Friday 12 Dec 2008

When LittleBigPlanet was first revealed at the 2007 Game Developer’s Conference, the world immediately sat up and took notice. From first looks, it was clear that it would be a game bristling with originality and innovation and good, old-fashioned fun. Before long, phrases such as “the game that will change gaming” and “one of the most important games ever” were bandied about, and it was clear that expectations were at absurdly high levels. Well, the wait is finally over, and it’s time to decide: is LittleBigPlanet the little slice of genius that we all expected, or just a big heap of hype?

The answer is, for the most part, the former. But it’s also a little bit of the latter. At its core, LittleBigPlanet is a truly amazing game – one of the greatest released in recent years, and perhaps the very best available on the PS3. Unfortunately though the developers have faltered on the execution in some fundamental ways, and the result is that the overall LittleBigPlanet experience is somewhat (but significantly) bogged down and held back by some truly infuriating flaws.

Sacks full of fun

At the centre of LittleBigPlanet is Sackboy, the game’s playable character. Players are given a plain, unadorned Sackboy at the start of the game, and it’s up to each player to customise their Sackboy to their preferences. The game provides a multitude of options on this front, from clothing articles to hairstyles to even the fabric that makes up your Sackboy’s “skin,” so any player should be able to create the perfect Sackboy for them. More items are unlocked as you progress through the game and find collectables, and costumes are also available in the PlayStation store.

The Sackboy is also remarkably emotive. Not only is it impossibly cute, but using the D-pad allows players to have their Sackboy express different emotions through facial expressions and body language. It’s not an incredibly functional addition, but it does add something special to the game.

LittleBigPlatformer

LittleBigPlanet is essentially a 2D platformer. At its most basic level, players have to simply move from one side of the level to the other. Controls are simple and straightforward. The simplicity is deceptive though, as Media Molecule have done much to enrich the classic formula in new and interesting ways. The gameplay is given substance and features through the addition of perhaps the most robust physics system we have yet seen in this genre. Moving from point A to B is never an incredibly simple task, with physics-based puzzles being extensively integrated into the design of each level. What makes the physics system so remarkable is its intuitive nature. Objects behave and respond exactly as one would expect them to. This makes the game immediately accessible, as any person can quickly get a feel for the way the game works. The physics system also brings a deep sense of spontaneity to the game. With such a complex system at work, results of actions taken by players are quite often unpredictable (and hilarious), and the result is that it’s exceedingly rare to get through a play session without a few hearty chuckles.

Going hand in hand with the physics system is the level design. LittleBigPlanet features some of the most outrageously inventive and original level designs ever seen in a game. Elaborate and impossibly ingenuous contraptions, machines and mechanisms ensure that each level is a fresh and exciting experience from beginning to end. Giant mechanical creatures double as structures that need to be scaled, while even vehicles are used to get past obstacles. The single-player levels are organised around main areas, each with a central theme, such as The Garden, The Safari, The Islands, etc. Each theme corresponds to a particular geographic location, including Central America, Japan and Africa. The developers have done a great job with the themes, creating charming and cute interpretations of different regions. In the African levels, for example, players move among treetops, use mechanical monkeys as lifts, and giraffes’ necks as ladders. Move further along and a herd of buffalo needs to be ‘ridden’ across to avoid the flaming floor beneath them.

A virtual puppet show

All of this is stunningly rendered in an inspired and idiosyncratic graphical style. Everything in the game looks like it was hand-crafted from real-world materials, with rich textures that are almost photorealistic in quality. The game sometimes has the appearance of a very elaborate puppet show, with ice made of glass, cars carved from wood and cardboard clouds suspended in the sky from wires. It’s an approach that adds significantly to the magic and splendour of the level designs. The graphics are accompanied by a snazzy soundtrack, consisting of mostly licensed tracks, all of which work well with the game.

Roughly twenty full levels are included on the disc, with another thirty or so mini-game levels that can be found or unlocked. It’s not an incredible amount of single player content – it could probably be played through in five to six hours but, with the sheer number of collectables, levels are quite high in replayability. Still, given the price at which the game retails locally, the single player content feels a little on the thin side, which is disappointing. The massive offering of user-created levels does make up for this somewhat, but I would be hesitant to encourage offline-only gamers to pay the full retail price.

Another weakness on the single player side is that the story in LittleBigPlanet is almost non-existent. In each themed area there is some main objective that serves as a vague narrative, but very little thought or effort went into the story and the little bit that there is, is instantly forgettable. It’s disappointing. The inventiveness of the level design and the emotiveness of the Sackboy provide opportunities for some truly fantastic storytelling, but unfortunately the developers have failed to deliver on this. As such, the levels feel more like little isolated pockets of gameplay, rather than a cohesive experience.

The more Sackboys, the merrier

One saving grace is that the game truly shines in local multiplayer. Any level can be played with up to three other players, and the game takes on a whole different nature when this happens. Almost all the main levels have little bonus sections that cannot be completed by one player individually, and it’s clear that co-operative play was high on the agenda during development. The brilliant level designs and intricate physics system mean that once more than one player is in the game, it becomes a hilariously unpredictable experience and one of the most memorable offline multiplayer experiences of recent times. The simple controls and intuitive gameplay also mean that it’s instantly accessible, a great game for more casual players and can work wonderfully as an entertaining way to spend time with non-gamer friends.

The online multiplayer fares worse, though. In theory it sounds great: any of the official levels and published user-created levels can be played cooperatively by up to four players online. But unfortunately this potentially fantastic experience is hampered by some of the spottiest netcode to be found in recent games. Many local players have found it impossible to connect to one another in an online game, or find games spoiled by horrific lag and incredibly long load times. Quite often the online play will work without any hassles whatsoever, making for an excellent multiplayer experience. But then every so often the network performance dips, leaving players with a decidedly sub-par experience. The fact that gamers from other countries have also been complaining about the network performance means that these problems are definitely not just limited to South Africa.

If you can dream it, you can do it

One of the game’s biggest selling points has been the level creation. LittleBigPlanet provides gamers with a powerful toolset to create their own levels, and players with a creative bent will no doubt find dozens of hours of satisfaction in creation mode. Anything seen in the official levels can be used in player creations, but the tools are robust enough for players to create equally ingenious contraptions and mechanisms from scratch. Components from other user-created levels can also be re-used in new levels, making for a game that, in theory at least, offers an infinite amount of fun and satisfying gameplay. More casual gamers will find the level creation to be overwhelming through the sheer spectrum of available options, features and components. But those willing to put in the time to get to learn the system will find that they are able to create pretty much anything they can imagine. The level editor is not going to turn anyone into a creative genius – the ideas still need to come from you, after all – but PS3 owners with even a passing interest in game design should most definitely give it a try.

User-created levels are published and uploaded to the game servers, where it becomes available for play by anyone. Here is where another weakness of the game rears its ugly head: the mechanisms available for finding quality content are greatly insufficient. At the time of writing this review, almost two hundred thousand user-created levels have been uploaded. As players play through user levels, they can rate it on a quality scale, but it doesn’t seem as if the game uses these ratings in a sufficiently meaningful or impactful manner. Quite often, highly acclaimed levels that have been ‘hearted’ (indicated as a favourite) by lots of people will be found right next to a brand-new level with no ‘hearts.’

Hard to find the good stuff

Clearly, simply sifting through everything that’s available in the hopes of finding the good levels is just not an option. Several websites have already sprung up with lists of quality or recommended user levels, and players are recommended to find these and work from there. To this end, the game includes a search function where players can search under level- or creator names. But even this mechanism seems to be broken at best. For example, one search I ran under the exact name of a level returned a huge number of hits, but not the level I actually wanted. Another search revealed no results, even though I had entered the level name perfectly accurately. It’s a pity, as a system of user-created content is only meaningful and viable when it becomes possible to find the gems among the garbage (and there’s a lot of garbage out there). Hopefully Media Molecule and Sony can fix these issues and provide players with decent means of finding great levels.

Another troubling issue with the user-created content is Sony’s moderation policy. LittleBigPlanet is marketed as a family-friendly game, and as such the developer and publisher are trying to ensure that children who play are not exposed to inappropriate content. Unfortunately though the current moderation policy is not only cryptic and draconian, but downright infuriating. Several of the very best and most acclaimed user-created levels have already disappeared through moderation, with no clear reasons provided. This has had the side-effect of many acclaimed level creators expressing frustration with the system, and withdrawing from further level creation. In a game that counts user-created content as one of its main features, this is a pretty significant flaw, and something that Media Molecule and Sony definitely need to work on. Until then though players can expect some frustrating experiences with seeing some of their favourite levels disappear. Still, despite this, there are already hundreds of really good, entertaining user levels available online, as long as players are willing to go through the hassles of finding them.

LittleBigDilemma

LittleBigPlanet is a tough game to review. It’s packed with brilliance, originality and uniqueness, and provides one of the year’s richest and most special gaming experiences. But it’s also an experience that’s high on frustration. It’s sad to see a game flirt so effortlessly with genius, but then take so many missteps along the way. Luckily, most of the issues are things that can be rectified over time. Media Molecule and Sony have already publicly acknowledged many of the negative issues, and committed themselves to taking corrective steps. I really hope that they do, as the game simply deserves better. For now, though, I would be lying if I said that LittleBigPlanet is not strongly recommended to all PS3 owners. In many ways it’s the best game available on the platform, and despite the glaring weaknesses it’s the kind of game that any gamer should at least try out. Just expect to swallow some flies with the honey.

Pros: Stunningly original and inventive level designs; beautiful presentation; simple but richly rewarding gameplay; fun cooperative play; robust level creation tools; rich offering of user-created levels.

Cons: Not quite enough single-player content; lack of decent story; inconsistent network performance; hard to find quality user-created levels; dysfunctional moderation of user levels.

Rating:
Contributor:	Mark

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