With an emphasis on fun, big cartoony graphics and a far-fetched storyline, John Walshe gives the latest karting cartoon game two thumbs up.
After two hugely successful Little Big Planet games, allied to the Mario Kart-like playability of Mod Nation Racers, it was inevitable that somebody at Sony would have a eureka moment and combine the two concepts. The result is LBP Karting and while it’s not the most innovative title to hit consoles this year, in terms of sheer pick-up-and-playability, it’s hard to argue with the format.
The single player campaign involves Sackboy, the woven hero of the original Little Big Planet titles, getting behind the wheel of a racing kart in order to save Craftworld from the invasion of the greedy, grabby Hoard, who scavenge the planet for treasures. OK, so the plot makes about as much sense as a Terence Malick script, but it’s much more enjoyable.
The graphics are big, bold and cartoony, and the sound is great, with the voice-overs performed by the magnificent Stephen Fry: let’s face it, you’d pretty much pay to listen to the man read your local take-away menu. It’s extremely playable, whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool arcade fanatic or a very casual player, as you’re cute-as-a-button karts career around all manner of gorgeously coloured racing arenas.
Like other karting titles, this is as far from simulation as you can get: the emphasis is on fun, with grappling hooks to swing your craft over the dastardly green goo, as well as a wealth of weaponry and special power-ups to collect, from rocket-powered missiles to the great fast-forward feature, which hurtles your kart ahead at eye-watering speeds.
However, almost all weapons can be used to defend as well as attack and there is as much, if not more, emphasis on protecting your kart from enemy missiles. The game is pretty unforgiving, particularly given its target market of gamers aged 7-plus: if you’re hurtling along in the lead on your final lap and get hit by a heat-seeking missile, you can quickly find yourself languishing towards the bottom of the leader board.
It’s not all about racing, though, with the single player game littered with a host of mini games, battle levels, which are all about hitting the Hoard before they hit you, and one truly memorable event which involves grabbing a giant egg and holding it over your head while avoiding enemy firepower. Like its LBP predecessors, it also puts the power to create in your hands, with fully customisable tracks, karts, costumes and weapons (although the create tutorials are far from user-friendly).
While it’s not going to win awards for originality, this is fast, frivolous and fun.
Platform: PS3
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Cert: 7
Score: 3/5
John Walshe
