The Vita is off to a slow start. While the initial launch line-up was decent, with only a couple of exceptional games to really push sales, game releases for the system have come almost to a complete stop. Luckily, the system does have a few high-profile games set for release later this year, but arguably the biggest among them is LittleBigPlanet. I recently received an invitation to participate in the beta, and after putting a significant amount of time into exploring this portable craft-world, I have come to one conclusion; LittleBigPlanet is going to save the Vita.
I assume that everybody who is reading this article has already played LittleBigPlanet in one form or another, whether it be on the PS3 or PSP. In case you haven’t, however, but are intent on making the upcoming handheld title your first foray in the life of a Sack-thing, here’s a quick run-down. LittleBigPlanet is all about good old fashioned platforming and collect-a-thons, with some clever puzzles thrown into the mix, some great multiplayer to spice things up, and most importantly, creativity and customization. All of this is set in a world made of cardboard, fabric, wood, and so on.
LittleBigPlanet for the Vita is certainly no different, only this time it uses the features that are unique to the system. You’ll find all of your favorite gadgets here, including the grappling hook and the Creatinator, and platforming is handled in exactly the same way as previous titles. However, with addition of touch controls, some platforms and objects can now be moved around to set-up new pathways, or pushed front or back between layers using the front and rear touch screens respectively. During one of the levels included in the beta, you are tasked with creating a pathway through a series of blue block by pushing them into the background while jumping on others, all while running from a laser that isn’t Sackboy friendly. It makes for some very fun and exciting gameplay, and it will be interesting to see how it is utilized in more levels from the story mode.
Jumping into the game was no different than playing it on PS3, which all of the controls preforming exactly the same, and it was very precise. Thanks to the addition of the second analog stick, it has also become much easier to rotate and resize objects in create mode, but I’ll get to that in a minute. It also allows you to hold the L button and move your arms around for a little bit of fun waving or making angry movements if you’ve lost a versus level, and while it’s only a small feature, nothing beats smacking another player when they get in your way.
The beta also includes two levels created by the developers that are different from the typical platforming. One is a top-down tank battle game, the second is an artistic 2D platformer that has you controlling a round ball-creature by tapping the screen where you want him to jump. It was a lot of fun, and does a good job showing off the types of games that can be created via the Create mode.
Of course, Create mode is the main draw to LittleBigPlanet, and thankfully, the full creation tool set is available for the Vita, with the addition of some new and easier to use tools. Materials are exactly what you would expect to find, only now there are touchable materials that can be interacted with in a variety of ways. Using these materials to make switches, movable platforms, and other interactive goodies is very easy. One of the other net additions is the “effects” materials that can be place in front of, or behind, layers in order to give the level different effects, such as rain, snow, or a moving starfield.
The traditional controls are also used during Create mode, but touch controls have also been added, and they are a big help. While I still prefer using the right control stick for resizing and rotating objects, multitouch is an option. The best part of using the touch screen is that it is much easier to use materials to draw your own shapes, and then edit them with the corner editor to refine them.
You can now also create an actual menu screen for your games, including a title, a “start” or “play” button, and even a level select screen that shows which levels you’ve unlocked or can choose from. Now, creators can truly create their own games, rather than just link their levels with an end-level portal.
It seems that a lot of people have been finding the new creation tools and controls much easier to use, because the online community is already flooding with some very well-designed levels. Once the full game is released, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of veteran creators making some incredible content, and thanks to the games accessibility, it’s now easier for newcomers to join the community without feeling overwhelmed by the complicated tools.
While I was playing the beta, I did experience some strange bugs. One had me falling through the developer-created level, and others were just minor graphical issues. These issues were reported, and were quickly fixed with an update to the beta app. However, one persistent problem was slowdown, to the point where the game became completely unplayable. It wasn’t a normal frame-rate issue, because it was happening when there was barely anything on screen, and it cause the game to freeze, and then move about one frame per second. It seems to be caused by a sudden disconnection from the internet, in which the game is then constantly trying to connect. This could be forgiven if it was during a user-created level, but it was during the story mode levels in which I wouldn’t be required to connect to the internet anyway. I was able to fix the issue by pressing the home button and then opening the app again, but this only worked a couple of times. Hopefully this issues gets fixed before the game’s release.
All-in-all, LittleBigPlanet on the Vita is exactly what you would expect. It’s another fun adventure in the Sack world, once again with a heavy focus on creating your own levels. This time around, though, the Create mode is much more accessible, while maintaining the complexity that veteran creators love to see. When the game is finally released, and the bugs are fixed, LittleBigPlanet will be the must-own game of the Vita library.
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