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Siraris
10-13-2008, 04:44 PM
http://media2.playstadium.dk/img/tp/ps3/littlebigplanet/logo.jpg

In another new feature for Playitreviewit (http://www.playitreviewit.com), I am going to start cobbling together some reviews from other sites, in order to give people a better idea of what the internet is thinking about the hot new games. Unfortunately, at this point, we cannot get any review copies of games, especially to people who use the site, so all reviews of games have to come after the title has arrived, and people get a chance to play. The ultimate goal on this site is to get publishers to buy into the idea of letting regular gamers start to review games, but that will only come when the site is a lot more popular, and people have built up some more credibility.

The first game to come under the microscope, is a title some of you may have heard of before called LittleBigPlanet (http://www.littlebigplanet.com/). I was lucky enough to have been involved in the Beta, and I can tell you, this game is truly special. Personally, I was worried that the magic had worn off after the length of time it was in development, but I can honestly say that I had the biggest smile on my face while frolicking through this magical world.

Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=259015) had one of the first reviews up, and they started off the eventual wave of reviews by heaping a lot of praise on the title. The reviewer gushes about the graphics, and the charm of the game. He also does everything he can to compare LittleBigPlanet to a Nintendo game - appropriate since Nintendo is the king of platformers - and for those who are fans of this kind of fare, he clearly states that he believes LBP would achieve the Nintendo Seal of Approval. The only real downside he finds with the single player aspect is the lives and checkpoint system, which I have to agree with. You are only allowed a certain number of lives per checkpoint, and if you run out, back to the beginning of the game for you. The game exudes a relaxed experience, and yet, when the going gets tough, relaxing it is not.

The create mode is where things are slightly more gloomy, and I definitely can agree with him on his concerns here as well. The create mode of LittleBigPlanet is flush with features, and the ability to literally do almost anything your heart desires in the game. This is reflected in the fantastic levels already created in the beta. Unfortunately, the actual creation process is not quick, not easy, and not always so fun. The upside to this is that you will probably see a lot more quality out of the levels created, as opposed to the quantity created. The downside is that for those who were really looking forward to creating their own areas, the bar of entry may be a little high.

IGN also (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/919/919111p1.html) got their review of the game churned out today, and it was just as glowing as the Eurogamer review. The IGN review covers every minute detail of the game, so if you're looking to learn as much as you can about the title, head on over to their review instead of the Eurogamer one. Whether this is positive or not, IGN seems to reinforce much of Eurogamers feelings on the game. Regardless, IGN emphatically states that:

If you own a PlayStation 3, you cannot miss this. If you don't have a PS3 yet, this is the reason to get one.I'd have to agree.

Keep an eye out for more Review Roundups in the future, especially with the fall rush already having begun.

pomeroy
10-13-2008, 04:53 PM
This is awesome, Siraris. While I agree that the focus of PiRi should be community based reviews, I think it's a great idea to show an overview of what the main review sites are thinking (and it's even better that you're not just showing some scores...)

Aggort
10-13-2008, 05:01 PM
Man, I wish I had a PS3

Siraris
10-13-2008, 05:22 PM
This is awesome, Siraris. While I agree that the focus of PiRi should be community based reviews, I think it's a great idea to show an overview of what the main review sites are thinking (and it's even better that you're not just showing some scores...)

Yea, that was definitely the point. Scores mean nothing, it's the words behind the scores that are important.

This whole feature is definitely rough, but I plan on honing it over time. It's hard to condense such feature rich reviews into a small section, so I'll have to decide where I want to go with that. I also want to include more sites in the future.

I'm glad you like it, though, and there will definitely be more of this in the coming weeks!

Hellbug
10-13-2008, 05:27 PM
Might have to pick up a PS3 in the next few weeks, along with this and MGS4.

LarsenNET
10-14-2008, 06:51 AM
The IGN link is broken.

National Kato
10-14-2008, 09:09 AM
My PS3 has been sitting idly, occasionally entertaining me with God of War 2 or Shadow of the Colossus...and then I played the LBP beta and was using it every night for almost a week. I'm really looking forward to more of the dev-created levels and, especially, some of the more creative and thought-out user content.

National Kato
10-14-2008, 09:10 AM
Here's the link to the IGN review (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/919/919111p1.html).

AgtFox
10-14-2008, 09:11 AM
The IGN link is broken.
It's now fixed.

jeffbax
10-14-2008, 03:56 PM
Pre-fucking-ordered

Cerebus
10-14-2008, 04:00 PM
Biggest frustration I found in the multiplayer is that you can't really rate a user's level unless you complete it. So, if the level is intentionally difficult and annoying you are left with no recourse and no warning. I wish I could remember the name of a level I played just like that. Eventually, I got so frustrated that I couldn't complete it that I copied over to my personal moon and explored it in creator mode. Only then did I know just how badly made the level was.

Overall though, the game is excellent. It's a hell of a lot of fun to play with friends. Pretty much an inexhaustible supply of content due to the user created levels.

MagGnome
10-14-2008, 06:16 PM
This feature is a great idea Siraris! As mentioned previously, I like that you actually shared your own thoughts on these reviews and didn't just plaster up the scores.

National Kato
10-14-2008, 06:41 PM
Biggest frustration I found in the multiplayer is that you can't really rate a user's level unless you complete it. So, if the level is intentionally difficult and annoying you are left with no recourse and no warning.

Exactly. I wanted to rate a few maps as just plain impossible. However, you can leave comments on the map's comments page without finishing it. Which is not as immediate a rating, but for anyone who really wants to see if a map is good, check the comments as well.