LittleBigPlanet Karting

It offers both a substantial kart racing experience and a heaping serving of that LBP flavor we've grown to love. It's not perfect, but it's an absolute blast.

Great art style, impressive track design, competitive racing and infinite replay value.

It's got its quirks; playing against the CPU can be a frustrating ordeal, and some of the autopilot weapons too often release you into tricky positions, sometimes even dropping you off the course completely. But the solid racing core laid out by ModNation Racers combined with the universe of creativity, variety and charm that the LBP franchise in known for makes for a karting game with near limitless potential and unrivaled multiplayer racing fun.

LittleBigPlanet Karting sports no big innovations, but it does everything quite well. Tons of levels, a nice atmosphere, multiplayer modes (local & online), the LittleBigPlanet air and good old Sackboy transforms the fun-arcade-racer to a highlight for all fans of this genre.

One could think that Sony is trying to ride on Mario Kart's reputation, but fortunately Sackboy's own karting game stands on it's own two feet. The feel for driving is great, there are plenty of tracks and the easy to use editor makes sure that there's legions upon legions of race tracks to play in the future. [Dec 2012]

LittleBigPlanet Karting jumps ModNation Racers up to the next level and gives the PS3 a viable competitor to the Nintendo karting powerhouse. The creation tools shine as the best in the business.

Just pure, solid fun. [Issue#225, p.74]

LittleBigPlanet Karting is the first racer in the LBP universe and it's immediately a success. The game is varied, filled with fun races and other gameplay aspects. The level editor works great, increasing the score even more. The only negative point we could find was the lack of challenge in the single-player, which is fortunately the only negative point.

Taken purely as a kart racing game, LittleBigPlanet Karting isn't quite the deepest experience out there. Factoring in the Create and Share functionality more than makes up for that lack of depth, if you're into the more creative and community aspects. LittleBigPlanet fans and kart racing fans will definitely enjoy the game and everything it has to offer.

If you're a fan of either Little Big Planet or any Karting game than you've come to the right place with Little Big Planet Karting. Not only does it support a robust karting game with a healthy amount of racing features but it also supports the best customisation options available in any game.

There were even times when we felt like drifting made us go slower, despite the boost you build up while doing it, and that's not what drifting should be like. Drifting gets even more infuriating when you get blown up after a beautiful long slide. [December 2012, p.60]

A game far superior to United Front's Modnation Racers that takes the true spirit of LittleBigPlanet to a whole new level.

An ambitious karting game, with the charm of the ordinary LBP-titles. There's a great focus on user-created material, which gives the variation and longevity that is missing in the single player mode.

The visual formula and overall game stylization may seem a bit of a used-up concept but the frenetic and addictive gameplay is still present. [Dec 2012]

LBP Karting doesn't run a perfect race, but it definitely earns its podium finish thanks to a glorious track editor. It mashes together the approachability of ModNation's DIY editor with the overwhelming possibilities of LBP's 'if you can think it, you can create it' motto. [Christmas 2012, p.77]

Despite the fact the developer only uses three different concepts and truly creative and innovative levels rarely race you by, LitteBigPlanet Karting is still a very fun game. The diversity of worlds is impressive and using gadgets of the LittleBigPlanet world make the game feel refreshing. On top of that the creation mode is an absolute joy to play around with.

Sackboy's latest won't dethrone any kart-racing kings, but it's adorable style, plentiful content, and accessible creation tools make it a worthy competitor to the cup. [Holiday 2012, p.84]

Multiplayer races do capture a bit of that spirit, but the Single Player gameplay is more exploratory in nature - and the true heart of LBP Karting lies in its creation mode. Making tracks and playing them with friends and checking out the awe-inspiring work of others is what LittleBigPlanet has always been about - and LittleBigPlanet Karting is no different.

The toolset is immense but you're not required to use every feature to make a basic track. The familiar, albeit modified LBP user interface will make it easy for longtime fans to hit the ground running.

This offers plenty of bang for your buck, the racing flaws aren't critical, the appreciated variety and diversity adds that patented LBP flair, and playing with friends never gets boring. It should make for a worthy addition to any holiday wish list.

That's what I call a positive surprise. With only a few exceptions the sackboy-races run smoothly. Unfortunately online there are no challenges or ladders, the focus here is put on fun racing. A big plus is the powerful editor that allows creations from anything and everything between WipEout and a top-down racer.

If you're a fan of Mario Kart, LBP Karting will be thoroughly enjoyable with familiar controls and adorable characters. The planets of the Craftverse are varied enough to keep you playing through the Story mode, while the creation mode gives you all the tools you need to spend any number of days crafting your own unique racing experience.

A well-tuned kart racer. It cleaves rather closely to the genre's established formula, though it does add a few wrinkles to the equation, namely the grappling hook and the very welcome ability to defend oneself against power-ups.

Media Molecule's sense of pure creation sits perfectly with the karting genre and we'd even go as far to say that players will find it easier to be both player and creator here than they would in the previous games. Just don't expect to find Mario looking over his shoulder anytime soon.

Some people may thing it's just an adaptation, but there's much more behind it. It mixes up the racing gameplay with the creative essence of LittleBigPlanet, resulting in a good karting title with a great potential for content creation, and offering more than we expected.

Media Molecule team up with United Front Games to transform the mediocre ModNation Racers into LittleBigPlanet Karting. The result is good but apart from the usual, awesome editor, there's nothing special in the gameplay. Still a solid kart game, destined to live (or survive?) thanks to the community and the powerful tools generously available.

A fun racer that almost feels more like a LittleBigPlanet game than it does a kart racer. This is more than just a vehicle for Sackboy's mascot potential. It's a new LittleBigPlanet game.

If you're a fan of wacky racers, LBPK will satisfy your itch on PlayStation 3, complete with Move support. Likewise, if you're a long-time LBP creator, I'm probably not capable of steering you away from Karting. Regardless, all gamers would do well to expect something less than LittleBigPlanet 2, but something more than they might expect from United Front and the ModNation series.

LBP Karting certainly lacks progression for the franchise. LBP2 opened the world of video game development to anyone and everyone, but Karting doesn't allow for the same type of variation in gameplay.

This is a brilliant use of the Little Big Planet license and Sackboy feels so natural in a tiny kart. The driving is pure fun, the party feeling is great and with all the downloadable user created tracks available for free - this is a must buy.

What it might lack in terms of raw driving appeal, LBP Karting compensates for with a charmingly unhinged single-player, chaotic multiplayer and all the customisable bells and whistles you could ask for.

You may finish the story mode and eventually tire of the wacky tracks built into the game, but it's unlikely you'll ever run out of new tracks and the inevitable weirdness they'll bring.

The customization features alone can have you spending hours playing with costumes and decorations. The races and events are thrilling and the rewards are gratifying. LittleBigPlanet Karting does an great job of mixing franchise's creative features and delivering strong racing gameplay to make one of the most adorable and enjoyable kart racers you can find.

United Front Games has done a phenomenal job of re-creating the look and feel of the Craftworld while applying its kart racing expertise with imaginative tracks and responsive controls. And the Create mode is nothing short of stunning, even if I don't have the patience for it. Depending on how the community of players respond, it might be the only kart racing game you'll ever need.

Take LittleBigPlanet 2 and put some karts on it. This is what LBP Karting brings to us, the exact same level of freedom when it comes to design & the creation of new levels in the form of speedways or arenas, mixed with the emotion of kart races. It's a shame that some menu decisions and the enemy AI take part of the fun of seeing Sackboy racing its enemies enemies. But rest assured that all missing pieces of fun will be found in the multiplayer.