LittleBigPlanet got off to a modest start in 2008, but it wasn't a runaway hit. For my wife and I, it was the entire reason we bought a PlayStation 3, but for others, it was simply a floaty, uninspired platformer.

I think on the surface, the franchise didn't seem all that special, but underneath the veneer of a simple cute mascot, it was an incredibly deep, challenging, and rewarding experience.

In order to unlock everything the game had to offer, you had to find every single last hidden item, and beat every level with zero deaths, which was an extremely fun challenge I think many games are still lacking. I remember spending many an hour designing fairly complex levels, including a complete rework of Crash Man's stage from Mega Man 2.

Four years later, and the series is still going strong, with a full PS3 sequel, a PSP spinoff, and now, a Vita iteration.