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Sunday, November 16, 2008 |
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Little Big Planet
By kolop1 @ 11:31 AM :: 796 Views ::
0 Comments ::  :: PS3
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When I first heard about Little Big Planet and being able to easily create my own levels, I have to admit I was skeptical. I’ve used other level creators for other games and it felt like I needed a degree in rocket science to use them. Does this game live up to the hype or is it a dud? Read on to find out.
When you first start Little Big Planet you can not make your own levels. You need to play through the first few levels of the game to unlock the level creator. The game itself is a side scrolling platformer. You have ledge jumps, some puzzle solving, skateboard riding and more. Playing through the game not only unlocks the level editor, but it also unlocks items to be used in the level editor, such as backgrounds, stickers to be used to decorate your level, floor textures and more. You will want to play through the actual game if you want to have every item available to make your level. The game itself feels like a tutorial to showcase what the game can do with the level editor.
You play through the game using a sack boy; a rag doll that you customize. You can change his color and give him different clothes. You can also change his expressions to make him look happy, sad, scared or angry. By holding down the left trigger you can use both analog sticks to make him move his arms to wave and dance around; by moving the controller you can make him move his head and body. Expressions work well when you play online to let other people know if you become frustrated or trapped.
Now let’s get to the meat of what this game is about, The Level Editor. When you enter the level editor you are given a blank slate and extensive tutorials on how to use it. The tutorials are voiced over by Steven Fry and you will need each and every one of these tutorials to make sense of it all. Each item does something different; you have springs for higher jumps, bolts for swinging on, ice to make the ground slippery, spikes, and more. You can also change the in game music, background, and camera angle; everything you need to make a good side scrolling adventure. The game also has three dimensions so you can put items in the background and the foreground. You can reshape parts out of wood, metal and cardboard to create your own items, enemies, and backgrounds. You can even decide how your enemies attack; you can make them run towards you, run away from you, or just stand there. You can place bubbles around the level to collect that act as points and you can also put an item you created in a bubble as a prize. Once you have created your level, you can take it and put it online for other people to play, download and critique. Everything works the way it should and it’s very easy to learn. The only real limitation to creating the level you want is your own imagination.
You can also play other people’s levels online. You can play alone or with four other people. If you play with other people, the only downside is the camera; sometimes it pulls too far back or goes to awkward angles when it tries to fit everyone in. But it does not happen often and playing with more people is fun. Most online levels are short but imaginative. When you reach the end of each level, you can see how well you rank against the rest of the world. I also recommend using a headset when you play online. Hearing other people laugh or become frustrated as they play through a level never gets old.
This game does everything it’s advertised to do. It’s fun and intuitive, and allows you to be as creative as you want to be. Even if you don’t want to create levels, you can always download them and play with your friends. This game has limitless potential. As long as the online community supports it, you can have years of gaming with this, which is much more than most games. I recommend anyone who likes video games to buy this game; we need more games like this!
10 out of 10
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