NY1.com

  40º

11/05/2008 01:16 PM

"Little Big Planet", "Echochrome" Turn Users On Their Heads

By: Adam Balkin

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Calling a video game cute is like calling a house charming in the real-estate section of the newspaper, meaning that like charming is code for tiny, cute is usually code for a game for kids.

This is not the case with "Little Big Planet" though. This may actually be the first cute title that even hardcore gamers are desperate to get their hands on.

While the game is difficult to explain, it is similar to playing inside a second-grade art project. You play as Sackboy and navigate your way around, trying to get though levels and collect all sorts of prizes for use in the other main feature of this game – the level-creation mode.

The level creator is what's most exciting to gamers because not only is throwing together your own scenes relatively easy, even if you don't want to get into it yourself, you can download levels that other gamers have created for free. In this case, there are already scores – meaning the playability and creativity of the game is nearly endless.

"Little Big Planet" is out now for the PS3 only for about $60.

Sticking with Sony, its latest Playstation Portable, the PSP 3000, is now on sale – boasting features like a new, more vibrant screen and a built-in microphone for an easier time making calls with a mobile version of Skype, which comes pre-installed on the system.

For $200, the PSP 3000 comes as a bundle with a "Ratchet and Clank" game, the movie "National Treasure 2," and a 1 gigabyte memory stick.

The package also includes a free download voucher for "Echochrome," perhaps one of the most mind-bending new games out now.

Another game that's difficult to describe, in "Echochome," you navigate a little character through a series of optical illusion type puzzles.

As you flip, twist, and rotate the entire universe on its head, you're also changing your perspective. As you change your perspective, you're also changing the rules of gravity and logic that govern this virtual world.

While it sounds confusing, it's as easy to pickup as it is difficult to put down. Plus, with classical music playing on a loop in the background, you get the feeling while playing this game that you're actually doing something to help sharpen your mind – until you hit an impasse and decide to throw your PSP3000 through a window, at which point, you realize the game is maybe helping more to sharpen your temper.