Late last week when I got my beta key for LittleBigPlanet it turned out to have already been used. Bummer, I know. I did know some people playing the beta and one of my good friends gave me a little run through of how it played out. This is Mark Gurman‘s take on the LittleBigPlanet beta.

Late last week I managed to snag myself a copy of the highly anticipated Playstation 3 game LittleBigPlanet by Media Molecule. There has been a lot of hype around this game, and it is clear that it will be the focal point of Sony’s attack on the holiday market. With the beta now expired I wanted to share some early impressions I got from the game.

A quick backgrounder on what LittleBigPlanet is about; you are playing through a 3D world as Sackboy, who is essentially the product of a cross between a hacky-sack and a gingerbread man. You exist in a world, known as the LittleBigPlanet, a collection of the dreams and imagination of all the people in the world. The gameplay is a hybrid of a 3D platformer mixed in with some small strategy elements, and action/ exploration.

With a game this expansive, it’s hard to really break the whole thing down to the little amount of time that I had, but here are some key things I witnessed from my time in the world.

• The first couple levels are great to play through; they really set the tone for what you can expect out of the game. In the initial level, if you want to classify it as a level, you take Sackboy and run along a basic map which consists of names and pictures, forming the introductory credits.
• The game does a good job of giving you tutorial levels without being too overt about it. I was enjoying myself while I was learning the control scheme. Some of this might have to do with the fact the game only uses two buttons aside from the left analog stick for movement – the “X” button to jump and “R1” to grip objects. Don’t let the simple control scheme fool you, this game has the scalability to be enjoyable for children, while still posing a challenge to more advanced gamers.
• The graphics were spectacular, and are sure to draw comparisons to Pixar movies throughout. From vibrant gardens, to dusty construction sites, I found myself stopping and running backwards often to check out the scenery.
• There is a high replay value in terms of single player content as you continually go back to redo certain levels in an attempt to get 100% of the collectable items (which range from new costumes, to stickers, which are the keys that allow you to unlock more gear in other levels).
• The game probably has the most seamless integration with the PSN I have seen to date. Hopping into a multiplayer game was as simple as picking a level and choosing “Play online” as opposed to “Play on my own”. The mystery and excitement of a new exotic Sackboy dropping in at any point through a level to help beat it was only ever a good thing.
• The user created levels are where the game really shines, and shows how diverse gameplay can be. With levels ranging from Metal Gear Solid: Return to Shadow Moses, Super Mario Bros 1-1, insanely fast rocket cars on a guided track, and even oddities such as Tetris and a calculator, you could play this game for years and probably still miss some hidden gems.
• The tagging system for user designed levels is somewhat ingenious. Each user created level can have tags attached to it whether it is “fun”, “crazy”, or “lame”. When a user has finished playing that level they can place a vote for one of the current tags, or submit their own, making a quick and easy method for user feedback.
• As much fun as the user generated content is, some better sorting options could have been provided. Viewing maps that have been pinned on the “LittleBigPlanet” was creative and unique, but sometimes a good list view that can be arranged by times played or amount of hearts (positive votes by people) would be really helpful.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time in the LBP beta and can’t wait to get my hands on a retail copy of the game. It is one experience that not only met expectations, but also exceeded them. In the grand scheme of things this is Sony’s first shot in the holiday season. This game has the potential to be the biggest hardware mover this Christmas, and if this game is any indication of what we can expect out of the software, things are looking quite rosy for Sony.

-Mark Gurman