Sackboy awaits your personal touch

ByABC News
October 7, 2008, 6:46 AM

— -- Looking to join the A-list of video-game stars such as Mario and Lara Croft is Sackboy?

At first glance, the burlap-skinned mascot of the anticipated new Sony PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet lacks those predecessors' panache. But Sackboy exhibits an engaging Everyman appeal, from younger players to experienced gamers, in the groundbreaking title due Oct. 21 ($60, rated for all ages). "Sackboy is not just a little cute character. It's actually you," says Kareem Ettouney, art director of Media Molecule, the U.K.-based developer of the game.

Sackboy's small shoulders bear huge expectations. A wide-appeal hit could help the PlayStation 3 gain momentum in the console game wars currently dominated by the novice-friendly Nintendo Wii. Since both systems were released nearly two years ago, the Wii has outsold the PS3 by more than 2 to 1 (11.9 million vs. 5.2 million), according to market tracking firm The NPD Group.

"This is huge for (Sony)," says Adam Sessler, host of X-Play on the G4 video game TV network. "It runs a little contrary to what the PlayStation image has been in the past. At the same time, this is fresh. It gives something very distinct to the PS3 that is not available" on the Wii or Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Mario has a trademarked look; you get to customize and accessorize Sackboy. "It is really like having a little dress-up doll," says Ricardo Torres of video game news site GameSpot.com.

At first, players direct Sackboy running, jumping and swinging through a homespun world of Rube Goldberg-like contraptions. After playing through initial levels, they also can begin creating new scenes and levels for Sackboy to roam, and upload their creations for other players to explore revolutionary advances in user-generated content similar to the new PC game Spore.

"It's a huge step forward in user interaction and creativity potential on a console system, that's for sure," says Rob Smith, editor in chief of TheOfficial PlayStation Magazine. Sony is "basically putting high-end game design tools in the hands of users."