PS3Blog: "Why I hate LittleBigPlanet"

PS3Blog writes "I'm probably going to get some stick for what I'm about to write but I really started to hate LBP the more I played of it.

First off, I actually loved the BETA. I thought it was great fun, Sackboy was a great character and I had a lot of fun playing it. Then I decided to stop because I didn't want to get the game and find that the experience would be watered down due to playing too much of the BETA.

Big mistake. The more I played of the game, the more I realised it is absolutely crap as a platformer. You can throw all this stuff about creating levels and all the community stuff at me but none of that can hide the fact that it is unforgivably flawed as a platform game."

[Captain Tuttle]

This should be good...

[UNCyrus]

Jenzo was one of the people to approve this... I can feel the fanboy-ism coming through already

[-EvoAnubis-]

Indeed. I don't agree with the guy, but it's an opinion and he's welcome to it.

Edit: @UNCyrus - Hey, I approved it too, and I'm certainly no fanboy. This guy has an interesting perspective on LBP, and his opinion is as valid as the legions of positive feedback.

[Lifendz]

because I think the guy that wrote it is a whiney dope. I think we all got so used to games being easy that we forget the days of the NES when some games just could not be beaten. I'm not calling for games to go back to that, but I did expect to be able to beat LBP without any difficulty. I'm so happy to say I was wrong on that. Controls could be a bit tighter but if the controls are causing you to hate the game, then maybe you're not a gamer and should pick up Wii fit (talking to the writer of the blog).

[hay]

@1.1 & 1.2: Oh so agreed.
I don't mind LBP controls, they require some skills to cope with it. And about level creation. This guy seem to don't know how long it takes to actually create something either in editor or programming.

For me it looks like: "Oh nooo, I can't jump where i want! Oh nooo, It takes sooo long to make something...".
People like this are responsible for level stealing in the game... They want to shine, but don't want to work it out.

And Jenzo... He's a cherry on the top of this cake ;]

[InMyOpinion]

I haven't played it enough to have an opinion about it.

What makes you two less of fanboys than I am? It's easy to point your finger, isn't it? I approve different stuff all the time.

[Qdog]

If I lived my life everyday in a world that used feasible physics, but then I played a game that simulated that, but I sucked from lack of skill.....I would NOT go around admitting it to everyone. I wonder if this guy has a problem walking into walls in real life. Hey physics are pretty random in real life, within a recurring set of implied laws, sometimes you jump higher, sometimes not, sometimes you slip and fall on flat ground, sometimes not, but what goes up, must come down, and a body in motion stays in motion, until an equal opposing force slows it down(gravity, inertia, net force). The fact that this game simulates real-time physics application so accurately, speaks volumes for the developers' programming skill. As for the level creation system, I'm pretty sure if you could ask Paublo Picasso or Norman Rockwell, how much time they invested in their highly prestigious paintings that are world renowned, they would probably retort with something along the lines of ,"Rome was not built in a day". Also "broke" is only a matter of perspective. That is to say, if it were me. This is just another case of an individual, venting frustration using his opinions that are skewed from a lack of real perspective.

>>>>>>[News Flash]<<<<<<
I answered the call of the wild this morning, and it was so satisfying, until I realized that I was out of toilet paper....
That must be newsworthy, if this guy's opinion is.

[SL1M DADDY]

Looks like a blogger that couldn't get past the last levels! Those levels are a pain in the butt but they sure are good. This game is true to platforming, for those of us that remember platforming being difficult that is. Keep that casual platforming for movie games and silly Barbie titles. I'll keep my tough platforms like LBP and enjoy them.

[Saigon]

any one answer and say what platformer is perfect...none...

[Armyless]

"Then I decided to stop because I didn't want to get the game and find that the experience would be watered down due to playing too much of the BETA."

Huh?

Edit: Ok I think I see what he's (trying) to say here. Poorly written to say the least. Nevertheless, I "barely" call this game a platformer myself, since it "barely" fits that mold.

[BrianC6234]

"because I think the guy that wrote it is a whiney dope. I think we all got so used to games being easy that we forget the days of the NES when some games just could not be beaten."

I agree. Platformers used to be pretty hard. The guy who wrote tyhis thing must not have played old platformers. LiitleBigPlanet has its issues like he mentioned but I haven't run into a level I couldn't get through. I used to have trouble finishing old games because the controls weren't that good.

I noticed another dumb opinion piece on that site. Why do gamers buy new games instead of renting or buying used? Duh, maybe it's because some of us want to make sure we have a gaming industry left. Besides, if nobody buys new games how will anyone buy used copies?

[Tarasque]

Said this since day one, the controls are atrocious. People can blah blah blah all they want still doesn't change the fact the controls are awful. And that is one of the reasons i will not buy the game and secondly that's why everyone on my friends list quit playing it. And the game is far to easy but the controls still suck.

[Armyless]

What level did you stop playing on?

[Real Gambler]

All they do is copy and paste some PS3 news, and every now and then, Henning or Gary will post something really negative about the PS3 so they get more hits and get more publicity income.

Check any blog articles they write. They don't like the PS3. They like the money they get from getting hits on their blog.

[StephanieBBB]

There is nothing wrong with the controlls, you just suck.

There is nothing wrong with the physics mechanic, you just suck.

There is absolutly nothing wrong with the level creator since everything that has been made in LBP story mode is made by the same tools as you get in create mode, your just too slow or need to take the time for your vision to be perfected.

BTW: To get the play trophy you need to complete every story level without dying. So suck it up and get better at it instead of knocking it.

[thereapersson]

He bashes the level creation system because it "takes too much time" to create something? WTF!

[AngryHippo]

...is a little bit harsh. Everyone is allowed their own opinions, just because its not the same as yours does not mean its the wrong one.

I personally agree, i cannot be bothered to sit there for hours on end creating a level, i'm glad people do though, keeps the game fresh. I prefer the playing of other peoples levels with friends, thats my personal preference, does that make me an idiot?!

[Mr_Bun]

Apparently the game isn't for everyone, but there aren't many people who don't enjoy it. Everyone on my friend list loves the game...myself incuded.

[ultimolu]

I wouldn't call him an idiot but it's likely that the game's not for him.

[thereapersson]

But still, saying this game is stupid because you lack the patience to do anything in it that involves creativity? That's, at the very least, a narrow-minded point of view.

[die_fiend]

Yeah quite a few people can't be arsed to create levels, and it looks very time consuming when it might just end up lame anyway. Let the pros do that. And Mr Bun there aren't many people who don't enjoy it? There must be quite a few considering how it hasn't even sold a million after a month on the market! If so many people enjoy it then surely it might actually be popular?

[Cenobia]

Don't take that sh!t back, this guy is an idiot. I can understand not liking the creation part of the game, but he is pretending to be a games journalist. It is obvious that he barely spent anytime with that part of the game at all, and he definitely didn't publish anything. How can he comment on hating a game when he hasn't even experienced all of it?

He also complains about one of the levels breaking on him. OMG! He had to quit out of it! Has he even played the user made levels? I've come across that problem a ridiculous amount of times. It happened in one of however many levels the developers created. Then he buys Fallout, which will probably cause his PS3 (or whatever platform)to crash numerous times due to all the glitches in it.

His argument isn't even that good. There are only two jump distances as far as I can tell. Long and short. He seems to be whining about the physics of objects he lands on. Basically he wants to take the difficulty out of the game, which immediately makes it not fun. I can understand if he wanted more depth (like a kind of Mario run button, or something) but he wants to dumb down the game even further.

I agree that the jumping is a little floaty, but just because it's different doesn't mean MM failed, or overlooked it. It's not Mario, get over it. If he wants to complain about the platforming, fine, but he should at least experience the entire game before pretending to be an expert on the subject.

@die_fiend - You are really bad at this fanboy thing. Can't you even make a decent argument about why the PS3/PS3 exclusive sucks? If you're just going to quote old sales figures and copy/paste what all the other fanboys are saying, then why bother. You really just look like an idiot under the age of 14.

[johover112]

time and time again i keep hearing about LittlBigPlanet, I own the damn game and yet i keep hearing things like low sales, and "why i hate LittleBigPlanet" damn guys, the game is released now lets move on to the next game, and if this is a xbox 360 fanboy then all i have to say is "how great was Gears Of War 2?"

[Fishy Fingers]

Well I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion and each are as valid as the last, but personally, I have to disagree with the author on this one.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[ultimolu]

He's entitled to his opinion but I'm pretty sure MM is going to add more stuff to the game.

[thenickel]

I don't think LBP is all that great but this guy's bashing is truly uncalled for.

[DeZimatoR]

/sarcasm

Oh and I love how some people start defending other people because they are voicing 'their opinion'. So why shouldn't we be able to voice our opinion about his opinion?

And if his opinion sucks, why shouldn't we bash him for having an idiotic opinion?

Can someone answer that please?

[Cenobia]

Wow. That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Edit: Oh good, looks like the troll got snuffed out by the mods.

[vickers500]

"And if his opinion sucks, why shouldn't we bash him for having an idiotic opinion? "

His opinion doesn't suck and is actually valid. I think its idiotic to defend a game to the very death and pretend that there are no problems with it just because you love it so much. The controls in little big planet are frustrating. You may say "well you just suck, you're a n00b, you have to be totally l33t to play this game/etc. bs reason", but games are meant to be fun, not frustrate.

He is spot on about the jumping physics and how you cant really control how high or far you go.

[arngrim229]

my gf barley plays games and she does fine at LBP planet, i think that guy just sux lol.

the reason things r so random in a level is because of the physics. but i just think this guy just sux really bad at the game and thats it. imo i think the game is amazing, but thats me, my gf, everyone in my house and tons of other people i know....but hey thats just us, or is it????

im playin lbp so much since there are like 9297827487397398484934 shooters out and im sick of them only one im gonna play next is resistance 2 after that F shooters lol, we need more different games like lbp.

[lelo]

I said it during the beta i tested some weeks back and got slammed for it...

This game is cute and fun in the beginning ... but after a wile it's boring and you get tired of it.

[nirun]

oh ya? so what if you don't like the story mode. what about all the mini games? try playing 4 player or my favourite, 3 player mini games where cameras are fixed. these levels are so much fun, it reminds me of a more intricate mario party.

The game doesn't get repetitive due to the sensitive physics.

How easy would it be to stop on a dime? Or to have zero slide? Even Mario in super mario bros 3 slid a little bit.

[Mr_Potato_]

Blogs 4 Gamers ? LBP is one of the highest rated games of all times, surpassing any 360 exclusive to date. Who cares if one guy in the world didn't like it and says it on its blog.

I don't think it's news worthy at all...

[Magic_The_Celt]

and THE highest rated exlusive of all time in this crazy fanboy war.

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

''Resistance 2 is going to be awesome though. I can’t wait for Friday!''

So we can all Shoot the F**K out of him on Resistance 2!!! ;-D

LBP is Unique, Charming, Cute and FUN(bit like Veronica Belmont!!!) ;-P

[ZILLA]

it is really 2 games in 1,there are the gamers that like to play the new levels and there are the gamers that love to make the awsum levels.when gamers make new levels it make the game timless,it will never get old.L B P F T W !!

[Magic_The_Celt]

See i can respect this guys opinion, he isnt just another fanturd who's never even played the game spouting off crap

I personaly enjoy the platformer element to LBP, although i put more emphasis on my time spent on the game towards creating.

But hey, its a crazy world, theres people out there who think COD4 was a terrible game and FPS

[JohnnyMann420]

...but I completely disagree.

Alot of LBP is physics based, but it isn't as unpredictable as this guy says. Sackboys have a distinct feel to their jump, their distance etc as this is not Mario. They float just a tad. Am I saying it iss't tooled right? No. They are tooled perfect for this game. Does it take some getting used to? Yes...of course. You get the "feel" of the character you are playing in any platformer. I can see where learning something new could frustrate people. Is it flawed? Hell no. This is the game.

In the article he mentioned that a platform broke and he had to restart the level. I can see where something like this may happen, but personally has never happened to me and I have played a ton. If he understood the create-a-level aspects, then he could realize how something like this could happen even on the production levels, but oh well.

Sounds like this game is not his cup of tea. LBP, in my opinion, is one of the most fun I have had in a platformer in a long time. I think he should use the word hate for other games , personally.

[TheTwelve]

"And this is why I hate the Wii.

It has so watered down gaming that when a game with actual difficulty comes along, that difficulty is viewed as a flaw.

Wow, so you hate LBP because it's too hard for you?

Yes, in the later levels of the game, the jumping has to be precise. It is very easy to slip on tiny platforms, especially with ice. In the "Bunker" level, it all seems unfair, actually.

But if the controls really were flawed, why is it that so many people who play with skill are able to do levels flawlessly?

Really, if you want to play a game that does everything for you, play a Wii game.

No, let me be nice: play Ratchet and Clank, Tools of Destruction. A game with supposedly great "platforming". But also a game entirely too easy.

I truly hope that Media Molecule reads this post and then goes on ahead to make sequels with the same difficulty. People who have been gaming before 1990 like to have challenging games.

Oh, and stay FAR away from Mega Man 9. You'll hate that classic too.

12"

[JohnnyMann420]

Word!

Mega man 9 is a true testament to a old school platformer and I bet he would never even pass one of the levels of that game if he his whining about LBP.

Back in those days (NES), the damn games were unforgivable and we would play and play and play until we got it right.

I wonder if new age gamers are wussies because they want to be or if they are just a byproduct of the industry appealing to everyone.

[bakagaijin78]

I don't understand the complaints about bad or difficult controls.

The game has a total of 3 buttons/actions that are required when going through a level: move, jump and grab.

Pretty basic if you ask me.

[TheTwelve]

They're making it harder and harder to post on the site after awhile. At first you can just post. The you had to post after putting in a code. And now there is some kind of spam filter. Ah well. Twas fun. :)

12

[heroicjanitor]

Good writing.

[TheTwelve]

Oh smack my posts got deleted! WOW!

12

[Cenobia]

Exactly, but at the same time you can do complex things. Take Shadow of the Colossus, for instance.

Move/Grab/Jump

Most epic game ever made.

I like LBP's controls because it reminds me of SotC (my favorite game of all time).

[Tarasque]

Yeah it has 3 basic buttons and they couldn't even get that right, seriously you guys can not sit here and say it is not flawed. One of the devs for christ sake said it needs to be fix cause it gets on his nerves.

[StephanieBBB]

Dude. Have you blindly gone thru the tutorial or did you just play a preview of the game in mid story mode at Gamestop?

The timing part is the hardest part of lbp but that is how it is in all platformers. If your timing is off then it's not the games fault, it's your own.

Secondly it's the 3 lains in LBP. You can move back 2 times and front 2 times and this happens automaticly if you would jump from lain 1 to lain 3 in midst air.

You can not drag a block of something from lain 1 to lain 2 for example but you can swing between them just by releasing and then holding the R1 grab button when you see a grabbable material hanging somewhere.

3rd. Holding down X allows you to jump higher than just tapping X. This is the key to precise platforming in LBP.

4th. Sackboy is made of wool and that's why you can't instantly stop like super mario bros 1 or megaman 9. Learn to keep your thump steady when landing. You can also control sackboy in mid air because of this.

5th. Recognising Grabbable materials. If you don't know this I suggest you spend some time in create mode to familiar yourself with them.

[bakagaijin78]

I honestly think that this game is at it's best when played locally with friends. Yes, it is boring if you play through the story levels by yourself. It's a blast when you play co-operatively with others.

And yes, creating levels IS hard and complex. But it's completely optional and not required to enjoy other levels of the game.

[cherrypie]

Its a physics toy, not a platform game.

[JohnnyMann420]

Not really. I don't know if you have played or not, but as you get even deeper into it, the levels become more and more puzzle and platform based then any game I can remember in recent history.

It can be a physics toy as well (if you want to play around with the Create a Level features), but the core levels are strictly platform.

[Yi-Long]

... the single-player has some GREAT platforming levels, which are a lot of fun, both while playing it as well as just the design of it.

It's a great game, easily deserving a 9.

But it COULD have been easily deserved an undeniable 10 if they had kinda fixed the poor control of Sackboy.

Ah well... room for improvement for LBP2 :D

[ultimolu]

I don't see how the platforming could be hard to execute...?

[kingme71]

I'll just say my 6 year old plays co-op with me and although he dies more frequently then I do, he has cleared many levels.

You get used to the controls. If the game didn't offer 3 layers along the z-axis the game would be alot less sophisticated and the options for user created levels would be significantly less.

[BlackCountryBob]

I love that he says he has not got enough time to learn the level creator tools yet he has enough time to write a lengthy blog post about how he has not got the time to learn how to use the level creator :D

[Yi-Long]

... I LOVE LBP, it's a digital version of Meccano, and the level design in the story mode is brilliant. Sackboy is great and cute etc...

... but the actual platforming, the GAMEPLAY, can be infuriating at times because of the poor control of Sackboy.

I really hope MM will fix that. They dont even have to fix the gameplay, but just make Sackboy some boots with good grip or something, which will affect how he lands.

[gano]

I can respect that. But the way he bashes it make it seem different.

[heroicjanitor]

"The amount of times I died because Sackboy skidded on a platform or failed to jump high enough or far enough to reach a perfectly reachable platform was bordering on the ridiculous."
It obviously wasn't reachable then... Or you are very bad at jumping I've never had these problems do you even know that the harder you press x the higher you jump?

"When I jump, I want to be able to actually control myself how far and high I jump"
Oh so you don't know? That explains everything.

"I decided to have a quick play with the level creator tools but gave up as everything felt too fiddly and time consuming. You may argue that I should put the time in to get the best out of this side of LBP but I simply do not have the time to do this."
Yes I do argue this you complete fanboy tool there are very informative tutorials I have the damn game and you are a joke and should be kept away from the internet at all times, and if you didn't have time to do the level creator how in hell did you have the time to play fallout 3?

[JohnnyMann420]

Lol I wont go as far as calling him stupid, but I will say that his complaints make him sound very newbish.

I don't know, we just don't have that much hard of a time controlling sackboy as this newb did I guess.

[I_am_rushin]

This guy sucks.

[Brixxer600]

Broken controls ??

I've got a 5 year old son who can play this game and he's not that bad at it, sometimes needs some help with some of the trickier sections but he seems to cope with the general platforming just perfectly.

[Arkrite]

He's stuck at the giant rotating cage thing
from my own experience the only thing wrong with this AAA game is the lag,its virtually unplayable online most of the time for my son and I,
so unplayable that we've had the game 6 weeks and still not got the play a level with 3 friends/strangers online trophies.

[Strikepackage Bravo]

this is not going to stop me from picking this game up as soon as I get my PS3, all the hype has certainly worked on me, I've got to try LBP out.

[TIKUP]

This guy is a retard if he thinks the controls are too complicated!!!
All i can say is that this game is amazing and im nearly 1 and a half months in!!

[OGharryjoysticks]

I've been playing it for about a week and still haven't finished. I intend on going back when I'm done with all the levels to try and find all the items I missed. Right now I'm stuck on the ninja level and even though it's really tough I love the fact that the difficulty is not like a Lego game where technically you can't lose. The creativity in the levels is pure genius and for a platformer it's the best I've ever played.

[Horny Melon]

Wait until he has to ace every level, then he will be truly upset. LBPs difficulty is refreshing. Level creation only takes as long as you want it to. You can bang out a level using a template and pregenerated obstacles and creatures. To make something unique of course it is going to take time.

[Pika-pie]

Jumping and landing on small platforms can be irritating but it just takes practice. I do however think MM need to remedy this to make Sackboy have bit more stick to him.

This minor thing does not distract me from the overall experiance, which is brilliant!!!

[aiphanes]

You will get stuck at times on a level...but this is the best platformer out there.

Get this game! It rules. 99 percent of the reviews are over 9.5 out of 10.

Forget what this guy says....LBP is the best PS3 game....along since R2 and MGS4, and uncharted...

[Figboy]

it's the plane switching that causes the most problems.

HOWEVER, i've simply learned not to trust the auto-plane switching mechanic, and i tend to manually control my movements, instead of being "lazy," and letting the game decide when and how i plane switch.

i still have a few times when the controls mess up on me, but it's generally due to me rushing through the level, and i overzealously make a jump i probably should have been more conscious of.

i don't think this guy is wrong in his opinion, but i do think that LBP has a learning curve, and once you understand it's gameplay mechanics, it becomes easier to play (i've managed to Ace more than half of the levels so far, and i could probably Ace more, but i haven't played it in a while because of the KZ2 beta and Resistance 2).

i don't even think about the controls while i'm playing anymore, because i've gotten so used to the way Sackboy moves and jumps; you just learn little tricks to do while you're playing.

one trick i learned is when jumping onto narrow platforms: Sackboy's momentum when jumping tends to make him slide a little after he lands. to counter this, i jump forward towards the platform (or whatever i'm trying to land on), release the stick for a second (so he's not pushing forward anymore), and pull the stick BACK (opposite the direction he's moving), very lightly. this tends to make him "pause" in the air, and his forward momentum is broken, and he drops, ideally, on the platform. it sounds complicated, but it really isn't, and works really well.

[psiom]

Why do people have so much trouble with the controls?

I wonder if it has to do with the type of gamers this game attracts?

I've never heard some one criticize an FPS by saying "I was just trying to enjoy myself when A monster killed me because I couldn't aim at it fast enough! this is a flawed game because it was REALLY hard to kill the bad guys on harder levels"...

Personally, I've never had problems with LBP's controls. Hold up to jump back, hold down to jump forwards. As for not making it to ledges/platforms, just TIME YOUR GOD DAMN JUMPING, jesus.

I'm glad MM didn't gimp the difficulty factor to accommodate these lowest common denominator inept gamers.

I didn't read his whole rant. DId he only make it to the Canyons? The game gets 10 times harder than those levels, and still me and my girlfriend (who is not a big gamer) aced the game pretty quickly.

Again: I think LBP's "difficulty" is a criticism that other genres are immune from, purely because of expectation and target audience. Opinions like these are valid, but if you're a skilled gamer they just won't apply to you.