LittleBigPlanet PSP. Image Courtesy of Sony
Sackboy has finally found his way to the handheld market. After the massive success of LittleBigPlanet on the PS3 last holiday season, Sony felt it was time to bring all the fun of LittleBigPlanet to the PSP. Sporting over 30 new levels, seven uniquely themed worlds to explore, and a full player creation tool for crafting your own levels and objects, LittleBigPlanet PSP has plenty to keep you busy for months to come.
When LittleBigPlanet launched on the PS3 last fall, the game brought a gaming revolution of sorts with all the new ideas, concepts, and player interaction that the game introduced. While the gameplay was very reminiscent of your typical 2D side-scrolling platform title, the way it was executed was what was truly unique and intriguing. Taking the experience that the PS3 version offered, Sony has shrunk it down and created a portable friendly version of LittleBigPlanet, but they have kept the unique gameplay style and creator options available for players.
With seven uniquely themed worlds to explore, every level has a different style and vibe to it. Since there are over 30 developer-created levels to play through, each and every level will have different kind of challenges, puzzles, and items to collect. With so much of the game dedicated to different styles, it’s refreshing to know that you won’t see the same type of level design again throughout your journey. Even if you played the PS3 version, none of the levels found in this game are based on those previous concepts, everything is fresh and new.
LittleBigPlanet PSP. Image Courtesy of Sony
Along with the unique level design, the levels are quite fun to play. Whether it be a small level that only has you leaping over obstacles to finish the level in a certain amount of time for bonus points, or it be a full fledge level full of puzzles, platforming segments, and more, the levels are an absolute blast to explore. Each level has tons of collectible stickers, clothing, and more to find, but you’ll need to find certain sticker switches in other levels to activate these portals in previous levels of the same world. With lots to explore and discover, you’ll spend a lot of time in each level to reach 100% completion in every world.
On the visual front, the game is appealing. It’s not the strongest PSP title on the market and it certainly doesn’t compare to the PS3 version, but the developers were still able to translate the cute style of LBP over to the PSP remarkably well. While some of the cute appeal was lost in translation, the game doesn’t suffer from it, overall.
One of the biggest problems that the PS3 version suffered from came from the controls. Sadly, the controls are still weak here, too. Whether it be in the single-player or creation tool, the controls aren’t perfect. Moving your character through the multilayered levels is still a bit hit or miss and this will cause you to make some unwanted mistakes. It’s not game breaking, but it’s a minor inconvenience. Jumping is still too floaty and you won’t feel like you have total control over your character. The problem with the creation tool controls are that they are still too complicated and slow. It's not welcoming for casual creators.
LittleBigPlanet PSP. Image Courtesy of Sony
Missing from this version is any form of multiplayer. The game is solely based around a single-player experience and this kind of takes away from the LBP experience. With some of the mini-levels found in the game designed for multiple players, the lack of ad/hoc multiplayer is a shock. Considering the PS3 version was focused on community based gameplay, the total removal of multiplayer here is a bit disheartening. Although the single-player mode is quite rewarding in and of itself, some kind of multiplayer would have been a nice addition.
Playing the game via UMD, the game has a lot of loading screens. Some loads are quicker than others, but, for the most part, the game has some loads lasting nearly a minute. We didn’t play the PSN version of the game, so whether the same kind of load times will be seen there can’t be mentioned by us here. If you do purchase the UMD version of the game, though, do prepare yourself for some lengthy load times.
With the control and lack of multiplayer aside, LittleBigPlanet is still a fun 2D game on the PSP, if not the best. With lots of levels and collectibles to find, you’ll find a lengthy single-player experience with this title. Even with the few problems the game does suffer from, this is still one the best PSP games of 2009.
Overall: 8.5/10
(Editor’s Note: The single-player was fully played. The game was played on a PSP-3000 via UMD.)
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