LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Incredibly, Little Big Planet manages to deliver on the 18 months of hype and promotion. It is one of the most refreshing, creatively expressive games in history. The simple themes of Play, Create and Share mean that LBP has the potential to become one of the most varied communites in existence. The early signs are certainly promising.The games introduction is very gentle, and is narrated by Stephen Fry. Aspects have to be unlocked, so Create isnt immediately available, which does prevent overwhelming the player initially. Theres a tutorial for absolutely everything, which can be reviewed at any time.The single player mode is surprisingly complete. I expected this to be little more than an introduction to creating levels, but they are fiendishly challenging and well varied. Specific challenge levels can be unlocked by locating keys, and theres even a loose plot attached to it all. It is rather disjointed, but the effort is appreciated. Sackboy helps a feuding couple get married, battles an evil Sheriff and saves the Savannah from a forest fire (amongst others).What makes these levels so much more is that every aspect; absolutely EVERYTHING can be recreated yourself. So a simple element or design becomes an idea to take away and integrate into your own masterpiece. And that sense of wonder and feeling of infinite possibilities wil remain for a long time.The graphics are astounding, the lack of a HUD means the environments are even more immersive. The hand made feel works like a dream and Sackboy is a triumph of character design; simple yet the most memorable creation in recent years.LBPs future will ultimatley be decided online. Media Molecule have stated they intend to support it for a long time after launch. The current DLC available is for Sackboy costumes, and already theres a worrying trend that most of this will be charged for. Many costumes are taken from existing franchises (Street Fighter 2, Resistance, Loco Roco and Motorstorm so far). Licensing may explain why they arent free, but my cynicism feels this will be exploited for as long as LBP is popular. Especially as most of these games are published by Sony.On the other hand, playing user created levels is completely free, and the comunity is beginning to thrive. Some levels are dross, but the rating system will hopefully ensure that quality shines and the rest sinks without a trace. Highlights so far include Metal Gear Sacklid, Ghostbusters, and recreations of music from classics like Mortal Kombat and Final Fantasty VII. levels can be searched by keyword or user, and theres a quick play selection to jump randomly into someones creation. Favourite levels and authors can be hearted for quick reference as well.LBP is a quirky, brilliant title that deserves to achieve great things. It plays like virtually every 2D platformer created, thus its impossible to describe exactly why its so good, or feels so groundbreaking. It just is.

I've never written a review on amazon, but after playing this game during the beta i felt compelled to tell people just how brilliant this game is.First off you have the story mode, in this its like the normal single player type of game, its ingenius and fun to play, for the first time my girlfriend played with me and she hates game but loved this, its simple and just a great laugh, first customising your sackboy/girl and then playing the levels together, its cute, friendly and everyone can play.The story mode could be sold on its own as its probably better than most games out but its probably less than half of what makes LBP Great.After playing through most levels you can start creating your own, now i've played many games you can edit levels and i've been left confused mostly and stopped after 5 minutes, but steven fry's tutorials last around 30 minutes and after this your pretty much sorted! i created my own level after an hour or so which my girlfriend played and told me it was too hard and there wasn't enough colours a "womans touch" she said and even she wants to make one. After you've created the level you can publish it online and get other people to rate it and see what they think.All in all this game is superb the story mode alone deserves a 10/10 but with the online mode which lets you play other peoples levels whenever you want and you don't even need to play them online so no lag or random online people slapping you it makes an endless supply of content!I was worried it would be quite simple games as its basically a platformer but this was squashed after i saw people making large complex systems, rockets, cars, traps, calcuators, protecting a box, sonic, boss battles, Mario, metal gear solid and grand theft auto levels it'll be hard to get bored!I hadn't preordered this game but now i have, this game is perfect for anyone girls guys kids adults, you need this game, if any parents are reading this looking for ideas this is the game! its recieving perfect scores all round and is the only game that seems not for the Wii and that isn't a shooter!BUY IT NOW!!!!

Firstly, I never would have bought this game were it not for the fact that Amazon had it on offer for £17 - seemed like a no-lose situation so I went for it!You have to finish the first 3 Worlds before LBP's online world is accessible, but once you do it's fantastic and really adds longevity to the game.The controls can be a little frustrating, especially jumping in and out of the 3 'depths' of screen - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!!I also think it's a bit cheeky of Sony to sell outfits for £1.60 a pop and extra levels for £4-5 but I guess you don't have to buy them unless you are a completist...!I designed my first level after having the game for 5 days (check out JOT381 if you fancy a play!) and it took about 8 hours (most of which was tweaking for gameplay) but I am pleased with it. Some online levels are immensely impressive and must have taken DAYS to do, but it certainly gets easier with practice.The game itself is an enjoyable platformer, but it's the creativity that really sells it to me. I heard all the hype before release and read the rave reviews, but I still wasn't prepared to chance £40 on something that cannot really be explained until you play it.So, I thank you Amazon, even if my wife doesn't as it has made her a PS3 Widow!!! :)