LittleBigPlanet 2 Review

Sackboy is back with a creative and fun sequel that introduces robust tools and further pushes the boundaries of player generated content

Posted by Alex V on January 29, 2011 - 7:47pm EST

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.