LittleBigPlanet 2

2011 is finally here and I can’t think of a better way to start it off. One of the first big games to come out this year is Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet 2. People were absolutely in love with the first game when it debuted in 2008, and rightfully so. Now you may be asking yourself, Why do I need a sequel to a game that is almost 100% user created? Well that’s a fair question, and by the end of my review I hope I’ve answered it for you.

LittleBigPlanet 2 in every way is a step above the first one. One of the biggest and most welcoming surprises is the quality of the story missions. I thought Media Molecule concentrated so much in getting the user created stuff right in the first title, that it was lacking in the single player levels. In the sequel, this is not the case at all. I found the story levels in LittleBigPlanet 2 to be very creative and much more enjoyable. Each world has it’s own theme so it never gets stale. Things can also get a little tricky for Sackboy as he makes his way through each section of the game. In addition to that, all of your Downloadable Content and user created levels from the first game will port over to the new one. I was glad to see the return of my Jack Sparrow Sackboy. The core gameplay of LittleBigPlanet still remains the same. But Media Molecule did add a few new things to the mix. You will often find grappling hooks to use to grab on to certain things in the level, that are just too far to reach. I thought this a cool new way to get around. Also, a lot of people complained about the jumping in the first game. I never really agreed with that, but it’s worth mentioning that there are a fair amount of jump pads in most of the levels. These make getting around quicker and easier.

That's one enormous rabbit.

Let’s be honest, what makes people come back for more LittleBigPlanet goodness is the user created levels. I personally have never had a creative bone in my body when it comes to creating original content levels, so I unfortunately will not be taking part in making my own. But for those who are, there are tons of things you can make and do. I’ve seen people making shooters, racing levels, and pretty much anything else that springs to your mind.  It’s amazing how much is packed in for all the people who want to take advantage of building something great. There are hours upon hours of content that will easily make this game go on for a few years, or until we see LittleBigPlanet 3.

One minor complaint I have is with how the co-op works. Before you enter every level it will ask you if you want to join up with others that are playing this level. It does in fact do so, but problem is, it will send out an invite to one person and if they decline your invite, the game will just automatically put you into the game solo. It does not continue to look for other players. You have to keep returning to your pod and reloading the level you want to play. It’s not a huge deal but hopefully this is something that can be fixed in a future patch. Regardless, if you wanted to play with 3 of your buddies then this is probably your best bet with co-op, as I did not experience any problems playing that way.

Overall, LittleBigPlanet 2 is an amazing game, and a great way to start off 2011. If you liked anything about the first game, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love what Media Molecule has done with the sequel . It is in every way a more fleshed out and enjoyable experience. No matter what your age is, there’s enough “kid” in all of us to still enjoy the little things.

[starreview tpl=46 size=’30’]