This one has been a long time coming. Over two years since the release of the original, LittleBigPlanet 2 shoves tons more content onto a single disc than I’ve ever seen. Mind you, it is a Blu Ray disc, but you get the point. The number of things you can do with LBP 2 are incredible. And note my choice of words: I said the number of things you can do with the game, not in the game.
If you know anything about LittleBigPlanet, you know that you control not only Sackboy, but also his entire world. Let’s start out with the levels that are actually on the disc. I was a huge fan of the storyline in the first game. Cute, fun, and the puzzles were incredibly. Well, those puzzles were blank pieces of paper compared to the ingenuity and level design in LBP 2. Think the first game and then add grappling hooks, power gloves, and the Creatinator, and the puzzle design multiplies in quality. Exponentially.
The storyline really shines here, and the game doesn’t save all the good tough puzzles for the end. About an hour or so into the game, you can start to feel some real challenge. If you’ve played Sackboy’s first adventure, you know the trying situations you can be in when you die over and over again. Well, I can honestly say that, while it isn’t as rampant as the first game, you can still expect to get stuck here and there. It isn’t nearly enough to take away from the experience, but it is one of those things that would just be so much more inviting if it simply wasn’t the case.
The bread and butter of LittleBigPlanet 2 really comes from the customization of new design stages. Think cart racers, shooters, puzzles and platformers (duh!), adventure games, and even some Parkour running style games, all live on the PlayStation Network created by other users. This is where LittleBigPlanet once again manages to come into its own. Not only has it expanded on its original formula with new story levels, but the game introduces tons of new play mechanics to keep even the most seasoned veteran on their toes. And the new creation tools are even easier to use, despite the fact that they can do so much more.
Experiencing LittleBigPlanet needs to be done in all of its three components: story mode, community downloads, and with the Move controller. Believe it or not, the best experience you can have with LBP 2 is with the Move controller in a multiplayer co-op game. The hilarity that ensues is like no other I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Sure, in Halo, you might stick a really good kill and laugh with your buddies, but you can’t physically move your arm to control a swinging lever that determines whether or not your buddy’s Sackboy gets across the pool of lava or drowns in it.
Simply put, I didn’t expect to fall in love with LittleBigPlanet all over again, but the game is just that endearing, has that much content, and stretches that many limits, that you can’t put it down. Not once you have sunk at least 10 or 20 hours into it. Which, by the way, isn’t even close to finishing the game. Because you can’t finish the game. Just watch the video below and you’ll know what I’m talking about.