PS3 Review LittleBigPlanet

I wrote a little blurb when this game was released that I wanted to go home and play it instead of going to class. That was followed up by a story about my friend that thought the game was over-hyped. He is currently in the process of picking up a side job so he can afford the game. (It is hard to be a gamer and a student). That should be considered the preview to this review. LittleBigPlanet is a game unlike any other. Let me tell you why.

LittleBigPlanet was meant to do something special, give power to the gamer and the casual fan alike. LBP does just that. You can experience the game in a variety of ways. Primarily you can play, create, or share the experience. I prefer playing and experiencing what others have created. It just suits my taste. Completing the story mode is a ton of fun and the levels that other users have made are amazing, more on that later.

Nevermind, let me talk about that right now. Creating levels is an easy task, you collect things as you go through the game and you can use them to create your own levels. You also can create your own objects which can be shared with others. Making great levels is something that the talented can do, but I have played my fair share of horrible levels. That is to be expected though. What does LBP do about this issue? Media Molecule unleashes LittleBigWorkshop. This allows you to design levels to perfection. We love perfection.

The games controls are not perfect, but they are easy to grasp. You are able to play through the levels through various layers. Jumping back will allow you play in a deeper layer. Originally there were supposed to be several layers, but this was capped for the sake of sanity. I think this was a good thing to do. I could easily see someone being trapped in the back of the level and unsure of what to do. This mechanic is combined with the ability to jump, grab and interact with just about everything in the environment. My landlord was often frustrated by his inability to perfect the jumping and grabbing initially. He eventually got the hang of it, after he had blamed his horrible hand eye coordination for about 10 minutes. (It was kinda fun to watch). Overall the controls won’t take terribly too long to grasp, but remember even the creator found them to be frustrating at times.

The game is beautiful to behold and just pure fun. I typically run around as the cotton stitch sackboy. He has a smile on his face and runs around carefree. You place him on the watermill and he has to suffer the consequences of not jumping on time. This will send me into the water and my sackboy will promptly disappear. He’ll be back with a smile on his face. There will also be a smile on mine. I’m not a texture or lighting expert by any means, but I really cannot complain about the presentation of LittleBigPlanet.

Multiplayer is probably one of the best aspects of the game. It is deep both online and offline. You can create with friends, try out levels with friends, or go through the disc based levels with friends. I tend to slap my friends when they get me killed. Other than that, I just have a great time running through the level. And trying to see who does the best. (I always do the best). I need to spend some time designing levels with friends. I could easily that taking up a great deal of time. The combination of ideas would be amazing.

One can go on and on about the game and still not do it justice. Instead, we at PSLS really think you should look at what the intent of the game was and how it has been able to fulfill that task. Not only has LBP given gamers the opportunity to make an endless game, it has given Sony a new mascot to parade to the masses. Admit it, you missed the good old mascot days. Thankfully Sackboy has brought those days back. LBP is easily a GOTY contender. Most of us knew that back around E3, but with the fanfare and positive reception by the gaming media, it is hard to see this game as anything but.

What I liked about the game:

My favorite aspect of the game is the level design. I love the disc based levels. I think that they are great and innovative. Are they as innovative as the great user created levels…that’s for you to decide. As far as the user generated content goes, you’re right, it’s a mixed bag. There are amazing levels and poorly made levels. That is what happens when you allow users to make stuff. That’s never going to change. I personally love Mario themed levels, they take me back.

I plan on making a TMNT level when I get the time. I loved the show growing up and someway, somehow, I’m going to make sure everyone gets to experience Sackboy in the TMNT world. You could say I got my motivation from the Shadow of Colossus and Final Fantasy levels. A GI Joe level wouldn’t be bad either. Though I think my attempts at this may pale in comparison to the true experts out there.

The online multiplayer is probably one of the best aspects of the game. You all know that I am away for school, so my brother and everyone else I love to play games with are far away. Luckily I can play with him, my cousin, or my god daughter. (Yes, I did say my god daughter. She freaking loves this game). That is not a knock on the offline multiplayer. The offline multiplayer is just as fun. (See the landlord story above).

What I disliked about the game:

I didn’t love the horrible levels. I knew they would be there, but…when you need to find a gripe; you’ll always find a gripe. This had led to my decision to go on a rating spree. We need to protect each other from poorly made levels and we need to get out there and continue to enjoy what makes this game great. This truly is not the game’s fault. You know you have made a level or two that was not going to cut it. 😉

There have been some complaints regarding the controls, which I can semi echo. If you needed something for me to dislike about the game that is truly the games fault, I guess the controls would be it. Though they are not truly horrible or really all that bad whatsoever. They did not hinder my or my god daughter’s experience.