Metareview: LittleBigPlanet

by Ross Miller { Oct 15th 2008 at 5:00PM }

Over a dozen reviews have popped up online, and it looks like LittleBigPlanet is on track to be the PlayStation 3's best-reviewed first-party title -- despite some well-strung criticisms. In fact, according to Metacritic's data, it's the only game in the PS3's Top 5 that doesn't have a "4" in the title (in order: GTA IV, Call of Duty 4, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion). Of course, glowing reviews don't ensure the game will translate into ca-ching, but it's a great indication that we'll be seeing plenty of LittleBigPenis levels for years to come.

PlayStation Official Magazine UK (100/100): "There simply isn't anything else like LBP on any system, anywhere. It's a beautifully elegant and powerful creative tool that puts unlimited potential in the palm of your hand."
CVG (96/100): "You'll look for inspiration for levels, mechanical dilemmas or puzzles in every corner of your life. And in your sleep. It will take over your conversations with fellow players. You will become obsessed. You have been warned."
IGN (95/100): "Media Molecule has created a brilliant platformer, and then given you the tools to recreate the whole thing over again, or better yet, to create your own ideas from scratch. It's not perfect - the controls could be tighter, automatically shifting between planes can be problematic, the editor isn't quite as robust as you might hope - but what's there is nothing short of astounding."
Eurogamer (90/100): "The promise that anyone could create something simple and fun and personal with LittleBigPlanet hasn't come true. In a way, it's the opposite of Spore, which makes it easy and fun for every single player to have creative input, but doesn't let any of them change the fabric of the game. LittleBigPlanet lets them run wild, with unprecedented results, but it locks the majority out of the creative process, because it's time-consuming and simply not very enjoyable."

Also be sure to check out the nega-review!

Tags: lbp, littlebigplanet, media-molecule, metareview

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

markhill66 @ Oct 15th 2008 5:03PM

Wow, those are some good scores. I like how the "Nega-review" came out first.

DarkNessBear @ Oct 15th 2008 8:50PM

Wtf, "the editor isn't quite as robust as you might hope" what??? What can you not do, that is in the single player?

Malascythe @ Oct 15th 2008 5:04PM

LBP FTW

Figman @ Oct 15th 2008 5:59PM

PS3 FTL

Malascythe @ Oct 15th 2008 6:19PM

So you're saying that LBP will ultimately make the PS3 lose? Hmm...i don't think so my friend.

Morisato @ Oct 15th 2008 7:34PM

No... you got it wrong.

LBP FTW means LBP will make PS3 rise.

PS3 FTL means PS3 will make LBP fail.

He obviously wants this platformer to go multi-platform.

Popfrogs @ Oct 15th 2008 5:04PM

Disregard Eurogamer's score of 9/10. They gave the same score to Saint's Row 2 so obviously their scale is broken.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:09PM

Why? Oh god forbid a reviewer likes a game that you hate. That's just wrong.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:11PM

I've enjoyed LittleBigPlanet just as much as I am Saints Row 2.

I mean, yeah, LittleBigPlanet is by far the superior product, a much greater technological achievement, and has more options and ways to play than Saints Row 2.

In the end, though, it's not about which game has the shinier grafixs or which has more going for it when you look at the two products, but which just feels better to play, which brings more fun.

Apparently they thought both warranted a 9. So far, I can't disagree with that. I mean, during the time I've played so far (I don't own a PS3 anymore so I mooch off a friend who gained entry into the beta), the game is impressive as all hell and really fun to boot. And while Saints Row 2 isn't quite as impressive, I've already had more laugh out loud moments with that game than I did GTA4 - it's looking as though I've found the successor to San Andreas I was looking for but never found in GTA4.

Popfrogs @ Oct 15th 2008 5:23PM

@vegeta: I never said I hated Saint's Row 2. In fact I have no opinion of it. It could be a great game for all I know. All I'm saying is, a 9/10 lacks granularity. These two games aren't even in the same universe.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:25PM

"These two games aren't even in the same universe."

How would you know, considering you've played neither? Read mah post.

Popfrogs @ Oct 15th 2008 5:29PM

@TFOK: I was in the beta too. Thanks for asking. SR2 couldn't possibly compare directly to LBP. They're 2 extremely different games. One is a GTA4 clone (only they remembered to add Fun) and one is something we've never seen before.

Again, Eurogamer doesn't know wtf they're talking about. Their review reads like it was written by a high school dropout and the score didn't fit the game either. But it's not like they're a touchstone for the whole retarded game score world anyway. They're the same fools that gave MGS4 an 8.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:35PM

"Again, Eurogamer doesn't know wtf they're talking about. Their review reads like it was written by a high school dropout and the score didn't fit the game either. But it's not like they're a touchstone for the whole retarded game score world anyway. They're the same fools that gave MGS4 an 8."

Okay, okay, I'll agree with you in that Eurogamer does suck - I never take their reviews with anything more than a grain of salt. Here's the thing, though - despite the fact that it's something we've never seen before, if it isn't significantly more fun than the product next to it, then does the fact that it's something we've never seen before make it deserve a much higher score?

Remember Super Mario Galaxy? Fucking amazing game, but it's also one of those games you'd only be able to play once or twice every five years or so unless you force yourself to. While many aspects of the game were impressive, it provided me with the exact same level of enjoyment (sometimes a bit more) with releases that came out only a month before. I bet that today, many reviewers would say the same. But when the game came out? Wasn't long before it was the highest rated game of all time, and I can't say it deserved it. Same goes for GTA4 - it brought a whole bunch of new shit to the table, and is an amazing title just like LBP is, but is it deserving of the spot of highest rated game of all time? Nah. Well, I guess that's subjective, but whatever. The fact of the matter is that reviews like this are based off of how much fun the reviewer has with the product and how much fun he thinks the player will have with the product. If a game is NEW and EXCITING! but isn't much more fun than the been-there product it's being compared to, why shouldn't it get the same score?

KingOfGods @ Oct 15th 2008 5:42PM

so you are saying no other game deserves a 9 if it can't compare to little big planet?

Based on your comments SR2 may not be a 9 in little Big Planets league but I'm sure it's a 9 compared to other sandbox games.

I haven't play SR2 yet but if it is anything like the first then I will love it.

IMHO, I don't agree that LBP deserves higher than an 8-8.5. a lot of the reviews (and IMO) consider the controls to be game breaking at times...causing far more deaths than the difficulty of the level. No platformer should recieve a 9-10 if the controls are an issue with games play. If this is the case then LBP is nothing more than a level editor.

B @ Oct 15th 2008 5:53PM

Without getting into all the bickering, I just want to say I really enjoy Eurogamer's stuff, and it's usually the first score I look at. Half-point increments would be nice, but their reviews are interesting and break out of the check-list format that some sites hold too closely to. They infuse a certain amount of emotion and charisma into their writing, instead of approaching it stiffly and technically.

giantenemycrab @ Oct 15th 2008 6:19PM

have you played Saints Row 2? That game is damn fun.

Anticrawl @ Oct 15th 2008 8:33PM

Platformers may be my favorite genre but to treat LBP like it was a godsend is hilarious, you must have never played a platformer before. I love the game but I've been having a few issues with the control (partly because I fucking hate the PS3 controller but most is just poor coding). I don't care for sandbox games either but to say they both can't get a 9 is moronic, point being as you just said you can't compare them because they are in the same genre. Don't understand how you can be so.....

Eh @ Oct 15th 2008 8:50PM

pretty much every eurogamer review should be disregarded. I dont know why they are included in metacritic since barely any of their scores match the majority of review sites. They seem to only review based on hype, if something isnt as good as the hype suggests then they penalize it severely.

Tango Charlie @ Oct 15th 2008 5:08PM

"...but it locks the majority out of the creative process, because it's time-consuming and simply not very enjoyable."

... except for people that enjoy that sort of thing.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:13PM

That's why the comment did say majority.

Shattered-Minds @ Oct 15th 2008 5:14PM

Like me for example, I loved making my own levels, creating little machines and ironing out the problems. The sense of achievement was brilliant just for making a simple machine.

waves @ Oct 15th 2008 5:17PM

Yeah, the complaints about the creation system being too complicated are laughable. As with any creative tool, it has to strike a balance between powerful tools, and user accessibility. I think they did as good a job as anyone could do. Show me any other game that allows you to make your own levels, vehicles, and contraptions so easily with a console controller.

I think there are going to be a few people like this reviewer who get all pumped up for the user-creation aspect only to get the game and realize that they just aren't that creative. Either you like spending time on your creations or you don't, and this game isn't going to change that for you.

The quote from CVG comes closest to describing my experience with the beta.

waves @ Oct 15th 2008 5:09PM

This game is awesome to the max!

I tried to keep my beta going past Sunday by not quitting the game and unplugging the ethernet cable. It worked ok until Monday evening when things stopped working one by one.

First I couldn't change sackboy's appearance, then I couldn't lad any of the materials (it would just hang), and finally I couldn't load any levels.

Oh well. The 21st is coming up fast!

copa @ Oct 15th 2008 5:10PM

God Damnit. About time to buy a PS3.

waves @ Oct 15th 2008 5:28PM

I hear you. I was starting to entertain thoughts of selling my PS3 until I played the beta. It means less extra $$ for 360 games, but this game is worth it.

fred @ Oct 16th 2008 8:43AM

"the train is retarded"

I'm imagining an old fashioned steam locomotive with a giant helmet and its making me lol

fred @ Oct 16th 2008 8:48AM

oh come one, i so totally clicked the right button

:[

FFNovaCrystallisAgent @ Oct 15th 2008 5:10PM

Hyped up piece of shit...

Hyams @ Oct 15th 2008 5:12PM

Hey there buddy, you got a new account already?

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:12PM

*looks at your display name*

*laughs*

Lone Starr @ Oct 15th 2008 5:12PM

Like the above comment.

Lone Starr @ Oct 15th 2008 5:14PM

Wow, that was fast. I'm directing that at Nova, not an honoroble member of NPDF.

cc123 @ Oct 15th 2008 5:21PM

Your bitterness and anger over this game getting fantastic scores is quite tangible.

Pathetic. And funny.

=)

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:29PM

@LoneStarr

The most honorable. Also the most humble. 100% humble through and through, yup, that's me.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:39PM

Augh fuck, I meant modest, not humble. Oh well, I guess even incredibly amazing folk like myself are human too.

SexyKittyKat2U @ Oct 15th 2008 5:39PM

@ cc123

Why would I be bitter? I've predicted for a while now that this game would get great reviews.

Obviously the gaming media wants it to succeed. IGN and all these other websites have been hyping this game up for months now. Just look at Joystiq and the number of non articles they've written in regards to this game.

So I'm not sure what I would be bitter about. I've known (just like you I'm sure) that this game will

1) Suck horriblye
2) Yet still get great reviews.

It's the nature of the business. GTA IV wasn't the perfect game of the year but it still got 10s and only because again Joystiq and numerous other sites hyped it up big time.

Vidikron @ Oct 15th 2008 5:43PM

Haha... you fucked up. Your first point didn't happen.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Oct 15th 2008 5:44PM

"It's the nature of the business. GTA IV wasn't the perfect game of the year but it still got 10s and only because again Joystiq and numerous other sites hyped it up big time."

You haven't been paying attention this year, have you? Glare from your tin-foil hat blind you from seeing other extremely hyped up games, like, say, Alone in the Dark, getting crap ass reviews?

Keep your conspiracy theories to yourself. If there's anything worse than a situation such as if what you said was true, than it'd be when detractors such as yourself give a game absolutely NO credit when it obviously does quite a few things right.

Trev @ Oct 15th 2008 5:51PM

@SexyKittyKat2U/FFNovaCrystallisAgent/PremiereAssassin/Wii60Warrior/PerfectCompanion/WhateverYouMakeUpNext/DidIForgetAnyNames?

Watching your posts come up is like watching a train wreck, only the train is retarded. Just stop.

Jakka @ Oct 15th 2008 6:00PM

Well, I do believe the reviews are a bit too high but as I said, that's the general problem with the industry and the infamous "Four-point-scale".Something that should become really apparent with all those high-profile games coming up this Christmas.

Still, despite all the things I said about it, if you honestly think this game sucks then you are a retard.Sure, "Physics suck balls" and it takes a "Gazzilion years to create anything"(Sarcasm!!!) but it's a unique and a one-of-a-kind-game so unless something better comes along it still holds it's title as "Teh Awesome".

PS: Saying that, if BrightDarkAsteroid came along and took care of all flaws LBP has I wonder what would the poor PlayStation Official Magazine do? Give it a 105/100?

Maverick Saturn @ Oct 15th 2008 6:28PM

Jakka, I'm under the impression you haven't played, so I doubt you have a position to say it's scores are too high. If thats the case, most games scores are too high, maybe they should consider dropping the score of Dead Space too.

Lone Starr @ Oct 15th 2008 7:21PM

@ TFOK

I'll give you honest, humble, modest, and even incredibly amazing.

:)

tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 15th 2008 7:24PM

Joystiq should have a basic IQ test come up before posting that way we can permanently lock out people like premier assassin and all his other names he made after his bans.

Markez @ Oct 15th 2008 8:23PM

@ Trev - Whoa. Well played. That was one of the few comments that has truly made me chuckle out loud in awhile. Cheers!

@ TFoK - The tinfoil hat comment just gave me memories of Kindegarten Cop, thanks so much ;) To some extent I do think overly hyped games are more likely to get better reviews just because of it. That's right, I BLAME THE LIBERAL MEDIA. GTAIV was great, incredible amount of polish, but I don't think it was *quite* up to the level of the reviews it got.

Ugh, the # of games on PS3 I want is getting to be way too many, time is ticking down until I own all three consoles. It's like a swift kick in the back to the kidneys of my poor, poor bank account.

Maverick Saturn @ Oct 15th 2008 5:12PM

So much for people dismissing it as crap because of the nega review. Lol

These are pretty good reviews.

Hyams @ Oct 15th 2008 5:12PM

Was anyone seriously expecting it to get poor reviews?

Nathan @ Oct 18th 2008 11:38AM

I certainly wasn't!

But in response to all the other posts... if we're being honest here, there's one truth that can't be disputed.

No game is perfect. None. If there was a perfect game out there, there would be no reason to make more games. Therefore, seeing games (any games, not just LBP) score 100/100 or 10.0 or whatever the scale may be is simply foolish.

That being said, reviews aren't commandments. They are opinions of the person reviewing. As in posts earlier, the reason LBP can get a 9 AND SR2 can get a 9 on EuroGamer is because 1) people have varying opinions, and 2) because frequently reviewers are designated a specific genre, so SR2 might be a 9 in comparison to other GTA clones, and LBP might be a 9 in comparison to other platformers. Part of that problem comes because that isn't a distinction made tangible within the reivew. It's something we are either made to assume, or, as in these comments, poised to dispute.

Just my two cents.