Parents' Guide to

LittleBigPlanet

Game PlayStation 3 2008
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Common Sense Media Review

Jinny Gudmundsen By Jinny Gudmundsen , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Amazing game where you play, create, and share.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 8+

Based on 25 parent reviews

age 3+

Side Scrolling Fun for the Ages

A cool platformer for the Playstation. Youre a Sackboy that you can later dress in different ways. You go to an adventure in different beautifully created stages and collect bubbles. A few spooky were made with a Halloween theme, but nothing too scary to give you nightmares. This game is very kid friendly, online community is somewhat fun. Just watch out for online bullies. There's also create your own stage in Little Big Planet that you can share online, the only limit is your imaginations and creativity skills. There are game trophies to achieve as well and DLCs to get but it's mostly cosmetics that doesnt affect gameplay. Controls are easy to master if you pay attention in the first stage. Graphics and sounds are also very pleasing. All in all, any child that can work a controller will like this fun and vibrant game. Its a must own by all Playstation 3 owners.
age 6+

Best games I played during my younger years.

This game released when I was 20 years old. It's one of the best creative games back then in the late 2000's. While this game is very far from blood and gore, it is pretty dangerous going around the levels the games and the community provide you. You have spike, electrical objects, fire objects, gas objects, and more things to kill you cute sackboy or sackgirl. I also mentioned sexual content in the game. While this game doesn't naturally have sex in the game, there is a offline mode in the game where you have blocks to build with from your adventures in Story Mode. This, however, is a very modified service, and whenever the LBP staff sees inappropriate content in the game, they tend to take it down or just report it. But, however, it may never be noticed and little kids will be exposed to it. However, in the game there is one character in the game that is smoking pot, but I think that was super rare in the game for younger kids to see, so there isn't really a concern for that. There is also a option in the game to join another person's pod (personal lobby space) which the hosts can bully the guests, Ways the people can leave is going to settings, host kicking them out of their pod, or losing connection to the Internet. Otherwise, the story line plot is pretty good and there's so many positive role models and messages to take down the villian of Story Mode.

What's It About?

LITTLE BIG PLANET is a game that deserves all the hype it has generated. It has three parts to it. First, it's a charming platform puzzler where you control your self-designed \"Sackperson\" as they run, jump, and explore eight crazy wonderful worlds full of Rube-Goldberg-type contraptions and scenery that looks like it was created at a craft festival. Second, it's a video game designing kit where you can design your own zany platform puzzles. By playing through the eight platform puzzle parts, you earn things to put into your game-designing kit. And third, it's a community that celebrates your imagination and the invention of others by allowing you to share your levels with others online and also permitting you to play through other people's levels.

In the first part, known as the Story, you're guided through this world by tutorial videos filled with quirky humor. The world you're exploring has been created from people's dreams, and each of the eight worlds you explore has a different look and feel. You will learn how to collect special bubbles to get a high score and other bubbles to earn prizes. To proceed through each environment, you will run, jump, and grab onto things that populate this world. You will discover that the laws of physics in this world are fascinating -- walk up the side of a triangle and your weight will make it tumble over. Bump up against something and it will move. This is a highly responsive world. After completing the first three levels in the Gardens, you can gain access to MyMoon where you meet others online and create your own levels. Throughout the game, others can join you in a drop-in, drop-out option.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (25 ):
Kids say (64 ):

What makes this game so amazing is that each of the three parts stands on its own merit and yet they seamlessly intertwine. If you aren't the creative type, just playing the Story will be fascinating -- it's like no other platformer you have ever played because the environment is so reactive. And when you're finished with the Story, your fun gaming experience can continue endlessly by exploring new levels created by others online. While EA is policing this content to keep it E-rated, this is a community where kids could run into offensive material before it's ferreted out, so parents might want to join in on the exploration of online content.

For kids (and adults!) who have always wanted to create their own video games, this game gives you the tools to do just that. And they are simple to use, presented with loads of hand-holding in the form of video tutorials. There are pre-made objects like circles and squares, but you can also design your own shapes. You can put them together in a variety of ways including string, glue, or bolts. If you're overwhelmed, the game offers templates to get you started. You can create something simple in 15-20 minutes or spend days working on something to give you bragging rights with friends.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how to get ideas for making new levels. Can things you do every day provide inspiration? How about joining together for a family creativity night of exploring new user-created content and making your own?

Game Details

  • Platform : PlayStation 3
  • Pricing structure :
  • Available online? : Not available online
  • Publisher : Sony Computer Entertainment
  • Release date : October 20, 2008
  • Genre : Puzzle
  • ESRB rating : E for Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence
  • Last updated : November 4, 2015

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