Exclusive Hands On with the LittleBigPlanet Beta
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It is only a matter of time before a Playstation 3 exclusive (that means that the game only is available on the Playstation 3) forces everyone to purchase a new Playstation 3 system. That exclusive will be released on October 27th, and it is titled LittleBigPlanet. Trust me it is worth it. LittleBigPlanet puts the player into the shoes (or sack?) of a little man named Sackboy. Sackboy can be who/whatever you want Sackboy to be. And ladies, don’t worry, you can call her Sackgirl.
On Wednesday October 8th, I received an email from the creators of LittleBigPlanet, Media Molecule. In the email was a code and an opportunity to beta test the new game. I sprinted downstairs to my Playstation 3 to download the beta. My jaw then stayed down for the rest of the beta, which ended on Sunday October 12th.
LittleBigPlanet is a side scroller 2D platformer. For all of you that aren’t gamers, that basically means that it’s like classic Super Mario, but LittleBigPlanet is far more similar to Super Mario on steroids. The game is in crisp 1080p high-definition and adds a 3rd dimensional layer. The game appears to be in two dimensions, up and down, but LittleBigPlanet also allows you to move back into the scenery or forward towards the television screen.
What makes LittleBigPlanet different from Super Mario and other games like it is the level creation. After players tackle all the tutorials, they gain access to creating levels, and trust me; these aren’t your average levels. The player can build anything, literally, if you can dream it, you can build it. That’s basically the premise for LittleBigPlanet level creation, once the player creates their level, they can put it online. When it’s online, anyone can play it. The game has virtually infinite replay value. Levels are going to constantly be added to the game by its own players. The best way to describe this is basically calling it the YouTube of video games.
Included in the beta were the three levels and one mini-game from the first world. In total there will be 60 levels and a handful of worlds. The first levels gave a tutorial on how to play, and there are essentially three buttons needed to play, making it easy for anyone to pick up. Trust me on this one. My mom played a level with me and she has never played a video game before in her life. The buttons are for moving Sackboy, jumping, and grabbing making the gameplay is pretty simple. There are races, mini-games, and platforming levels. The races can be obstacle courses or vehicle races and the mini-game included in the beta consisted of timed jumps and every completed jump gave the player additional points. The platforming levels typically consist of picking up bubbles for points while trying not to die from enemies, fire pits, or electrocution.
The ability to create your very own Sackboy was also included in the beta. The player is given a choice of material to create the Sackboy, and the materials were classic brown sack, white cotton, blue jeans, orange, pink, and a few others. Then the player can choose facial features like eyes, teeth, and hair, and finally the player chooses clothes for their Sackboy. Different colors and clothes will be unlockable in the full game.
Sackboy will make you smile guaranteed. The player can to move his arms, head, and body individually and the direction buttons give Sackboy facial expressions. When Sackboy runs through a ghost infested house feel free to tap the left button a few times to put a look of sheer terror onto his face. If you don’t smile when you play LittleBigPlanet, then you have no soul.
The best part of the beta and the full title will be, hands down, the ability to create levels along with other players. Some of the user created levels featured themes like “God of War,” “Star Wars,” “Grand Theft Auto,” and there were even tributes to Super Mario. These levels were awesome because users can create anything they want and the levels varied from simple motorcycle races to dangerous fights against giant dragons.
Then, I took on the role of creator and I attempted to make my own level. First, I made some fire pits and enemies, but the most fun is making vehicles. Sackboy must have been killed at least a dozen times before I perfected building a rocket ship. After making the rocket ship I added a story with text bubbles and Sackboy set off for his journey into space. The creator can create any plot line for each of their levels. Background music, text bubbles, and adding NPCs (Non-Player Characters) set a mood and an objective for completing each level.
Once you start playing this game, the controller won’t leave your hands for at least five hours. If you start to create a level, then give yourself at least ten hours. Yes, it is that addicting.
There is no question in this gamer’s mind that LittleBigPlanet will redefine video games. Most new games are dark and gritty, but LittleBigPlanet takes a different route. It’s entertaining, cute, vibrantly colored, and a fantastic party game. LittleBigPlanet is a must have game for people of all ages. If you don’t own a Playstation 3, then buy one and pick up a copy of LittleBigPlanet. It aims to shake up the gaming world and it will when it is released on October 27th.
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