When we heard about Mark Healey leaving Lionhead to make a new game, more than a year ago, little did we know that the crazy guy behind Rag Doll Kung Fu would end up on the PlayStation 3 bandwagon, dropping jaws at GDC 2007 with a new mind-bending game called LittleBigPlanet. Once again, Healey's team (this time from Media Molecule) is making a genre-defying game that words simply can't describe or do justice, and the best way to "get it" is to watch it action. Just for that, we have this first LittleBigPlanet trailer, based on the demo shown at GDC and with some uplifting music in the background. Or, if you'd rather see the full 18-minute demo, you can do that too on GameVideos. Oh, and we also have some screenshots, to see how much detail they're putting into this quirky game.

So, basically, LittleBigPlanet is a game that you can play alone or with your friends, creating your own levels and sharing them with the world, or exploring what others have done, via the PlayStation Network. You start out with a funny looking character that can grab things and move them around, and you can place objects in the world to make it look - and play - the way you want it to. All in real-time, based on advanced physics, and using a very simple interface.

In time, as you hone your creative and playing skills, you will also gain access to more and more objects, and you'll be able to create increasingly complex levels that require a cooperation between players to complete. For a more detailed description, you can check the local LittleBigPlanet gamespace or the Media Molecule webiste. Or simply go for Kotaku's abridged version: "If you really need comparisons, the game is like Line Rider meets Garry's Mod meets Super Mario Bros. meets an orgasm".

  LittleBigPlanet should be released later this year on the PlayStation Network, and early next year on Blu-ray.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)