Preorder Bonus Offer:
LittleBigPlanet 3 will soon hit the scene to the open and waiting arms of the gaming populous. Preorder online and get access to The Hidden Creatures costume pack and Day 1 Edition DLC unlocking the Dragon Age and 4ThePlayers Costume packs.
A title that enamored kids and parents both, it put the design tools where people could find them, and find them they did. A very powerful creation tool, people made great things many of them surprising when you think it originated in a LittleBigPlanet level editor. Another generation of hardware, and it’s time to meet the new LBP.
Release Date: Nov 18, 2014
Consoles: PS3, PS4
Rating: E
Oh Sackboy, score one for universal appeal. When we first met him back in 2008, I’m not sure I knew anybody who didn’t respond to Little Big Planet and its stuffing filled protagonist with an ‘awwww’, followed by a ‘I want to play that’. It was an enormous one, two punch. An adorable, approachable, yet somehow worn in and familiar aesthetic that softened the heart, and real level design by masters of the craft that made it compelling to get your hands on. Once you did, it was a completionist nerd’s fantasy, collecting all the items, unlocking the environmental puzzles to do so, the sound of those little orbs popping became as satisfying as bubble wrap. It was also open source, which, while not the first game to bear wide its chest and say ‘dig in’, LBP was a big title for putting tools in the hands of young designers. With all this good feeling and financial success floating around, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be a new Sony PlayStation console release without a new Little Big Planet.
The trouble with sequels of course is that nobody is content with exactly what they got last time, and things must be bigger, or have a new angle, they have to go deeper. Which is precisely what the did, looking at footage of LittleBigPlanet 3 and the first thing you should notice is a sense of depth. Not merely the cardboard cutout diorama look of the first, but serious depth of field. Also, Sackboy has friends. I’ve covered the new members of the family before, but joining our hero in stitch and yarn are a trio that are in fact a quad. In the characters Swoop, Oddsock, and Big and Little Toggle the player gets the ability to fly, speed run and wall climb, and access great strength or tiny size respectively. This not only opens the door for the sort of mad-dash craziness experienced in games with multiple player characters on screen (The new Super Mario Worlds can attest to that), but also new level design options that I’m sure have been used judiciously. I’m sure we’ll see a line of plushies fly off digital shelves online. Oh, and not to mention its backwards compatible with the previous LittleBigPlanet games
Pre-order online and get access to The HIdden Creatures costume pack. I mean look at this, Toggle as Sasquatch? Look at those cardboard feet! And what is Oddsock, is that the Ogopogo? And I have no clue what Swoop is meant to be. Pre-order also nets you the Day 1 Edition, unlocking the Dragon Age and 4ThePlayers Costume packs. Let’s face it, a big chunk of the fun with LBP is all the cute little collectable stuff, why not start off with a handful?
Cheerful, funny, engaging, and built around puzzles and play, LittleBigPlanet is one of those titles you can point to when someone starts on about violent video games, and say, but look at what else we do. It’s universally appealing and asked to be played with, as an active partner, not as a mindless drone. With the PS4’s arrival, there were a lot of people waiting for the newest edition of LittleBigPlanet, the game collection isn’t quite right without it.
And remember, to get both the Hidden Creatures and Day 1 Edition DLC, you’ll have to pre-order online.
