As many of you are aware, the LittleBigPlanet Karting public beta is now underway, with thousands of fans getting a chance to check it out before its release. Here two members of the GamingUnwrapped theam will share with you their thoughts on this new kart racer, and let you know if you have any reason to pick it up when it eventually comes out.
Community Manager Milin Phillips:
With LittleBigPlanet Karting, I was prepared for some sort of cheap knock off of Mario Kart, but while it does borrow much of the Mario Kart formula, LittleBigPlanet Karting has a unique charm to it that you don’t really get with other kart racers. A lot of features from ModNation and the mainline LBP titles seem to mesh with LBP Karting, granting you supreme control over character and kart customization. I really enjoyed piecing together every part of my sackboy just like in LBP2, but also got to do some kart customization as well. The game looks pretty, and the controls are simple, but the game I fear will end up much like ModNation, focusing a little too much on customization and less on the racing. Its online is also a little shabby, which could reinstate some problems that LBP2 had. LBP Karting does have one distinct advantage though; its track builder. I spent a good hour and a half messing around with the tons of terrain, track, and object tools. A creative mind could spend hundreds of hours putting an idea to work in this mode. LBP Karting is not a game I would pick up on Day 1, but it is definitely something to look forward to.
Features Editor Jake Thomas:
I’m going to come right off the bat and say LittleBigPlanet Karting was a smart move by Sony, Media Molecule, and United Front. While Modnation Racers was a strong kart racer fundamentally, it never came close to the current champ of kart racers, Mario Kart. The major issue being character familiarity. Mario Kart is filled with icons, and while Modnation Racers gave you the option to be any character you wanted from anything, it didn’t capture that same feel. LittleBigPlanet Karting on the other hand offers Sony’s newest and most lovable avatar, the Sackboy. Even without the customization options of Modnation Racers, that fact first off makes it so LBP Karting if off on the right foot.
LittleBigPlanet Karting plays, to my surprise, exactly like a Mario Kart game. After selecting your desired gas control, you are granted the weapon button, and a drift button. The racing itself is very smooth. Eight competitors ride either online, or against AI computers. Fast paced, and fun, it felt like I was a kid again playing Mario Kart with my friends, which is LBP Karts major problem in my eyes.
It’s not Mario Kart. There is nothing new here that I haven’t seen before and better in a classic Mario Kart game. Though it controls just as well, is just as fun, and more, there isn’t any reason here that I can say that this will be the definitive “Mario Kart Killer”, because it isn’t. I’m curious to see how LittleBigPlanet Karting will develop and create an identity outside of a series that has the monopoly on the wacky racer.
Did you get access to the LittleBigPlanet Karting Beta? Agree or disagree with GamingUnwrapped? Post your thoughts in the comments below! Also check out LittleBigPlanet Karting news, reviews, and more at GamingUnwrapped. The game itself launches on PS3 later this year.
