The bit-tech Winter Games Preview 2008

LittleBigPlanet

Released: October 2008
Platform: PlayStation 3 Exclusive

Some people might say that games boasting physics interactions as the major gameplay device are a little bit behind – that physics hasn’t been the buzzword-of-choice since Half-Life 2 was first released. We’re betting most of those people don’t own a PlayStation 3 though.

Regardless of our bitter cynicism, LittleBigPlanet is looking to be the next must-have game for the PlayStation 3, offering inventive gameplay and user-created content to keep people interested. If there's one game that can put physics back on the map as the major industry buzzword, then it's LittleBigPlanet.

There’s no plot to speak of in LittleBigPlanet. Instead, the game is all about experimenting with what you can and can’t do with the game world, co-op puzzle solving and head-bludgeoningly cute characters like SackBoy and SackGirl.


LittleBitPlanet is all about exploration, but not exploring huge levels as much as exploring the possibilities of the environment and seeing what it is possible to create and destroy by harnessing the various elements of destruction – explosives, fire, ice, the list goes on.

With a strong focus on multiplayer action, both competitively and co-operatively, LittleBigPlanet is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the PlayStation Network and bring the joy of games like Garry’s Mod to consoles.

Why we can’t wait: True sandbox games are pretty rare, so it’ll be interesting to see how the idea fares on the PS3.
Want to know more? Check out the official trailer for more details.

Resident Evil 5

Released: TBA
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Resident Evil has gone through a lot of changes over the years, evolving from a awfully-voiced PlayStation title with pre-rendered backgrounds to an all-out action game in Resident Evil 4. Along the way we’ve seen the franchise showcase rail-shooters, mobile phone games and unofficial spin-offs. So, what’s next for the seminal survival horror series?

Well, it turns out that it’ll be mostly the same as the last game, but brighter and with “NOT RACIST” stickers plastered on the front of the box just to make sure.


Resident Evil 5 reintroduces Chris Redfield as the main character, playable from a more comfortable over-the-shoulder viewpoint and accompanied by a new female sidekick as he investigates a zombie uprising in the Haiti. It sounds good already, but the fact that Chris’ sidekick is playable in co-op is enough to make us weep with joy.

The main bit of bad news for the series is that there isn't a PC version confirmed, which is either a life-or-death situation or a complete non-issue depending on whether you're a Resident Evil purist or not. That said, Capcom hasn't denied a PC version in the works and has actually strongly hinted that one is being considered, though until then we'll have to be content with the console version.

On the topic of console versions, Capcom has sidestepped from Nintendo over to its more powerful next generation alternatives. Where Resident Evil 4 looked sublime, which is even more impressive considering it was powered by mere GameCube graphics, it seems the Wii just doesn’t hold enough grunt for what Capcom was looking to do this time around.

Before Resident Evil 4, Capcom was in danger of running the series into the ground and killing this console classic with over-exposure and countless spin-offs. Now that our faith in the series has been restored though we find ourselves quietly confident about how Redfield’s latest adventure is going to hold up.

Why we can’t wait: We can, actually, but Richard can’t. He needs that survival horror fix – needs it now!
Want to know more? Check out the official site for the latest details