When this game was first announced I thought, “Oh look! It’s that game they should have made instead of ModNation Racers.” When Sony was pushing its Play, Create, Share campaign I knew this game would be made and I was confused why they didn’t just get on with an LBP kart racing game right away. I have played ModNation Racers and it’s a great game, but when LBP Karting came to be I was a little apprehensive about it. To me it seemed like it was probably going to be a clone of ModNation with Sack People instead of vinyl figures. However at the same time I was pretty excited to see Sackboy behind the spongy wheel of a tiny cardboard monster truck. I love the Little Big Planet franchise already so they at least roped me in with those cute button eyes. So I fired up the demo and gave it a spin. Get it, spin?
When the demo starts you are shown a live action video like the ones from the Little Big Planet games only this time its all about people daydreaming and imagining things while behind the wheel. Which is, as always, a great way to deliver the idea behind LBP and it reminds you of all the crazy things you have daydreamed of while stuck in traffic. I know we’ve all had the same thoughts at one time or another: if only my car could fly or I wish I could launch a rocket at this jackass who won’t change lanes in front of me! Well, in LBP Karting, you can!
Then came the part of the demo that I found pretty annoying: the dreaded forced tutorial. Like all LBP titles before it, Karting doesn’t throw you to any main menu after the intro video, instead it puts you right into the game. Since it was my first time playing, I got the tutorial. However, just like vanilla LBP, LBP Karting’s tutorials are fully voiced by that cleverly charming Englishman that somehow makes the whole ordeal bearable. Although I could have skipped the tutorial through the pause screen, I still found it slightly irritating that I wasn’t given the choice right off the bat. But it is through this tutorial that you choose whether you want to use the R2 button or the X button to accelerate.
After
the tutorial you are then dropped into your Pod. For those of us who
are unfamiliar to the Little Big Planet series, this is the area from
which you jump into games and customize your Sackperson and your Kart.
All of which are explained to you in the demo. This is one part of the
demo that really shined because you actually have a decent number of
options for customizing your kart and driver. You can build your kart
from cardboard, paper, balloons, egg cartons,
and more. From there you can hand pick everything from the wheels to
the seat to the suspension of your vehicle. So if you want to drive a
tank, you’ve got it. Or maybe you want a hovercraft? Even in the demo
you have a wide range of possible combinations to create. Just click the
random kart button a few dozen times to see firsthand.
After I spent some time editing my ride, I jumped into the game itself. This demo has three playable levels: a standard race, a open area battle royale, and a game where you control a monster truck thrashing, robot dinosaur machine. The racing mode played like any kart racing game you’ve played before. You drive around the track while avoiding the weapons launched at you by your opponents. You can drift around curves just like games you’ve played before and you pick up weapons to use yourself. However there is a gameplay mechanic that was new to me for kart racing games that I learned from the tutorial: defensive weapons. The way this works is that some weapons, for example a box of explosives you can drop behind you, give you the ability to block incoming attacks. Whenever you are holding such a weapon and an opponent launches an attack at you, a blue shield pops up on the back of your kart signaling that, if you time your shot right, you can block the attack and suffer no ill effects. This is handy for when you finally get into first place and all the fire is on you. But on the flip side, you really feel the tension when you’ve got that lead and you are without defenses!
The race in the demo was challenging but not too difficult and the track was gorgeous and very Little Big Planet in theme. I was able to get first both times I played, but never did I hold a constant lead.
Then I tried the all out battle mode. This took me back to the days of the Super Nintendo Mario Kart, playing the battle mode with its hectic open areas and the constant barrage of weapons flying. This game nailed that feel in every way. There were multiple levels of elevation on the course with plentiful weapons and equally destructive road hazards. I could see this mode becoming a favorite to play among friends and rivals on and offline.
The third mode of this game was a little harder to take in on the first time through. In it you control a robotic dinosaur machine from a top-down perspective and you are tasked with destroying as many monster trucks as you can in the time allowed. You can do this either by running them down or launching fireballs at them. Both of which were equally satisfying as you watch the little trucks ignite. I didn’t do very well at this, but I think that with a little practice and maybe more direction from the game I could get better.
The most disappointing part of this demo was that you cannot create your own tracks or even edit the existing ones provided in the demo. This seemed very odd since it is really the whole point of Little Big Planet. So I didn’t get to see what the track building was like, but if their previous games are any clue it’s likely very good and simple to use.
All in all I give this demo a 7 out of 10. While all the actual gameplay is really fun and the customization options are surprisingly robust for a demo, the forced tutorial and mostly the lack of a track building demo were quite disappointing. I do recommend playing this demo though to see its merits and see where it stands in the world of kart racing games. Playing the demo does make me want to buy the game, but this is mostly due to the fact that I’m already a fan of Little BIg Planet. But if you’re looking for a really fun new kart racing game with a unique soul, go check out Little Big Planet Karting.
- Skye
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