burtonesque appeal. Still humerous but darker in shade. Little things indicate that perhaps Tarsier are not as attached to Sackboy/Sackgirl as MM and have risked breaking the link altogether. There is no better example than Tappling which no longer has that 'nice attempt' label that a lot of LBP2 levels do. It actually looks like a standalone game. Whilst the aesthetics are without doubt LBP, the use of them appears as if it could outgrow Sackboy/Sackgirl if the community wish it to. Even simple things like turning off shadows will hugely effect the atmosphere that we all relate to. Are Tarsier braver than MM? I hope so to be honest. So, is it perhaps time to recognise that Sackboy/Sackgirl was holding back the design of LBP? They'll still be there in a huge percentage of levels (and rightly so), but perhaps it's time to embrace the full potential of the LBP franchise and make Sackboy/Sackgirl the heritage not the motivation. I don't like the Idea of setting Sackboy/Sackgirl in concrete and buiding a bypass around them, nor do I like the idea that Sackboy/Sackgirl will forever be that back seat driver, so I think it's time to dismantle the past and take the LBP franchise were it's always promised to go

2012-08-25 11:45:00 Author: GribbleGrunger Posts: 3910

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Another thoughtful essay, thanks for this. I feel that Sackboy/girl is the anchor of the LBP franchise, in that it's an iconic player avatar. It's true the franchise was not founded on Sackboy/girl but on "limitless creativity", which does not require any particular avatar. But the two are fused now, after five hugely successful years of branding. So at this point, I'd say that Sackboy/girl is both the anchor and foundation, or it's so stuck in the foundation that you can't remove it without causing irreparable damage to the franchise. If you've seen the video of Mm's new game Tearaway (http://kotaku.com/5934677/youre-the-god-of-a-paper-world-in-media-molecules-tearaway) there's a new player avatar called "Iota". You can control the avatar and maybe customize it. It's clearly got the same soul as LBP in terms of "limitless creativity", but it it doesn't feel like LBP. And not just because of the different gameplay. It's the lack of Sackboy/girl that really sets it apart. It's "like LBP" for sure, enough that Tearaway would basically be an adventure-interactive LBP game if Sackboy/girl were in it. In my opinion. It's the absence that makes the difference. Likewise, if Iota came in and replaced Sackboy/girl in LBP Karting or Vita or LBP1 or LBP2, those games wouldn't be LBP anymore. Exactly the same gameplay, but... weird. Lacking. I don't believe Sackboy/girl is holding back the franchise. Maybe Mm could have divorced the branding from the mascot in the beginning, but at this point it's no more possible for LBP to ditch Sackboy/girl and retain its essence than Mario games can ditch Mario. Fortunately, as we've seen, Mario is at home in any genre of game, from platformers to RPGs to fighters to puzzle games and MIDI music makers, in 2D, 2.5D and 3D. Sackboy/girl can do that too. There's no hindrance.

2012-08-25 12:43:00 Author: Unknown User

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I can't disagree with you really. What I'm trying to point out mainly is that I believe the fear of moving too far away from the original has frustrated a lot of creators who go out of their way to make games that are the antithesis of LBP as defined by Sackboy/Sackgirl. I believe that MM could easily have added content that would enable those people to ditch the iconic character, but feared losing the heart of the franchise. Tarsier have actually encouraged the community to contribute and they've even hired community members to help make the game, and these community members have clearly had a big input into broadening the tool set, which I believe is an indication of where the community in general wants to go. Tarsier are not as emotionally connected as MM were. Sackboy/Sackgirl will always be there when the community need them but I believe it's time to build the franchise outwards without a second glance over the shoulder. Yes, new creators come along all the time but a HUGE part of the community has gone from pre-teens to young adults and I think the game needs to reflect that in some way. I suppose the best way of explaining it would be to think how it felt to transition from Lego to Meccano. MM always wanted it connected with Lego whilst I always connected it with Meccano because it was technically more complex if you were willing to invest more time and effort Meccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical device http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meccano

2012-08-25 13:52:00 Author: GribbleGrunger Posts: 3910

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Oh, I completely overlooked that aspect of your first post! It's a very good point. I guess you're right, for all its possibilities the LBP games could stagnate if the franchise sticks to the "essence of Sackboy/girl" and sacrifices ideas and complexity when it could take them to radical places. I agree with you that the game makers shouldn't be afraid to raise the bar. However, your Lego/Meccano analogy points to what I think will ultimately be LBP's fate. It will go down as an iconic feather in Sony's cap, and to protect that, Sony will not permit radical changes to it. There have probably been people at Lego who showed up at investor's meetings year after year asking to go new places with the toyline, and investors ultimately said "spin it off into another franchise; don't mess with Lego". That's likely how it work work with LBP. But I would welcome brave changes to the franchise, just to see what they're like. The worst that could happen is a disaster of a new game, but hey, we'd still have perfectly functional previous games!

2012-08-25 14:28:00 Author: Unknown User

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I'm not suggesting a change so radical that it becomes something entirely different. You'd still have the materials, decorations, stickers and objects. I do actually believe that Sackboy/Sackgirl have held the possibilities back. When you look at the packs, they never stray too far from the roots and the cuteness factor is always embodied by Sackboy/Sackgirl. I believe that with Tarsier we may see a significant shift. I noticed, for instance that in the decorations there was a conical shape along with other generic shapes. These appeared only to be of any use if you intend to use the dephysicalizer. These shapes can then be fitted together to make something yourself. I don't think MM would have done that. They where too close to their creation to see it through. Of course one other thing that could hold the franchise back is the very nature of it: DLC. If you gave people the power to make anything, there is a likelihood that less DLC would sell. Cynical maybe, but I believe that to be the case. I hope Tarsier are braver and at least offer a drawing tool to make stickers... rather like the MOVE pack but with accuracy.

2012-08-25 20:06:00 Author: GribbleGrunger Posts: 3910

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