Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Brief Look At LittleBigPlanet


I am not sure why but before I purchased my Playstation 3 LittleBigPlanet was not a game on my radar. Like all of the PS3 games, it just seemed irrelevant to me at the time and because of that I didn't pay attention to previews or get on board the hype express. I am pleased to report that I was pleasantly surprised the first time I played the game, coming away from it impressed by the game's charm and in a very happy mood.

Unfortunately for me I got the game at the wrong time and it was not long before both LittleBigPlanet and the PS3 were neglected in favour of the many other games I had to play, with the holiday rush of titles overwhelming me and a feeling of disappointment in myself for neglecting a newly purchased console. As much as I would like to play every single game I want at once, it is simply impossible. Why else would I be writing about all the games I have lately two or three months after their release?

All was not lost however as my lovely girlfriend took to the game's charm not too long after seeing me play and she has been playing it regularly ever since. She has finished all the game's levels, played a great deal many more created by other users and is even attempting to build her own level. Her interest in the game doesn't surprise me because she is a gamer as well, but I can't deny the fact that I was expecting to take to the game more than she did. I don't think it is a matter of not taking to the game though; I've certainly loved what I have played so far and have an extreme desire to continue playing it in the future, I just haven't been able to yet due to playing everything else. Maybe it wasn't just time management issues that I had late last year, maybe I also failed to prioritise the things I wanted to do. It doesn't matter though as I have played it a little, watched my girlfriend play it a lot and formed an opinion of the game. One of the things I liked immediately was the simplicity of it. It is very easy to pick up and play yet maintains a level of depth for the times when I may be craving it. I appreciate this a lot as it's a nice contrast to some of the more intense games I have been playing lately. It has also taught me a little about level design, especially after seeing how people have created their levels and watching my girlfriend build hers. I love checking out other people's creations, admiring their creativity and enjoying the different experiences the user-generated levels already contain. To put it simply, the game makes me happy when I play and any game that does that will always have my respect.

That's all I can really say for now as I feel that I need to play it a whole lot more before I can form my final opinion and look at the game in more depth. I also am curious to know if watching my better half play it has influenced my opinion in any way. Now that I don't have as much to play, I look forward to spending more time with it and discussing the game on here. Until then, happy gaming.

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