Little Big Planet is one of my all-time favorite games, as I am constantly telling anyone who comes within five feet of me. But it occurred to me just the other day that I never actually got around to finishing the last few levels. That made me feel kind of dumb for saying it’s one of my favorite games, but it’s really just a testament to how good it is. Just a few levels in, and it’s already one of your favorite games. You don’t have to eat an entire pig to know that bacon is one of your favorite foods, right?

Anyway, after playing it for a couple hours, I thought I might play a few Brütal Legend stage battles before I went to sleep. But I was to lazy to walk all the way over to my PS3 and switch discs. (Don’t judge me, it’s like a million miles from my couch to my TV. And there are baby toys all over and it was dark and I might have twisted my ankle and my spot on the couch might have cooled off.) So instead I went into the LBP community levels and searched for “Brütal Legend,” and guess what? There are a whole bunch of Brütal levels in there! 

Click “read the rest” to see more pics.  DO IT.

Some were just a quick drive in the Deuce, but others followed the story of the game, and had Ormagöden and the Guardian of Metal and one had a head banger who actually banged his head. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this? How long have you known??
Sorry, but in my excitement over capturing these pictures, I failed to note who created these levels or what they were called. If you know, please comment!



Anyway, if you have an awesome Brütal Big Planet level, or have played a good one, please post it in our forums so we can check it out!
What’s next? Psychonauts levels?
Actually, I should search for those tonight…

Woo hoo! The dreaded PS3 “Stat Wipe” bug appears to be fixed! Who wants to test it out?

I’ll be signing on to the PSN at around 8pm, PST, and then I’ll be Stage Battling on the new Hammer of Infinite Fate maps. Hope to see you there!

I’ll be in matchmaking mode because that’s where the trophies are, my friends! Also I want to hear if the reports of faster matchmaking are true as well.

See you at 8:00!

Oh, wait. That was kind of a spoiler. Forget you read that part.

Team Xbox has announced their awards for 2009, and we got three of them!

Click on “Read the rest” to find out which awards we got.
Come on, you know the suspense is killing you!
Or at least, irritating you slightly.
If not then, it must be irritating you now.

How about now?

Anyway, you can read the full article, or just the good parts below:

AND THE WINNERS ARE…


Best Story: Brütal Legend
“Fans of developer Double Fine and the studio’s iconoclastic leader Tim Schafer were fully expecting the writing and storyline to be one of the tent-pole elements of their game, Brütal Legend. After all, this is the same man that brought the funny in Psychonauts, Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango, to name a few. A great story, based off a great concept (i.e. what would the ultimate heavy metal fantasy world be like), infused with wit and humor is Schafer’s stock in trade. Eddie Riggs, as voiced by Jack Black, is one of the best main characters in a video game in a long time, and he’s got a great cast of rock-and-roll stereotypes and in-jokes surrounding him. And for all the jokes and satire, the overall story arc comes together in a great way in the end, tying in a love story in a quite neat and satisfying way. For fans, it’s as if Schafer can do no wrong.”


Best Sound: Brütal Legend!
“In Brütal Legend, Tim Schafer and his development studio Double Fine put together a comical spin on the world of metal music, poking fun at the attitudes and posturing by the bands, the personalities involved in touring and…well, all that hair. But when it comes to a soundtrack, Schafer made sure that the music was front and center, and, best of all, it showed the diversity of metal’s many flavors. He made the music a star character in Brütal Legend, and that character is a winner.”


Developer of the Year: DOUBLE FINE!!!
Double Fine makes its game worlds and characters come alive. Double Fine has had a rough history with its game releases, having had to move from publisher to publisher with both Psychonauts and this year’s Brütal Legend. However, Tim Schafer and his band of merry gamemakers haven’t ever let that detract from creating games that have it all: entertaining scripts, characters that are rich in personality, detailed graphics, creative stories and, best of all, great gameplay. Double Fine does more than bang out a game and move on to the next project. Its employees pour their hearts into the work and genuinely seem to enjoy their toiling, undiscouraged by whatever might be happening on the business side. We can’t wait to see what the studio comes up with next.”

Me neither!

Thank you, Team Xbox!!!

Here’s a picture of me on my recent vacation, and by “vacation” I mean…

...playing the awesome game Brütal Legend after downloading the Hammer of Infinite Fate DLC. Check out my burly Mountain Man threads. They’re so rugged, they cause Eddie to spontaneously grow a beard.

What’s that awesome car next to me? That is your old pal, the Druid Plow, tricked-out with the Coiling Maw on the front—very deadly. (And the teeth cast shadows!) You can also see the Eye of Sorrow there, which is like Ophelia’s Weeping Heavens guitar solo, except tied to the front of your car. And, my favorite thing in the whole DLC pack: I have the Oculus of the Lost on my antena. The Oculus of the Lost points at any undiscovered Bound Serpents, Buried Metal, Fire Plug Jumps, etc as you drive around the world. Which is awesome because I can’t sleep at night thinking about those six Bound Serpents that I left gagged.

Now, I know what you’re thinking—I could just make our designers give me a cheater map so I could find all these things myself, but where’s the fun in that? Why make the poor designers do that, especially when I can make them do other things like eat bugs and clean my room? The Oculus is much more fun because there is still some hunting required, and it gives you an excuse to cruise around in your newly-painted Deuce, listening to awesome music, running over animals with your Coiling Maw.

Just go into the Motor Forge to find all this stuff after downloading the HoIF. You’ll also find new Deuce paint jobs (Psychonauts!) patches for Eddie’s vest (2hb!), and new heads for Mount Rockmore. (Yes, one of the heads looks a lot like me, but before you judge, listen: It wasn’t my idea! Lee Petty did it because he has a crush on me. If I reject these little tributes, he might turn into a violent stalker. So please indulge him. You get an achievement for it!)

AAAANND there are new maps! Four new awesome maps, including one where you need to protect your army from the massive hammers the Titans are crashing onto the battlefield. And there’s the Altar of Blood where players can throw a switch to drown their enemies in blood. Creepy! And fun. And a good lesson to the kids about the hazzards of blood. Kids, if you see a flood of blood coming your way, RUN.

Same thing goes for if you see a bearded man with a flying eyeball on his car antena.

I knew it! Nate from Gossip Girl is a huge Brütal Legend fan. It was so obvious with all the little hints he was dropping all season. Like when he bit the head off that bat.
Check it out:

(Also, am I crazy, or did he write it “200P?”)