My Time As A Sackboy

I didn’t really know what to expect from LBP when I put the disk in my system and previously just had a “meh…” feeling about the game. I didn't see anything from it that made me want to play and I got the general impression from videos and discussions on podcasts that the game excels on the creation side but the standard gameplay wouldn't be enough to keep me playing. However, after playing it for a while I think it’s fair to say that the platforming offers just as much enjoyment as the creation tools so uncreative types like me shouldn't have have any problem ignoring the Create part of the “Play.Create.Share” equation.

You start off the game with a few tutorials narrated by Stephen Fry teaching you about the basics of the game. The first half hour or so is actually quite a funnelled experience because if I recall correctly you're forced into playing a few story levels before having the ability to play with friends or check out the community levels. This isn't necessarily a negative point though because the story levels are really well made and sparks creative ideas and shows you how imaginative and crazy you can be with the creation tools.

The controls are somewhat unconventional for a 2D platformer in that the movement and jumping of your sackboy or girl is based on physics. This means it can sometimes be hard to make precise jumps without falling off edges and suffering unfair deaths. It would be nice if there was some sort of way to use the grab button to climb up ledges and stuff. It’s easy to get sucked into the charm of LBP and find yourself gleefully smiling when you play through a really good level. I think the game is really fun when playing with other people and my first stand out “This game is awesome” moment was the first time I jumped into a few levels with a friend. Even comparing how someone else has decorated their pod or sackboy can be fun. I haven't seen any two sackpeople that look exactly the same and the customisation options are so vast that injecting elements of your personality into your sackboy is easy.

I've only spent about half an hour messing around with the level editor and in that time I learnt that creating a playable level would take ages and a lot of effort. Seeing how complicated and expansive the creation tools are makes you appreciate how long it probably took to make the top tier community levels. To sum up LBP is pretty cool and you should definitely give it a try even if you have a negative opinion going in.