Did we mention it’s a total multiplayer/co-op experience? Four pairs of hands mean dozens more possibilities. Especially if one of you is fitted with a jetpack! There’s a thin line between teamwork and mischief. You’ll even be able to kit yourself out with oodles of gear, some of it custom-made. You can also ‘slap’ each other - the pad tilt and sticks will control your character’s head and arms, in true analogue fashion. So, four of you, one skateboard... who’s going to get out and push? Or pull, even? And can you think of ways to hoist them back on board again once you’re in motion? Well, you could always fight about it...

And then there’s the significant matter of being able to create your own objects, with an intuitive editor that allows you to place, morph and rotate items, as well as plaster them in stickers you’ve made yourself. A little imagination can go a loooong way in LBP. Also, you can create decals using pics stored on the PS3’s hard drive, to upload and share. Forget Halo 3; it’s the ultimate user-driven console experience.

So, there you have it: a unique and exclusive application of both software and hardware. It’s the kind of thing that the PS3 has been crying out for. Hopefully, it’ll be one you’ll be laughing-out-loud for, too. If Mario Galaxy had true multiplayer and a level editor, LittleBigPlanet would be its spiritual brother. It’s about making your imagination into tangible entertainment.

Jan 23, 2008