Thursday, July 24, 2014

Playstation 3 Video Game Review: "Little Big Planet"

Little Big Planet is possibly the most talked about Playstation 3 game ever released. Not only did gamers have high expectations, but it also became the must-have game of 2008. Due to the fact that the first release of the game was banned it made the game scarce and impossible to find. 
 
Some of the lucky folks who did actually manage to scoop up the banned copy, were selling them on Ebay and Amazon for prices that were untouchable in my opinion. At any rate, due to it's ban, the game once again was stirring more buzz, and more talk than it was owed. It became a matter of supply and demand, and not so much a 'collectible issue'.

I moaned and cried about not getting the game the day it was released back in October. I searched for the game for nearly a month, and all I could come up with was online vendors selling the game anywhere form $100, to $250!!!

Target though was fully stocked this week, and finally... finally, for the standard $59.99 price tag, I had the game that I had been pining over for months now. The guy behind the counter nearly wouldn't sell it to me, because he wasn't sure if it was a 'banned' copy or not. Had this fellow failed to let me have it though, there would have been an issue; as in me, breaking the glass that protected this glorious game I had for so long wanted, and I would have stole the game. Yes, I really would have.

Sack boy was finally mine, and nothing but a 20 minute drive back home kept me from playing the game. Muahaha!!! Mine!!!!

Once home I popped the game into my Playstation 3, and got ready for the ultimate Little Big adventure.
The game started off with a very cute, dreamy introduction and then I was taken to a tutorial. The tutorial was adorable, and just by playing this I knew that the rest of the game would feature nothing but gaming greatness.

The graphics were the first thing I loved. They were realistic, with cardboard clouds, stickers, building materials, and all sorts of awesome goodies that looked so graphically impressive.

After the tutorial I am taken to a pod. Here in the pod I have the choice to go to 3 different Little Big Planets. In the middle I have of course the story planet, the info planet where I can go online to play with other online players, and to the far right in My Moon. My moon is where you can create your own levels to play, or to share online with other players.

Seriously the game packs awesomeness, and mostly that awesomeness comes from the online play, and customization of your own levels. Unfortunately the Little Big Planter story line is over way too fast.

You start off basically in easy levels where all you have to do is find objects enjoy the ear catching tunes, and jump and skip around like a happy little sack boy. Mainly though in each lever what you want to do is collect objects to use in My Moon. The more you collect, the more you can add to your own custom user created lever.

As you go on though, collecting items becomes a hard task. The difficulty of the game though skyrockets during the last 4 levels or so, and it is actually more frustrating than it is fun.

You see the game is a weird side scroll, but it is done in an odd 3D/2D landscape that don't really work well with the controls in some areas. The lack of perfected controls equals numerous deaths, especially in harder levels.

Another aggravating addition is the fact that some objects and build materials can only be received by having 2 players, and in some cases 4 players. Basically this means if you don't have another controller, (or 4 controllers) you can't retrieve those items. You can though allow online players to help you retrieve the objects, however if you don't have an internet connection you will never be able to retrieve those objects.

For me, that was a sucky set up for the lower budget gamers out there.

We are not done with just that though, Little Big Planet really forces you to go the extra mile if you want to experience game play to its fullest. If you want to experience LBP to the fullest you must have another controller, or an internet connection... but thats not all folks!

Little Big Planet also incorporates the Playstation Eye into the game. Basically if you don't have the eye, the game won't allow you to create custom stickers.

So, the day after owning the game, and realizing I need the Playstation Eye, I was off to picking it up for an addition $34.99 at Walmart!

We were not quite done yet though, because I really wanted to play a 2 player game with my boyfriend.

Idiotic is my middle name, because I didn't attempt a 2 player game the day before, however when I went to play the game with him. I was pretty aggravated to discover that the game is not frigging compatible with his Logitech controller! Yup ladies and gents... you MUST have a Sixaxis $60-$70 controller in order to play LBP with another player at home.

So... off to Walmart yet again.
 
All in all Little Big Planet came to a jaw dropping price of nearly $160 just to reach the games full potential. I mean you could do without the Playstation Eye, and the additional controller, but honestly game play would not be the same. I will also say that if you don't have online capabilities set up in your home, don't eve bother with this game, because most of the fun comes from online play.

You see online, you can team up with other Sack boys, and you can complete levels together. Besides that though, levels you find online are all custom created by other users of the game. Some of the worlds that others have made will simply amaze you, and are far more creative and funky than the games actual content story.

If you have absolutely everything you need for this game, than the game is a hell of a lot of fun.
The Eye allows you to add your own pictures into Sack Boys custom created level. This means that if you take your photo, and slap it onto a rock in your created world, other online players will see you!

It's very cool. The eye is also a headset substitute, and works really well. It allows you to talk and listen to other players without a headset, which is freedom for your ear, and highly recommended in my opinion.

Anyhow, Little Big Planet the story line is over pretty quickly, and I was able to beat the game in just 2 days. Like I said though, the game goes from cinchy to close to impossible very fast, and it was a little disappointing. I know for a fact younger kids will not be able to execute the final levels without the help of an adult gamer.

Overall:
 
Little Big Planet is an excellent game, but to truly enjoy all that it has to offer, you are going to want to make sure you have your PS3 set up to the internet, and you are going to want t pick up the Playstation Eye.

Online game play is phenomenal, but the actually Little Big Planet game is over too fast, and did not offer much. Building your own level is a lot of fun, but to be honest I need the Little Big Planet guide book to help me fully understand how to go about making my own level. (Yet another item I need for the game)

All in all Little Big Planet is a great game, but it requires a lot more spending than I'm sure anyone had anticipated.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave a Comment