M:B #2: Little Big Planet: Game of the Year Edition

A person's enjoyment of Little Big Planet will be almost entirely based on their willingness to create custom levels using the fairly extensive level editor. Unfortunately, this isn't really what I'm looking for in a game, and hence my underwhelming response to LBP. I spent time strictly in the campaign mode, and walked away fairly unimpressed with what I saw, although to the creators' credit, the game is most known for the level creation tools.

Little Big Planet is, at its core, a simple 2D platformer where one can move Sackboy, the main character, between 3 different planes. The game has a makeshift feel to it that suggests all the levels were made from props and cutouts, which once again feeds into the creation aspect of the game. Sackboy is also able to grab onto certain objects as he collects bubbles that contain objects. These objects range from costumes for Sackboy to items to be used in the level creation mode. Collecting these bubbles forms the core of the single player campaign, for while it is not necessary to collect them to proceed, the game places a heavy emphasis on the level creation that will come after. The campaign itself is fairly challenging, with many obstacles that threaten to burn, stab, or crush Sackboy.

However, much of the game's difficulty is unintentional, as several aspects of the core formula of the game are flawed. For one, the tauted physics engine the game uses seems inherently off, as nothing seems to have the proper weight associated to it. This makes some of the platforming sections much more difficult that they need to be. One in particular comes to mind in which you're tasked with climbing a tower while clinging to rotating wheels. However, Sackboy has little to no weight associated with him, and as a result timing when to let go of the rotating wheels is near impossible. Additionally, jumping between planes is a wonky system, for jumping automatically will switch you back to the plane behind you if there is an object to land on, even if you do not want to change planes. This created several moments of unnecessary frustration for me that could have been avoided had the game simply left this feature out.

The visuals in the game are solid, with a cutout and props aesthetic that was mentioned earlier. The game by no means pushes the PS3, but at the same time the visuals serve the game well. The soundtrack for the game features licensed music from Atlas, Go! Team, and other artists, and the sound effects for the game are unremarkable for better or worse.

Overall, Little Big Planet was a bit of a disappointment to me. LBP was supposed to be a system seller, and yet to me it is simply a deeply flawed game that could have used more time to develop the basics. I realize that the physics system needed to be fairly flexible for the level creation, but when it sacrifices gameplay, its inexcusable.

Overall Score: 7.2

Recommended price: $15

Note: I really didn't spend any time with the level editor, but if I have time, I'll do an updated impression of the game and change the score accordingly if it's required.