Sights & Sounds
- Being a major release from a major studio, it's perhaps no surprise that the game looks incredible. The textures are crisp, the lighting effects are gorgeous, and the aesthetics are (while not unique) interesting
- Cutscene animations were similarly good, and the voice acting was excellent across the board
- The licensed music wasn't really my taste, but the songs were used well. It was fun hopping from platform to platform to Jungle Boogie and smacking enemies to Toxic
Story & Vibes
- I never had a PS3 and went into this game with no knowledge of Little Big Planet lore. The plot seemed pretty generic for a character action platformer, but I accept that I may be missing some things
- Despite the throwaway "save friends from bad guy" story, the game is still an enjoyable and playful experience
Playability & Replayability
- The platforming is quality, but there's not a ton of untread ground in this aspect of the game. If you've played any 3D Mario game released since Galaxy, you've seen more platforming creativity
- The puzzles are also interesting, but you'll be well-prepared for any challenge the game throws at you if you've played at least one other puzzle platformer
- Gripes aside, this is an excellent co-op experience. It doesn't reach the same highs as something like It Takes Two, but it's still a top-notch couch game
- I had more fun than I care to admit making different outfits for Sackboy
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I'm impressed with the game's optimization. It chugged along at 60FPS without many issues despite the fact that I don't have a ridiculous setup or anything
- As I mentioned above, this is a great co-op experience. I'd unfortunately have a hard time recommending it as a solely single-player game. Not only is it more fun to puzzle solve by tossing a friend around and finish every stage with a finish line slap fight, but you also get additional content in the form of multiplayer-only levels
Final Verdict
- 7/10. As a single player game, it's a 6/10. As a multiplayer game, it's an 8/10. My rating splits the difference. Beyond how many people are playing, it's a well-made 3D platformer with fantastic production values that suffers slightly from a lack of substance but makes up for it somewhat with a boatload of style
- Being a major release from a major studio, it's perhaps no surprise that the game looks incredible. The textures are crisp, the lighting effects are gorgeous, and the aesthetics are (while not unique) interesting
- Cutscene animations were similarly good, and the voice acting was excellent across the board
- The licensed music wasn't really my taste, but the songs were used well. It was fun hopping from platform to platform to Jungle Boogie and smacking enemies to Toxic
Story & Vibes
- I never had a PS3 and went into this game with no knowledge of Little Big Planet lore. The plot seemed pretty generic for a character action platformer, but I accept that I may be missing some things
- Despite the throwaway "save friends from bad guy" story, the game is still an enjoyable and playful experience
Playability & Replayability
- The platforming is quality, but there's not a ton of untread ground in this aspect of the game. If you've played any 3D Mario game released since Galaxy, you've seen more platforming creativity
- The puzzles are also interesting, but you'll be well-prepared for any challenge the game throws at you if you've played at least one other puzzle platformer
- Gripes aside, this is an excellent co-op experience. It doesn't reach the same highs as something like It Takes Two, but it's still a top-notch couch game
- I had more fun than I care to admit making different outfits for Sackboy
Overall Impressions & Performance
- I'm impressed with the game's optimization. It chugged along at 60FPS without many issues despite the fact that I don't have a ridiculous setup or anything
- As I mentioned above, this is a great co-op experience. I'd unfortunately have a hard time recommending it as a solely single-player game. Not only is it more fun to puzzle solve by tossing a friend around and finish every stage with a finish line slap fight, but you also get additional content in the form of multiplayer-only levels
Final Verdict
- 7/10. As a single player game, it's a 6/10. As a multiplayer game, it's an 8/10. My rating splits the difference. Beyond how many people are playing, it's a well-made 3D platformer with fantastic production values that suffers slightly from a lack of substance but makes up for it somewhat with a boatload of style