Tawkn.com Review: LittleBigPlanet | Written by Brian Kamm Published at 2009-11-29 15:49:29
| 1-player Platform for the PlayStation Portable.
Developed by SCE Cambridge Studios. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released 2009-11-17. Rated E (Everyone). |
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LittleBigPlanet started out as a gamble on PS3. Developer Media Molecule's platformer design game cum application is now something of a thriving community, with over 1.3 million user-generated levels. A transition of this particular intellectual property to the PSP seemed a given, but how well has it stood up in the translation?
Cambridge Studios has taken SackBoy's reins on his move over to PSP, and done a mostly exceptional job of folding up LittleBigPlanet and fitting it onto a handheld. There are some sack-bits that have had to be trimmed, or in some cases, removed entirely.
Multiplayer support is the most glaring omission from the PSP version. Depending on your gaming preferences, this may be a deal breaker, but for the rest this may warrant a shrug of indifference, particularly for those whose luck always matched them with inept players. Graphics have also undergone a downgrade, in keeping with the resources of the handheld experience.
With the lack of a second analog stick, only one set of shoulder buttons, and no motion controls, the control scheme has had to undergo some tweaking. Emotional expression and gestures are now assigned to the direction buttons and are not under the player's direct control.
The analog nub has received inconsistent assessments from game to game, but here it seems to provide more precise controls. Where in the PS3 version you may have found yourself charging off of a platform after a close jump, the diminutive version provides greater opportunity to save your "sack" at the last second. There also appears to be a greater "stickiness" when it comes to these jumps, which may be a welcome adjustment for those with sub-par platforming skills.
Checkpoints now offer unlimited retry options, rather than the limits placed in the original game. More skilled players still have an opportunity to show off their abilities via the leaderboards, as points are lost for each retry.
A story mode featuring developer-generated levels is included, featuring 7 distinct areas, and over 35 levels to play. Each area is distinct, and the level design engaging. As with the original LBP, that's really just a tasty appetizer for the user-developed levels. Already there's a healthy selection of player-created content, and with no trophy support yet for PSP, the tiring abundance of trophy hunting levels and pleads for "H4H" on PS3 will hopefully take a miss on SackBoys latest adventure. The level creation tools are intact, with some adjustments to fit the control scheme. Tutorials are delivered via short cartoons, as opposed to in-game, as in the original version.
User-created levels can be downloaded and stored on your memory stick, which is an advantage over the PS3 levels which were streamed. The rest of the online interface is somewhat inconsistent and blemishes an otherwise excellent title. For example, downloading leaderboards for story-mode levels is unintuitive, and happens when selecting downloadable user levels from the Community Moon.
For those gamers who don't have a PS3 and have yet to experience the wonder and joy of LittleBigPlanet, the PSP version is a must-buy. Outside of the portability, LBP PSP brings nothing new to the franchise and in fact loses some features. If you're a LittlegBigPlanet fan who was waiting on the chance to take your sack person on the road, then Cambridge Studios will have met the bulk of your needs with their spot on rendition.
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