LittleBigPlanet

WHAT I LIKE

1. Cutest. Game. Ever. Even if you don’t think of ‘cute’ as being a positive descriptor, you will. This game is bursting with charm, from the obvious Sackboy character to most of the levels and even the British-accented narration. You’ll be smitten almost instantly. The soundtrack adds to this, with some of the catchiest and wackiest songs this side of Katamari Damacy. The best songs show up early in the game, though, so there isn’t a lot to look forward to aurally past the first half. Also, collecting stickers and objects and things is beyond addicting.
2. There really is a lot of variety in the level design. It goes far beyond what you’ve likely seen in commercials. There are a bunch of different zones, each with their own theme, characters, and enemy types. They range from Japanese gardens to city streets to a snowy tundra, and beyond. This keeps the story mode from getting boring, all the way through to the end. It is incredible how much the developers were able to produce with the same level creator they give you.
3. Level creation tools are robust and probably about as easy as they could be while being so powerful. That’s not to say they’re too simplified – there’s definitely a learning curve. But if you are willing to take the time to get a hang of the creator, there is a lot of possibility here.
4. Difficulty ramps up nicely throughout the story mode, with a few surprisingly fun boss fights tossed into the mix. The beginning is incredibly easy, and by the end you’ll be pushing your platforming skills to their limits.
5. Playing with friends is great fun. Even though certain challenging parts are nigh-impossible with multiple players, the added ridiculousness of having your buddies around this crazy world makes for lots of fun. You can slap each other, drag each other around, or just play and solve the special multiplayer puzzles together. It’s is great even online, where matchmaking and joining/dropping games is quick and easy.

WHAT SUCKS

1. The story doesn’t make any sense. It seems like the object of your journey keeps changing for no reason, or is just very vague most of the time. I don’t see how most of the levels fit into the story of “freeing the stolen characters of LBP.” I think that’s what the story is supposed to be, at least.
2. Precision jumps are so much more difficult than they should be, it’s unbelievable. The in-air control/moving jumps feel sloppy and make some parts of the game (last few levels) beyond frustrating. You will even occasionally find yourself balancing on the edge of a platform you should have made it to, with no option but to watch your character slowly slide back off the side to his doom. Sorry, try again. Another frustrating element of the platforming involves the game’s layered approach. There are three layers to any part of a level (foreground, background, and midground), any of which can usually be accessed easily. Unfortunately, the game’s auto-layer-switching isn’t always appropriate, and can lead to unnecessary and infuriating deaths.
3. While the level editor has loads of possibilities, most players aren’t going to take the time to learn it and make a fun level. It’s very time-consuming to even learn the basics of all your creative options. While this wealth of options is a good thing in theory, your average gamer likely isn’t going to take the time necessary to familiarize themselves with the system enough to make actual, timely production feasible. Any time you watch a video of level-creation, it’s in ultra-fast forward. There is a reason for this. Custom objects will likely be much more popular than entire levels.
4. The game encourages you to play with friends by including puzzles requiring multiple players, but some of the game’s other challenges are impossible to get more than one person through at a time. You will likely find yourself choosing the strongest player to complete a section, while allowing the others to die, just so you can move on. Also, multiple players in level creation simply does not work. Unless you have a crack team of highly motivated, savvy and inspired team-players, it is simply too frustrating. The camera strays too far back to make detailed creation possible, and getting people to work closely enough with each other is unlikely.
5. Even though they could have easily included the option, the game fails to include custom soundtracks. Apparently this was a conscious decision by Media Molecule. I disagree with their choice. I would love to listen to some brutal death metal while jumping my cute little Sackboy through the wild. Why, Media Molecule? Why?

IN CLOSING

This game is adorable fun for almost anyone. Even non-gamers will find it irresistible. Once you beat the story mode, going back to collect 100% of the stickers, objects, and other decorations will probably keep many players interested in going back to many of the levels, while unlockable challenges like the aptly-titled Skateboard Freefall are great for repeated plays already. Another reason to keep playing is the wealth of shared levels available online, some of which are amazingly creative, even one week after the game’s official release (this does include beta levels). Unfortunately, the level creation tools are a bit too in-depth to be attractive to most casual gamers, and they take time and dedication to become productive or fun at all. This should not stop you from taking a look into the game, however, as the level-sharing possibilities mean that even after finishing the game, the stream of new levels to play should be practically never-ending, even if you don’t want to take the time to make any yourself. The more I poke around the editor, though, the more familiar I am becoming, which leads to slightly smoother creation of what I want, which will likely lead to design. I guess if you are willing to push through your frustration enough times, it could yield lots of good times. Oh, and with some of the best art design in recent memory, the game looks great, too!