Parents' Guide to LittleBigPlanet 3

LittleBigPlanet games are downright joyous. Chalk it up to the series' colorful and deeply imaginative faux 2-D worlds, its undeniably uplifting selection of music, and its clever puzzles and gadgets -- like the new velociporter, which is basically the LittleBigPlanet version of Portal's portals. This edition's new roster of playable sack characters provides an added boost of happiness. Each new character is designed to make users look at and exploit various features within worlds in fresh and innovative ways. Unfortunately, the game is a bit glitchy compared to previous entries in the series. We encountered a particularly nasty bug that forced us to start the game over from scratch. Once properly patched, the story mode ought to prove just as entertaining as that of any of its predecessors.

But the chief draw of LittleBigPlanet 3 is its creation mode. Once players have worked through the creation tutorials, they'll have the power to create objects of any shape, size, and texture; control the logic that governs object behavior; and create special objectives and conditions for winning. Consider this: Working from a blank canvas, players have the ability to create anything and everything they see in the story mode, from setting up a complex series of in-game events to determining where and when to start and stop background music. It's pretty powerful stuff. When they're done creating, players can share what they've made with the game's vast community. Don't be surprised when, a decade or two from now, some of the industry's best game designers talk about how they got their start playing and making their own games in LittleBigPlanet 3.