Little Big Planet 2

Review from Cav - Wednesday, 23 February 2011 @ 12:45pm

In my personal opinion, there is a special place in Hell for PlayStation 3 owners who didn’t like or own the original LittleBigPlanet. I believe it was very different to anything I had seen in a long time and a much needed breath of fresh air to gaming. So after putting the original on such a high plateau, what are the chances that the sequel LittleBigPlanet 2 making the same mark? Well, I’d put my leftie on it. There wasn’t a sixteenth of the PR campaign for LBP2 as there was for the first, but I guess that the developers and Sony were hoping that Sackboy hadn’t left the minds of gamers and could stand up on his own two, threaded feet. I think he does that without a problem.

Sack Lightyear to the rescue

I like when a game remembers you as LBP2 does (for those of us who played the first) and was pleased to see my Mexican Wrestler Sackboy waiting for me when the game started... although I think he acquired a crick in his neck when he made the transition from the first instalment, as he is forever looking skyward. Actually, it wasn’t long until I got the bug and changed his look. He now has a convict shirt, green pants, glowing white eyes and a paper bag over his head. A very becoming look, as in "the men in the white coats ‘be-coming’ for you to throw you in a padded cell."

Cult following?

One thing I do recall loving from the first game was the musical score and LBP2 is no different. There is such as vast array of music styles in this game that there should be a little something for everybody. Each tune suitably matches its environment and really sets the scene. I can’t give this game enough credit on the audio/soundtrack side of things. I’d like to give some of the credit to my new home theatre, but I remember playing the original, just through my TV speakers and being just as impressed. The narrator, the extraordinarily talented Stephen Fry, never sounds condescending and still cracks many a joke, putting the player at ease.

Cake wheel? C'mon!

Your Sackboy is relatively easy to control, even for new players, and the inclusion of ‘tools’ for the gameplay has broadened the way players will approach this game. The Grappling Hook had me swinging like Spiderman, and for a moment I thought there was a Super Mario Sunshine crossover of sorts when my Sackboy was extinguishing flames with water propelling from a helmet. Obviously for our readers out there who partake in extracurricular ‘leafy activities’, there would be nothing better than the helmet that shoots out cakes. Munchies on demand! There are an abundance of mini games littered throughout LBPS2 to play as well, I quite enjoyed the little versions of Pong and Brick-Out, as well as the side scrolling ‘R-Type variant, as your Sackboy mounts a vehicle and shoots his way through.

Did you just try to hump my leg?

Creating your own levels takes times and patience, but is awesomely rewarding. Just ask the millions of people who have uploaded their levels for everyone to play. These are available for everyone and there are some real pearlers out there.

Please don’t feel that I am copping out on writing a review, but I can’t really say that this game differs too much from the first. If you combine the review, with Matt’s review of the original LittleBigPlanet, you should be able to get a general idea of what you are in for. Don’t get me wrong – I think LittleBigPlanet2 is fantastic, but I thought the same of the first.

Pros

The current price of Little Big Planet 2 at the moment makes the game quite attractive, although the lower price isn't really required to sell this game

- Create a level is cool

- Multiplayer is always fun

- The ideas for the characters are amazing

- Audio is, once again, magnificent

Cons

- Only differs slightly from the first, could possibly have been DLC

- PS3 updates delay your play time (not the games fault though)