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LittleBigPlanet (October 21)

The Scoop: LittleBigPlanet; Genre: action/platformer; By: Media Molecule; From: Sony; For: PlayStation 3; Rating: Everyone

Info: Imagine a world strewn with bits of felt, wood, metal, and sponge, where all those materials interact realistically. Toss in cute little Sackboy and Sackgirl dolls running and catapulting around elaborate toylike worlds, and you have the general flavor of this breakout physics-driven puzzler.

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Matt: This one is almost too cute to fail, but a little tough to pin down. It sounds like a great idea and looks all cuddly in videos, but will it be fun to play? We'll see. The part I'm most looking forward to is editing any level or object and futzing with the tactile attributes of materials and devices--ranging from string and glue to winches and pistons--to fashion widgets that would make Rube Goldberg smile. Or how about using the PlayStation Eye camera to create your own put-'em-anywhere-you-like in-game stickers?

Darren: I can, and will, name-drop every Rube Goldberg-like game I've played over the years (*cough* The Incredible Machine *cough*), but I liken my time playing LittleBigPlanet to the first time I tried Mouse Trap as a kid. You go around, grasping the basic rules, and then, as all the pieces come together, you suddenly have a massive contraption that you've created. This PS3 game is a blast to play--and it's even better when you have a couple of buddies in tow for a multiplayer race through a level that you just cobbled together.