A game that is not only revolutionary! It is also very enjoyable and has tons of extras and replay value!
To sum it up in the words of one of the developers during the launch meeting: "for most people, the hard work is done, for LBP it is only beginning!"
How this game failed to sell well is beyond me! Some blame the fact that the PS3's main audience is made of Shooter fans and LBP is too cute for them to play! Others blame the fact that the PS3 isn't as popular as was expected! Whatever it is, its a crime that this game is being overlooked!
But enough with the ranting and on with the review!
The game starts out introducing you to the wonderful world of LBP with narration and music that could be out of a relaxation tape and thats just to put you in the right mood for the game!
Than you will be introduced to the main Protagonist of the game Sackboy! As his name suggests he is a doll made of sack!
Although Sackboy doesn't speak he has to be one of the most lively characters in any game yet! The way the character displays emotions is just amusing to look at! but more on that later! Once Sackboy jumps out you start the game with the "introduction level" which is more a credit roll made using the games custom mode to introduce you to the team behind this masterpiece!
Than you start the tutorial level which takes you through the main controls. You use the analogue stick to move your character, a button to jump and a button to grab, that's all you need to play the game!
Which brings me to the actual gameplay, the main campaign basically plays like any of your favorite side scrolling 2d platformer but with an added dimension for depth, you can step towards or away from the screen from one to three steps depending on the level design. Sackboy controls very well and is very responsive and he will most of the time jump to the right depth. Jumping needs precision as the game uses a real time physics engine which is very impressive! You'll spend most of the time jumping and avoiding obstacles as well as collecting everything from bubbles to stickers to items! The bubbles serve as the points for your High Score leader board (local and online) while the stickers and items are for your customization modes!
you defeat most enemies by either solving a puzzle or jumping on them to "burst their bubble". The level design is very beautiful with each level reflecting the theme it represents usually a stereotype on the continent or country you are visiting on LBP and ranges from a jungle, a wild west style town, ancient Japan and an urban city just to name a few.
The characters you interact with who usually serve as your guides throughout the level are usually just stickers on card board boxes but each makes for quite an interesting and memorable encounter! The story is very light as you could imagine but it isn't a bad thing since the game gives more room for a person's imagination.
The campaign mode can be played with either a single player or upward to four players coop. At some point and to gain certain objects you'll need a partner to help you solve a puzzle!
All in all the gameplay is quite satisfying! Some people said its short but I think its just right since the focus of the game isn't just the regular mode. and their are tons of replay value when you consider the amount of things you'd need to do to get all the stickers and items plus the many minigames that open up when you finish each world.
The graphics are in one word, stunning! Although you wouldn't guess it at first glance but the attention to detail on everything from the stickers to the cardboard boxes in the background to the flames are so rich with detail! Shadows bounce from dancing flames, light effects are dazzling, items all around never feel out of place or neglected! This is one part of the game that not many reviewers touched on but that is because it works together so well that it is never distracting! This is easily one of the most beautiful games to come out in this generation and one that truly showcases the graphical ability of the PS3!
So much more to talk about but I will only touch on a few more things since it is almost impossible to touch on everything in LBP!
One thing I want to talk about is the amount of detail that has been put to make LBP a showcase for the PS3's abilities! First and foremost: Sackboy! Probably the most customizable character in gaming history! Your imagination is the limit! The idea behind him was the same as any real life sackdoll! to give you the ability to make him whatever you want! You can turn him into an anthropomorphic animal or plant. Make him any character from any videogame or movie or comic book! Like I said the limit is your imagination! and nothing affects the smooth animations that represent this adorable characters emotion set! with the touch of the D-pad each direction gives you an emotion with three levels for each emotion covering Joy, Sadness, Anger and Fear. Sounds simple but its so expressive that I found myself staring at it for minutes! you're also given the option to use the sixaxis function to move Sackboys head or lower body to make him look around. The right analogue stick combined with the L1 or R1 shoulder button moves the arms around depending on which shoulder button you use you move that arm accordingly.
Now most of these move sets don't affect the Game play but mostly are there to give Sackboy more character. When there is more than one player you can turn it into a tag game by moving the arms quickly in the direction of the other player standing next to you. This triggers a smack animation which sends the other character to the floor.
The Custom levels menu (now made easy with the search function) allows you to play the levels that other people have made online. Most of these are remakes of popular games or movies mostly are good, many are not. Its up to you to pick your favorites.
Making your custom levels is probably the one thing that everyone wants to do. Unfortunately the reason why I did not give the game a full 10 is because this feature is NOT for everyone, to make a decent level a lot of work, design and thought is required especially when you have to deal with the Real time physics engine. This is exactly what it sounds like an engine built in the game to make the game feel realistic. This is evident mostly in the vehicle design where the placement of wheels and engines affects the vehicles ability to move! I will not go into much detail about this but one look at the system will make you appreciate the amount of dedication that both the developers and the custom level designers had to have to come up with the amazing designs they made!
Whether you're looking for the purest old school platforming experience, a game for your kids, something to satisfy your game design urge without the need of programming knowledge or just something fun to play alone or with friends! LBP will have what you want and with the addition of the paintball gun introduced in the Metal gear expansion the possibilities have become endless!
This is definitely the biggest reason to own a PS3!