LittleBigPlanet 2 [Review]
Premise: Create, play, share. That was the the idea behind the original LittleBigPlanet, and it remains to be the focus in the sequel, only this time bigger, and far more diverse.
Gameplay: LittleBigPlanet 2 takes the formula of the original and kicks it into overdrive. Players can team up with up to three friends, both locally and online to play through the story of LittleBigPlanet 2, makes their own levels, and play levels other gamers have made and uploaded. First, let’s quickly take a look at the story.
Things this time are taken far more seriously, and with far more campy humor. Previously, a crazy creature had stolen creatures the world over because he was lonely and wanted friends. This time around, it’s a war. The darkness in all of the Craftwork Kingdom had become a physical entity, and set out to destroy everything in existence. A group of creators formed an alliance, dubbed The Alliance, in order to fight back and put an end to the violence. It is your job as a Sack Thing to work with the alliance and slay the worlds darkness. As usual, the story mode, although fairly interesting plot wise this time around, is really meant to show off the possibilities of the games creation engine, which the developers put to full use. Cinematic cut scenes, multi-area levels, and even shoot-em-up sections are but some of the many new features to be played with and shown off in here. Which brings us to the creation aspect of the game.
Players will have at their disposal virtually everything the developers themselves have used in order to make their own gaming masterpieces within LittleBigPlanet 2. However, instead of having to learn complex coding languages, all that gamers must learn is the basic workings of the materials offered in the game, and the rest is literally up to their imaginations. Physical materials such as cloth, wood, rubber, glass, and other similar objects are the core of the building tools used to design levels. From there gamers can add AI to enemies they make with a few simple to use tools, add dangerous fire and electricity traps to their objects, and can essentially make any kind of game they choose. I’ve played micro-rpg’s, shoot-em-ups, platformers, and even watched a feature length movie that was made solely with the resources provided in the level creation section.
Presentation: The realistic, yet imaginative design of the game is really something to step back and take in. Stop and think about it; everything used to create the levels and their inhabitants are all common, everyday items you can find in the real world. You could literally make a physical copy of everything in this game, if you so chose. And yet, despite the day to day exposure to these mundane things, a whole world was built. From a design stand-point, it’s simply inspiring to think about. The sound track is nothing to scoff at either. Back are some of the tracks from the original LittleBigPlanet, with several new, more techno inspired arrangements thrown in to really bring home the sort of space-age feel of the games storyline. All in all this game hits every mark perfectly.
Value: LittleBigPlanet 2, despite being a full sequel actually can also be looked at as a sort of expansion pack; players can import ALL of their LittleBigPlanet data into the game and play with all of their items, levels, creations, everything all in tact and ready to use. So for veteran players there’s certainly no reason to feel like you’re loosing out on all that hard work from the first game. New comers to the game will have the series at its best, with tons to do and play, and a constantly growing community. This game isn’t just simply replayable; in the grand scheme of things it never really ends.
Final Thoughts: If there was ever such a thing as a perfect game, this would be it. LittleBigPlanet 2 offers something for all sorts of gamers, and is honestly a must have in every Playstation 3 gamers library. About the ONLY flaw I can really think of is that a few of the unlockable costume pieces and design materials can only be obtained when playing with a full party of 4 players, which is simply not possible for some gamers. So if they’re completionists, they are going to be a bit bitter. But really outside of that, I can’t honestly think of anything. With that said, I give LittleBigPlanet 2 an A+!
+ Fantastic gameplay that expands on the original
+ Endless amount of things to do
+ Fun for gamers of all ages and types
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