little big planet karting
Publisher - Sony
Developer - Media Molecule
Date of Relese - 07/11/12
Format - PS3
Players - 1-4 (offline) 2-8 (online)
Boost pads, grapple swinging, blasting a Caterpillar’s rear end with insta-fire pot shots-these are LBP Karting’s attempts to give you the essence of the signature adventuring activities of the LBP universe. Developed by Media Molecule and Modnation devs United Front Games, LBP Karting is an attempt to unify the arcade thrills of the latter, with the identity and sense of adventure of the former. Unfortunately Sackboy runs into a tyre wall due to the fact that it feels like another arcade racer.
Sackboy’s adventures reasonably have shallow stories to tell, and this racer is no exception. All you really need to know is that you have 8 worlds to race on with events to conquer in the double digits. You meet numerous cut out characters who need you to race for whatever contrived reason, and win in the hopes of restoring happiness by any means necessary- that isn’t the story, but you should make sense of it. Sackboy will find himself pitted against a sprinkle of event types like your standard races, destruction events and checkpoint runs. You also get a smattering of versus levels to compete against friends, and minigames for high score rushes.
You start out learning the ropes from the titular narration of Stephen Fry through some helpful tutorials, before you are plunged into the creative abyss of LBP’s hub world. From here you can access the story and community features, and also get your own creative designs going in the tooled up creative sphere designed just for you.
Hopping into the story is simply a matter of progression. You have to obtain third place or higher to pass, whilst collecting all the prize bubbles and reaching first nets you a gold star and entire completion of a level. Getting to that point is no easy task in the later stages however, as you come across some underhanded AI who aim to rob you of as many positions it takes to make Sackboy cry and make you throw down the pad in frustration. Races are won conventionally by being lucky enough to grab first before any of your vanilla AIs do. Drifting is a necessity, with three tiers of power, much in the same way as any kart racer ever- will be your crutch for speed. Don’t expect it to help you however, as the karts are painfully slow and boring to drive. Besides one of the competitor’s mounting a boxing glove will drive you crazy as he smashes you off the tarmac whilst a trajectory enforced rocket blasts your patience into oblivion.
This all seems to paint a portrait of a game that seems unfinished and deficient. LittleBigPlanet does get by on some creative ingenuity however. For instance firing back projectiles is a hoot due to the popup shield which alerts you to impending attacks. It makes the racing a little less stressful, though not enough to stave off the frustration of cheap enemy hits. Also the level design does allow for slight branching paths, where hidden prize bubbles lurk and not much else. The use of hook swinging comes into play in some of the levels, allowing you to swing across chasms and gaps with all manner of whimsy. It’s too bad that this is the only real attempt to make the racing enjoyable and different. The racing portions have been done much better elsewhere, though it can still provide plenty of fun for those inclined.
Destruction based events are the otherside of the coin. Quite like Dirt Showdown’s destruction events, LBP Karting has you destroy opponents by using the weaponator (instead of ramming) to conjure up points for the win. Unlike Dirt Showdown however, you usually have to contend with large open arenas, where simply finding your adversaries proves troublesome. Luckily these are used as a welcome reprieve from the cheap AI, though the levels are fairly unexciting-which is exactly the opposite of what we’ve come to expect from LittleBigPlanet.
Time trial events are perhaps boast the most creative levels in the game. These are checkpoint runs, where you race from coloured rainbow to coloured rainbow in as fast a time as possible. These runs are as varied as a psychedelic disco paradise to sandy dune based circuits. These events can also be rather frustrating too. Many a time scenery pops out of nowhere to blight your progress. These obstacles can be interesting, like trying to dodge octopus tentacles on the run, but they reinforce the nail grinding frustration that the experience can be littered with.
Boss battles are few in LBP Karting, and those that appear are either too frustrating or remarkably easy. Take the battle against the catapillar, a good idea, where you need to shoot its wiggly behind to hell using your weaponator pot shots. However, they become controller breaking and infuriating because the repetitive task require that you shoot out
exploding rocks and nuclear goo to even get a clear shot. Even then, running into a hazard is so frequent, that it drains all of the silky charm the game may have inspired otherwise.
Minigames seem to be the best thing about LBP karting, as they are usually very easy, but also rather addictive. For instance, one minigame has you dodging traffic and obstacles on a track and has you tally up as many points as possible. Another has you collecting and dropping off dinosaur eggs. Much like the racing experience as a whole though, your opinion of the racing will greatly effect your enjoyment of these asides. Versus play is also catered for, and is rather enjoyable if you can summon a partner.
The myriad of tools in your toolkit for creation are as comprehensive as ever. Tutorials (57 in all) voiced by Stephen Fry help you find your feet when creating levels. The main caveat is that creating in LBP demands plenty of tuning, tweaking and perfecting. Nothing will ever be perfect first time around if you want a track that lives up to Media Molecule’s brilliance. You are able to lay down tarmac in a similar manner to Modnation racers, populate your track for testing and change the variables such as terrain and colour, as well as audio and visual cues.
The problems with the creations are few but worth noting. You won’t really feel that the karts you race are truly empowering, most of them look like they could easily be translated into Modnation Racers. There’s no wild imagination with karts, if you expect to be riding a frying pan on wheels or any type of boat or plane, prepare to be disappointed. Luckily there are hover cars you can take for a spin, and a story level that’s eerily familiar to Wipeout.
LittleBigPlanet’s presentation is what you’ve come to expect from LBP. The narration from Stephen Fry is hilariously whimsical, offering some totally jolly commentary that is truly the cat’s pyjamas. The soundtrack is a mix of old and new, with some recycled from the first two games- though it tends to blend into the background. The visuals are sparkling at times and rather bland in others. Generally the levels lack the panache or the creative flair to belong in a LBP game. Others such as the disco themed level have the Mario Kart vibes about them, which allow them to feel inventive. Kart sounds have variety and can sound rather amusing with the right audio instrument. In all it’s a decent presentation, but by LBP standards it falls rather short.
LittleBigPlanet Karting is an ambitious racing game in the whimsical and creative world of LittleBigPlanet. The foundations of a decent kart racing game are here, with great customisation options and level editing tools to boot. Unfortunately LBP Karting loses its steering when it pushes players to the brink of pulling their hair out in AI driven frustration. Why should a kart racer with such ties to accommodation punish the player? Why for all its creativity and platforming excellence it can’t match the competence in the field of arcade racing? With offerings such as Modnation Racers on the market, LBP Karting can’t help but be shallow and unexciting. For all its charm and potential LBP Karting is worth a spin, but expect it to be swapped out for a fresher set of tyres sooner than later.
By James Davie 6/10
Developer - Media Molecule
Date of Relese - 07/11/12
Format - PS3
Players - 1-4 (offline) 2-8 (online)
Boost pads, grapple swinging, blasting a Caterpillar’s rear end with insta-fire pot shots-these are LBP Karting’s attempts to give you the essence of the signature adventuring activities of the LBP universe. Developed by Media Molecule and Modnation devs United Front Games, LBP Karting is an attempt to unify the arcade thrills of the latter, with the identity and sense of adventure of the former. Unfortunately Sackboy runs into a tyre wall due to the fact that it feels like another arcade racer.
Sackboy’s adventures reasonably have shallow stories to tell, and this racer is no exception. All you really need to know is that you have 8 worlds to race on with events to conquer in the double digits. You meet numerous cut out characters who need you to race for whatever contrived reason, and win in the hopes of restoring happiness by any means necessary- that isn’t the story, but you should make sense of it. Sackboy will find himself pitted against a sprinkle of event types like your standard races, destruction events and checkpoint runs. You also get a smattering of versus levels to compete against friends, and minigames for high score rushes.
You start out learning the ropes from the titular narration of Stephen Fry through some helpful tutorials, before you are plunged into the creative abyss of LBP’s hub world. From here you can access the story and community features, and also get your own creative designs going in the tooled up creative sphere designed just for you.
Hopping into the story is simply a matter of progression. You have to obtain third place or higher to pass, whilst collecting all the prize bubbles and reaching first nets you a gold star and entire completion of a level. Getting to that point is no easy task in the later stages however, as you come across some underhanded AI who aim to rob you of as many positions it takes to make Sackboy cry and make you throw down the pad in frustration. Races are won conventionally by being lucky enough to grab first before any of your vanilla AIs do. Drifting is a necessity, with three tiers of power, much in the same way as any kart racer ever- will be your crutch for speed. Don’t expect it to help you however, as the karts are painfully slow and boring to drive. Besides one of the competitor’s mounting a boxing glove will drive you crazy as he smashes you off the tarmac whilst a trajectory enforced rocket blasts your patience into oblivion.
This all seems to paint a portrait of a game that seems unfinished and deficient. LittleBigPlanet does get by on some creative ingenuity however. For instance firing back projectiles is a hoot due to the popup shield which alerts you to impending attacks. It makes the racing a little less stressful, though not enough to stave off the frustration of cheap enemy hits. Also the level design does allow for slight branching paths, where hidden prize bubbles lurk and not much else. The use of hook swinging comes into play in some of the levels, allowing you to swing across chasms and gaps with all manner of whimsy. It’s too bad that this is the only real attempt to make the racing enjoyable and different. The racing portions have been done much better elsewhere, though it can still provide plenty of fun for those inclined.
Destruction based events are the otherside of the coin. Quite like Dirt Showdown’s destruction events, LBP Karting has you destroy opponents by using the weaponator (instead of ramming) to conjure up points for the win. Unlike Dirt Showdown however, you usually have to contend with large open arenas, where simply finding your adversaries proves troublesome. Luckily these are used as a welcome reprieve from the cheap AI, though the levels are fairly unexciting-which is exactly the opposite of what we’ve come to expect from LittleBigPlanet.
Time trial events are perhaps boast the most creative levels in the game. These are checkpoint runs, where you race from coloured rainbow to coloured rainbow in as fast a time as possible. These runs are as varied as a psychedelic disco paradise to sandy dune based circuits. These events can also be rather frustrating too. Many a time scenery pops out of nowhere to blight your progress. These obstacles can be interesting, like trying to dodge octopus tentacles on the run, but they reinforce the nail grinding frustration that the experience can be littered with.
Boss battles are few in LBP Karting, and those that appear are either too frustrating or remarkably easy. Take the battle against the catapillar, a good idea, where you need to shoot its wiggly behind to hell using your weaponator pot shots. However, they become controller breaking and infuriating because the repetitive task require that you shoot out
exploding rocks and nuclear goo to even get a clear shot. Even then, running into a hazard is so frequent, that it drains all of the silky charm the game may have inspired otherwise.
Minigames seem to be the best thing about LBP karting, as they are usually very easy, but also rather addictive. For instance, one minigame has you dodging traffic and obstacles on a track and has you tally up as many points as possible. Another has you collecting and dropping off dinosaur eggs. Much like the racing experience as a whole though, your opinion of the racing will greatly effect your enjoyment of these asides. Versus play is also catered for, and is rather enjoyable if you can summon a partner.
The myriad of tools in your toolkit for creation are as comprehensive as ever. Tutorials (57 in all) voiced by Stephen Fry help you find your feet when creating levels. The main caveat is that creating in LBP demands plenty of tuning, tweaking and perfecting. Nothing will ever be perfect first time around if you want a track that lives up to Media Molecule’s brilliance. You are able to lay down tarmac in a similar manner to Modnation racers, populate your track for testing and change the variables such as terrain and colour, as well as audio and visual cues.
The problems with the creations are few but worth noting. You won’t really feel that the karts you race are truly empowering, most of them look like they could easily be translated into Modnation Racers. There’s no wild imagination with karts, if you expect to be riding a frying pan on wheels or any type of boat or plane, prepare to be disappointed. Luckily there are hover cars you can take for a spin, and a story level that’s eerily familiar to Wipeout.
LittleBigPlanet’s presentation is what you’ve come to expect from LBP. The narration from Stephen Fry is hilariously whimsical, offering some totally jolly commentary that is truly the cat’s pyjamas. The soundtrack is a mix of old and new, with some recycled from the first two games- though it tends to blend into the background. The visuals are sparkling at times and rather bland in others. Generally the levels lack the panache or the creative flair to belong in a LBP game. Others such as the disco themed level have the Mario Kart vibes about them, which allow them to feel inventive. Kart sounds have variety and can sound rather amusing with the right audio instrument. In all it’s a decent presentation, but by LBP standards it falls rather short.
LittleBigPlanet Karting is an ambitious racing game in the whimsical and creative world of LittleBigPlanet. The foundations of a decent kart racing game are here, with great customisation options and level editing tools to boot. Unfortunately LBP Karting loses its steering when it pushes players to the brink of pulling their hair out in AI driven frustration. Why should a kart racer with such ties to accommodation punish the player? Why for all its creativity and platforming excellence it can’t match the competence in the field of arcade racing? With offerings such as Modnation Racers on the market, LBP Karting can’t help but be shallow and unexciting. For all its charm and potential LBP Karting is worth a spin, but expect it to be swapped out for a fresher set of tyres sooner than later.
By James Davie 6/10
