Review | LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

LittleBigPlanet is unlike anything else in gaming. Its play, create, share mantra is the perfect encapsulation of the modern, socially-connected world and Sackboy is the long-lost mascot this generation needed.

Combining the LittleBigPlanet brand and the Sony Vita, the possibilities seem almost endless. With the unprecedented level of control the Vita offers and the endless amounts of tools that already exist within LittleBigPlanet, gamers will be able to build and experience some truly mind-blowing content.

The heart of the LittleBigPlanet world has always been the creation of some truly unique and individual content. With the LBP community already adept at creating worlds beyond imagination, the mind boggles with what they are going to be able to do with this; given that the Vita delivers the most comprehensive creation tools yet.

LittleBigPlanet on Vita does have a story mode, even if it does sometimes feel secondary to just collecting more tools to use in the creation side of things. Sackboy is tasked by some wacky and weird fellows to save the world of, ehh, Craftworld; standing in his way are some gorgeously complex levels that serve like a 45 level tutorial on how to make an exceptional platformer. But LittleBigPlanet is more than that.

It’s hard to really summarize what LittleBigPlanet games stand for. Unlike its shooter or action-adventure counterparts in the gaming world, it’s hard to pin down exactly what the game is. Sure on the surface the game is simply a platformer, but one that outdoes almost every other platformer on the market.

But deep down inside, LittleBigPlanet has always been something more. Aside from the ability to create almost limitless worlds and games, LittleBigPlanet is almost an empty canvas upon which to play almost any game, build almost anything and travel in almost any direction you could desire.

LittleBigPlanet on Vita is no different; in fact it may actually be the best iteration of the game yet. The creation tools are sharper, more responsive and more flexible than ever have before. The Vita’s touch screens, gyroscopes and tilt functions all mean that the creation is made that much more simple, if you thought the community created elements of the PS3 versions were terrific, with Vita you ain’t seen nothing yet.

With up to four players being able to play through each level, LittleBigPlanet also offers multiplayer excitement in spades. Some extensions of levels and elements of the mini-games are just made for sharing with three other like-minded buddies and make moving through the endlessly memorable world of LBP even more mind-blowing.

As you play through the story mode, gamers will also gain access to mini-games (through collecting golden keys) and arcade games that further enhance the already jam-packed game.

The mini-games consist of numerous different styles of gaming, all of which were created with the tools embedded in LittleBigPlanet (meaning that gamers could theoretically create some as good, if not better than the included). Some of these mini-games ape classic gaming experiences and are as varied as they are entertaining.

The arcade collection are slightly more detailed and in-depth games that would provide hours of entertainment on their own, but are simply part of a bigger whole with LittleBigPlanet.

It’s hard not to stress just how impressive LittleBigPlanet on Vita is. Replicating almost everything that made the PS3 versions so unique, Vita raises the bar even more with the ability to use the tools provided here in even more amazing ways. Considering how much content is already included straight out of the box and how much the community will add over time, any Vita owner would be downright crazy to miss out on this.  [9]