Proto:LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable)

This page details one or more prototype versions of LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation Portable).

  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this. Specifically: Comparison screenshots, preferably at the system's native resolution.

The June 29, 2009 "Alpha" build of LittleBigPlanet PSP was released on July 26, 2020 by MysteriousCube. The .iso containing the build was found on a backup disc created by a former SCE Cambridge Studio employee, alongside builds for MediEvil: Resurrection and WipEout Pure.

NOTE: This build should be played on real hardware (either PSP or PS Vita via Adrenaline), as it will not boot on any version of PPSSPP past version 0.9.8.

Sub-Pages

Debug Menu

Level Differences

XMB Metadata Differences

• On the XMB, the game is referred to as "Little Big Planet PSP", rather than simply "LittleBigPlanet™".

	Alpha	Final
Game Data
Save Data
		N/A

• The XMB icon is missing the vignette and stickers behind the logo, which itself is slightly bigger and has a harsher dropshadow.
• The alpha's XMB background has Sackboy standing in front of a sheet of grid paper, while the final has him poking through a hole in the paper. The alpha's version is also missing the coloured paint splatters, instead having company logos and copyright text along the edges.
• The save data's metadata is unique from the final (which opts to reuse the game's icon and background), featuring an animated icon clearly marked as placeholder, a darkened grid paper background, and a short instrumental loop that plays when highlighting it in the XMB.
  • The text displayed when highlighting the save data in the XMB uses placeholder strings with no indication about what each save is for.

Game Title Here (128 bytes max)
Save Data Title Here (128 bytes max)
Save Data Detail Here (1024 bytes max)

• During installation, the game creates three directories in ms0:/PSP/SAVEDATA/:
  • LBPPSP012345INSTALL, which contains icons and metadata for various Popit items.
  • LBPPSP012345PROFILE, which contains the player's save data, including story progress and any user-generated content.
  • LBPPSP012345PATCHES, a seemingly unused folder that may have been used for an early implementation of game updates. For the retail game, the patched executable and its associated archives are stored in ms0:/PSP/GAME/%TITLE_ID%/, where %TITLE_ID% is the game's Title ID.

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Is LBPPSP012345PATCHES actually unutilised, or does it check for something in here?

General Differences

• The bulk of the game's data is packed inside of lbp_archive.psarc which, unlike the final game's lbp_archive.arc, is not encrypted.
• Score multipliers work differently than in the final game; they last longer and immediately multiply the value of Score Bubbles while active, as opposed to multiplying the number of points accumulated during a combo after it expires.
• Sackboy's animations are overall less refined in this build.
  • Facial expressions are implemented, but do not have their unique idle animations. Furthermore, none of the emotes (performed in the final game by pressing L + any D-Pad direction) are present.
  • There are no animations for switching layers, or jumping while running (the standing jump animation is used instead).
  • When standing still on a moving platform, Sackboy will turn to face the direction the platform is moving in, rather than continually face the player like in the final game.
• When all of a creature's brains have been popped, it falls apart rather than disappearing immediately like in the final game. This can sometimes lead to Sackboy being unfairly killed by a "dead" creature, since the creature parts don't get unlethalised like the PS3 game.

Graphical Differences

• Materials lethalised with Horrible Gas have a noticeable bevel around their edges, which was removed form the final.

Create Mode Differences

Create Mode is present and unlockable by finishing Down Under, though it is in a VERY rough, borderline unusable state. Many tools haven't been implemented or don't work properly, and the game is extremely prone to crashing.

• The Thermometer, displayed on the left side of the screen in the final game, is not present here.
• The main Popit menu is comprised of a 3x3 grid, though only seven options are present. The final game removed the Hearted Items icon, and chopped off a column.
• Sackboy himself can be picked up and moved by the Popit Cursor like any other object. Attempting to delete him by pressing Triangle will crash the game.

User Interface Differences

General

Prototype	Final

• All of the loading screens use an early loading image comprised of various art assets from the PS3 game, and a piece of paper with "Milestone Alpha!" written on it. This was replaced with an animated loading screen inspired by the PS3 game's startup sequence.

Prototype	Final

• The language select is rather bare bones; all of the options are in an unlabelled tall list, rather than a full-screen grid like in the final.

Popit

• A non-functional Hearted Items list is present in the main Popit menu, in both Play and Create Mode, though it is impossible to actually Heart items in this game. The button was removed from the final game, although the icon for it still exists in the files.
• Scaling and rotating stickers works differently compared to the final.
  • Rather than holding R and moving the analogue stick, scaling is mapped to Up/Down on the D-Pad, rotation being done by pressing Left/Right.
  • Scaling and rotation occurs in noticeable, rigid increments, rather than smoothly scaling and rotating.

Main Menu

• On the main menu, controls are disabled while Stephen Fry is talking; it is possible to skip his dialogue by pressing Circle, however.
• The "Go Online" option under Community Moon is broken, crashing the game shortly after pressing it.
• A LittleBIGLink option can be found under My Pod, which would have been used to link the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable games to unlock bonus content. It provides the choice of either a USB or Wireless Connection, but aside from the latter dimming the screen, neither seems to do anything when the "Connecting to PS3..." message appears.