Little Big Planet Karting Review | The Ultimate Co-Op Quest

{if you know who this image is by, please let us know so we can credit/remove. We tried our best to find the original but we were getting pretty creeped out by some of the search results!}

l: So as you may or may not know, I love video games and have been playing them pretty much since I was able to hold a controller. Bee, on the other hand, is far less accustomed to my world of pixelated adventures, but I'm determined to change that. Where better to start than with Little Big Planet Karting, one mini stepping stone towards further forays into the world of gaming for two! We are embarking on a quest to find the ultimate co-op game, and we're taking you with us so buckle up!   

#1: little big planet karting (2012)

publisher: sony computer entertainment | platform: ps3

THE AIM OF THE GAME

Little Big Planet Karting is, shock horror, a racing game. The aim of the game is to race against your opponents, in an attempt to win first place. There are lots of different levels, and lots of different gaming modes: from your normal racing modes, to rallies, to rainbow waypoints, to battle rounds. However, if you fancy a casual race, there's also a mode for that too! It's also free for Playstation + subscribers, so if you know anyone with an account, pop round their house for a game and a cuppa! 

{Our characters in the Pod!}  

THE GAME PLAY:  

b: This game is perfect for newbies like myself! The instructions are clear, the controls are simple, and there's a tutorial that you can access at any stage to remind you of how it all works. You also get given a lot of hints and tips throughout, so you won't get confused. This game is just so much fun! There's a huge selection of tracks, and the levels are fun and fast-paced so they're great if you've only got a spare five minutes. I just love that it's not a super serious game, and you can dip in and out whenever you want. 

L: Now, in my opinion, Little Big Planet Karting is one of those games that even the most casual among us can get to grips with fairly easily and quickly. There are only really two or three buttons to worry about most of the time, with your main concerns being how to accelerate and how to fire your weaponator! The obvious comparison to this game is going to be the Super Mario Kart franchise and, despite not playing one of those games since I had my Nintendo 64, I would agree that they seem very similar. Perhaps the edge Little Big Planet Karting might have is the awesome customisation options, from how your character looks, to the vehicle you choose to drive. Whether they're made of cardboard or coconuts or driven by someone dressed up as a unicorn, Little Big Planet Karting's space for customisation is a fun and hilarious part of the game.  

{image from: LittleBigPlanet}  

THE AESTHETICS  

B: This game is so aesthetically pleasing compared to others on the market! The design pretty much ticks all the boxes for me: it's creative, bright and colourful, and you can play as a unicorn! The graphics, to me, look really crisp and pleasing to the eye, and the animation is also top-notch despite the fact that it's a few years old now! The soundtrack is also really great. Usually, gaming soundtracks begin to grate on me within about ten minutes (looking at you FIFA!). However, the tracks on this game are really sweet and appropriate. I also like that you can customise the sounds your character's cart makes, and Stephen Fry's voice over work is also superb.

L: I love the design of the Little Big Planet franchise, it looks really good on Playstation 3 and the art style allows it to look better than a lot of other games in its field. The animation is also really good to, and the race tracks we have played through so far have been pretty varied and different to your average run-of-the-mill racing games. 

{customisation in the Pod!}  

THE LONGEVITY

B: Honestly, this is one of those games that I could play game after game of because it's just so fun and fast-paced! There's so many things to collect and so many scores to beat, so you always have a huge incentive to go back to the game. Little Big Planet Karting also has a lot of downloadable content, so you can also spend your time collecting all of it. I don't mind the amount of DLC because we got this game for free. However, if we'd bought it I think we'd feel a little annoyed that there was so much content to buy on top of the overall price. Another good thing to remember is that you can actually make your own tracks and share them with others, so there's hours of extra fun because you can trial and rate other people's inventions too! 

L:  This game is kind of one of those that has no 'end game' as such. If you want to just pick it up and race your friends you can, whether it's on the same screen or online. There are loads of levels, trillions of new car designs, character costumes, bonus levels, stickers and other collectibles to find along the way. This game has a lot of replay-ability and, quite simply, it's as long as you want it to be. 

{image from: LittleBigPlanet}  

THE RECOMMENDATION

B: I'd say this game was hugely accessible to all due to its ease and hugely enjoyable levels. It has proved to be really enjoyable for both a co-op n00b like myself, and a seasoned gamer like Luke! If you fancy a light-hearted racing game to ease you into the big wide gaming world, this is definitely one for you. 

L: Would I recommend this game? Of course I would, it's fun, easy to get into and never has to be the same, thanks to all of the customisation options. Bee and I loving playing it, it packs a lot of humour into it, which is just one of the many things it offers and one of the many things we enjoy. So I hope you find this review useful if you're looking for a fun co-op game to play, now I'm off to find another one I'm hoping Bee will enjoy!

THE OVERALL RATING: WE love IT!

NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN our review, TELL US...

• What are your favourite co-op games?  

•  What do you think of Little Big Planet Karting? Will you be giving it a go?

LEAVE US YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW or tweet us using @tftcblog. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe through Bloglovin and check us out on Twitter. We'll see you on Wednesday.  

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10 TV Shows We Need To See | TV

A couple of weeks ago, we shared 6 of our favourite TV shows with you and also asked you what television shows we should watch next. Combining some of your recommendations with television shows that we've had in mind for a while, we thought we'd share a list of 10 TV shows that we really want to start watching together soon. Feel free to leave your opinions, as well as further suggestions, in the comments below! 


true detective (2014-)
the lives of two detectives, rust cohle and martin hart, become entangled during a 17-year hunt for a serial killer in louisiana. 

L: True Detective hasn't been on our radar for very long, but once I was informed of the cast (the two above, in particular), the setting and the theme I knew Bee and I would have to give it a go. I find the American South fascinating and a really interesting setting. I'd love to explore up and down the US with Bee one day but, for now, the adventures remain on my TV screen. 



brooklyn nine-nine (2013-)
a diverse group of detectives at the very edge of new york city. 

B: This was actually recommended to us by Luke's brother so we should probably get round to watching it soon. It looks quite light and silly but we like to have a series on the go that we can marathon without too much thought, particularly when we don't want to watch something too heavy. Its got Andy Samberg in so I'm very much looking forward to it! 




almost human (2013-)
in a not-so-distant future, human cops and androids partner up to protect and serve. 

L: I've already made clear before that I'm a big fan of a lot of J.J. Abrams work, so when I heard about Almost Human, naturally, I was intrigued. I am a bit worried about its critical, and overall, reception so far. However, I loved Fringe, despite the low reviews, so I'm definitely going to give it a try and decide for my self!

twin peaks (1990-1991)
an idiosyncratic fbi agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of twin peaks. 

B: Twin Peaks is a cult classic, and I'm pretty confused as to why we haven't got round to watching it yet. It sounds creepy so I'm pretty intrigued! Lets just hope I can stop picturing Kyle Maclachlan as Orson Hodge. 



the x-files (1993-2002)
two fbi agents, fox mulder the believer and dana scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts. 

L: I have to say it, I have to stare reality in the face, I've only seen the first season of The X-Files, and for someone who often mentions how much of a sci-fi fan they are it's almost painful to admit. Alas, soon I will rightly correct this anomaly and delve through this cult behemoth, and hopefully Bee will join me. 

luther (2010-)
a crime drama series starring idris elba as a near-genius murder detective whose brilliant mind can't always save him from the dangerous violence of his passions. 

B: Idris Elba as a murder detective?! What more could you want from a show?! I love stuff like this so hopefully it'll meet my high expectations! 



house of cards (2013-)
a congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him. 

L: All I really know about this show is that it has received a lot of critical praise but more importantly, for me, it stars Kevin Spacey. I'm sold. 

it's always sunny in philadelphia (2005-)
four young friends with big egos and slightly arrogant attitudes are the proprietors of an irish bar in philadelphia. 

B: I'll be honest, I have no idea what this is about or what it's like but I know a few of my friends watch it so it must be good. If the poster is anything to go by, it should be pretty awesome!



community (2009-)
a suspended lawyer is forced to enroll in a community college with an eclectic staff and student body. 

L: Now, Bee and I have tried to watch Community before but we just couldn't get hooked. I think we watched the first two episodes. Saying that though, I have watched episodes here and there when my brother has been watching it, and they have been pretty hilarious. I think we just need to bulldoze past the first season, and see how it fares from there, especially considering we weren't convinced by the Office US straight from the off!

the following (2013-)
a brilliant and charismatic, yet psychotic serial killer communicates with other active serial killers and activates a cult of believers following his every command. 

B: The premise of this show sounds really interesting and right up my street considering I'm a massive Dexter fan. The only thing putting me off is Kevin Bacon...

NOW THAT YOU'VE seen which shows we want to start, teLL US...

• What TV shows do you think we should watch? 

• Have you seen any of these? If so, do you like them?

LEAVE US YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW or tweet us using @tftcblog. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe through Bloglovin and check us out on Twitter. We'll see you on Wednesday.  

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Baking Day: Creme Egg Brownies & White Chocolate Cookies | Food

We aren't seasoned bakers. In fact, we are far from it. However, faced with a stormy day and not a lot to do, we thought we'd pick up a few extra bits whilst doing the food shop and see what we were capable of baking. We probably won't be signing up for the next series of the Bake Off, but we did really enjoy ourselves and made some pretty glorious baked goods in the process. What do you think of our efforts?



CREME EGG BROWNIES

We've seen these creme egg brownies all over the internet. Yes, they're extremely rich. Yes, they are ridiculously unhealthy. However, we couldn't resist. We found this recipe on the Creme Egg facebook page, where it is credited to a Lizzie Batchelar. 



ingredients 
• 185g unsalted butter 
• 185g dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour

• 40g cocoa powder

• 3 large eggs

• 275g caster sugar

• 6 Cadbury's Creme eggs halved

Pre-heat the oven to 160c and grease a 20cm square baking tin.

Melt the unsalted butter and dark chocolate together. You can microwave it but we decided to bung them in a bowl over a pan of freshly boiled water. 

Break your eggs into a large bowl and add in the 275g of caster sugar. 

Whisk (or electrically mix if you're fancy!) your eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, and pretty much like milkshake.

Pour your bowl of cooled buttery chocolate over your bowl of eggy milkshake, and then gently fold them together. 

Get your cocoa powder and your flour, and sieve them over your eggy chocolate mixture. Make sure you cover the top evenly. Gently fold it in together.

Pour your mixture into your baking tin and cook for 15 minutes. When the time is up, take your brownies out of the oven and gently press your creme egg halves into the mix. Pop them in wherever you like. Put them back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. 

Once you think they're done, get them out and pop the end of a spoon into the centre. If they're done, leave them to cool somewhere before removing them and cutting them into chunks. If you aren't sure, pop them back in until they're a little less gooey. We popped ours back in for an extra five minutes or so because the mixture was a little too gooey for our tastes. 

Grab a glass of milk, and enjoy. 

white chocolate cookies 

We always buy cookies, so we thought we'd try and make some ourselves to see if they were just as nice and if not better than the ones we have become accustomed to. We used Lorainne Pascale's cookie recipe, from her awesome book Home Cooking Made Easy. We slightly adapted it as we couldn't get our hands on the right sort of sugar but they still turned out pretty good.  



ingredients
• 125g butter, at room temp
• 225g soft light brown sugar  
• 1 egg 
• 150g plain flour (extra for dusting) 
• 50g strong white bread flour 
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• Pinch of salt 
• 200g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Pre-heat the oven to 180c (350f/GM4). Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment or smother them in a greasy coating of butter. 



Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until it's pale and smooth. Beat the egg in. Add the 2 types of flour, bicarb of soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl and gently stir together until smooth but slightly sticky. Mix in your white chocolate chunks. 



Divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces (or 12 if you want smaller cookies!) before rolling them each into a ball. Cover your hands in flour if your mixture is a little sticky. Flatten the balls in  your hands until they're about 1cm thick. We did ours quite large and ended up with massive cookies so make them a little bit smaller than ours!



Put 3 cookies on each baking tray (if you're making 6) and space them so that they have room to grow. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Once they're looking quite golden (they will be soft to the touch), remove them  and leave them to cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Once they're cool, transfer them to a wire rack. 



Pour even more milk and devour the whole lot whilst they're still warm. 

NOW THAT YOU'VE HAD A PEEK AT our baked goods, TELL US...

• What do you think? 

• Have you got a favourite recipe? Link it below, if so!

LEAVE US YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW or tweet us using @tftcblog. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe through Bloglovin and check us out on Twitter. We'll see you on Sunday.  

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Luke's 6 Favourite SteelBooks | Collections

It's definitely no secret that Luke loves to talk about films, so he thought he'd sit down and share his favourite steelbooks from his collection with you. You lucky ducks! Steelbooks, if you're wondering, are essentially blu-ray discs in very fancy steel covers. They usually come with pretty awesome designs on the front, so they're perfect for decorating your shelves with, and they also make the most perfect gifts for avid film watchers. Let us know your favourite design in the comments below! 

point break
I love the design of this steelbook! Its got one of the most iconic elements of the film right on the front and, in my opinion, it looks a lot better than having a superimposed Keanu Reeves glancing at you with those judgmental eyes of his (looking at you Devil's Advocate!). I only got around to watching this film last year but I'm really glad I did. I think the last film I watched with surfing in was Surfs Up, which I can tell you with relative confidence was nothing like Point Break (which is probably for the best). What I'm trying to say, whilst trying to avoid going off on a tangent involving other animated films I forgot existed, is that Point Break is a classic. Bee and I really liked it and there's a good chance you could too! 

THE LITTLE MERMAID
This steelbook is probably the one with the best design in my collection. It has a lovely minimalist design, with no borders, slapped on quotes or stickers or notices.  Despite steelbooks generally holding a high price tag, I actually managed to get this one for under £10 brand new, along with The Jungle Book, which I'll be honest played a large part in my purchase. Saying that though the design, as I've said above, is awesome and I'm glad I bought it as I'm hoping to collect all of the Disney classic steelbooks. If you'd asked me to name my favourite Disney films off the top of my head, I would probably have left this one out and I really don't know why. Its got everything you could want from an animated adventure, and it is definitely wrestling with Nemo for the top spot under the sea. 



pulp fiction
Its design is that of the original movie poster and, whilst I guess it could be more unique, I love it. This was one of the first steelbooks I searched for on Ebay, as I wanted to make sure I had a healthy selection of highly rated and genuinely brilliant films in my collection. I've already talked a bit about Pulp Fiction, in our 10 Films Bee Needs to See post, but it is a modern classic, and Tarantino's best to date, so whether you rent, borrow or buy it, make sure you watch it! 

the rise of the planet of the apes
This steelbook looks very much like its fellow blu-ray and DVD counterparts, but again it removes the borders and ditches the plastic for shiny metallic goodness. This was actually pretty hard to get brand new as I'm sure, like a lot of steelbooks, it's out of print now. However, I really liked the film so I just had to have it in my collection. I'm really looking forward to the sequel of this film and that should indicate how much I liked the first one. It's one of those weird films where you can find yourself rooting against humans, and I love how they have re-imagined the source material. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of my favorite films of 2011, and if you missed it its certainly worth squeezing in this year. 

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
This is one of the more unique designs in my collection, and I think it looks awesome. It's all artwork, with no information on the back, but hey it's 2014, anything you want to know is on the discs themselves these days tucked just inside! Again, I guess this one has made it into my collection because I really like the film and I'm also a big fan of the whole sci-fi/ fantasy genre in general. The second of the new reboot films, Star Trek Into Darkness, in my opinion, is the better of the two. Although, I really like both! My only gripe so far though is that there's not enough deep space exploration and adventure to complement the great cast of characters, action and special effects.

skyfall
The one with the sort of vintage style minimalist design, Skyfall definitely stands out from the others. Similar to Star Trek Into Darkness, there isn't reels of information cluttering the front and back, just 007 and his lovely Aston Martin DB5. I'm hoping to add Away We Go and Road to Perdition to my collection as well, so I can have a mini set of Mendes films. I like collecting collections within collections! Sam Mendes has done really well pulling James Bond back to the dizzy heights of Casino Royale, and out of the dark precipice that was Quantum of Solace. It was no surprise to me either, because I consider him to be a very good director. Skyfall, for me, is one of the best James Bond films, embodying the old and the new to make it stand out among the rest.  

now that you've had a peek at luke's steelbook collection, TELL US...

• What do you collect? 

• What steelbooks should Luke purchase next? 

LEAVE US YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW or tweet us using @tftcblog. If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe through Bloglovin and check us out on Twitter. We'll see you on Wednesday! 

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