"Creating things is addictive"

Eu.playstation.com takes to Covent Garden to see what the general public makes of LittleBigPlanet.

For four weeks in October and November 2008, the Thomas Neal Shopping Centre in London's fashionable Covent Garden became a bubble of creative energy as members of the public got their hands on LittleBigPlanet.

Visitors of all ages descended on the Pop-it Store to play the final version of the game, grab some free goodies and make a beautiful mess with glue and glitter in the arts and craft area.

Curious shoppers pressed against windows to see where all the laughter was coming from as visitors of all ages spent their afternoons charging about the game's Story levels and receiving Create mode tuition from on-hand virtuosos.

Fun with friends

Londoners Sam Wijngaard, Elliot Williams and George Nindi spoke while bamboozled by a chunk of sponge attached to a piston, somewhere in The Savannah.

"The levels that come with the game are amazing," enthuses George, when asked for his first impressions. "I really like the one with the skateboard."

"It's definitely more fun to play with friends," adds Elliot, "although sometimes you forget you're playing against each other."

"It can get quite competitive though. Earlier, I got slapped and landed on some spikes, and then me and Sam jumped on a skateboard and left Elliot behind," concludes Sam.

Sackboy of the Colossus

While the Story levels were popular, visitors would have to wait for the game's release to play user generated levels. Nevertheless, many had read about and seen videos of the beta community's efforts and couldn't wait to play everyone else's contributions, and make their own.

"I haven't tried to create my own level yet," says Sam, "but I'll probably do that at home when I have more time to concentrate. I've seen videos of some of the levels though - someone made a calculator."

"I saw that," George interjects. "It was crazy."

"It's cool how everything you see on the story levels, you could make yourself if you wanted. I really want to see people make their own versions of old games," says Sam.

"Yeah, Shadow of the Colossus would work really well. You could make a giant boss, and then people would have to climb it to get past," George adds.

Something for everyone

It's fascinating to see how different people spend their time with the game. Some charge through levels with reckless abandon, while others plod through, collecting every prize bubble. Many head straight to Create mode, while others are content in their pod, choosing outfits and sticking stickers. John Ribbins and Vincent Olutayo, both from London, spoke while struggling to control a disobedient skateboard.

"It's really slick," sums up John. "I'm especially impressed by Create mode."

"Yeah, creating things is instantly addictive," Vincent agrees. "It will be different for each person, but I can see myself spending more time making levels than playing them."

"I've worked on games myself and just from a design point of view, having a real time editor, where you can instantly switch between editing and playing, is so useful," adds John.

"I don't know what I would make first... possibly some kind of vehicle... something that flies," Vincent muses.

"From what I've seen, the best user levels have been the ones based on other games; the Mirror's Edge level was really stylish," says John.

"With such a range of materials to play with, it seems like the only limit is your own imagination," Vincent concludes.

Big thanks to Sam, Elliot, George, John and Vincent; can't wait to play your levels.