Little Big Planet Update: Metal Gear Solid 4 Pack Impressions

By Ricardo Torres, GameSpotPosted Dec 19, 2008 4:59 am PT

We try out the upcoming content pack for Littlebigplanet featuring Solid Snake.

Trailer

Check out the hot new trailer for the Metal Gear Solid 4 content pack for Little Big Planet.

Sony and developer Media Molecule hinted at the potential ways Littlebigplanet would evolve in the weeks before the game's launch. There was vague talk of new content in the form of downloads that would keep the title fresh. The weeks that have followed the game's release haven't quite yielded anything that's been all that impressive; there have been new costumes and, most recently, seasonal objects to use in the level creator but nothing too exciting. A penguin costume is fun to look at but doesn't do much to affect the core game experience. However, with the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 content pack, Sony and Media Molecule are finally making good on their promises of new content for the game.

While fans may have been expecting the MGS content to consist of just the Solid Snake Sackboy costume, the upcoming MGS4 content pack offers a whole lot more. We had the chance to try out the upcoming pack and were genuinely impressed by what it's going to offer. While the pack will offer players four Metal Gear themed costumes--Old Snake, Meryl, Screaming Mantis and Raiden--you can also expect four levels with new items, stickers, and construction object as well as new trophies. Most significantly, you can expect a new gameplay twist: the Paintinator.

The four levels consist of four themed "acts" that offer a scaled back, tongue in cheek version of key MGS4 moments. The first act is a mildly interactive segment that sets up the MGS4 story and follows a truck, carrying you as Old Snake, across a battlefield with narrative text bubbles. The second act, VR Training, has you racing through a wire frame style VR course, guided by Otacon, in the same vein as the PlayStation One game. The unique hook to the level is the introduction of the Paintinator, a paintball gun you can wield to pelt things with blobs of paint.

The Factory

Watch Raiden make his way through the factory to put an end to Liquid's Trophy generators.

This addition to the standard Little Big Planet gameplay becomes a key component through the remaining acts. You'll have to use it to trigger paintball specific switches and take out targets in the rest of the second act, which will get you comfortable with the new accessory. The third act, The Mission, morphs the action into one part shooter, one part stealth platformer, as you'll have to maneuver around moving spotlights to avoid detection, a la classic MGS, and take out enemy weapon emplacements. The fourth act, Level Factory, has you platforming and paintballing your way through a meaty level filled with paintball switches, tricky weapon emplacements, and moving enemies. The level winds down with what feels like the longest, most enemy-filled elevator ride ever. The final act is an alternately cute and challenging battle with Metal Gear Rex, done up in proper LBP style, that requires some careful paintball shooting and dodging.

Overall the levels have a good feel to them and manage to retain the spirit of LBP's story mode while mixing in some great Metal Gear flavor. The sound effects are all straight from the MGS series, from the alarm if you're discovered to the Codec beeps when Otacon chimes in with helpful info. The same is true of the score used for the levels which adds a hilarious bombastic complement to your adventuring. The paintball gun is fun addition to the LBP mix and the assorted items, which include paintball switches, that you can collect and use in the level creator open up a whole new world of possibility for budding creators.

If you're a fan of Little Big Planet you'll most definitely want to consider picking up the Metal Gear Content Pack. Above and beyond the novelty of the MGS character costumes, the new levels, construction materials, and paintball accessory, offer a clever new twist on the game's formula. The new trophies are a nice bonus as well. Fans of LBP and MGS will want to pick up the pack as soon as it hits the PlayStation Store, which we expect will be next week.

190 Comments

  • Staryoshi87

    Posted Jan 7, 2009 5:50 pm PT

    I've barely played my PS3 since I got another 360, perhaps I should pick up this content and get back into LBP

  • j666hul

    Posted Jan 3, 2009 2:21 am PT

    anyone know how to get the helicopter sound?i need it for a level im making.

  • zero5link

    Posted Jan 1, 2009 12:32 pm PT

    jasopan. it's $6.00 and you could get it with credit card or buying prepaid cards like the 360's MS points

  • -KU-

    Posted Dec 30, 2008 7:27 pm PT

    Its basiclly theres PS store icon under the internet icon in the XMB bar you go to it there'll you'll find the expansion and you buy it with credit card number or in advance bought tokens i believe.
    (not sure about the tokens)

  • jasopan

    Posted Dec 29, 2008 7:20 pm PT

    Hey anyone know the price of this?
    How do you pay? Sorry but thinking of getting a PS3 soon and just wanna know in advance
    thanks

  • Echo742

    Posted Dec 29, 2008 1:09 pm PT

    Cant wait for the FF pack, guess we will be getting more than seph...*crosses fingers for auron*

  • Rickie_Green

    Posted Dec 29, 2008 12:33 pm PT

    WOW.....This sounds great! I've got MGS4 and absolutely love it but I havent got LBP yet

    But now i REALLY need to get it!!!

  • chappy_man

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 10:59 pm PT

    this just adds to my wanting that ps3

  • wii-boy1

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 6:21 pm PT

    do you have to buy this with a ps3

  • acountddd

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 6:57 am PT

    Psycho_Pro that is a rhetorical question right?

  • Psycho_Pro

    Posted Dec 28, 2008 3:28 am PT

    it is worth buying for those who love cute stuff and crash bandicut

  • dj_omid1

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 10:49 pm PT

    AWESOME! I Bought It 2day And I Got Mostly All The Trophies! Thx For The Review!

  • shaved_sheep

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 8:08 pm PT

    This genuinely looks more fun to me than MGS4. I'd love to get LBP. One of the best looking games I've seen (not just graphically, I mean it looks like it's so much fun). Shame I can't afford a PS3 really...

  • j666hul

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 2:10 pm PT

    i was a bit unsure about this game before i bought it, but it is good, just the level creator alone is worth the price.gets a bit tricky at the end of the solo game, but nothing to too taxing.

  • 2w-sephiroth

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 8:04 am PT

    Is LBP this good? oh man I will have to buy... another game

  • omnislash_13

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 7:50 am PT

    I got the pack and I have to say it was definitely worth it, costumes and levels alike. The story levels are brilliant and I only wish there were more, who knows maybe they'll put together MGS1,2 and 3 versions? Wishful thinking probably.

    I think this concept makes LBP an even greater game, knowing they have the potential to colaborate with other studios and create these kind of self-parodies, I hope they do so with other franchises such as FF7 (with the upcoming Sephiroth and Cloud costumes, who knows) or God of War, I think a Sackboy Kratos would look cool and they could do some good stuff with the story.

  • j666hul

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 7:02 am PT

    did you buy it from the ps store or little big planet? i bought mine from the ps store, once i purchased it, i downloaded it, then i couldnt find it. i was then looking on the store, and i did what i wrote below, and there it was. sorry if its no help.

  • j666hul

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 6:44 am PT

    ive just checked what you have to do, go to little big store, then on the globe it sent me first to the mgs costumes, then the next location was the mgs level pack, select it, and the levels should be there. dont mean to be patronising, but you did buy both the costume and level packs?

  • Dave64

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 6:21 am PT

    i have gone onto the lbp shop in the game and there is nothing on the globe

  • j666hul

    Posted Dec 27, 2008 3:27 am PT

    dave, youve got to go on the lbp shop, if you look for the metal gear level pack, select it and the levels are playable from there.

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