Little Big Planet 2 has had allot of Playstation 3 fans on the edge of their seat in anticipation ever since it was announced, it should come as no surprise that this game is an almost perfect masterpiece in modern gaming. The platforming has been greatly improved (although it was already brilliant), the community tools are much smarter, the levels feel even more clever and unique, and all the new additions make this an early candidate for 2011's game of the year awards.
Little Big Planet 2 contains 30 fun filled levels that tell the story of Negativitron, a horrible beast which has invaded Craftworld and is gobbling up all the cities on the planet. Just as you did in the first game, you play as Sackboy and you've got to travel to various spots on the globe and run, jump, shoot, grab, or fly your way to saving the day. The storyline is not exactly the games strongest point, although it definitely doesn't try to be. This game is all about cuteness and fun, both of which you will find plenty of on your adventure.
The majority of your time will be spent platforming in similar ways to a Super Mario game. The goal of each level is very simple, make it from point A to point B, while avoiding the many obstacles and enemies along the way. The goal is simple but getting there can be a challenge. There are three planes for Sackboy to live on (Background, Middle, and Foreground) and you move him between them with your controller. There are various items to collect on-screen, including point bubbles which act as the rings in a Sonic The Hedgehog game. If you need a bit of company, there is always the option to team up with three other Sackpeople online or locally.
Media Molecule has outdone itself with these absolutely brilliantly designed story levels, they are not only a delight to look at, but playing through them is just gaming fun at it's best. Each world feels unique and the platforming challenges created in each new area provide a tough test for even veterans of the genre. The game is at it's best when you are riding on the back of a giant Bumble Bee shooting honey in a classic shoot-em-up style side-scrolling game, it's simply brilliant. The beautiful graphics and well designed levels combine to make what is one of the most enjoyable platforming experiences you will ever find on the Playstation 3.
Beyond the traditional jumping and swinging platform levels, there is allot of other thing's going on here. Little Big Planet 2 has head-to-head challenges that will see you rapidly mashing your buttons faster than your opponent, races that will have you piloting a Caterpillar up a tree trunk, and much more. The Single-Player sections are just as creative and wonderfully unique, you will constantly be amazed by the ideas the developers managed to incorporate into this gem. The new found focus on creating games in the game really shines through here, you have complete access to these creation tools and options and that alone is enough to keep you playing this game for months on end. This game feels like it is a game for making games at times, it is truly impressive to see the level of detail and effort put into making this really feel special.
After the short but sweet story mode i wanted to begin my creative journey. The tutorial system has been greatly improved, they are now all in one big list rather than having you search object by object. It feels much more effective and the ease of accessibility makes learning to create just as fun as creating itself. Switches and Modifiers have big connection cones now so that you can see how thing's are supposed to go together, you can add your own voiceovers with a microphone, create movies with the cut-scene
camera, and so on. Media Molecule really understood what fans wanted this time around and made everything much more comfortable to use. It's going to be truly phenomenal to see what out-of-this-world insane stages and ideas people can come up with and that's what excites me the most about Little Big Planet 2.
camera, and so on. Media Molecule really understood what fans wanted this time around and made everything much more comfortable to use. It's going to be truly phenomenal to see what out-of-this-world insane stages and ideas people can come up with and that's what excites me the most about Little Big Planet 2.
The beauty of Little Big Planet 2 is that you can be as involved as you want to be, you don't have to go crazy and stay up until 3am creating new stages to gain a fulfilling experience. You play what you want, when you want. For those who have no interest in the creation side of thing's, there are over 3.5 million user-created stages from the first game which are available to download and play on LBP2, 30 story stages to have fun with, and countless challenges that will have you addicted for months, so really there is more than enough for you in this fantastic package. Oh and don't forget all the user-created stages on the way from the this game which will likely be even more fun and impressive. Even if you are not the most creative person in the world, there is something for everybody here.
There are a bunch of new items that effect the way Sackboy platforms through each level making their debut in Little Big Planet 2. Jump Pads (My personal favourite) launch Sackboy into the air, Creatinators are helmets that fire out whatever you want them to, and the ability to swing around these crazy stages with grappling hooks is possibly going to be the most enjoyable aspect of all these new additions. I can already Imagen the Spider Man levels that users will create with this new tool.
The only downside i found with this game is that load times haven't been improved much, it's still longer than what you would expect from a modern day game, however the rest of the game makes up for this slight problem.
Little Big Planet 2 also introduces Versus levels which are levels specifically designed for head-to-head battles. These act as little mini-games in addition to the 30 story levels, you can hop into these levels with friends or family and share the experience.
One of the biggest and most important new additions is the easy way you can share your own experience in Little Big Planet 2. After creating your perfect level, all you have to do is press a button to get it online with your description and details, it's that simple. But of course, the real fun comes when you look through other peoples work. After playing a level you can rate it with a smiley or frowny face to symbolise how much you enjoyed it. If you like the author then you can click over to their page and heart their work, you can even see what work they have given a heart to and all this makes it so much easier to find what you are looking for. Media Molecule clearly want's to have a much more functional community this time around, this is evident in the their new website LBP.me. On this website you can create levels, search for new ones, and peruse profiles. It's all much more user friendly and it makes the community feel much stronger. In the game Media Molecules offers recommendations and you also have ratings to search for the best content available.
Overall Little Big Planet 2 is a refreshing game to hit a market filled with generic shooters, it's got so much variety that it will blow you away. The content here is not only in the game, but it's in every other user who purchases this game as well. Visually, it's phenomenal, gameplay wise, it's perfect, and everything together completes a package that is arguably an early contender for game of the year.
Little Big Planet 2 is phenomenal, there's no other way of describing it 9.5/10
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