LittleBigPlanet 2 Review - New Game Network

After the original game set the bar for the Create/Play/Share genre, the Sackboy is back for yet another adventure with LittleBigPlanet 2. Given how much impact the predecessor had on the platforming and user content creation genres, the sequel had a lot to live up to. Unlike the first game, which was marketed as a platform game, LBP2 was actually presented as a “platform for games” – a set of tools that have been expanded to allow creation that’s only limited by the imagination. For the most part, LBP2 succeeds in delivering a more polished, robust, and enjoyable experience and being a worthy sequel to a title that quickly became fan favourite.

In this sequel, the developers at Media Molecule set out to create a much more interconnected and involving single player campaign. Players once again control their Sackboy, who is one day called upon to defend his home planet, which has been invaded by the evil monster named Negativitron. Larry Da Vinci, the leader of a group known as “The Alliance”, recruits Sackboy in order to stop the monster from destroying everything. This adventure will take our hero through a variety of environments and levels on the planet, each presenting a unique setting and showcases various new gameplay mechanics. The cutscenes have been vastly improved in the sequel, and now contain actual fully voiced characters. Compared to the original game, LBP2’s campaign is just about the same length (in that it’s not very long), but it serves its purpose of introducing players to all the gameplay tweaks that have been made.

At its heart, LittleBigPlanet 2 is still a 3D platformer, and very few tweaks have been made to the core game. There are still three dimensions (front, center, and back) on the classic platform levels, and Sackboy’s jumping and physics haven’t changed at all. So if you didn’t enjoy the game’s slightly floaty physics before, the sequel won’t change your mind. To make things more interesting though, new items have been added to the players’ arsenal in order to create vastly new experiences.

The Power Gloves allow the player to pickup, catch and throw various objects; the Grappling Hook becomes essential when swinging across deadly fires, and the Creatinator – a helmet that allows Sackboy to create any object in the world. Each of these elements are often used in the game to create new challenges – though none of them are freely available and can only be picked up at certain levels in the game. For example, the gloves will have you catch bombs and throw them at walls or enemies. The hook will let you swing across large distances and other obstacles. The Creatinator can be made to produce water drops, which can put out fires and let the player cross the ground safely. There are also animals in the game that Sackboy can mount, each with unique characteristics such as higher speeds, jumps, and even the ability to fly.

To accompany the player, the game introduces Sackbots, friendly AI characters that are an essential part of some levels. They can either be running towards the player, away from you, or just be attracted to a specific object in the game world. These little characters introduce gameplay solutions that would otherwise be impossible to overcome, and taking care of your bots is often rewarded by the game. Having a lot of Sackbots following you around also yields higher scores at the end. As before, each level is based on the amount of points that you can collect with prize bubbles (with new creation content) and regular bubbles. The levels still have regular checkpoint respawn locations, though this time around the number of lives has been noticeably increased, which means fewer restarts.

After you’ve completed the campaign and had a chance to try all the new tools, it’s time to create. Given the already impressive toolset from LPB1, the sequel further expands on what is possible. There are now tools in the game that allow players to create breathtaking experiences – not only the usual platform levels, but also a whole new range of genres and minigames. From 2D sidescrolling shooters, puzzles, RPGs and more, the possibilities have been really ramped up. Players also have the ability to import music, create cutscenes and even whole movies. There are also new tutorials that introduce all of the tools, though it will still take players a considerable time to learn what can be done with the game.

There is also a Versus mode, that lets players compete against each other instead. These levels often involve trying to beat another player to the highest score, or simply blast them out of the level with a rocket. With the right set of skills and patience, it will be simply incredible to see what players can create – already there are classic mockups of Zelda, Uncharted, Space Invaders, and millions more. All of the content created in the original LBP is fully compatible with the sequel, which adds further value to the experience. It goes without saying that LBP2’s tools are quite amazing and almost limitless, and it’s easily the game’s biggest and most impressive feature.

Once your content is ready for publishing, it’s still easy to put your game out there for everyone to play. There is a rating system that allows players to mark levels with either happy or sad faces, as well as leave written reviews and tags. New filters have been introduced, such as most-played levels and Media Molecule picks. There are problems however – most notably, because of the huge levels of customization that are available, the game struggles technically when loading other players’ content. From cooperative to competitive levels, the game has some very long loading times – which sometimes even loop for over 5 minutes or simply time out. Compared to the original game, the sequel has some definite content sharing issues which cause many timeout messages. Even the game’s “Jump In” feature, which offers to pick players and a level at random, will most often reach its countdown without any success.

As such, the game’s multiplayer component is a bit of a mess. Even just comparing LBP2 to the original, the loading times are longer, timeouts are more frequent, and most players simply reject you from joining their game for whatever reason. There are also messages such as players are “unavailable” to reply to the join request and to try again later. Once you do manage to get into the game, it can be rather ridden with lag and custom content issues. All of these multiplayer problems are fixable in theory, but at the moment it is a less-than-pleasant experience.

The engine for the sequel has been tweaked, which brings better visuals and technical ability. The level of presentation has certainly taken a step forward, as we now have a coherent story that flows through the campaign, and not just a series of developer-made levels. The graphics look sharper and more fluent, fires are realistic and backgrounds much more detailed than before. Artistic design remains excellent and very creative. The musical score is rather fantastic, and makes for some very fun atmosphere. The game is without any technical bugs or glitches – though on a few occasions, the Sackbot AI got stuck at a crucial time and the level needed to be restarted.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is a great sequel, as it introduces significant gameplay tools that make it possible to have all kinds of new experiences – even outside of the platformer genre. The campaign is more coherent and the story is enjoyable, the characters are unique and provide for better narrative dynamics. The editor has been significantly tweaked and expanded, providing nearly endless possibilities of user generated content – from almost all genres imaginable. It’s truly the strongest point of the game, offering endless value of creating and playing new content. The online components though have noticeable issues, both with multiplayer and content sharing. Loading times are rather strenuous, and lag is a noteworthy issue. Once these issues are resolved, there are over 3 million levels waiting to be discovered in coop or versus play. As LittleBigPlanet 2 is a fantastic sequel, it’s a must-have for fans of the genre as well as creative folks.