For basic platforming, level creating and file sharing, a very select few games deliver a master-class in how it's done.

User Rating: 9.5 | LittleBigPlanet PS3
OK let's get the one bad thing out of the way straight away; it takes time to create a level worthy of being played. You have to play-test it repeatedly to try to find problems, then you have to solve them. And it does take a long time to get it right. And imagination. If you don't have any of that you're in trouble before you start. If it wasn't for that I would be giving this game 10 out of 10. Just for the record, I don't mind taking time on a level personally. With that said let's push on.

LittleBigPlanet is the place where all dreamer's creativity gathers. A place where anything is possible. And while that is probably a slight exaggeration, the game does a damn good job of convincing you otherwise. Whether the game needed any more gravitas or not, it has it; the intro and tutorials are narrated by Stephen Fry who's a joy to listen to.

The game gives you a character called Sackboy. He's just as he sounds; a basic character made of material that can run, jump, push and swing through the game. He starts a bit plain, but that's not a problem. The game lets you change the material he is made of, then you can start sticking some gear on him, from hats to boots, tops, trousers, eyes, moustaches etc. And as you wind your way through the levels you'll pick up a huge amount of extra gear and materials. There are also stickers which can be stuck to your character. And if the customisation isn't enough, Sackboy is fully controllable; you can point his arms, sway his hips, make him look by tilting the PS3 controller and change his expression between happy, sad, scared and angry.

Once you've got your character how you like him, you can make your way through the levels looking a bit more stylish. There are 8 areas each containing 3 levels and a number of side challenges, and each area has a distinct theme including the Savannah, a ghoulish wedding, a garden and a big city. The levels are highly detailed and the materials they are built from are exquisite. There are points bubbles to earn points, and prize bubbles containing some of the level's objects for you to collect. Levels are built from various materials in various shapes and put together with a range of devices including bolts, elastic, string, winches, pistons, and all these allow the objects to move freely or not depending on the setup. In addition to the Sackboy materials, the levels hold extra construction materials and objects within prize bubbles for you to collect. And if you're bored of exploring on your own, or you need to get hold of that certain prize bubble that needs 2 players to gather, you can play locally with someone else or online with up to 3 other players. And if one of them does something wrong, you can pull a face, text chat, or use your Sackboy to give him a whack round the head. Sackboy's can even grab one another.

When you get into the level editor however, the game goes into another gear. While it can be confusing at first, the tutorials will guide you through using the devices on offer. And after a short while, you will realise that everything the developers have built in the levels, you can build in the editor. Materials can be placed in virtually any shape and position, and can be 'glued' together meaning where one goes, the other goes. The materials can be altered easily if you picked the wrong one without having to rebuild the object. Stickers can be applied to the background to brighten it up. There is a grid system to allow specific sizes to be used to line things up and standardise the sizes of objects. And the game allows you to save copies of your objects so you can reproduce them without starting each one from scratch. You can even save these objects into prize bubbles for others to collect just as the developers did in their levels. Really there are so many features it's impossible to list them all. They have to be explored and experienced, much like the game itself.

With the sheer level of creativity and sharing possible, this game can continue well beyond the levels you start with. Between these, the level creator and the online community to share, chat and play with, and the sheer number of options available, LittleBigPlanet really is, as Stephen Fry reminds us, a place where anything is possible.