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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Little Big Planet GOTY
10 years ago
Here we go again with another game review guys. Enjoy it. =)
Little Big Planet GOTY
Ahhh, one of those icons of the modern PlayStation. The Little Big Planet series and Sackboy are definitely icons now these days, especially when the side of one of the Gamestop's that I see has him painted onto one of the windows. His games really do seem to be icons now, however, how well do they really stack up and are they worth all the praise they get? I'm going to see for myself as I have now finally gotten around to playing the first in this series. Let's see how it goes shall we?
Gameplay
The basic premiss of Little Big Planet is that you run through side scrolling platformer levels and try and reach the goal at the end of them. It sounds simple and it really is simple. Many of the levels, while simple in nature do show off the design capabilities of the game and the fun that could be had if you are willing to spend the time creating your own levels, which can be a big part of the game. However, the single player experience of this game is a bit on the short side, and without really a ton of gimmicks other than the weird things that happen during the levels, your interest while playing on your own can be quite limiting. This game is really meant to be played multiplayer and online for the best experience, which are things I really don't have. Sure, I could download more maps into the game, but after how I was feeling with how similar things were in the game, I don't think I really wanted to download more maps just to play them on my own. While you can also create your own levels, as well as download tons and tons of levels online to play on your own, really, the key interaction I can tell from this game is about encouraging you to play with friends and others online. Just because you can create an awesome level with the level editor, or you can download any level of your choosing out of the tons of levels online, doing it on your own can get old after awhile. This is why I'm a bit mixed about this game's platforming gameplay. It isn't bad by any means, but it relies quite heavily on you having friends or wishing to play online to get the full experience. For someone that is a single player gamer, this is more of something you play just from time to time, but with friends, you are likely to have more fun.
Story
This is really where I feel this game is pretty lacking. The single player story in the game is really just a joke of events that happen that allow you to travel from one to the next. While there may be some continuity in them from how you travel from one area to the next, it is obvious this game is way more about gameplay and the platforming element than the story behind things. The only way you get story for the game is by interacting with flat 2D characters that will spew out a few lines of text when you run into them at the beginning, sometimes in the middle, and end of levels. I wouldn't go into this game expecting a great story, because really, unless someone writes something great in an online level, most of the levels during the game aren't really anything to be that impressed by at all. They are most about just finding someone at the end of the level or accomplishing some simple goal during the level. Other than that, you aren't going to get much in terms of story here.
Graphics
Little Big Planet's look and style is very unique and quite impressive to look at for a 2.5D game. This game's look really is one of the main things that makes this game so iconic, besides the huge creative element that I will discuss a bit more soon. The levels are nice to look at for the most part, and you will remember them for a good while to come. You really can tell that a lot of time and effort was put into these levels in the game, especially after you see some of the other levels that are out there and how long it took these people to make them. You will never have to really guess what things are supposed to be, as they are usually all very clear on what they are. Who would have guessed that such a simple style for a customizable platformer would work so well in a time where high tech graphics are on the rise eh? This is a prime example of a game where despite how the graphics look simple in a way, that you can make a 2.5D game look great in a world of advanced 3D games. This is definitely a game you will enjoy looking at as you play it through to see people's visual creativity.
Sound
The music for this game is good in some areas and very forgettable in other areas. While there are some areas of the game where you actually want to listen to the music, there are other areas really that the music is just beyond dull and you don't mind turning the music down or missing out of it. It really does seem like a lot of the games I've been playing at the moment haven't had great music and this is another mixed game in my opinion on the music. While it may be good for some people, and to be honest, some areas aren't that bad, the music in the game really just isn't something that you want to keep listening to or it isn't something that will last a long time and be very memorable to the person. I'm sure you can change that in the creative modes of the game, but for the single player experience, there was very little music that was that memorable to me.
Control
The control for this game is alright. It is simple platforming controls that involve mainly just running, jumping, and grabbing onto little platforms or balls that you need to descend slowly or to swing over dangerous areas. For the most part, the controls are fine, though Sackboy can be a little difficult to control sometimes on multiple jumps where you need to be very precise with your jumps. Sackboys momentum can really work against you when you need to move quickly or precisely, as it is very easy to over jump platforms, to where you will mess up your timing, kill yourself, or get stuck in certain areas that will make you have to try timed areas over again. Other than this though, navigating a level isn't that difficult and shouldn't give you trouble on properly designed levels, or levels that don't have very precise jumps you have to make as Sackboy can be a little slicky with his landings due to the momentum he gets from his jumps. Overall, the controls get the job done with only a little frustration at times.
Replay Value
Alright, there is where I am going to pad a little bit, despite my own feelings on the replay value of the game. To me, I was starting to feel a bit bored with this game and wasn't that impressed with wanting to go back for more, this was mainly due to the fact that I just wanted to play the levels on the disk. However, the real replay value of the game comes from the fact that you can download thousands and more levels into the game off the internet, and you can play with friends in person or online. That is where the real replay value comes from after all, and it was the main idea it seems by the developers as to where they wanted you to get your main gameplay from in the first place. The story mode and single player experiences in the game are very limited, so if you are playing on your own, unless you are planning to just create levels and download levels to play on your own, you may end up bored like I was by the end of the game. However, with friends, and plenty of online access, you likely have a nice little experience here you can always come back to due to just how many levels are out there for the player to download and play on in the end.
Overall in my opinion, Little Big Planet isn't a game really made for a single player gamer like myself. However, for the gamer that has others to play with and great access to online, you likely have quite the gem here, which is more than likely why Little Big Planet and sackboy have become so iconic due to how the game is based more around a community than by doing things on your own. This leaves those that are single player gamers a bit bored in the end unless you are very creative and have the time to invest in the game creating levels or downloading more levels online to play. So really, for a single player experience, this isn't it, but for the mutliplayer experience, this is something you may want to check out for a good time with your friends.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Little Big Planet GOTY a seven out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 4
Graphics: 9
Sound: 6
Control: 8
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 7
Little Big Planet GOTY
Ahhh, one of those icons of the modern PlayStation. The Little Big Planet series and Sackboy are definitely icons now these days, especially when the side of one of the Gamestop's that I see has him painted onto one of the windows. His games really do seem to be icons now, however, how well do they really stack up and are they worth all the praise they get? I'm going to see for myself as I have now finally gotten around to playing the first in this series. Let's see how it goes shall we?
Gameplay
The basic premiss of Little Big Planet is that you run through side scrolling platformer levels and try and reach the goal at the end of them. It sounds simple and it really is simple. Many of the levels, while simple in nature do show off the design capabilities of the game and the fun that could be had if you are willing to spend the time creating your own levels, which can be a big part of the game. However, the single player experience of this game is a bit on the short side, and without really a ton of gimmicks other than the weird things that happen during the levels, your interest while playing on your own can be quite limiting. This game is really meant to be played multiplayer and online for the best experience, which are things I really don't have. Sure, I could download more maps into the game, but after how I was feeling with how similar things were in the game, I don't think I really wanted to download more maps just to play them on my own. While you can also create your own levels, as well as download tons and tons of levels online to play on your own, really, the key interaction I can tell from this game is about encouraging you to play with friends and others online. Just because you can create an awesome level with the level editor, or you can download any level of your choosing out of the tons of levels online, doing it on your own can get old after awhile. This is why I'm a bit mixed about this game's platforming gameplay. It isn't bad by any means, but it relies quite heavily on you having friends or wishing to play online to get the full experience. For someone that is a single player gamer, this is more of something you play just from time to time, but with friends, you are likely to have more fun.
Story
This is really where I feel this game is pretty lacking. The single player story in the game is really just a joke of events that happen that allow you to travel from one to the next. While there may be some continuity in them from how you travel from one area to the next, it is obvious this game is way more about gameplay and the platforming element than the story behind things. The only way you get story for the game is by interacting with flat 2D characters that will spew out a few lines of text when you run into them at the beginning, sometimes in the middle, and end of levels. I wouldn't go into this game expecting a great story, because really, unless someone writes something great in an online level, most of the levels during the game aren't really anything to be that impressed by at all. They are most about just finding someone at the end of the level or accomplishing some simple goal during the level. Other than that, you aren't going to get much in terms of story here.
Graphics
Little Big Planet's look and style is very unique and quite impressive to look at for a 2.5D game. This game's look really is one of the main things that makes this game so iconic, besides the huge creative element that I will discuss a bit more soon. The levels are nice to look at for the most part, and you will remember them for a good while to come. You really can tell that a lot of time and effort was put into these levels in the game, especially after you see some of the other levels that are out there and how long it took these people to make them. You will never have to really guess what things are supposed to be, as they are usually all very clear on what they are. Who would have guessed that such a simple style for a customizable platformer would work so well in a time where high tech graphics are on the rise eh? This is a prime example of a game where despite how the graphics look simple in a way, that you can make a 2.5D game look great in a world of advanced 3D games. This is definitely a game you will enjoy looking at as you play it through to see people's visual creativity.
Sound
The music for this game is good in some areas and very forgettable in other areas. While there are some areas of the game where you actually want to listen to the music, there are other areas really that the music is just beyond dull and you don't mind turning the music down or missing out of it. It really does seem like a lot of the games I've been playing at the moment haven't had great music and this is another mixed game in my opinion on the music. While it may be good for some people, and to be honest, some areas aren't that bad, the music in the game really just isn't something that you want to keep listening to or it isn't something that will last a long time and be very memorable to the person. I'm sure you can change that in the creative modes of the game, but for the single player experience, there was very little music that was that memorable to me.
Control
The control for this game is alright. It is simple platforming controls that involve mainly just running, jumping, and grabbing onto little platforms or balls that you need to descend slowly or to swing over dangerous areas. For the most part, the controls are fine, though Sackboy can be a little difficult to control sometimes on multiple jumps where you need to be very precise with your jumps. Sackboys momentum can really work against you when you need to move quickly or precisely, as it is very easy to over jump platforms, to where you will mess up your timing, kill yourself, or get stuck in certain areas that will make you have to try timed areas over again. Other than this though, navigating a level isn't that difficult and shouldn't give you trouble on properly designed levels, or levels that don't have very precise jumps you have to make as Sackboy can be a little slicky with his landings due to the momentum he gets from his jumps. Overall, the controls get the job done with only a little frustration at times.
Replay Value
Alright, there is where I am going to pad a little bit, despite my own feelings on the replay value of the game. To me, I was starting to feel a bit bored with this game and wasn't that impressed with wanting to go back for more, this was mainly due to the fact that I just wanted to play the levels on the disk. However, the real replay value of the game comes from the fact that you can download thousands and more levels into the game off the internet, and you can play with friends in person or online. That is where the real replay value comes from after all, and it was the main idea it seems by the developers as to where they wanted you to get your main gameplay from in the first place. The story mode and single player experiences in the game are very limited, so if you are playing on your own, unless you are planning to just create levels and download levels to play on your own, you may end up bored like I was by the end of the game. However, with friends, and plenty of online access, you likely have a nice little experience here you can always come back to due to just how many levels are out there for the player to download and play on in the end.
Overall in my opinion, Little Big Planet isn't a game really made for a single player gamer like myself. However, for the gamer that has others to play with and great access to online, you likely have quite the gem here, which is more than likely why Little Big Planet and sackboy have become so iconic due to how the game is based more around a community than by doing things on your own. This leaves those that are single player gamers a bit bored in the end unless you are very creative and have the time to invest in the game creating levels or downloading more levels online to play. So really, for a single player experience, this isn't it, but for the mutliplayer experience, this is something you may want to check out for a good time with your friends.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Little Big Planet GOTY a seven out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 4
Graphics: 9
Sound: 6
Control: 8
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 7
