It's a small world

Get ready to explore the LittleBigPlanet on PlayStation 3

Along with the huge amount of buzz emerging from Phil Harrison's announcement of Home - the realtime online 3D, networked community available via PlayStation Network on PS3, the other big announcement at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco was LittleBigPlanet. A brand new gaming experience developed exclusively for PS3, LittleBigPlanet is set to be one of the most original, innovative and fun gaming experiences ever created.

Developed by Media Molecule, the company formed by the people behind surprise indie smash Rag Doll Kung Fu, LittleBigPlanet is a new community-based game for PS3 with a hugely innovative concept behind it.

The plot thickens

Players meet on a blue and green planet scattered with individual plots that you are totally free to customise in any way you want. Your characters have the power to move anything in this adorable, ramshackle, stitched-together world and can design and build both objects and entire locations for others to view and play.

At its heart, LittleBigPlanet is a co-operative game all about creativity. Players take control of an almost infinitely customisable little character and each level is an obstacle course that requires teamwork to get through. If you need to reach a higher platform, you and your friends can form a human pyramid to reach it, while switches to open doors can be activated by your characters working together to place heavy weights on them. Your characters can run and jump, and there are a host of other abilities such as pulling other players up onto ledges, riding massive skateboards and even flying around on tiny jetpacks.

That said, each level is full of sponges - the material that your plot is made of - to collect, meaning that there is also a competitive element as your teammates battle to collect sponge to spruce up their own levels. The game looks fantastic too, combining a gorgeous next generation High Definition sheen with stunningly lifelike stylised backdrops and ridiculously cute characters to create a totally unique feel.

Little big adventure

The best thing about LittleBigPlanet though is that it's so simple. There's no complicated level editor; all of the skills you need to make your own levels and objects can be learned by playing the game. Thanks to the game's physics system, you can drop in items and start playing with them right away. You're free to make the world as open or cosy as you want and when it's ready you can invite anyone in the LittleBigPlanet community to come and explore your plot, as well as going off to explore everyone else's.

"We were confident that PS3 would be the platform to lead the way in creative gaming, and LittleBigPlanet brings this concept to life spectacularly" said Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. "By giving players the power to shape and share an entire virtual world via PlayStation Network, we've created the space for PS3 owners to realise their creativity and craft their own unique gameplay experience."

You'll be able to get a first look at LittleBigPlanet this Autumn, but check back here for more information soon!