It’s one of the most hyped exclusive PLAYSTATION®3 titles ever, it’s received rave reviews from critics across the world and finally it’s landed in South Africa. The moment we got our hands on the game we were playing through the tutorials and doing our own little sack dances. Let’s delve into LittleBigPlanet™.
LittleBigPlanet™ is truly unique; to describe it using other games is almost impossible without giving you the wrong impression. You are in control of a Sackboy™, a remarkably good looking little sack person who will help you explore different locations around the LittleBigPlanet™. From the first step customisation is the main ingredient. You decide how your character looks, what it wears, its hair, eyes, and sack colour all the way to its emotions. The SIXAXIS™ wireless controller is intuitively used to bogey in the middle of the deepest Africa with crocodiles snapping at your feet or put your fists up and get ready to start a fight.
LittleBigPlanet™ is split into three main sections indicated by the planet itself and its two moons. On LittleBigPlanet™ you follow the main storyline where you will develop your sacking skills and learn that not all is well in the eight realms that you will explore. Creatures are going missing and are getting rather upset about life on the planet. It’s up to you to get to the bottom of it all. Don’t be fooled by its cute appearance, LittleBigPlanet™ has the simplicity for a newborn and complexity for Einstein. Each realm brings with it new difficulties, some of which will require the help of friends to ensure success. LittleBigPlanet™ allows for up to four players on the same PLAYSTATION®3 or you can play with strangers online. Everything is made simple through intuitive menus that keep things flowing.
Most games stop there, and with LittleBigPlanet™ you would be satisfied with some stunning graphics, interesting levels, fun multiplayer and the amazing physics engine. But that’s only the beginning. On My Moon all the power is put into your grubby little paws. You have the power to build your own levels from scratch or from templates. Using the ingenious Popit menu you have access to the tools the creators used to make their levels. Throw in a PLAYSTATION®3 Eye and get your friends to join in. Any shape imaginable can be created, pieces can be glued, copied, shifted, sized, energised and mobilised. The only limit is the level size and your imagination.
When you’re done you can put your masterpiece online for the world to play, rate and determine your fate. If you’re feeling lazy, uncreative or just want to play some new or different levels then jump into LittleBigPlanet™ Online and play creations from across the globe. Everything is monitored and complaints can be sent in for dodgy content within seconds. As the creators put it, “No swearing, no rude drawings and nothing that would offend your granny” should be put up.
LittleBigPlanet™ is hours of fun but requires a large learning curve. You have to learn what all the different tools do, and how to use them. That’s where Stephen Fry, The Voice for The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, comes in. He will teach you step by step, every little thing possible on LittleBigPlanet™. His sense of humour works beautifully with the game and takes it’s entertainment value to a new level. Any game that requires so many tutorials would normally cause people to go insane, but with Stephen Fry learning is simple and entertaining. In fact when you’re finished learning you’ll miss it, leaping to attention when you hear his voice.
The real question is will South Africans be willing to fork out their hard earned cash for a PS3 and LittleBigPlanet™? They should, but with the world in an economic panic they may ignore the stunning ingenuity and settle for a cheap entertainment fix.
| Presentation
Everything just syncs so well, making the complete package stunning to say the least. |
10 |
| Graphics
The graphics are beautiful, you want to reach out and feel the textures. |
9.5 |
| Sound
Unique and interesting, although expect it to annoy parents if put too loud. |
8 |
| Gameplay
Controlling the three planes could have been better and on smaller screens you sometimes battle to see what’s going on especially when four people spread out on the screen. But overall the package is brilliant, especially when creating and editing levels. |
9 |
| Lasting Appeal
Besides the hidden goodies all over the story mode the user-created content will keep you going for a long time. |
9.5 |
| Overall (not an average) | 9 |
After a long silence from EA on the Need for Speed™ franchise, they have finally announced the next game of the series. Need for Speed™ Undercover
Last week Criterion Games released another major Burnout Paradise update. The update was claimed to be the biggest so far and they didn’t disappoint. 4 Bikes have been added to the game, two of which are unlocked from the start. 38 clock race events called Burning Ride and Midnight Ride add some challenges for the new bikers, and the best news is that, yet again, it’s all free. The update also brings in weather and a 24 hour day/night cycle, which not only adds a whole new dimension to the game but is also fully customisable. You can change the current time and set how long each day should take. Then for those that just can’t get enough they have also added 70 Freeburn challenges. These are online challenges only. It goes without saying, I was one of the first people to download it and get racing. The bikes are awesome, and their sound makes you want to pump up the volume. They move easily, and perform stunts that are out of this world at a push of a button. If I have any complaints, which one should never have with anything free, I would have loved to see the bikes crumple up like the cars on the crash cam. It would also be pretty cool to race against other bikes offline. The new day/night cycle has created a love hate relationship with me. I love how it looks but on my small, non HD, T.V. I can’t see properly at night and continuously crash.
