This past week I've taken a critical look at LittleBigPlanet Vita; I have played through the Story Mode as well as spent a chunk of time in Create Mode.



First I'll start with the new Story Mode. While it may seem a bit shorter than previous games, it is packed full of exciting gameplay, a great story, whimsical characters that will not leave you disappointed. Some may be worried that the Vita's touch capabilities will leave us with a gimmicky game, and while they did implement both front and rear touch throughout the levels to showcase the new capabilities, I never felt as if I was being beat over the head with it. In addition to the normal levels and challenge levels we've become familiar with in past games, you also gain access to an Arcade section with full fledged mini-games. Each of these minigames have a handful of levels that you progress through with some very fun gameplay (my favorite is Tapling). I would go deeper into the awesomeness that is the story of LBPV, but I don't want to spoil anything for you guys.



Next up is Create Mode. If you've already spent time in the LBP2 create mode, you'll be able to jump right in and get creating. However, I'd suggest spending sometime looking through all the Tweak and settings menus of the familiar tools, you may find exciting new additions to them (such as the wonderful new abilities that come with the Note). In addition to all these new tweaks, we've been given all new tools to work with. I'm sure everyone has heard about the Memorizer by now, and I believe it's going to allow creators to make bigger and better levels that were previously not feasible. For those who are looking to squeeze every last bit of thermo into their levels, you will love the dephysicalizer which allows you to remove the Physical properties of parts in your level which will reduce the thermo used.



Now I want to address those who are worried about taking the plunge into a handheld system. I'm pretty picky when it comes to handhelds and the Vita is the best handheld I've owned since the Sega GameGear; it's weight, size, and button placement give a very natural feeling while playing it. This comfortable feel combined with LBP captivating (and addictive) gameplay, you tend to forget you are playing on a handheld system. It no longer feels like handheld gaming, it just feels like gaming. And call me fanatical, but I believe LBPV is well worth the price of the Vita.