More than living up to the mind-boggling level of hype surrounding its PS3 debut, Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet blew our collective knitted socks off when it finally reached Sony’s flagship machine, and thanks to some easily accessible level-creation tools, consistently updated costumes and the efforts of the dedicated LBP community, we’ve been playing it ever since. Despite the game’s platforming fundamentals, however, we were a little anxious about Sackboy’s transition to the PSP; surely the vast selection of pop-it menus, creation options and endless building blocks would all be a bit much for a handheld console?

Thankfully, although none of the creation tools were on show, our time with the game at E3 on a brand-spanking new PSPgo proved a remarkably similar experience to the PS3 original. While the visual polish has had to be reined in a little, even at first glance this is the LittleBigPlanet we all know and love, right down to the distinctive designs, charming character animations and physics-based action.

The down-under-themed environments on display comprised a story level entitled Gift of the Grab, which was littered with the usual cut-out-style animals – in this case, kangaroos and koalas – while a mini-game required Sackboy to collect orbs scattered throughout the level while balancing on a surfboard and chased by a giant shark. We even noticed areas ripe for sticker placement (assuming the PSP’s memory can handle it), but load times bordered on the ludicrous at points – hopefully Studio Cambridge will be able to streamline the code later in development.

Another potential feature mentioned at E3 was compatibility with PS3 user-generated content, although the developer seemed wary of the technical challenges. One thing promised though is the inclusion of a PSP-only LittleBigPlanet community, to mirror the hive of creativity currently found in the PS3 game’s online hub. Overall, LittleBigPlanet PSP looks as if it’ll overcome it’s technical limitations problem-free, but we’ll reserve judgment until we see how well the levels-creation tools work on that tiny screen before recommending you generate whole worlds in the palm of your hands.