Reviews// LittleBigPlanet

We then all realised that while Mark and Gareth loved the platforming, my preference was for Creating. This is achieved on another 'planet' (which leads me to believe the game should be renamed in the plural) with what I consider to be the simple and pleasurable to use Pop-It device. Frankly, even if – like me – you have as much grasp of engineering, geology, mechanics or physics as the average Greek mountain wolf, it really does not matter. While other people around the real world are creating intricate devices and emulating Super Metal Gear Mirror's Halo Edge Brothers levels, I am happy simply building creations that would make the legendary Heath Robinson chuckle in his casket. You just get to experiment. That experimentation is simple to achieve (pick objects, textures, levers up, stick them together) but has inherent dangers. Remember, we're playing with realistic physics here. I discovered this early on because, well, I didn't bother listening to Stephen Fry and his tutorials.

Fun tutorials! Pithy. Informative. Short. Necessary tutorials that don't make you want to go back to your dealer of choice demanding, “Why the fuck has this game wasted the first four levels telling me something it could have told me in the first four seconds??!!”

Stephen Fry as well. A masterful choice from whoever it was at Media Molecule. Mr Fry actually voices the required areas and obviously did not just sit in a soundproofed room saying individual words that could be strung together later. My personal opinion is that he wrote his own script as well.

But, for now, that is the last of my personal opinion. It's enough of my effusiveness and renewed love of video gaming. It's time to see what other SPOnG members thought about a game that I am stating should change the way we think about the medium from now on. My score is at the end of this piece.

[b]Take 2
The Technical Gamer - Gavin Dodds[/b]

LittleBigPlanet is based on a very simple idea; put the design of the game in the hands of the people playing it. However, the way you are given that control is nothing short of amazing.

I've messed about with game creation tools before, from a very simple maze and platform game creator on the Commodore 64, through the excellent Shoot-em-Up Construction Kit, Freescape 3D Construction Kit and even programming packages like Blitz BASIC and the PS2's YABASIC. None of them compare to the ease with which you can manipulate your levels in LBP. Nothing short of a full-blown programming language has so far rivalled the range of functionality you have at your disposal here.

You want a square? Just choose the square shape and drop it down. It's too small? Resizing is there on the right stick, along with rotation. Wheels? Two circles and two axles later, you have a vehicle. Stick a brain on it and it'll follow you around or run away from you.

Cogs, platforms, levers, sea-saws and the like can be created just by drawing them on screen and connecting them up with joints, pistons, winches and more. Add in switches and other controls, a few dangerous items and obstacles to hinder your progress and all of a sudden you've got a level.