Review: LBP LittleBitBoring?

After years in the making, did the hype of LittleBigPlanet deliver? Did the gaming community become SackBoy crazed despite its sloppy launch? Well, most did; however, not us. Quite frankly, we're a little disappointed with LittleBigPlanet as we find it a LittleBitBoring.

Playing LPB, it instantly reminds us of a mixture of classic games: Super Mario Bros, Excitebike, Mario Party, and The Sims. At the end of each level, Sackboy jumps on a platform which tallies up his score on a computer screen in the background. Somehow, the fireworks exploding around the screen doesn't quite compare to Mario lunging as high as he can to reach the top of the flag pole in Super Mario Bros to obtain those high-score points. Secondly, Excitebike was one of the first games to allow a dirt-bike racer to easily create a level and share it for another player to explore. The addition of user-generated content isn't a new idea in video games, although many have hailed LBP as the first game to incorporate it well. A somewhat clunky and finicky interface in the level creator limits the enjoyability of creating new things in LBP. And lastly, the mini-games feel tacked-on and remind us of the negative side of games like Mario Party. For a game that purports to remake the landscape in the current generation, we struggled to find truly original ideas in LBP. Media Molecule combined elements of what worked in previous games, mixed these together in a fantastic dreamworld of SackBoys and SackGirls, and served it to the masses. It's like The Sims meets Mario Bros.

Another reason that LBP failed to completely entertain us was is it's reluctance to really let the gamer use their own intuition. In a previous editorial, we explored this trend in gaming that has developers holding gamers' hands much more than they really should. Seriously, the first hour we played LBP was a guided tour with forced tutorials and video scenes. There should be an option in the beginning to either accept or skip a tutorial. Furthermore, every step of the way in LBP, inhabitants provide instructions on exactly how to complete levels. Sackboys sometimes feel invincible, and this detracts from the overall challenge. If you're "stuck," simply hit the appropriate button commands to revert to the last checkpoint, of which there are many. Don't get us wrong, we love checkpoints in other games like adventures and first person shooters. But, never dying and becoming "unstuck" in LBP isn't a challenge.

The controls couldn't be any simpler: move and jump. We appreciate less complicated controls as it creates an enjoyable gaming experience compared to the controller complexity in titles such as Ghost Recon 2 and Alone in the Dark. What's interesting with LBP's control scheme is the utilization of each controller's button, despite it's two button operation. Each button, joystick, and even Sixxaxis is responsible for displaying SackBoy's emotions (happy, safe, fearful, and irate) and controlling bodily movements. LBP's commercials portray auto-emotions during gameplay. While it is a cool touch to be able to control your avatar's emotional state during gameplay, this feature is more cosmetic, and could have been better-integrated into the gaming experience, as in, say, Fable 2.

In terms of its presentation, the game really shines. The graphics are crisp and over-the-top, but in a good way. The music is fitting for the whimsical LBP environment, and contains lots of variety. The 3D world is gorgeous, but as many other reviewers have pointed out, it creates problems for gameplay. Since the primary action in this side-scroller is move and jump, the addition of different planes of movement becomes confusing. Sackboy can jump between different depths of the 2-D environment of the fore, middle, and background. However, this action is a bit sticky and sensitive at times which could become a nuisance during more complicated puzzle or jumping levels.

Initially, we were excited about LBP. Upon playing it, our excitement diminished. After spending an hour trudging through videos scenes and forced tutorials, our hype was popped. LittleBigPlanet is original in some ways, but in others it feels like an amalgamation of other games that it pulls off more or less successfully. The game definitely succeeds when it comes to the cute factor, likability, and brand recognition of its main characters. Our hats go off to Media Molecule in this respect, as LBP's SackBoy may become part of PlayStation's iconic lineup by associating him to the platform like Kratos from God of War and Metal Gear Solid's Snake. LBP's primary appeal is to create, share, and play user-generated levels.

Is LBP for you? If you enjoy customizing avatars in The Sims, side-scrolling puzzler-adventures similar to Super Mario Bros., and have time to spend hours designing levels, then LBP is for you. If you are the gamer who is easily distracted, needs instant gratification and would rather be involved in action, then LBP probably isn't for you.