Nukezilla Review: LittleBigPlanet 2

LittleBigPlanet was one of a small handful of games that prompted me to buy a Playstation 3.  A game about the adventures of the utterly marketable Sackboy as he puzzled and platformed, 2.5D-style, through a world composed of felt and plastic: a fresh spin on an old formula. While the game included an option to create your own levels and play levels others had created — a very uncommon thing — I mostly ignored it in favor of playing story mode with my friends over junk food and silly gossip. Perhaps it was more nostalgia than anything else that lead me to buy Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet 2 on release day, but one thing is for certain: I’m very glad I did.

LittleBigPlanet 2 (which, incidentally, set five Guinness World Records over its three-day launch) continues the adventures of Sackboy as he fights against an evil vacuum cleaner/dragon-like hybrid called The Negitivitron. The Negitivitron plans on consuming all of Craftworld (kind of like this), and it’s up to Sackboy and a group known only as The Alliance to defeat The Negitivitron and save Craftworld.

Innovative storyline it is not, but the charm of the original LittleBigPlanet is back with a vengeance. Gameplay is relatively unchanged, and graphically the game is about equal to its predecessor, though sharp-eyed gamers may notice the overhauled lighting effects to help create a more vibrant experience.

The greatest changes are in the levels themselves: while LittleBigPlanet was almost entirely platforming-based, LittleBigPlanet 2 expanded the scope of story mode levels. While platforming is still present, players are also treated to racing levels, arcade shooters, and versus levels to name a few.

Also introduced are Sackbots; tiny, heart-eyed automatons that can be programmed to follow Sackboy. While their role in the campaign is delegated to escort tasks, their use in create mode allows them to be programmed for various purposes (such as following specific paths independent of Sackboy), and the Sackbots themselves are fully customizable.

The biggest change, however, is the level creation utility. I personally didn’t utilize it much in the previous game — or, admittedly, this one — as I lack artistic creativity, but the overhaul for the create utility is quite impressive. The system is much more user-friendly — and Media Molecule has provided over forty tutorials in-game to help walk you through each tool.

While the creation utility in the first game can be called a “level creator”, the same utility in the sequel can be more aptly referred to as a “game creator”. In one session of playing community-designed levels, I played through several platforming levels, but also a 2D shooter, an airship battle from Final Fantasy VI, and a replica of the first dungeon level from The Legend of Zelda. The freedom Media Molecule has given players to create and publish their levels is quite amazing, and while some (those with talent and flair) may be able to embrace it more than I, I can certainly respect and appreciate it.

I did have a few gripes with LittleBigPlanet 2. While playing online co-op is fun, and generally runs smoothly when it kicks in, too often I was presented mid-level with a loading screen constantly flashing every few seconds — a problem, I have been assured, in which I am not alone.

The story mode is also very short; clocking in at around thirty levels, LittleBigPlanet 2 really doesn’t take a lot of time to complete. For those who disliked the jumping mechanics from the first game: nothing’s changed here; and yes, the camera still has awkward moments when more than one Sackperson is on screen.

Still, there’s a lot of fun to be had in LittleBigPlanet 2, and it should definitely appeal to tinkerers more than the original. At launch, the game had over three million user-submitted levels, with more being submitted every day; if LittleBigPlanet 2 continues this trend of providing fun, new content daily — and I have no doubt it will — I will consider this $60 very well spent.