LittleBigPlanet Preview

LBP is beautifully different

Web 2.0, user-generated content, create and share - all buzz-words that are gradually making their way into our gaming lives, having floated around the Internet lexicon for a few years now. Like Will Wright's PC evolution simulation Spore, LittleBigPlanet, due out on the PS3 exclusively this September, is the latest attempt to jump on the DIY game bandwagon. Is it truly innovative, or just a gimmick? We popped along to Sony's plush 3Rooms apartments in London's trendy East End for some hands-on with a pre-alpha version of "potentially the PS3's biggest game of 2008" to find out.

LBP is a simple concept, yet underneath the layers of casual accessibility it's about as hardcore as you can get. On the face of it it's a basic four-player 2D side-scrolling platformer, where each player controls a Sackboy, a humanoid creature that look like a small super-cute versions of Deep Thought, the super-computer from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Sackboy is fully customisable, either through randomising his outfit or by dressing him up yourself with varied and funny costumes (our Sackboy ended up with a Crocodile head hat).

From there, things are as easy as pie - X jumps, R1 grabs on to objects, the left control stick moves Sackboy and the right control stick moves his arms (useful for punching other Sackboys). There will be three stages of depth to each level too - you can move in and out of the background by moving the left control stick up and down. You can even control Sackboy's emotions with the d-pad - pressing a direction up to three times to make the emotion more extreme. Up makes him smile, down sad, right angry and left nervous. Holding L2 and R2 will then give you control of Sackboy's arms with the control sticks. And, get this, by clicking in the left stick, you'll be able to swing Sackboy's hips Elvis style by moving the Sixaxis controller. Combining all these elements gives you a level of control over Sackboy that's hard to find in modern games.

The levels which come with the game (we're told there will be a story mode, but it won't be a case of Sackboy saving the world from a great big evil boss at the end of the game) are divided up into three sizes, small, medium and large, (to give you a sense of scale, Sackboy is eight cm tall and a large level is 30 meters wide) and present various challenges, including straight up races to more cooperative-based levels. As you might expect they will be unlocked as you go. There's threat too, (yes you can die!). Mostly this comes from fire, which takes two touches to kill you. But you can also be crushed by large objects of certain materials, like wood and metal (more on that later).

As a 2D platformer, LBP is fun and simple.

The first level we played was a race to the finish line, with points awarded for collecting the in-game resources - small blobs hidden away in various parts of the game. There are also tonnes of collectibles scattered throughout the levels, including stickers, objects and new costumes, which can then be used on the creation side of things. The second level we played was co-op-based and required all four of us to work together to complete. The level included super fast windmills that needed to be grabbed to reach new areas, swinging on stars and using jet packs to fly around. There was even a skateboard that we all needed to drag down a ramp then jump on as it flew over much of the level. There's an element of Super Smash Bros. Brawl in there - when a player moves off-screen it triggers a five second countdown, if the player doesn't get back on screen before the time runs out they are zapped, and won't re-appear until the next spawn point further on in the level.

After the coop level we were treated to one of the smaller, mini-game based levels, which simply involved jumping over a moving beam which got faster and faster. We weren't good enough to get particularly far into the mini-game, so couldn't experience the skipping feel you get at high speeds. At the end of each level a winner is determined based on your time and the amount of resources collected. We're told there will be online leaderboards, which will be level dependent, so you'll be able to see how you match up against everyone else in the world.

As a platformer, LittleBigPlanet is a basic, quirky and fun game. The jumping is momentum-based and slightly floaty, but accurate enough to reward skill. The puzzles won't have anyone thinking too hard or too long. But playing through the story feels, even at this early stage, like a training tool for what LittleBigPlanet is all about - creating your own levels and sharing them with others.