But maybe you think you deserve some free stuff? Sony is willing to play ball. Once “services are fully restored,” eligible PS3 and PSP owners will be able to choose two from column A and two from column B.

All PlayStation Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever: Dead Nation, inFAMOUS, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, you will be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever: LittleBigPlanet PSP, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force, Killzone Liberation

The PlayStation Blog also says some free video rentals will be announced, plus a ridiculously large assortment of free Home items will be made available. This is all on top of the free month of PlayStation Plus, which has rightly been relegated to a secondary benefit when compared to free permanent game downloads. I don’t feel like a month tease for a pay service is much of a carrot.

As far the free games, there’s definitely some corkers on offer. Some, like Super Stardust, have been off-and-on discounts for years… but inFAMOUS and LittleBigPlanet? That’s a great grab for free. And if you already own all of the games? Sony says “too bad.”

My older kids had enjoyed their time playing with the beta test with me, give or take the usual frustration when someone falls behind. Even the symbol-matching challenge levels had been fun.

What do I like most about this game as opposed to the original? The new gizmos are absolutely key to taking things to the next level: the grapple, the grabinator, the creatinator, the controlinator, and especially the bounce pads. I know I’m missing some, but I’m also psyched for the new lbp.me site for queuing up cool levels to play from anywhere on the web when you log back into your PS3.

Coverage on IGN’s Podcast Beyond Episode 169 included the return of former IGN’er and BradyGames guide writer Sam Bishop who spent over 150 hours with various builds of the game as he worked on the guide. He came away impressed with the cleverness of the game levels and how Media Molecule used so many interesting tricks and new features of the bundled in game creation tools to give the player a fun campaign, as well as making the visual effects of the engine look that much better.

A new 8-bit retro-style Arcade Trailer was released yesterday with even more excellent music to groove to. You can see that right after the break, along with the press release but before the break you can check out Kevin Butler’s unique spin on the title.

LittleBigPlanet(TM) 2 Now Available, Exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) System

Sackboy’s Latest Adventure Provides Endless Fun for Fans While Redefining the World of User-Generated Content in this PLAY, CREATE, SHARE Sequel to the Award-Winning Franchise

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. (SCEA) today announced the North American release of LittleBigPlanet(TM) 2, the sequel to the award-winning, multi-million unit selling hit LittleBigPlanet(TM),exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) system. Developed by Media Molecule, the same creative team that brought you LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2 provides players a new means to PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE, with revolutionary gameplay mechanics that allow for a level of control and customization that has never been seen before. This franchise has always empowered players to CREATE their own levels with the same tool set used by the development team, but now with evolved creation abilities, players can not only make better levels, but completely new games across multiple genres. LittleBigPlanet 2 also features a brand new storyline, a revamped graphics engine supplying stunning visuals, and added accessories and equipment to help Sackboy(TM) to make his way through this new world.

“Since the launch of LittleBigPlanet, our online community has uploaded over three million levels to the PlayStation Network, with creations popping up everyday that continue to amaze,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “With LittleBigPlanet 2, players now have the ability to create actual games across different genres, so it will be very exciting to see what our community can come up with. LittleBigPlanet 2 also boasts a brand new story mode for Sackboy to explore that, coupled with the millions of user-created levels online, provides an endless entertainment experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family.”

LittleBigPlanet 2 begins with a new story mode that provides a beautifully reshaped world for Sackboy to explore and PLAY. The campaign includes 40 story levels across six different themes; each level influenced by cultural high points in history and visually stunning when seen through the game’s revamped graphics engine. All of the new levels and territories to PLAYfuse different historical ideas together to create fresh aesthetics that populate this new world, with themes including: Techno Renaissance, Steampunk and Cake, Neon Propaganda, Fluffy High-Tech, Designer Organic, and Hand-made Arcade.

With the implementation of a new CREATE mode, the tools have evolved to allow users to make actual games, not just levels. Players can reset the controller buttons for any object and change the rules to any level using the Controlinator, and new multiplayer abilities advance the types of games possible for a social/competitive experience–imagine racing games, flying games, shooters, puzzle games, sports games, action/adventure games, and more.

And what would a LittleBigPlanet game be without new SHARE abilities. An enhanced SHARE experience will have gamers spending less time searching and more time playing the millions of levels and games created by fans around the world. With the unveil of LBP.me (http://lbp.me/), a social networking website, every published online level/game will get its own webpage, so users can search/find creations while online at home/work, mark them, and have these favorites queued up and ready to PLAY when you return to your PS3 and sign onto PlayStation®Network. Users will also be able keep an eye on what games/levels your friends are playing via activity steams, as well as link levels together to provide longer gameplay experiences without the breakup of going back to the ‘Pod.’

Sackboy will also have new tools and equipment to aid him on his journey, including a Grapple Hook for swinging across large gaps and pulling small objects towards you, the Grabinator for picking things up and throwing them, and the customizable Creatinator for Sackboy to carry and can spew out anything a creator desires.

Additional new features include the Music Sequencer, allowing players to compose their own musical score and connect in-game objects to your own custom tunes, a cinematic Cut-Scene Maker to create stand-alone movies or cut-sequences in levels, customizable Sackbots–interactive, programmable non player characters that bring the game to life, and of course a host of new CREATE materials and gadgets to satisfy any imagination.

LittleBigPlanet 2 offers four-player offline and online multiplayer, a host of fun and challenging trophies to collect, and is backwards compatible with LittleBigPlanet allowing players to access the more than three million online levels created with the original game. The Blu-ray disc will also include Sackboy’s(TM) Prehistoric Moves–stand-alone bonus levels that support PlayStation®Move. LittleBigPlanet 2 is a single or multiplayer creative gaming experience that has an ESRB rating of “E” for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org. For more information about the LittleBigPlanet franchise, visit www.LittleBigPlanet.com.

Acclaim for the LittleBigPlanet Franchise

Since its launch in October 2008, the LittleBigPlanet franchisehas sold more than four million copies worldwide. It has been widely praised and critically acclaimed with more than 80 industry awards worldwide, 15 of which have been for Game of the Year categories, with awards ranging from the top gaming critics to prestigious organizations such as the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The title has established the PLAY, CREATE, SHARE creative gaming genre and the game continues to grow and evolve, helped by the support of countless fans around the globe. The customizable nature of the unique PlayStation® exclusive title allows players to alter characters and build entirely new objects and levels, then share and play them online as part of the LittleBigPlanet community. In fact, the sharing nature of the game has become so embraced, it has attracted fans to publish more than three million levels to the PlayStation Network since the award-winning game was released.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSPgo and PS3 systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations.

Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com.

“PlayStation”, “PSP”, “PS one” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3″ is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. LittleBigPlanet ©2007 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Media Molecule. LittleBigPlanet is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Sackboy is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC.

Those of us fortunate enough to spend some time with the beta of this game know that folks who really liked the original LittleBigPlanet are in for a treat with LBP2. It just looks and plays so much better and the myriad of inventions profiled in so many great videos lately really give the gameplay that push over the top. Add in the monstrous creative opportunities along with the import of your LBP1 profile and DLC, and you’ve got something I hope will become another must-have game for every PlayStation 3 owner.

The UK Official PlayStation Magazine has already given the title a perfect 10. Will that be the tune other critics will march to? Let’s find out.

Dec. 7
Kung-Fu Live (PS3, PSN) – This side-scrolling brawler uses the PS Eye camera to take a digital image of you and read your body moves to make it punch, kick, and – carefully, watch out for that coffee table – jump over your enemies. A demo will tell me all I need to know about this one.

Dec. 9
Tron Evolution (PS3, PSP) – The Tron: Legacy movie nerds everywhere have been waiting for will reach theaters and a video game that may not really be sticking close to it is slated to launch alongside it this month. This will have Move support for controlling vehicles and stereoscopic 3D support for both single player and multiplayer. While the mechanics of the multiplayer modes don’t seem all that novel on paper the retro Tron visuals should strike a chord with gamers.

Dec. 14
Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves (PS3, PSN) – This download-only game from Media Molecule is set to sate our appetite for our little stitched-up hero ahead of the launch of his January sequel but takes things in a different direction. It’ll feature Move support for co-op play with another player manning the standard Dual Shock 3. This will be great to play with my kids, but I’m not going to buy it in December since it will be packed in with LittleBigPlanet 2 in January. If you’re a Plus subscriber you’ll see this game a week sooner.

Dec. 21
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Vietnam (PS3, PSN) – This is expansion for the well-received military shooter will be delivered entirely via PSN download (and Xbox Live Marketplace for our green-themed friends). IGN’s preview at the link above talks about how the varied aspects of the levels really showcase the Frostbite engine and that the preview build still had the really good looks and gameplay of the original game.

Dec. 29
Marvel Pinball (PS3, PSN) – The wizards behind the acclaimed Zen Pinball return with a Marvel Comics themed pinball game late this month. One can argue that these should just be expansion tables for Zen Pinball but licensing dollars and ease of marketing probably win out, and I’m going to wager that a fuller set of Trophies will be up for grabs than DLC would allow. In the end, if they can leverage their already exceptional pinball game experience from Zen Pinball nobody will have anything to complain about gameplay-wise.

I’m not asking for a Duke Nukem Forever sized delay, mind you, but yeah, Q1 of 2011 is fine by me. Found this tidbit on EvilAvatar.

I’m really digging the new choice of theme for LittleBigPlanet 2, and today’s trailer released at GamesCom talks up Story in the new game. It also shows a tantalizing split seconds of a full music composer tool, how you can apparently teach sackbots motions, and a hint of cinematic camera angles now available. Another bit to see is a sneak peek at the web portal integration for queuing up levels for download.

It doesn’t hurt that the trailer opens with children drawing cool LittleBigPlanet-style pictures on a chalkboard, putting us in the mood for playfulness this game goes for over everything else.

It’s not altogether clear on the website if this will be on the PS3 only, or also on the PSP. I suspect it’ll be the PS3, but if they put it on the PSP as well that could explain what took it so long to show up.

Check out the full release at LittleBigPlanet’s website.

The game now keeps its user profile and your levels in the Game Data area of the PS3. Doing a profile backup saves a copy of it to the Saved Data area of the PS3, which can be backed up or copied off the PS3 safely. Backing up individual levels also saves them to the Saved Data section. If you don’t, and your PS3 dies, restoring your data using the Backup Utility won’t bring back Game Data to your new PS3, which means your profile is gone and your custom-made levels are gone. And, as I remembered in time to save my data this weekend, this will also happen if you upgrade the hard drive on your existing PS3.

What did you play this weekend?

One of the bullet points that I hope to someday see under the SHARE heading is some serious outside sharing abilities. Many months ago, Media Molecule mentioned a web-based sharing feature which would allow you to promote your levels online… maybe that’s part of LBP2′s enhancements. I’d also like to see a direct-to-YouTube feature, which is something that more and more PS3 games have been adding. I also need a screenshot ability that doesn’t end up with tiny jpgs that look like ass.

LBP2 is expected to arrive before the end of the year.

GAMING IS AGAIN REDEFINED: AWARD-WINNING FRANCHISE RETURNS TO THE PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) SYSTEM IN LITTLEBIGPLANET 2

Multi-Million Unit Selling Experience Returns to Reinvent the World of User-Generated Content Allowing Fans to PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE Full-Scale Games, Not Just Levels, in this Revolutionary Sequel!

FOSTER CITY, Calif., May, 10, 2010 – Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. (SCEA) announced today plans to release LittleBigPlanet™ 2, the sequel to the award-winning, multi-million unit selling hit LittleBigPlanet™, exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system. Developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet 2 will provide fans a new means to PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE, including a revamped graphics engine supplying stunning visuals, a fresh storyline, added accessories and equipment for Sackboy, and revolutionary gameplay mechanics providing players a level of control and customization that has never been seen before.

“Since LittleBigPlanet launched, our online community has created an amazing selection of levels with the tools available,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “With LittleBigPlanet 2, users will now have a new, evolved Create mode with the ability to make actual games, not just levels, providing an endless gaming adventure for fans, as well as an entertainment experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family.”

Utilizing an updated graphics engine and state-of-the-art visual technologies, LittleBigPlanet 2 will showcase Sackboy better than ever. Along his adventure, the stitched together icon will have access to new equipment to aid him on his journey, including a grappling hook, power gloves, a magic bag, and more, all anchored by a fresh storyline to PLAY that is set in an artistically modernized new world. Players will also have the opportunity to add customizable Sackbots (robot Sackboys) to their creations. These interactive, programmable characters bring the game to life and allow users to record animations and voice-overs with them, as well as customize sizing and clothing for each individual or group of Sackbots.

LittleBigPlanet has always empowered players to CREATE their own levels by utilizing the same tool set used by the development team. In LittleBigPlanet 2, the tools have evolved to allow users to not only make better levels, but completely new games. With the implementation of a new CREATE mode, players will have the ability to broaden their developer horizons across multiple genres. Now allowing for a higher level of gameplay control, players can reset the control buttons for any object and change the rules to any level—imagine racing games, flying games, and shooters–you can now take control of anything! Also included are new multiplayer abilities so games can have life meters, scoring, and other elements to advance the types of games available for a social/competitive multiplayer experience, including puzzle games, sports, action/adventure, and more. Added to these fundamentals are a movie-like cut-scene maker to improve the storyline components of each creation and a newly enhanced SHARE component making it easier to search for, play through, and showcase the millions of levels around the world.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will be backwards compatible with LittleBigPlanet allowing players to access all online levels created with the original game. It will also include bonus levels that will support the PlayStation®Move navigation controller. LittleBigPlanet 2 is a single or multiplayer creative gaming experience that has an ESRB rating of “RP” for Rating Pending. For more information about the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org. For more information about the LittleBigPlanet franchise, visit www.littlebigplanet.com.