Sackboy moves to the PSP with surprisingly good results…
LittleBigPlanet is an amazing game for the PS3. It offered the world the opportunity to flex their creative muscles in designing levels and sharing it with people all over the world while also playing online with them. The PSP version is now out, but what compromises have been made to ensure Sackboy still has what it takes?
Surprisingly, not many sacrifices have been made and the end result is outstanding. The only missing aspect is to test out levels with other people, but you can still create and share levels over PSN. It would have been nice to play with others through a level, but it’s not the biggest crime. LBP does such a good job that you may possibly overlook the fact that there’s no multiplayer component.
All the aspects from the PS3 version remain intact, but this is no port. It manages to stand on its own with new levels, tools and the best thing of all…being able to take it anywhere with you. That’s the beauty of the PSP and LBP is a perfect platform for it. If there’s one major complaint to be had, it’s that the controls for designing levels take some getting used to compared to the console version.
Besides this little problem, I got used to the controls after a little while…it just takes time. Once I got passed that, I noticed that LBP on the PSP just works. It does almost everything its counterpart does, but not much else. The major issue I can see is who will pass up the superb PS3 version to play LBP on the move? I don’t doubt that the game will sell well as the first game (if not, more) but it’ll be hard to ask those who already own the game to pick up this version, there just isn’t enough new or good reasons to do so.
However, this does give a great opportunity to those without PS3’s or those who overlooked the original. The team have made sure it is accessible to newcomers and although the game doesn’t quite match up to the mastery of the first game, the PSP version is still as charming and a welcome addition to any PSP. It’s hard to fault the effort put into the game and I can honestly say that it is the most fun I’ve had with the handheld this year.
The visuals are great for a PSP game and it runs smoothly, load times are a bit on the long side…but that’s the only major fault I can find. You may want to plug some headphones into your PSP to hear anything as the speakers on the PSP just aren’t good enough to hear music or voices clearly, which are pretty decent by the way.
The Verdict
LittleBigPlanet makes an outstanding entry onto the PSP. It may not allow you to play with other people, but it still allows you to share your levels online and play others’ designs. It is perhaps the best PSP game of 2009 and I wonder what the team has in mind next…
