Parents' Guide to Sackboy: A Big Adventure

While fans of his other games will lament that this isn't as challenging or full of chances to be creative, it's still a relatively entertaining opportunity to run, jump, and mix it up. In Sackboy: A Big Adventure, the adorable hero of the LittleBigPlanet games has to save the day when his fellow sackfolk are kidnapped by the evil Vex. Though rather than hire mercenaries and launch a daring but dangerous rescue, our hero instead has to find some special resources, something he does by exploring the world. Hence why he spends all his time running, jumping, and solving puzzles that will open doors to other areas. He even occasionally punches some animals in the face. And while you can't make your own levels to share with your friends, the levels do get rather clever and creative (as does Sackboy's closet full of outfits).

That said, the lack of customization and creation isn't the only thing that might disappoint fans of Sackboy's previous games. Getting around, for instance, is decidedly less about split-second timing and jumping the way LittleBigPlanet was. Instead, it's more about exploring and figuring out what things do. Which isn't to say this doesn't get hazardous at times, because it does. It's that the dangerous parts are rather infrequent, and usually just involve misjudging a jump and falling off the world. On PC, while the game supports a large number of computer setups, the game suffers from a large amount of slowdown and stuttering play that can make you misjudge certain areas or sequences. On top of this, there aren't a lot of people playing the game, so if you're looking for co-op, you'll be waiting for a while. While this isn't as challenging as what he's had to deal with before, which will bother serious LittleBigPlanet fans, people just looking for a casual hang with an old pal will enjoy the soft, fluffy fun of Sackboy: A Big Adventure.