Previews

Carnival Time

LittleBigPlanet on the PS Vita offers a new story-driven platforming experience which sees players step into the shoes of PlayStation's impossibly cute mascot Sackboy (or Sackgirl). Set on the fairground planet of Carnivalia, where the Puppeteer is stealing all of the joy from the LBP universe, players are challenged to travel through a series of quirky levels to foil their mysterious enemy's evil plans and restore fun and laughter to the world.

Like its predecessors on PS3 and PSP, early showings suggest the latest LBP will be another charming adventure packed with thrills, spills and funny moments, and one that's powered by not just the game's developer, Tarsier Studios, but also the player's own imagination as they create and customise multiple aspects of the experience.

New Ways To Play

This is the second time the LBP franchise has appeared on a PlayStation handheld, but the PS Vita version will be a far more comprehensive offering than 2009's PSP edition. In fact, feature-wise it looks set to be the equal of the two PS3 titles currently available, and in some ways the experience will surpass the home console versions thanks to the PS Vita's unique features.

Not only does the PS Vita offer new ways to approach LBP's excellent platforming gameplay by encouraging players to tilt, touch, pinch, push, pull, drag and flick their hero back and forth through its cleverly constructed environments, but it also promises to introduce a number of innovative touch-based, arcade-style mini-games.

Creation Station

And much like the gameplay, level creation will be more varied than ever before, as all of the existing tools from LBP 2 will be available with added PS Vita functionality. Users will be able to select and place items on-screen with simple finger taps, and rotate or resize them with pinches.

It'll also be possible to draw objects directly onto the touch-screen and to use the handheld's cameras to capture stickers and textures for use in-game, allowing players to make a level look like anything they want with the minimum of effort, and to build complex structures that would take significantly longer to make on the PS3.

Share The Fun

LBP can be as accessible or as deep an experience as players want it to be. If you fancy yourself as a level designer, you can create your own and share them with the game's online community via the PlayStation Network. If not, you can simply enjoy the fruits of other people's labour free of charge. The LBP community is known for releasing large volumes of quality content, so players will probably be able to enjoy the game for months on end without ever having to replay the same level.

The game will also support up to four online players simultaneously in competitive and co-operative modes, while local multiplayer modes will feature turn-based and multi-touch games. With something for every type of player, from casual gamers to aspiring level designers, LittleBigPlanet PS Vita looks set to be another fantastic entry in the series. And perhaps best of all, it'll be enjoyable on the go, any time, anywhere.