In its attempt to breathe new life into the franchise, LittleBigPlanet 3 stops short of being truly innovative. New gameplay hooks introduced via extra characters are akin to the Yoshi effect, wherein the core experience is radically changed for the better.

+ Fresh new gameplay ideas; + New mode to introduce you to creating; + Backwards compatible DLC

- Use of new characters is heavily restricted; - New ideas aren't fully explored; - Create mode is still overwhelming despite new mode

LittleBigPlanet 3 opens with a delightful live-action video about the power of communal imagination, which is fitting for the franchise, but odd for a video game about innovation to start with something so rigidly fixed.

Delightful presentation; Fantastic training mode; Fantastic creative level design tools

Frustrating level design/progression; Fantastic training mode; Tags

There's a lot to like about LittleBigPlanet 3 , and even a bit to love; series devotees will want to dive back into this imaginative world, especially on PlayStation 4 . But its predecessors felt livelier, funnier, and more vital, not to mention better crafted – and the issues here are both on the...

Still super charming; Expanded Creation tools; Looks great on PS4

Major bugs at launch; Design frustrations; Co-op underwhelms

Since 2009, the LittleBigPlanet series has been a dream come true for creative gamers and platforming fans alike. Sackboy's cute face and Stephen Fry's amusing narration gave single-player fans something to enjoy, while players with a green thumb for game design could make platforming stages and try...

LittleBigPlanet 3 has been made by a different developer from the first two, but you wouldn't know it. Stephen Fry's perfectly measured voiceovers are joined by Hugh Laurie playing the lightbulb-headed Newton, and your sackperson, the game's customisable hessian hero, is joined by three new stars:...

In conclusion I really wanted to like this game as I have all the others. Sadly the bugs and glitches were too much to continue playing and some of the characters too hard to control. I miss the old level layout, the current one with the added hub is too confusing and just isn't necessary.

LittleBigPlanet 3's whimsical world has plenty of good ideas that struggle to form a cohesive whole, writes John Robertson.

Sony definitely took a chance by giving the LittleBigPlanet (LBP) franchise over to Sumo Digital and people seemed to be completely aghast when they found out that Media Molecule were no longer in charge of the next game. I expected anarchy, public outcry and basically, the worst parts of the Bible.

After a surprisingly short delay between announcement and release, LittleBigPlanet 3 has made its way to PS3 and PS4. It's the first console iteration without Media Molecule at the helm, and any fan of the series will tell you, Sumo Digital has quite big shoes to fill.

Sony have tried to get a mascot that can match that of SEGA and Nintendo ever since they stepped into the console market. Jak, Daxter, Ratchet, Clank, Crash and more. All of those are good characters but none as iconic for Sony as Mario and Sonic are to their companies.