Little big planet

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Little big planet is a side scrolling platform game where you control a small customisable character. It was developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released in 2008.

The main focus of ‘Little big planet’ is the customisability and freedom you are given with the character and levels. You can completely customise your player character called ‘Sack Boy’ and give him all sorts of different outfits, colours, hair and anything else you can think of. You can also create your own levels to share and play with people online. By playing the single player campaign you can collect items to make your own levels. The level can be interacted with in order to progress, like getting the character to grab onto a block and pull it into another position so you can get up a ledge you couldn’t before. Another example is using stickers that you collect throughout the game to progress in levels.

The aspects of the game that I liked

• ·      The interactivity with the environment within the levels. Being able to push, pull and grab things. Also doing actions like placing a sticker to open up new parts to a level.
• ·      Sideways view, the game is a side scrolling game with a 3D interactive environment. There are three different levels of depth in the levels foreground, middle ground and background all off which are accessible and have an important part of the plat forming.
• ·      The height the character is able to jump is affected by the amount of pressure put on the button and how long it is held down for. By tapping the jump button the character does a little hop, but by pressing and holding the button with more force the character does a massive leap into the air.
• ·      The use of lighting to show what is in the background and foreground, this makes it easier to see where it is you are meant to go next and what platforms are closer to you or on the same depth level.
• ·      There are no ‘enemies’ that you have to defeat, the environment/level is the enemy and the challenge is for you to get to the end avoiding obstacles and traps. 

Taking a look at FRED

The original game was made by ZX Spectrum and released by Quicksilver. It was originally released on Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC.

I played a newer version of FRED but everything is pretty much the same as the original version. You play as a frog that has been trapped in an Egyptian tomb because he went to sleep for hundreds of years and the tomb was built around him. The aim of the game is to simply get out of the tomb; the controls are simple up, down, left, right, shoot and jump. It has a very Indiana Jones like feel to it. You have to navigate a 2D screen of angular tunnels from a side on view, moving left or right through tunnels or up and down ropes also trying to avoid Ghosts, toads and a few other creatures. You can also pick up items like potions, which regain your health or artefacts that increase your overall score. These items encourage the player explore further other than just heading for the ultimate goal of getting out.

The game was renamed to Rolland on the ropes at some point during its history, the reason isn’t known for the change. Despite the game being very simplistic it was addictive in an annoying way and surprisingly challenging.