Frankly, LittleBigPlanet 2 is great. The levels are clever, a ton of new features have been added to improve the platforming gameplay, and the community tools are smarter than ever. This game is a great start to 2011, packed with PlayStation 3 exclusives. Still, the game has some annoying issues that will be unfamiliar to those who were thrilled with the first game. Does this ruin the gaming experience? Not at all.

LittleBigPlanet 2 contains 30 story levels that tell the tale of Negativitron, a terrifying beast that has invaded Craftworld and is devouring all the cities on the planet. You, Sackboy, must run, jump, shoot, grab and fly as you travel to locations around the world to save the world. The story is sweet like a children’s book, but not particularly engaging. Fortunately, the levels are exciting and the gameplay is really fun.

Most of it takes place in the familiar LittleBigPlanet style, and is essentially a 2D platformer similar to a Mario game. Sackboy starts at one end of the level and runs to the other side, jumping over obstacles and enemies, to reach the goal. There are three levels Sackboy can inhabit (background, middle, and foreground), and you use the controller to move between them. All the while, grab the score bubbles and hidden prizes that you’ll find on the screen. If you get lonely, you can team up with up to three other Sack People, either locally or online.

Media Molecule has outdone themselves with these story levels. Each world feels unique, and the platforming challenges get more intense as the game progresses. One minute you’re fighting possessed cupcakes, the next you’re using deadly fireflies to make your way through pitch-black rooms full of spots that could kill you. These levels are great with colorful themes and really rockin’ tunes, but what I really enjoyed had nothing to do with the platforming gameplay.

There’s a lot going on beyond the traditional swinging and jumping story levels. LBP 2 includes head-to-head challenges where you try to hit key combinations faster than your opponent, and races where you control a caterpillar climbing a tree. The single player mode has also been beefed up, with a sideways 2D shooter with bees shooting honey and riding nanites through human bodies to fight infections that are incredibly cool worlds I wasn’t expecting to be able to play when I got my hands on LittleBigPlanet 2. The new focus on game-within-a-game really comes through. There were moments that were just too fun and moving, but the fact that you have full access to these newfound design possibilities is impressive to say the least.

Media Molecule created challenges that I will remember for a long time, and that inspired me to create LBP levels again. When the original game was released, I spent a week learning the tools, but I got frustrated and eventually abandoned the ambitious Ghostbusters level in favor of a rudimentary platformer about my life. I was somewhat happy with the level, but compared to what others were doing, it wasn’t worthy of being put on the server.

After playing LittleBigPlanet 2’s story mode – which took a day to complete but had a lot to keep me coming back to – I found my creativity reinvigorated. I dove first into IGN Asteroids (a level where you control the IGN logo and shoot bad guys) and finally into Superman: Brainiac Attacks (a side-scrolling shooter). Okay, so none of these levels will win you any prizes, but I found the creation mode to be a bit more user-friendly than the first game. The tutorials are all in one giant list, so you don’t have to look up item by item to find help. The switches and modifiers have big connecting cones so you can see how they need to be combined, you can add your own narration with the microphone, or create movies with the cutscene camera.
It’s incredibly deep, and it’s going to be crazy to see what people come up with – you can roleplay through levels with the Sackbots, or create songs with the new music sequencer – but don’t think the creation mode is for everyone. Child’s play.

The creations I made in the original game had me waking up at 12:30am desperately trying to figure out why my Ecto-1 wouldn’t work. This time, that late-night mystery has been replaced with the question of why the hell can’t I just classify the Kryptonite bullets as projectiles and rely on Superman’s projectile sensors to detect them as they shoot out of the emitter?

Should the game be criticized for this, or for the other little issues I’ve encountered? No, I’ve seen what people can do with these tools, and these creations are things I couldn’t even dream of, so my oversight doesn’t apply to everyone. LittleBigPlanet 2 does a million things this time around, so it’s impossible for Media Molecule to address every single issue. That means the creation mode is going to leave me stumped in places. I got myself back on my feet and gave in to finish the level, but there were moments of frustration. I wish I could use Media Molecule to view the layers in Build mode so I could see how certain things I admire work, but that’s not an option here.

But I’m a whiner. If I was willing to spend hours and hours, I’d figure out all the things I’m tripping over. I don’t want to do that, so I’m going to sit and play the levels that more creative people have come up with, trying to beat each level without dying, find all the prize bubbles, and unlock all the reward pins in the game.

That’s the beauty of LittleBigPlanet 2. You can participate as much as you want. If you’re not interested in creating a single level, there are 30 story levels and several challenges, and there are over 3.5 million user-created levels from the original LBP that you can access in the new game, as well as levels currently being created that will be available to try soon. If you don’t want a platform game and just want to craft, you can switch to creation mode and start without touching the story.

Whether you’re the best creator in the world or as stupid as me, there’s sure to be something to love in this game.

There’s a lot to love here. Debuting in LittleBigPlanet 2 are many items that change the way Sackboy plays platforming. The jump cushions launch the little guy into the air and represent my favorite survival challenge (i.e. using moving platforms made of cushions to keep Sackboy in the air and avoid deadly traps). The Creator is a helmet that can launch any object, and swinging a grappling hook is one of the most fun things about this title. With these, I can’t wait for the inevitable Spider-Man and Batman levels.

These are all just an expansion of what you’d expect from LittleBigPlanet, with the core remaining the same. That means some of the original issues are still present here. I think some people said the jumps were “too floaty” in the first game, and it’s worth noting that that’s the same here. I always say that’s how LBP is played, and that was fine, but I know some people will ask for more responsive movement (which you can make in the levels if you want). Plus, I still found myself failing my jumps between levels and ending up in the foreground when I wanted to land in the background. It’s better than it was, but there are still some issues – you’ll still experience long load times when trying to start creating a community – but what’s even better is that all of the collectibles and DLC you acquired in the original game will carry over to this sequel.

LittleBigPlanet 2 introduces versus levels that are specially designed for head-to-head competition. These levels complement the 30 story levels and act as little mini-games that you can play with friends and family. The game supports online and local play with up to four players in each level, but keep in mind that this might just be Sackboy flying around and collecting stickers. Because versus levels are designed for multiplayer, you have one goal: to sink more balls in a game of billiards, score more points in a game of air hockey, and so on.
One of the biggest innovations of the
game is how easily you can build a game and share your LittleBigPlanet 2 experience. Once you’ve created a level, all you have to do is press a button and publish it online with your customized description and logo. But the real fun starts by seeing other people’s work: play the level and rate it with a smile or sad face. If you like the author, click on their profile to learn more about the designer and take an interest in their work. Once you’re done, check out their levels by comparing pins or seeing who you gave hearts to. Media Molecule wants to create a more functional community this time, and it shows on their new website, LBP.me. There you can search for levels, browse your profile, and make a list of what you want to play when you return to your PS3. In-game and online you can sort levels by Media Molecule recommendations, popularity, and more.

A lot of people have asked me how PlayStation Move works in LittleBigPlanet 2 and the short answer is “it’s not broken, it’s just not in the game.” Sackboy’s Pre History Moves (the Move game currently available on the PlayStation Store) are on the CD, but that’s it. At this time LBP2 does not use motion controllers at all, but will support them for future additions.

Verdict

There’s no denying that LittleBigPlanet 2 is a great game. It’s fun, clever, deep, engaging, and perfect to try with friends. The only problem is that the frustrations from the previous game are still there. However, the ability to create games, not just levels, outweighs any drawbacks. Even if you just want to play the game and don’t want to create, the struggle to complete all the levels, find all the prizes, and get all the pins will keep you very busy. And that’s ignoring the simple fact of how much fun it is to play table tennis. You can use the jump pads to jump columns and use the grappling hook to swing through the levels.