LittleBigPlanet was first shown GDC 2007, since then it has risen in rank from a small game no one knew about to the Playstation 3’s must have killer app. Game journalist everywhere have nothing but good things to say about this game and most think it could turn the tide in the console “war” to Sony’s favor. We were finally lucky enough to get our hands on a beta code and try the game out first hand and you can read all about it after the JUMP!
LittleBigPlanet’s story mainly revolves around you and your imagination. Before you start the actual game there is an intro movie that builds on that idea. It shows everyday people daydreaming and imagining shapes and stickers from the world of LBC floating around their heads and eventually flying into space forming a “LittleBigPlanet”. There are other small story elements scarred around the game, but the game is less about story and more about the feel they’ve given this world you live, create and play in. The game is also fully narrated by none other then Stephen Fry ++.
Gameplay is what LittleBigPlanet is all about. For the uninformed LittleBigPlanet is essentially a game where you make your own game. Users can create levels, vehicles, mazes, traps really anything that you can imagine. There are tools, shapes & widgets that users can interact with to create levels. On the surface this sounds very daunting but, the games developer Media Molecule was smart enough to build in smart and useful tutorials that explain and give users real examples on how all the important tools work.
Once your creation is finished and ready for prime time, you can then go and share it with the world. Which is where LittleBigPlanet will gain it’s longevity. Users can upload anything they make with the entire LittleBigPlanet community through the Playstation Network. This is a genius move by the folks over at Media Molecule giving LBC a non stop stream of new content.
LittleBigPlanet plays really well, but it isn’t perfect. There are a few small gripes I have with the gameplay mechanics. First is the grip mechanic, which allows uses to grab on to certain objects like sponges. This mechanic usually works pretty well, but sometimes if you push against the object your character will just walk around it. There is also a strange issue where your character will try and duck under certain objects when pushing against them which can sometimes kill you or get you stuck indefinitely. Lastly and most important to me is that there is not enough control over the camera. LittleBigPlanet is set on a pseudo 2D playing field with 3 levels of depth, users can scale, zoom and slightly rotate the camera. The rotation is where I run into problems when trying to fine-tune my creations. At times you simply don’t get enough view of your left & right. Other then those issues the game controls pretty well, and is easy to just pick up and play.
LittleBigPlanet is simply one of the best looking games on the Playstion 3. While it’s graphics are fairly simple, mostly rendering everyday items you’d see around your house, it does it at such a high quality there are times where the scenes you make actually look real. The graphics of LittleBigPlanet are all about texture and the texture work is amazing. Glass, wood, rubber, sponge & cardboard are all rendered in the highest quality and are pretty much as realistic as can get.
The sound in LittleBigPlanet shines as bright as the graphics. The Games main musical themes are whimsical orchestral pieces with some modern drums, scratch & samples thrown in for fun. All of the games sound effects are great & can actually be used as part of your creations. Some users have gone as far as to create whole musical themes simply using creation tools. So with enough time and determination you can pretty much create anything you want.
After spending a little over a week with LittleBigPlanet, this game could be what Sony has been hoping for since the systems launch. It features a new and endearing main character/mascot Sack Boy, an amazing aesthetic, and it is simply a fun game. If Sony markets this game right it could be the kick in the pants they’ve been waiting for.
All in all LBC is a great game, with users creating TONS of great new content and the expected DLC coming from Media Molecule this game will just keep getting better for a long time to come. I do however have a word of warning, be careful, this game can seriously suck up your time. This past weekend I fired up LBC at about 11pm and didn’t stop till 9am that morning. You have been warned!!
LittleBigPlanet is set to take the world by storm October 24. Now this was only a Beta of the full game, but if it’s any indicator this will be a MUST HAVE for any PS3 owner.
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