| Comrade Tovya said: I notice a lot of people like this game, and most of my clan-mates do as well... my only question is, what's the big deal about the game? I don't really understand the hype. I don't mind getting it, but before I do, what it the big deal that makes it such an epic game? What's the actual point of the game? Is it like a customizable Mario? |
Pretty much. The core game is a basic 2D side-scrolling platformer like Mario, although with some significant gameplay differences.
#1 - Instead of the precision of "arcade controls," LBP opts for a more realistic physics-rooted control scheme, which has a huge bearing on the overall "feel" of the game/gameplay, as controlling your Sackboy's inertia is a big part of the battle when jumping or navigating obstacles that fling you up into the air. The core game is run, jump, and grab things. There's no fireball-throwing powerups or super-speed runs or anything outlandish or fantastic.
#2 - The look of the game is a complete departure from the fantasy worlds dreamed up in other platformers. Instead of Mushroom Kingdoms and so forth, you've got 3cm tall dolls of sackcloth roaming around in kindergarten dioramas. Everything in the game has a realistic touch to it, or is built from realistic-looking components. The devil is in the details, like the stitching on fabrics or the corrugated sandwich layer in a cross-section of cardboard. The visual presentation, IMHO, is just overwhelming. I've been playing it for over a month, and I am constantly impressed, even in things I've already seen before. It helps that the game has an outstanding, diverse soundtrack.
#3 - Local and online co-op, up to 4 players. TRUE co-op platforming gameplay. Mario doesn't have that, and the games that do, like Contra, never really take advantage of it. With LBP, many of the "puzzles" in the game REQUIRE two people to solve. Some of the segments in the last two 'worlds' even require three or four players. E.g., It's not even possible to "complete" the basic game without having a bunch of friends over or going online. LBP encourages co-op. It's seems superficial at first, but there is a reason that the sackboys and sackgirls are infinitely customizable, posable, and can bitch slap one another. Most multiplayer games wind up being hilarious, often unintentionally.
#4 - The core game on its own is worth the $60 price of admission and (IMHO) should be Game of the Year. The online, level creation suite, level sharing ... all that stuff is just gravy. The replay potential in LBP is just immense.
