Don't underestimate the fact its cute.
June last year I was introduced to a new character called Sackboy. A cute rag-doll with the ability to jump, grab and pull its way through environments and interesting puzzles. I was hooked at first sight and couldn't wait to play the game.
Fast-forward seventeen months, the game is finally ready to be played. Little Big Planet has three components, PLAY, CREATE, SHARE.
PLAY
You start off playing the Story mode, which introduces the game and your avatar Sackboy. The first three levels are designed to get you accustomed to the rag-doll physics that drive the game and give Little Big Planet a unique feel. Jumping can take a little while to get used to, especially if you are familiar with Super Mario Bros.
The game play is your typical platformer which you can move around in 3D. This can get a little confusing at first but by the time you have completed the game it comes second nature.
The games story is a little pointless, it lacks any depth but it demonstrates what you can do when its time to create your masterpiece.
CREATE
The create component is what the creators Media Molecule and Sony have been pushing since they announced the game. Basically you can create your own levels by using the tools that the creators used to make the game. While playing through the story mode you unlock tools and stickers that you can use to help make the level you like. Easier said then done, while it's not hard to make things it can be a little tricky and time consuming to get it just the way you like it. It took me two hours to tweak a rope to make it lift a star to another platform. I stuck with it, a little patience and you start to get used to the tweaking it becomes much easier.
Just a few hours ago I finished my first level it's called Fire & Ice if you have the game or getting it, please play it.
SHARE
After creating your level you are encouraged to share it with the Little Big Planet community and upload it to the server for all to play. The community can leave comments and rate your level.
This is the aspect that appeals to me the most, playing other peoples levels is a lot of fun. The game has the possibility to grow. People are creating some awesome levels, levels that are not even platforming, someone designed a working calculator.
A lot of games are now focusing on multiplayer, now that online gaming is huge. Little Big Planets online is a lot of fun. You can play all the levels in the game and create levels with friends online and next to you at home. It allows four player co-op with some parts of the levels you need more then one player to help you collect things you need for creating your levels.
Online has not been very stable as the servers have been on and off in the last week. Media Molecule have apologized and working to get it running smoothly.
I haven't had many problems with getting online. I do get a warning saying my connection is not fast but I have a feeling that's because Australian broadband is so slow (I won't go into to that). One of the problems I am having is that it tells me that someone has joined in the level but you have to wait till you die or go past a checkpoint till you can play with them.
There are some parts to the game that did not make it into the retail version. One of the features allows you to put photos from your Playstation 3 harddrive and use them in your levels. Media Molecule said they left it out because of copyright issues. The up side is that you can use the Playstation camera to take photos and use them in your levels.
I recommend this game to anyone that enjoys platforming and creating; don't be fooled by its cute presents, it can be challenging.
I LOVE THIS GAME!.