Wow, Little Big Planet Vita is undoubtedly the best handheld game you can pick up this year. It stands along side the pantheons of Pokemon and Monster Hunter as one of the greatest handheld games of all time. It has set a standard which states that true console gaming could be done on a “on the go” device, and in my opinion its even more well done then the console. Off the bat you will get the impression of why wasn’t this game a handheld game because this game freaking belongs on the Vita! Not to over shadow the PSP version, scratch that because this game is so good you almost have to over look anything that doesn’t preform at this level. LBP Vita, from the menus to level creating, is identical to the PS3 version.
In fact level creating on the Vita is even better now with the save system that allows creators to develop for up to 30 plus hour in a games. The look and swag of the game has taken another step forward with how graphically special this game looks. The physics of the game have improved so your sack boy or girl doesn’t jump like he has a parachute on its back and the lighting and textures are all there. With that said this game rocks in all these areas. The music in LBP is extremely charming which you would come to expect from a LBP game and sets a perfect tone for when playing with friends or when playing offline. I was was really glad that my Cloud costume and others that have purchase from the PSN store were transferable making my experience all the more excellent. To sum the presentation all up it is very close to a master piece, I just wish more people had a hold of the game to see were their minds can take them with the amazing game creator system.
Again, Sackboy doesn’t jump like an ass anymore and everything else traditional to the console (slapping players, swinging pulling, etc). The game excels with the touch controls! I’m going to go head and say that the controls for this game are the best in this generation of gaming. Controlling environments, battling bosses, riding aircraft’s, and placing stickers with both rear and front touch screens work so well. When all of these elements are put together with traditional controls this game just takes my breath away. I loved playing levels in which I had pop out blocks pushing on the rear touch and sliding out blocks using the front touch screen. Creating a dynamic that couldn’t work anything better then what the developers haven for this game.
Online works really well but only with a strong connection. I have used public Wifi like Starbucks and like expected it to be laggy but I’m not going to dock anything away from the game because what handheld game works well in that regard? Playing community levels and story levels with the community and friends is beautiful and with the right people the replay value in second to none. Choosing community levels work the same way as previous iterations before and they better then any other little big planet to date. Posting levels, liking others creation, and jumping into others players games is easy and fun like never before. Stephen Fry is back and better then ever narrating the game. The story is very linear as you go level to level in hopes of stopping the evil puppeteer. You learn new techniques throughout the journey, which helps you understand the mechanics of game, keeping the game fresh each step of the way. The characters are charming with different personalities but nothing extremely memorable. In all the story is the best in the series and hopefully it continues to progress in future installments.
LBP Vita can be summed up in an sentence, buy a PS Vita, a memory stick, and of course buy the game because games should be made with the love and care that this game was given.
Pros
– Master piece controls
– Presentation is off the charts
– Belongs on Vita
– Online works well when connection is good
Cons
– if it can be fixed online should work better with public wifi zones.
Verdict : 10/10