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

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.

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Our ratings for LittleBigPlanet 2 on PlayStation 3 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)

Presentation

The artistic design remains excellent, voiceovers and excellent soundtrack do a great deal to unravel the game's atmosphere.

Gameplay

The basics remain the same, but new mechanics have been added to alter the gameplay significantly. The creator tools have been made amazingly robust and are only limited by the player's imagination.

Single Player

The story is much more fluent and better put together, with actual characters as a welcome addition to the narrative. The developer designed levels are great and do well to showcase all of the new tools.

Multiplayer

Though publishing is still easy and the new Versus mode is a significant addition, technical issues keep the online experience at a point of frequent frustration rather than joy.

Performance

The offline experience is without issues, but online play contains very long loading time and lag, with custom content sometimes causing some levels not to load at all.

Overall

LittleBigPlanet 2 provides players with new gameplay, robust tools, and seemingly endless experiences. Even with some technical issues related to content sharing and multiplayer, this is still a fantastic sequel.