LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

Before I start this review about the main game, I would like to mention that when you put the disk in you get two disk options on your PS3's XMB:
The main LittleBigPlanet 2 game and another named "Extras"; on the extras you have three things to choose from:
*Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves, which is the Move capable game.
*ModNation Racers Demo.
*PlayStation Network Tutorial video with Sackboy & Steven Fry.

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As for the main game itself, if you have a previous LittleBigPlanet save, you will be asked if you would like to import your profile over, if you agree you will have EVERYTHING that you had unlocked transferred over, this obviously includes all your costumes, materials, stickers, objects & your pod etc...

If you've played the first game you will know that there is an intro when starting the game, this one also starts out by giving you basic advice like how to customise your Sackboy, too controlling his emotions while of course giving credit to the makers of the game in a very creative way. Once you have gone past all that, the story starts with an epic and I really do mean EPIC movie sequence which shows off what you can do in this game. (Everything the makers of the game have done has all been done with the same tools you use in create mode).

At different parts of the story, the characters actually speak to you with a human voice explaining what's happening, this along with the fantastic camera angles, sound & light effects, really do get you stuck into the story line.

Story mode in LBP2 is a lot more challenging than the previous LBP game as there are more traps and obstacles to get through; also don't think that as soon as you have the "switch stickers" available you can get the prize bubbles straight away, no no no you still have to earn them. Through my in game experience so far I have had it so when I activate a sticker switch it unlocks a race start with grapple hooks that I have to use to get the items which were previously unreachable, to actually chasing some moving prize bubbles before they disappear! Another example is when a sticker switch unlocks the power gloves, which you then use it to throw objects at things to drop down the extra items. Even some mini-games you now unlock items by getting a certain score, so now you have an even bigger excuse to survive a longer time!

Now for those who haven't played LBP before, keep note that you can't just 100% complete a level on the first go, you have to do complete three things before you 100% each level:
*Level Complete - Complete the level, you do this the first time you play through the level.
*Collect all items - This may seem simple, but when you play the level through the first time you wont have the appropriate stickers to unlock the other items, so you will have to come back to the level later on in the game after you get the right sticker. Also note as this is a 1-4 player game, there are areas within the game that require more than just one person to get additional items.
*Ace the level - Complete the level without dying. (This can be done on the first go, but it can get rather tricky).

Create mode has now been modified to make creating your own levels a lot more easier by simplifying certain tools, and making some new ones available, all of which have a detailed yet simple tutorial to help you out, all of these are categorised perfectly and can be found in the pop-it menu when in create mode.
For the really advance creating, there are plenty of well described tutorials out there on the net.

If you want a break from the story mode or creating your own level, why not go online, there are over 3 million levels out there to play, which includes all of the old levels along with the constant adding of new ones. With LBP2 people have managed to make pretty much any genre game they want for example some people have made racing, first person shooters and role playing games!

A great addition I love about LBP2 is that if your connected to the internet other than the PS3, you can search and browse for other levels you want to play on "lbp.me", after signing onto your PSN ID you can add levels you want to play on your own personal "queue" play-list which will be available for you to view and jump in to when you next play LBP2 providing you are connected to the internet.

Overall this game gets top marks from me, it has a fantastic story mode which is not only fun and challenging, but also gripping, it has so many levels being made everyday, which makes this game endless with constant creativity by people all around the world. 10*/10*!

It all started for me in the early 90s with the MSX computer (when games were stored on cassettes) and Chuckie Egg, a super precise platformer that is very reminiscent of Craftworld (the game that would become LittleBigPlanet). Then there was Mario Allstars for the SNES (5 games in one cartridge), Tomb Raider, Abe's Oddysee, Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, Uncharted and Fallout 3. These are the stand out games and series of my life. But none of them come close to LittleBigPlanet 2. Not even LittleBigPlanet.

Starting at the beginning it is immediate the step up that has been made. Even though the opening of both games are pretty much the same, in 2 it feels much more alive. Everything from LBP is imported over straight away, which was something that worried me. Media Molecule made it clear that it had to be backwards compatible, which they have succeeded in doing, but strangely some of the techniques used in LBP are now pointless because of the ease and efficiency of the tools in LBP 2.
And that doesn't just apply to Create Mode, the Story Mode is now in a different universe compared to LBP. Starting in Larry Da Vinci's Hideout, you are shown the ropes again, literally in the case of the natural and intuitive Grappling Hook that attaches itself to grabbable material. The next section, Victoria's Laboratory you are given the Grabinator, a pair of gloves that now allow you to pick up and throw objects and the Creatinator, a helmet that shoots out sticky cup cakes (which Victoria brilliantly names a "Sniper Trifle"). Combining the three with Bounce Pads (which are set to the exact height you need to jump) and the feel of the game is very different. Each new feature is steadily introduced with each section, so by the time you get to The Factory of A Better Tomorrow it's second nature.

The Factory of A Better Tomorrow and Avalonia are all about rescuing Sackbots. They don't just stand on the shoulders of the early Oddworld games...they fly a Huge Spaceship into orbit around their heads. And I consider those games the best platformers (even above the seminal Super Mario World), a mix of platforming and puzzles is great, but it's stuck in those confines. In LBP 2 you step outside those confines, one moment you could be riding a gaint caterpillar through a fiery maze, climbing a huge robot and even at one point being shrunken down Inner Space style to defeat a virus. As a game on it's own, it's epic...but it's not a game on it's own.

Create Mode is a bottomless pit of infinite possibilities. Things that were seriously hard before, are now achievable in 5 minutes. I once tried to make a FPS, using pistons and a jetpack, it took weeks and didn't really work. In LBP 2, you just stick a Controlinator and a Mover on a gun...that's it. The new tools give you much more time to do the stuff you want, not the stuff that takes a pointless amount of time. Microchips and Sackbots are other new features, combined with new logic tools you can make yourself an army. Recording Sackbot movement is pure genius, allowing for more complexed A.I routines, I got a Sackbot to fly a plane then land, get out and fly back. Also a change is how the game copes with how much you can fit in a game. It now efficiently works out how far you can push the game at any one time, instead of cutting you off because you made one complexed shape. Even though you are still using the 3 layers (minus the frankly essential layer glitch), the new tools, especially the Controlinator (which lets you map the controllers buttons to anything you like) that can be mounted in any direction, meaning you can make a wider variety of games.

There is so much to talk about. If I was only ever allowed to have one game, there is no question it would be LittleBigPlanet 2.

It truly does live up to the tag line "A Platform For Games".

I thought Little Big Planet would be around forever, with over a million player created level's to play, I didn't ever expect to see another game and so soon too. When LBP2 was announced I couldn't see how they could ever improve on the first game, I am pleased to announce that I was wrong.

First off, if you have a previous LBP save, you will be asked if you would like to import the original profile over, this will transfer over all your costumes, materials, stickers etc which is very handy to have when creating new levels.
The controls and feel of the game hasn't really changed, all the buttons still do the same things, customization is the same and there is even a small tutorial at the start like the previous game but without the cute music.

They have now added voices to some of the characters that guide you through each section which I felt was a bad idea and they should have kept things the same, if you complete certain parts of the story you can also unlock the costumes' of these characters which IMO doesn't really fit in with the Sackboy look.

The Story mode is much more challenging than the original, bringing in vehicles and games within games (a bit inception I know). The dynamics of the game have also changed for the better allowing the screen to move around from its classic 2D lock so you can now travel vertical.
Completing a level 100% still requires you to finish it without dying (ace), collecting all items and prize bubbles and obviously to complete the level, this should give you lots of play troughs opening up different areas . I did find it easy to get through the levels without dying until I got to the final chapter which seemed to step up the difficulty.
Vehicles can be a bit tricky to control at first but like everything in LBP practice makes perfect. Every level can be played on your own or you could join someone else's game. The only problem I found is when you have a person follow you from a level to your pod you have to go into another person's game to keep them because selecting to play alone will disconnect them.
The music choice is as good if not better than the original game and it really is fitting to the LBP world. What amazes me is how they manage to find these songs, at a first listen you know it's a LBP track it just feels right!

This is where I would normally put some bad points but I am struggling to find any, if you play on your own you won't see many issues but in co op especially 3-4 players you may see some slowdown which can be quite annoying and if you are after 100% you will need 4 players to get to certain areas. Apart from that I love the new design and game play.

I have yet to create anything but I am told it's just as easy as the first game but with a lot more options and freedom to create whatever is spinning around that brain of yours.

In summery LBP2 is LBP but with a box full of added extra's and designs, it will keep you playing and playing as new levels are posted everyday and the only way I can see this game dying is A) Sony Shut off the servers, B) LBP3 is announced or C) The world has run out of idea's!
I would have loved the Collector's Edition but there were none around to purchase '

Long live LBP and Sackboy, I always smile when I play it. 10/10