Sherlock Holmes Review

Surprise! It's a movie review I didn't expect to write. Why? Because I honestly had no interest or plan to see Guy Ritchie's latest film, having not been a big fan of his previous works, nor did I have a big interest in the character/story of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes character. But after seeing Sherlock Holmes, has my opinion on Guy Ritchie or Sherlock Holmes changed at all? You'll have to read on to find out...

Story, where to start? I'm pretty sure everyone has a good idea of who Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), are. Maybe not exact details, but at least some sort of general knowledge as to who Arthur Conan Doyle's characters are. Anyways, the first opens with the famous duo and group of constables confronting the mysterious Lord Blackwood (), who is in the middle of a cult ceremony. But after capturing Blackwood, and hanging him, it seems he's still very much alive. From here, Mr. Holmes uses his creative mind and Mr. Watson uses his general logic to investigate Lord Blackwood's return, even when Sherlock's former love, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) comes back into his life.

I think that's the general, mostly-spoiler free, summary of the film's premise. To be honest, it's been a long day, and I had already watched Burn After Reading earlier in the day, so I was actually dozing in and out of the film. I want to blame that on me being up so long without much sleep, but perhaps a chunk of the film just wasn't all that interesting. Like, I found the opening to be pretty fun and exciting, but once the film passes the hour mark it started to drag, and that's when the on/off sleep started. Come the end I was a bit more interested and entertained, but there were a ton of times where the film should have stopped, but it just kept going. And it's not like I hate long films, like Star Trek I wished was longer because it was a fun and entertaining film, Avatar was nearly three and a half hours, but it was really nice to watch... Sherlock Holmes, did not need to be two hours and fifteen minutes however. Sure, the duo of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law works really well, and their scenes were great, but Rachel McAdams' character, completely useless, and Lord Blackwood looked way too much like Robert Downey Jr. in the Rocky & Bullwinkle film for me to take him seriously.

Aside from the acting, both the good and the bad, my real interest prior to seeing the film was just how Guy Ritchie was going to translate his signature film style of cool guys in suits doing stuff they shouldn't and getting into car chases, into a Victorian-era piece with a character that people are familiar with. So, how'd that go? For the most part, quite well; this is Ritchie's first effects heavy (in comparison to the minimal special effects he's used prior) film, and it blended pretty well with all the live parts, and I think he was able to handle the setting without getting too modern feeling and ruining the period piece that it is. But I also liked that he kept his style despite the change, I may not like his work that much, but I found it amusing that the film's opening of horse and buggies running down the road was shot like his modern day car scenes, and the well-choreographed fight scenes were a nice touch, even if they don't exactly fit the image people of of Sherlock.

And that really summarizes the film, it's a Guy Ritchie film, set in a Victorian-era, utilizing a known character to make the film about. It didn't feel like the Sherlock Holmes I've been familiar with, but that didn't mean Robert Downey Jr. was bad, I was actually impressed with his consistent accent. It's just... I don't know, the acting from Downey Jr. and Jude Law is great, but the directing just isn't all there. It feels like a Guy Ritchie film, but doesn't feel like a Sherlock Holmes film, and quite frankly I think the film lasted too long for it's own good.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

And, sorry if this isn't my standard review quality, but I'm tired as hell right now.

PixelJunk Shooter Footage

It's been a couple of weeks since this fantasticly fun game release, and while I've yet to review it (I will soon!), I did manage to get my PS3 hooked up to an HDTV today so that I could record some proper footage from the game's three episodes.

Note, each of the game's "episodes" feature multiple levels, and each level contains its own areas. So the footage I have is just the first levels of each episode. Enjoy! [As of posting this, the videos were not fully processed. If the quality looks like crap, check back later. Sorry]







My review for PixelJunk Shooter should be up sometime later this week.

New Doctor Who series trailer

With The End of Time now aired, and Matt Smith's run as The Doctor beginning, it's finally time to see our new Doctor in action, with this brief trailer released by the BBC yesterday,



Well well, notice much of the scenes have Smith in Tennant's outfit from The End of Time, just battered up a bit from the crash at the end of the special; the tie and the an Chuck Taylor's are a dead give-away. And also note how The End of Time featured quite a lengthy scene between The Doctor and Wilfred about he'd never use guns, eventually taking the thing anyways, and now in this trailer we see the new Doctor firing a pistol. Oh, and Daleks and Weeping angels are back! AWESOME!

Oh, and that's a new logo if you were wondering. Like every Doctor before him, Matt Smith's eleventh version also comes with a new series logo. It's much more of a drastic change than the logo used from Eccleston to Tennant, which was essentially just a color swap. More about the logo change at the BBC's Doctor Who website. Oh, Spring 2010, get here now!!!

Doctor Who: The End of Time "Part Two" Review

It's finally come to this, the end of David Tennant's fantastic run as The Tenth Doctor. Sure, Christopher Eccleston is responsible for being The Doctor that the show returned with, and I generally really liked his one season, but when David Tennant stepped into the role it was as if all of the previous version of The Doctor disappeared. It'd be an understatement to say that I and many other Doctor Who fans are sad to see him stepping down.

Special: The End of Time "Part Two"

But lets not get sad yet, we still have 75 minutes to cover here! The End of Time "Part Two" brings us back to the mysteriously reemerged Time Lords of Gallifrey, who were supposedly all killed in the Time War that The Doctor has dared not speak of after all this time. But, that's quite a bit of hefty information. In fact, I honestly think that Russell T. Davies put way too much into this episode for its own good.

While the first nearly 50 minutes of the special deals with the return of the Time Lords, the back story of the Master's insanity, and tons of more information to break your head with. It's not until the final moments of the episode that The Doctor final takes his plunge. And personally, I figured out why the show works so well in its 45 minute standard episodes, because 75 minutes is just too long (not to mention the plus 60 minutes from "Part One"); everything seems to drag on for more than it should, and in the end a lot of what was shown seemed unnecessary.

And that's really the shame of this episode, since there are really a ton of great, sad moments between The Doctor and Wilfred, just as there was the one in "Part One" that brought both of them to tears. It's like, The Doctor and Wilfred were great, but everyone else... no thanks. The Master's craziest grew old quick, the Time Lords (while an old-school Who-gasm) were boring, and the cactus aliens had no need to be there. And the ending... just cameo after cameo of those character important to The Doctor throughout the last four series, while some of them made me chuckle, and were nice nods to fans, they were also unneeded. When The Doctor left these characters, he let them go, it seemed strange to suddenly just show up in these people's lives again only to leave again.

As for the awaited regeneration, well, spoilers aside, it's certainly got me thinking about the next series. Much like the transition from Eccleston to Tennant, this regeneration leaves the new Doctor in somewhat of a predicament that will certainly lead off into the new series. And yes, the ending finally brings some sense to all of those upcoming changes for the next series that you may have seen already. To say the least, after witnessing Matt Smith as The Doctor for a brief moment, I'm curious to see where the show will go, especially since the ending seems to point out the actor's age as a new flaw. Spring can't come soon enough!

Overall Score: 8/10

I know, at the end of "Part One" I said that I really wanted to give the special a VFH Seal of Approval. But after "Part Two," I can't say my feelings are the same. It would've been one thing had it been say, a two-part, 45 minutes each story; but the time wasted on a 60 minute and 75 minute story just dragged The End of Time out more than it should have, especially when any fan could've predicted where the show was going. I mean, you know he's going to regenerate at some point, just cut to the chase.

It's a shame, yes, because David Tennant is just so damn good in this, but all of the information and characters that Russell T. Davies stuffed into this second part just killed it. I think the 8/10 is actually quite generous to be honest; I really wanted to like this special, and for the most part I did. But I can't get over some of the stuff that filled the rest of the episode. I just hope that Matt Smith and new show-runner Steven Moffat can blow me away when the new series starts later this year, because right now I'm a little indifferent.

Lastly, regarding the continuation of This Week in Doctor Who, I can't say until I get news of when the new series actually airs in the UK, and how long the gap will be before it airs in America. If the gap is over a year (which is highly unlikely) I'd have to say this feature is over; if the gap is between a month and three months, I'll consider it; and if it's a week to one day gap like it was with these last two specials, then bet your ass I'll keep doing this!

Soundgarden reunited?!

I just may have made the first crap in my pants of 2010... Because if this link I got via Pearl Jam's official Facebook page is anything to believe, Soundgarden in back!!!

The website in question is this new SoundgardenWorld.com, which states 'The 12 Year Break is Over and School is Back in Session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!'. It then plays a video of "Get On The Snake," from the band's second album, Louder Than Love, originally released back in 1989.

What's this mean? I don't know, but the 12 year break clearly would suggest the twelve years since the band broke up in 1997 and went their separate ways. With lead singer Chris Cornell going solo, forming Audioslave with ex-Rage Against the Machine members, and then breaking that band up and going solo again with two abysmal records. While the band's drummer, Matt Cameron, found great success when he became drummer for fellow grunge band, Pearl Jam, and has been with them ever since. Ben Shepherd (bass) and Kim Thayil (guitar) also have had their musical endevours since the band's break-up, but I can't say I've heard any of it.

Regardless, as a big fan of grunge growing up, having liked Soundgarden the most, I'm really excited by this news. And it only makes sense, with fellow grunge bands like Pearl Jam, who haven't actually stopped recording and playing shows since their heyday, and Alice In Chains, who recently released their first album in 14 years, both finding new success.

At the same time I'm also nervous, as the Soundgarden records that were, and have been as is for the last 12+ years have been great when untouched. Reuniting may ruin that, especially since Chris Cornell's voice, and personality, aren't exactly what they used to be back in the grungy 90's. Then again, Alice In Chains got a completely new singer in the band, and they still sound just like they used to. As of writing this, I can't say if the reunion will just be some live shows and that's it (a la Rage Against the Machine and Blur), or if the reunion will also include a new album. When I find out, I'll make sure you do as well!

Update: Figured out a way to show you the new website's four new background images:

Interestingly enough, the photos, and the music video on the site are from early Soundgarden days, and not their more fruitful Badmotorfinger/Superunknown days. I mean, clearly when they reunite they'll have to play stuff from that era and later, but I just thought it was interesting that they chose to focus on the band's older imagery.

VFH in 2010

As this decade comes to a close, I've been finding myself reflecting on the last five years I've spent running VFH. The content, the writers, the look, all of that stuff has been changing, and 2010 will be no different. I mean it, especially since I've been considering giving the site a complete makeover for the new year. Nothing is set in stone, but I'm looking at creating a new layout, banner, and maybe even a new look for our mascot, Viewbear.

But other than just the appearance, I'm looking to continue our trend of being less of a news site, and focusing more on unique reviews and content. Features such as multi-writer reviews, so that you can get opinions on games/movies/music/TV shows/books from two or more different points of view (Though to keep in mind, This Week in Lost and FlashForward are already this way). More and better video content, with hopefully more HD footage than what's been uploaded lately. And perhaps just more writing in general if the right people come forward (more on that, literally next year).

I know it's a lot of talk with nothing to show for it, but stick around with us for the next year and I'm sure it will all be worth it. Thanks!

Doctor Who: The End of Time "Part One" Review

It's Christmas time, and you know what that means... a new Doctor Who special (and a new This Week In review...)! (I don't know what you were thinking, but I can't think of anything else...) But this Christmas' special isn't like anything before it, as it's the first part of David Tennant's final story as The Doctor.

Special: The End of Time "Part One"

The End of Time "Part One" opens with Wilfred Mott, Donna Noble's grandfather, walking about at Christmas time, before going into a church, and being reminded of his experience with The Doctor, and finding himself somewhat distraught. But we're soon reintroduced to everyone's favorite Time Lord, who arrives on the Ood's home planet, noticing a weird shift in time, and soon learns that The Master is still very much alive despite his supposed death back in the Series 3 finale, "Last of the Time Lords".

The much of episode is mainly divided between the seriousness and strangeness of The Master's resurrection and the goofiness of Wilfred and his child-like antics while looking for The Doctor; but it is Christmas, can't be all gloom and doom now, right? But after the Doctor makes pretty emotional speech about death and the consequences of his actions, Donna Noble is reintroduced, and narration comes in from a familiar voice (for James Bond fans at least), as Timothy Dalton's character gets his first moment of screen-time as well. But as that passes the halfway mark of this 60-minute special, I'll cut off for spoiler's sake; leaving the follow up for next week's review of "Part Two".

What to say about this special? There's a lot actually; much of the scenes with newly psychotic Master are some of the freakiest scenes this show has produced, and John Simm is eerily delightful in all of them. As for Mr. Tennant, he is fantastic as usual, even when showing an extremely an emotional side that's never been seen before. But Simm literally steals the show this time around (I'd love to say more, but you'd have to watch to understand); even when two new unnecessary alien characters are introduced by the end of the episode and kind of break the mood. Regardless, this is by far one of the series' best episodes ever, and next week's finale looks to be even more promising!

Overall Score: 9/10

I really want to give this episode a VFH Seal of Approval, like, I'm fighting it in my head. But the preview for next week just looks too epic for me to give The End of Time "Part One" the award as it is... perhaps, if "Part Two" is as epic as it seems, I could give both parts one Seal? Considering they are the parts of the same episode (technically speaking), would anyone object to that?

Avatar Review

The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic; James Cameron has created some of the most memorable films of the last century. But does his latest, heavily hyped, and long developed film, Avatar, live up to all of the press it's been given in the past year? You'll have to read on to find out!

While you've probably already heard about the special effects of Avatar (and I will get to that eventually), there is actually a story here, and it works quite well despite being all too familiar. But bear with me here, because it's a new science fiction franchise (can you believe that?!) there's some explaining needed. The centers around Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the twin brother of a recently fallen Marine, who has replaced his brother in an experimental "Avatar" project on the planet Pandora. Pandora is a planet not unlike our own, except the plants are more exotic and lush with color, the animals are complex in design, and the whole world is connected via this nature, which is looked after by the native Na'vi (the blue ones). But the Na'vi are no longer alone; a private company has set camp on Pandora, in a search to find Unobtainium (I kid you not), a precious mineral, and are mining the planet, using mercenaries to kill anything that stand in their way.

As part of the "Avatar Program," select humans have their DNA meshed with that of the Na'vi, allowing them to remotely control a Na'vi body so that they can infiltrate the tribes, and be accepted among them to get inside intelligence to further aid the mining project. For Jake Sully, who has been a paraplegic for most of his life, he sees the Avatar Program as a second chance to walk again, but once he becomes accepted amongst the Na'vi, he learns that walking may not be all that he has been looking for. And really, that's all I can say without spoiling much of this nearly three hour epic.

But what did I feel about the story? It works, really, I mean the thing I've always found with James Cameron's films is that they're science fiction that anyone can get. Like the two Cameron-directed Terminator films, it may be hard (or even boring) to explain in sentence form, but if you watch it, and pay attention, it's understandable and just works for the film. Story-wise, Avatar will not blow your mind, to be coy, it's kind of like Dances With Wolves, in space; it's kind of an unfair judgment considering the nature of the film, but I couldn't help but feel like I've seen the story before; i.e. a lot of it becomes predictable.

Acting-wise, once again, it works, I never felt like anyone did a bad job, but again I wasn't blown away. But, like the Terminator films, Cameron knows how to cast people for the roles he's created; who would've guessed Arnold could be fitting for any role until The Terminator? I think Sam Worthington was the right person to play Jake Sully, he hasn't really been in anything mainstream until last summer's Terminator Salvation (which I've yet to see), but I think casting a reasonably unknown as an informal, out of place character works really well, and his change in character from handicapped human to brave and agile Na'vi is something special. Like wise, the film's main villain, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), also works well for the role; I can't say there wasn't a moment when he appeared on screen that I didn't want to punch him in the face, so I think the job was done right. And lastly on the human side is Sigourney Weaver, who plays a badass scientist that doesn't take crap from anyone; my only complaint with her character was that her Na'vi avatar looked a little too much like a blue Sigourney Weaver, and not as much like the standard Na'vi like everyone else did.

As for the Na'vi, that's where the film gets interesting, since unlike those in the Avatar Program never have human on-screen counterparts to compare them to. The main tribal Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoë Saldana), looks (to an extent, like you'd really have to study the face) and acts like Ms. Saldana, but in the context of the film it's as if she is a whole other person. Granted that most of this is in part to the motion capture, as I don't recognize any of the other main Na'vi by the actors portraying them, but I really think she showed that she can pull off a role other than Uhura, which is good for an emerging actress.

But really, the motion capture is what makes this film. Unlike Robert Zemeckis' dreadful looking motion capture films (they're honestly why I hated the idea of using such technology), the mo-cap of Avatar feels believable. Not in the sense that I think blue-cat people roam the streets (that's for another article), but in the sense that they didn't act like 3D messes that used to be humans. Their body movement looks natural, their faces emote as if the actor was being filmed right there sans-CGI, and amongst the CG environment, they look like they fit right in. Even with humans around the Na'vi people never felt out of place. For me at least, the only time I felt CGI just didn't feel like it belonged was when the mech-suits used by the mercenaries were on screen. It was actually kind of peculiar, I think, to see how organic and motion captured CGI characters and environments worked so well, but the unnatural parts just seemed so out of place (perhaps a nod to the film's plot? I doubt it, but that would be a good excuse).

Everything else... Music wise, I wasn't blown away by the score. The film constantly felt epic thanks to the sound design and the music, but at the time of writing this I can't say anything was memorable in this department. As said before, visually this film is stunning, and depending on where you see it you may have options. The newspaper advertised "2D, RealD 3D, Digital 3D, and Imax 3D;" I honestly have no idea what the difference between RealD 3D and Digital 3D is, but my glasses say RealD on them so I'll assume that's the way I saw it. Considering this is the second film I've seen in 3D (first being Coraline) I can't say it really aids the film that much. I mean, in clear parts I took my glasses off just to compare, and I'll at least say the 3D makes the experience more engaging, but it's hard to say whether or not Avatar (or any film at that) needs it.

All in all, Avatar is, as you've probably heard elsewhere, a technical masterpiece. I really had my doubts about this film prior to seeing it, but it truly is a technical achievement in how CGI and motion capture can be used to tell a story that probably couldn't have been shown otherwise; and it certainly changed my opinion on motion capture in cinema. Sure, the story itself and the acting aren't anything phenomenal, but they certainly aren't bad. Like Cameron's other films, Avatar takes a lot of mixed elements and just makes them work really well to tell the story he wants to tell. They may not be the best ever, but they are far from bad. Now the question is, where does James Cameron go from here?

Overall Score: 9/10

The High Road

Apparently I forgot to write about this 'band' first forming, sorry about that. But hopefully the prospect of a free download will remedy that. The Shins' frontman, James Mercer, and famed producer/musician Danger Mouse (called by his real name, Brian Burton, for this project) recently formed a band known as Broken Bells, and their first track, "The High Road," is now available for free by signing up for their newsletter. But act quick, because it will only be available for one day, then you'll have to buy it on iTunes or where ever you like to buy music.

Visit BrokenBells.com to sign up for the newsletter to get your free download, or if you're not one for giving out your e-mail, you can stream the track on the site, or visit their MySpace and hear it.

It's not a new Shins album, but it's good to hear Mercer singing again. And while a lot of people like to shun Danger Mouse, I, for the most part, like the albums he's worked on. So most likely I'll pick this album when it releases this March. Until then I'll have to just enjoy "The High Road."

Doctor Who: "The Waters of Mars" review

Welcome to the latest This Week In feature, This Week in Doctor Who. Because of the nature of Doctor Who specials, these reviews will be more like movie reviews than the typical television show reviews since the specials run for 60 minutes plus, as opposed to the standard 45 minute run time. It won't be until the start of the show's 5th series that this feature will resemble the standard TWi reviews. Let's get to it!

Special: "The Waters of Mars"

We may have waited an extra month to see it in America, but the latest Doctor Who special is finally here. Before I get into this episode though, I'd like to just share my thoughts about the previous two specials, "The Next Doctor" and "Planet of the Dead," while I think they were decent episodes, the show has certainly scene better days. If anything, I appreciated the way "The Next Doctor" incorporated footage of all the previous Doctors for the very first time, other than that.... ho hum. So, after watching tonight's new special, I must say I was gladly pleased to see that "The Waters of Mars" rank up with some of David Tennant's best episodes.

"The Waters of Mars" brings The Doctor to the titular planet, visit what will be the world's first human colony on Mars, Bowie Base One (a reference to space infatuated singer David Bowie perhaps?). But having previously learned in "Planet of the Dead" that his "time is up" and "he will knock four times" this special reveals a new version of Tennant's Doctor that we haven't seen before. This time around, The Doctor isn't his normal eccentric self, he acts very much like a death-fearing mortal, and upon realizing that the date he has arrived at, November 21st, 2059, is the date Bowie Base One is to have exploded, he learns that he may actually be powerless against the forces of time.

But what's Doctor Who without it's signature villains? This episode reveals a new enemy, which is actually in the form of a bacteria the Bowie Base One's water supply, but when the bacteria mixes with a clean water supply and is ingested by humans, well, it's pretty gross. The infected constantly drip (and even spray!) water, they lose color in their eyes, and their mouths become black and chapped like a dry desert; it's actually hard to look at for an extended period. And, even the slightest touch of the infected water will turn you into one of them, so The Doctor insist that the crew must die, and well, obviously that won't bode well.

I hate being vague, but I don't want to spoil anything for those who've yet to watch it (that's next week's job). What I can say, is that this was certainly a new side of The Doctor, and a side we probably won't see again due to Tennant's upcoming departure. But surely the effects of "The Waters of Mars" will carry into the appropriately named two-part special, The End of Time; which I'm both excited and saddened to watch.

Overall Score: 8.8/10

Next week will be a joyous event, not because it's the start of David Tennant's final storyline (that's actually pretty sad), but because next week marks the quickest time a Doctor Who episode will air between its UK and US airings: just one day apart! So be sure to look here next Saturday night for my review of the first part of Doctor Who: The End of Time.

This Week in Doctor Who

Welcome to yet another new This Week In feature. Unlike all previous This Week In featured shows, Doctor Who does not originally premiere in the United States, where we are located; so the feature wholly relies on when the episodes premiere on BBC America. A minor set back, but recently the time-gap between UK and US airings has become ever slimmer. Read the full announcement here.

For those who have not seen Series 1-4 of the new Doctor Who series, there will be spoilers throughout this feature!

This post will be updated as the episodes premiere.

2009 - 10 Specials
12/19/09: "The Waters of Mars"
12/26/09: The End of Time "Part One"
1/2/09: The End of Time "Part Two"

Series 5
Coming Spring 2010

LittleBigPlanet PSP Review

Okay, so this review is a month late, but I've been really busy lately and I didn't want another case like I had with the PS3 version of LittleBigPlanet, where I really hyped the game with news and previews, and I really really liked the game after buying it, but never actually got around to writing a proper review for it. So, I hope this makes up for lost times, as I will be discussing the PS3 version in comparison to this new PSP version. And yes, this is surprisingly new VFH's first PSP review...

Story
Like the original PS3 version of LittleBigPlanet, there's a story mode that basically gives you a bunch of levels inspired by real world locales. So you'll have your Australian outback levels, mystical Asian levels, Scandinavia, Hollywood, etc. Unlike the PS3 game though, the story doesn't get all strangely dark at the end, no kidnapping and imagination destroying sub-plots. Instead LBP PSP's story involves you getting the world's Creator Curators together for a big carnival... so, oddly enough the game's final levels are much easier than you would expect, where as the PS3 game would destroy you in its final moments.

Gameplay
This is where the game really shines, as one would hope. For someone that played (and still kind of does) the heck out of the PS3 version, I was honestly stunned how the gameplay was replicated onto Sony's much less powerful portable system. Of course, there are differences, the main and probably most detracting cut is the removal of any sort of multiplayer. If you're someone like myself that still doesn't own a second controller for your PS3, then this may not feel so terrible (although I used to frequently play with strangers online). But if you're used to playing with a group of friends, sadly, you won't be able to do that on the go, or in the car. However, there are some online capabilities, such as transferring levels between PSPs, and downloading user created levels online. Which, unlike the PS3 version, you can now save user created levels to your Memory Stick (or HDD for PSPgo users) and play them without being online, which is actually pretty awesome.

But I can't just sit here and gripe about there not being multiplayer, I still have to talk about why this game is fantastic. As I said, it plays just like the PS3 game, but scaled down for technical reasons. The first thing that confused me was how LBP PSP only have 2 fields of depth to the levels, where as the PS3 original had 3; I got used to it eventually, but it kind of dumbs down the puzzle creativity and level design. Also, there are some control tweaks, since the PSP lacks the second analog stick, and motion controls, SackPeople can't express themselves as freely, instead each emotion has a series of 4 taunts that can be activated by holding L and pressing the D-pad. Otherwise, gameplay is just like the original, which is great.

Now, the main aspect of LittleBigPlanet is level creation and customization. In terms of changing your SackPerson, it's pretty much the same when in a level, but outside of levels there's no longer a Pod, so you must go into a demo level of sort, just to change clothes, which is kind of annoying. Creation tools for the levels however, are almost exactly like the PS3 version. And being that the PS3 game has since gotten tons of updates, I was happy to see that some of that games more recent updates carried into the PSP game, things like infinite start points (actually, the PSP game doesn't even have the 3-life start points), and refined mechanics are all found here.

Some things that bothered me though was using the materials during level creation. In the PS3 game you could essentially draw endlessly with the analog stick, getting all the right curves and lengths. But the PSP game limits your material directions to a grid, and forces you to only use so much of certain materials; so if you want a big curve, now you need to use the corner editor, which sucks. And in the first few weeks of having the game, there wasn't much online activity, but like the PS3 game I just think it was having slow start.

Graphics
Like the gameplay, I was really surprised and pleased to see just how well the PS3 game transferred onto the PSP's much less powerful hardware. Levels look almost as detailed, the sense of depth from the game's backgrounds are still there, all the various materials and items still have a sense of varied textures, it's really quite impressive. I mean, while there are noticable differences (screenshots will point that out much better), in motion I sometimes can take for granted that I'm playing a PSP game, because it honestly just feels like I am playing my PS3 on a tiny screen, and I can't say I've felt that with any other PSP game before.

Sound
A lot of LittleBigPlanet PSP's sound effects transfer over from the PS3 original, in fact... I think pretty much all of the sound effects in the game came from the first game, I can't say anything really struck me as new other than some of the Creator Curator voices. What doesn't carry over from the PS3 game however is the soundtrack, which while there are some missed tracks (I miss you, Go Team!), it makes sense that the soundtrack is different, as the game visits places unseen in the PS3 game, and such the music must also arrive from other worldly locations. So, there are new tracks to like, and new tracks to hate, but otherwise it all works. Also, Stephen Fry is back as the narrator, which I was really glad to hear, and so should you.

Final Thoughts
There's no denying it, if you loved LittleBigPlanet on the PS3, then you should definitely get the PSP version. It may not have all the latest gadgets and downloadable content (yet? the manual mentions "Purchased Levels" but there's nothing available yet) that has come to the PS3 game, but SCE Studio Cambridge has done a damn fine job of replicating Media Molecules PS3 classic onto the much less powerful PSP, and everyone really needs to play this game to appreciate that. Not many PSP games release at the full $40 anymore, but if anything is worth laying that kind of money down, it's this game.

Overall Score: 9/10