Different strokes for different folks.

I think the game can be a bit polarizing. For example, when you first see levels like the LBP Calculator level (from the beta) the reaction is typically either:

1. OMG Wow I can't believe that's possible man this game is the best evar!

2. Why the h3ll would someone waste their time making a calculator that's clearly no fun to play? Hey, you can make a calculator using the Crysis SDK, but you don't see people wasting their time on that, do you?

The LBP commercials shown, as rare as they are, are just plain bad. They just show some random shots of platforming characters in even more random dresses/gettups on levels that look like they were designed by someone on a bad trip.

Unfortunately, they would actually have to explain what the game is to get people interested, but Sony seems more interested in trying to build up some "What is Fun?" tagline that a marketing person came up with (and who clearly didn't play the game).

The giant things are really cool, and graphically it's crazy how smooth it looks. It's also sweet that they're basically packaging 2 campaigns, between single player and co-op.

Unfortunately, the gameplay still manages to look generic. I suppose if you don't already own a slew of shooters, this should be a must-buy.

LBP server issues are well publicised. With a large and arguably the most important aspect of the game (level sharing) still being not all that usable.

LBP doesn't have the easily advertised appeals and immediate draws of games like Gears of War and so it seems to me a game that is to survive and flourish on the power of word of mouth. With people not being able to get the best out of the game I think this could have serious repercussions on the games success. Which is sad because it is certainly something very new and unique.

What about you guys do you think LBP sales will suffer due to its stuttering performance at launch? Or do you still think this will be a blockbuster hit for Sony and the PS3?

cakeorrdeath

Dear Sony,

Thank you for bringing the following PC headaches to consoles:

- Mandatory installs before playing

- Limited HDD space (because of mandatory installs, poor 20Gb owners)

- Buggy releases that need to be patched

- Unequal hardware (BC or no BC SKU)

and now:

- MMO-like launches, where a game whose touted most-touted mode involves sharing and playing online is broken at launch due to server issues.

Signed,

Gamers

To be a bit more on topic though, I don't think that it will really affect sales too much...as long as they get their house in order soon. I'm sure more casual people will be picking this up over the holidays, so as long as the experience is solid from them, good word-of-mouth will most likely prevail.

I think it will need more unique games like LBP to get me interested.

I mean, if I don't have a PS3, I miss out on Resistance 2 and Killzone 2. But do I really care? Given the number of quality shooters available (Half Life, Left4Dead, CoD, Halo, Far Cry, Crysis, STALKER, Quake, Battlefield...), my answer is no, I won't miss them because there are too many to play anyways.

+Great score.

+It looks like the game has tons of content, and worth the $ for a PS3 owner that doesn't own many other shooters. Seriously, it's nice to see a company go balls-out on adding content, and not just sticking with the boring trend of 8-hour single-player + deathmatch.

-Unfortunately, to me it looks pretty generic. I'm not sure if it's just the unflattering gameplay scenes most reviews/previews have shown, but the guns look/sound boring, and the animations stiff. In the sea of FPS titles already available, it won't have a spot in my library.

It saddens me that the console market is starting to go through the trials and tribulations that PC games have (almost) always gone through. Now that consoles are online, it's too easy for a dev to push out a title and just patch it later.

Sometimes, the scope of the game is too large to really test every little detail, but some of the examples mentioned by the OP are just inexcusable. To be honest, I think that things will be getting worse in the next few years before they get better.

Needs to be cheaper for me to buy one (< $300, preferably $250).

The only exclusive that looks interesting is LBP (never liked MGS, and I already own enough shooters so Resistance2 and Killzone2 don't really tempt me). But I wouldn't shell out $400 + $60 just to play it, especially if there's a chance it ends up on the PSP (which I have) in some form or other.

i doubt people buy consoles if they prefer a controller other a diff controller

Sony-tha-champ0

I have to admit that the controller factored a bit into my decision. I never felt comfortable with a PS controller, especially in shooters. Why would I buy a console where I wouldn't be confortable with such a basic thing? Why doesn't a third party make a 360 clone for the PS3, and vice-versa?