Query: If the level designer is mainly for hardcores, why should a "casual" buy it (and a $400 PS3) instead of Wario Land: Shake It?

I'm sure this is going to be a great game, but it's not going to push many PS3s. Instead it's going to achieve a nice little niche with hardcore wannabe game designers. No offense to that group - I myself am a hardcore wannabe game designer - but it won't be an audience-expanding game.

Actually, I'll make an exception to that: it depends on how good the platforming is. I think New Super Mario Bros. (not to mention Virtual Console) shows there's a big audience for a simple 2D platforming experience out there and nobody has really tried to fill that need on the home consoles so far. LBP and WL:SI are the first ones that I know of.

Abusing LBP on this site is about the biggest sin you can commit.

Foolish

This is wrong.  Just dead wrong.  And it's the attitude that a lot of misinformed forum posters have about console makers.  This just shows an utter lack of understanding of business or economics.  This isn't like the snake oil salesman who tries to take your money for his wares and then skips town never to be found again, leaving you with a bottle of well water that you thought was some kind of magic elixir. 

Nintendo/Microsoft/Sony DO care what you think of the product after you buy it.  How the hell else are they ever going to sell you anything again if you don't like their previous products?  I see this so much, especially on video game forums.  "Oh, Microsoft got you to buy their console, so they don't care if you get an RRoD.  They already have your money."  "Sony is just trying to catch up and take 2nd place.  All they care about is that they have your money to recover their losses.  They don't care about releasing games anymore."  "Nintendo doesn't care if you actually PLAY the Wii, they just want to SELL you one so they can get your money."

All companies want your money now...........and they want it later as well.  Sony DOES care if Little Big Planet goes over well.  They're trying to make it into a franchise with staying power, not a passing fad.  If LBP sells well, don't you think there will be an LBP 2?  You're damn straight there will be.  But the only way that happens is if the game lives up to the expectations that Sony has given it.  And right now, those expectations are that casual users will love playing/downloading the pre-made levels, and the more ambitious users will get hooked on creating their own levels.  That way they're selling to two or three different demographics and making more money than they would if they just released a standard platformer.

And it doesn't work the same way for software as it does for hardware.  If you buy a console and don't like a game for it, you always know that there is a better, more enjoyable game out there for you to play.  In that respect, yes, now the manufacturer has your money from the console sale, so they know they probably have you hooked.  But then it's their job to make sure that you get good software for that purchase.  Otherwise you'll probably never buy another one of their consoles again. 

I'm sorry to beat a dead horse on this, but the conspiracy theories and "analysis" around here is so seldom based on anything factual and so often based on defense of the poster's console purchase in order to make him or herself feel better about the hundreds of dollars that were just spent.  It doesn't seem like too many people actually think before they type.

That being said, and to get back on topic, I think LBP will sell moderately well, but I don't think the casual crowd is very likely to buy a PS3 just to play it.  That may cause a problem.

^ Plus games have to be played to have viral marketing.

LBP has a lot of potential, and i hope it turns out to be a great game, sales will be decent but i'm not thinking it will be 6-8 more something like 3.

This game will sell among current PS3 owners well, but the problem is attracting the new, casual crowd. They do see the Wii as an ultimate piece of hardware for them with those accessible games, but is one title(that get's loads of attention) that might attract casual crowd going to sell loads of systems? Because i don't think many casual do think they need a PS3, when the Wii is cheaper and has the motion control (which is i think the biggest strength of this console on the casual side). LBP might not be enough to move PS3's to casuals.

But i think Game itself will be good, and will be a success but not as big as Mario is among platformers.

It doesn't need saving, sorry; some great combination of games can make it really catch fire, though.

Sony has never made and published many RPGs, huh?  There's a recent PS2 RPG that they published that was supposedly great.  I think they published Legend of Dragoon.  SOE should get hopping at bringing MMORPGs to PS3, utilizing the bluetooth wireless keyboard and mouse capabilities.

I fail to credit the existence of the FPS 'bandwagon' at all.  Resistance was planned early by Insomniac.  Killzone 2 has been in the works for a while (long while).  SOCOM is an old franchise that's predictably seeing another iteration.  And then there's MAG, which is pretty different in its own way, but maybe its announcement in the midst of the releases of the other games is creating a 'bandwagon' in people's minds.

The 360 purchased-RPG bandwagon, however, is real though less-mentioned of late on these boards.

Woah wait a minute, you acutally cared about saving the princess in Mario? I never really got too into saving the princess in Mario, because I knew in a few months when Nintendo needed another game, the princess would yet again get captured by Bowzer.

What I do care about , lets say in a game like Sonic, is beating the level as quickly as possible and collecting as many rings as possible. LBP isn't just a bland level. You have boss sections, you collect little orb things, and you collect certain objects that you can later on put in your own levels. There is an incentive to beat the level, whether its just being on the high score board, or objects to customize your own levels. Also, no one knows if their will be a storyline or not. If you are creative enough, you could make this possible. (I think I could make a 10 level "game" with Sackzilla if you game me enough time.) Sure it won't be that gripping storyline that Mario was built around(lol), but its something. Hell, actually, I'm pretty sure we will be able to play Mario at some point with the general public doing this. I call within the first week.

And what game could you ever say is worth $400? LBP is $60 and you have unlimited levels basically forever. You know you dont ONLY have to play LBP? If you want to play Rock Band, Guitar Hero, an array of downloadable games, Ratchet and Clank (to name a few) buying LBP doesn't bar you from those titles.

Casual gamers will pay as much as it costs to get what they want if they have the money. I, too, think it would be much more of a hit if the price was $299, but this year the PS3 has already sold 6,000,000 consoles. Some people might even look at Blu-Ray and see LBP as a plus. People paid $600 at times just to play Wii Sports (those ridiculous bundles). Why wouldn't those same people pay $460 for LBP if it appeals enough?

you probably right kid.

i am a hardcore gamer and to be honest i aint really looking forward to sitting down for hours on end to create a level. dont get me wrong i will enjoy it but after creating a few levels i will be kinda sick of it.

but still LBP will be huge.

^ i aint going to say this often though so take a picture

EDITED: what the hell was i thinking man, how can i say a bad thing about this game it i sgoing to be one of the best games i have ever played. i must have been feeling a little down whilst vreating this post

lol anti-hype, it never gets old.
I geuss it should be expected, alot of really bad games get hype only to dissappoint. I think anti-hype is how you balance a great game so you dont have unreasonable expectations, which in the end makes the buyer more satisfied with his product on purchase.

YAY ANTI-HYPE!!!

I dont think LBP will be very much of a casual getter for PS3 apart from EU and maybe, albeit unlikely Japan.