GameSpy's Take

Let's be honest with each other: Style matters. No, it's not the only important thing in a game -- gameplay is king, always -- but we can't pretend the look or sound or "vibe" of a game is irrelevant. It matters. Graphics matter.

I say this because one of the undeniable draws of LittleBigPlanet is its style. A big part the game's appeal is the charming look of a tiny stuffed character working its way through a big, homespun world. But discounting its substance would be a grave error, because beneath this cute, quirky, polished exterior lurks a very clever puzzle-based platformer that strikes just the right balance of challenge and reward. This is a game charming enough to lure in casual players while still being complex enough to give experienced gamers a way to exercise those finely honed skills.


Of course, if you've played the masterful PS3 version, you know this already. And if so, I'll warn you now: This is not a remarkably different game. LBP's PSP incarnation features all-new levels, yes, and a few tweaks that make it more amenable to portable play, but most of the changes from the PS3 version are subtractions. Gone is any form of multiplayer, for example, which is disappointing. Levels are shorter, more focused, and fewer in number, with the overall challenge being noticeably toned down to accommodate the less forgiving control scheme of the PSP (the biggest change being that you no longer have limited lives, each death just subtracting from your overall score).

But this doesn't keep this LBP from being every bit as interesting as the original. Its levels smartly focus more on puzzle-solving and a bit less on feats of timing and dexterity, which would be much more frustrating with the PSP's analog nub. You'll spend more time flipping switches and maneuvering vehicles, which is perfectly okay by me. The important thing is that the main elements are all accounted for: clever segments of swinging and jumping, a bit of exploration to track down out-of-the-way collectables, smart use of foreground and background pathways to give each level surprising depth. The experience is simplified, but not watered down, if you get my meaning.

Nowhere is that more obvious than in the level-creation mode, a feature of the original version that reappears here in robust form. With the tools included, you can create levels every bit as complex as any of those in the main game. It takes skill, yes, and lots and lots of time, but it's possible. To have such powerful creation tools in a portable game is almost ridiculous.


But this mode also highlights LittleBigPlanet's biggest weakness: control. Creating levels is sometimes cumbersome, as maneuvering the bits of your creations exactly where you want them is considerably more time-consuming than on the PS3 thanks to the PSP's stripped-down control scheme. Though the designers made a valiant effort to create a user-friendly interface, combinations of tapping and holding various buttons make the system both complex and occasionally unreliable.

The main game also has its share of control quirks. Most problematic is jumping: Sackboy has a tendency to get hung up on obstacles far too easily, such that jumping near blocks or platforms often results in his barely leaving the ground. You need to be careful to not be moving to the side before jumping, which goes against pretty much every bit of platform-game training we've had in the past, oh, two decades or so. I also found Sackboy all too likely to end up on the background path when I wanted him in the foreground, and vice versa. The game tries to position him on the appropriate path whenever possible, but it's unreliable enough to create moments of frustration.


Thankfully, none of this damages the core experience of the game beyond repair, which is where LittleBigPlanet most definitely delivers. It's stylish, yes, and cute and quirky. It's also wonderfully imaginative, and, most importantly, a heck of a lot of fun.