It has been about a year since the adorable Sackboy (or Sackgirl!) burst onto the Playstation 3 as one of the most acclaimed exclusives in the history of Sony’s current console. Now, the Sackpeople return in LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition, and although it’s essentially the exact same game with a few added bells and whistles, it remains an extremely fun title with an online user-created content community that simply can’t be beat.

Before I go into the game itself, it’s worth noting what the Game of the Year Edition brings to the table. In addition to everything found in the original game, developer Media Molecule includes various additional costume sets (Metal Gear, Monster, History, Animals) along with the Metal Gear Solid Level Pack. These have been previously available for purchase as downloadable content on the original game, but you get them included free of charge here.

Exclusive to this edition are 18 newly created levels, each designed by a different fan hand-picked by Media Molecule. These levels certainly can’t hold up against Media Molecule’s, but they are quirky and fun, as you would expect.

The problem here, at least in terms of the value of the Game of the Year Edition on its own, is that the whole point of the game is that it provides a nearly endless supply of user-created content. Therefore, if you already own the original, it’s hard to justify spending $60 for 18 levels when there are more than you can even attempt to play available freely.

As far as the costumes go, if they interest you, it’s cheaper to simply add them onto your existing copy.

With that in mind, it becomes clear that the Game of the Year Edition is catering to those who missed LittleBigPlanet the first time around. And for those of you, it’s certainly a nice package and, most importantly, a very good game.

I’ll admit that at first play, it can be a bit baffling why the game has received so much hype. Because the game is based on physics, Sackboy doesn’t control like Mario. Controls can feel downright clunky at times thanks to your endless struggle with the somewhat realistic momentum and gravity effects the game includes. I understand why it is the way it is, but it definitely is an issue.

The other main problem is that the game employs multiple planes from its 2-D perspective. This means that in addition to up-down, left-right, you can enter the foreground, background, etc. For the most part, Sackboy handles the switches automatically, but it doesn’t always work out, and can lead to some frustrating falls.

I don’t want to downplay these issues, because they are definitely noteworthy, but somewhere along the line, LittleBigPlanet wins you over. The main campaign isn’t particularly long, but it’s very well-designed and well-varied. It’s just plain fun, from its basic platforming to its boss battles.  Although it certainly doesn’t give the likes of Super Mario Galaxy a run for its money, it’s very enjoyable and near the top of its class in the platforming genre.

It also owes a lot to its quirky and absolutely gorgeous art direction. LittleBigPlanet is a visual stunner for sure. With beautiful and vibrant locales and adorable character designs, the game is a wonderful visual accomplishment. In addition to the art itself, the game also packs in some very accomplished technical work that brings the designs to life. The texture work here is absolutely superb. You can practically reach out and touch the various gradations. The only real knock on the visuals are some occasional fluidity issues, but they are never major.

These levels also contain tons of secrets and items to collect. So completionists are in for a treat.

But even if you aren’t into trinket hunting, LittleBigPlanet provides an incredible amount of playability beyond the main levels. Perhaps the greatest feature, and one that sets it apart from just about everything else on the market, is the ability to create levels. And this isn’t just some tacked on feature. You have the ability to create full-fledged levels using Media Molecule’s tools and art. You can even upload your own pictures and art, and add in text for instruction or story purposes.

Obviously, this isn’t a feature everyone will have the patience for. It turns out that game design is actually quite challenging! It is, however, still a feature everyone can appreciate, because the game allows you to post your creations to the internet where they can be downloaded and rated by anyone. So even if you never create a level, you have access to a nearly unlimited supply of user-created content in addition to the main game.

The game also provides an excellent interface for this, where you can search for levels based on a number of criteria.

In fact, LittleBigPlanet does a great job in general of integrating online functionality seamlessly. Even in the main level set, you can see pictures other players have posted of the current level you are on, you can very easily find someone to play online with, and every level concludes by showing where you rank on the leaderboard with your current score.

Even though LittleBigPlanet has a few core issues, when taken as a whole it absolutely overcomes them and then some. The story mode is a lot of fun, the art and overall atmosphere is brilliant, and the customization options are phenomenal. The Game of the Year Edition may not be a necessary addition if you already own the original, but if you haven’t experienced it yet, it comes highly recommended.

Gameplay: 8.5
Controls are a bit clunky and there are definitely issues with plane-shifting. The levels are very well-designed, however, and despite some occasional frustrations, they are a lot of fun to play and absolutely jam-packed with collectible costumes, objects, etc.

Graphics: 9.5 
Absolutely gorgeous; LittleBigPlanet is a wonderful marriage of superb art direction and technically excellent graphics. Texture work is the highlight here, with only a few hitches in the framerate to keep it from true excellence.

Sound: 8.5
A very good soundtrack leads the way here, with decent sound effects and some fun, if limited, voice work to round things out.

Difficulty:  Medium

Concept: 9.5 
Sure it’s simply a platformer at its core, but the addition of level creation and the online distribution of those levels is truly fantastic. The possibilities are just about limitless and searching and sampling the work of other players is the highlight of LittleBigPlanet.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Co-op is well integrated (whether online or off) and some extra areas that require multiple players are a nice touch.

Overall: 9.0
While not without its issues, LittleBigPlanet manages to overcome them thanks to fun level design, superb art, great online community functionality and incredible customization options. The Game of the Year Edition is basically the same game as the original with some minor additions that probably aren’t worth the $60 if you have already played it. If you’re a LittleBigPlanet newbie, however, this is the most complete package around.