I spent three hours Tuesday night with the beta release of the upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive LittleBigPlanet, and all I can say is: Wow. On the surface, it's little more than a simple side-scrolling platform adventure. Dig a little deeper and you have one of the most refreshingly original interactive experiences ever created.
I was instantly transfixed by the game's unique and beautifully rendered environments. They're composed mostly of highly realistic looking everyday objects, such as cardboard cut-out buildings, rolling toy ducks, and Doc Martin-style boots (which, sadly, stomped on my poor little "sack person" avatar).
What's more, the physics governing the movements of these items is spot on. I swung from sponges attached to ropes, pushed over giant cracked eggs to reveal their insides, and rode a skateboard through an obstacle course full of wild jumps. The joy of playing and experimenting in this sandbox full of authentically behaving objects was immediate, and it has yet to dissipate.
But LittleBigPlanet's real appeal, I suspect, will be its community. Players can use the game's wonderfully straightforward creation tools to generate their own levels, obstacles, objectives, and games. After tinkering with these tools for a few minutes, I decided to check out what the beta community had wrought so far. I selected just a few random creations from the hundreds available and found a surprisingly accurate recreation of the first level of Super Mario Bros., a spectacularly satisfying rocket race, and a fantastically imaginative garden.
Sony has said they expect thousands of such levels to be built in the first few days after the game releases, and I don't doubt it. Not only is LittleBigPlanet incredibly fun, it's also ultra-accessible and truly all-ages. Kids will play it with grandparents 50 years their senior, and a good time will be had by all. It's going to sell like mad.
What's more, it's just the sort of title that has the power to move systems, which is something Sony has been short on ever since the PlayStation 3 launched. It will be interesting to see the impact LittleBigPlanet has on consumers' hardware buying decisions come its October 21st release.