LittleBigPlanet 2

Last year, when I posted a retrospective of Little Big Planet, I was so excited for its upcoming sequel. And now that its out, I have to say... I'm 100% satisfied with the final product; which is a rare thing when a game is hyped up as much as this.
LittleBigPlanet 2 is the sequel to 2008(?)s PS3 exclusive, LittleBigPlanet; a game based off of user generated content. LBP2 continues this style of Play, Create, Share.

STORY
LittleBigPlanet 2 begins with sackboy being abducted by an evil monster that looks like a giant Vacuum cleaner, known as the Negativitron. As the Negativitron attempts to trap Sackboy, rescue arrives in the form of Larry Da Vinci and Avalon Centrifuge, the apparent "leaders" of The Resistance.
The game follows Sackboys recruitment into the Resistance and their efforts to rid Craftworld of the Negativitron.

The story of LBP2 exceeds the original's approach in so many ways. More memorable characters, plus actual cutscenes and voice acting give the game a lot more character, while retaining the charm it always had. As well as that, the story actually gives you a more focused experience, introducing the Antagonist from the beginning, rather than tacking him on near the end; like the Collector in LBP1.

The story is really quite funny, and using the in-game tools to create the cutscenes, Media Molecule made it possible to insert some much needed drama into the game.


PRESENTATION
LittleBigPlanet 2 returns with the style that made it so charming and memorable in the first place; the entire landscape has a handcrafted feel to it, which gives the levels themselves almost as much character as the actual characters.
Sound design is perfectly executed in this sequel; the various soundtracks all fit perfectly with the levels, and they all have a sense of playfulness to them, no matter how ominous or grand it may sound.

A big departure from the storytelling of its predecessor, LBP2 features fully voiced cutscenes, made with the in-game creation tools. The voice actors in the story made the characters their own, and much of the dialogue is why I enjoyed the story scenes so thoroughly.

The game itself looks substantially better than the last, with Media Molecule polishing the game engine to a mirror shine. Everything looks and sounds better than the original.


GAMEPLAY
Gameplay inside the main story levels of LBP2 remain largely unchanged since the original; most levels revolve around directing sackboy from one end of the level to the other, using basic platforming techniques as you go. New gadgets such as the grabinator and the graqppling hook spice up the gameplay, as do devices like the controllinator (which allows sackboy to take control of any vehicle/object with controls mapped to the controller).

A word of caution, however: the "floaty" jumping controls of LBP1 have not been adressed, so if you're one of those people who will miss out on an amazing gaming experience because of some extremely minor detail like that, LBP2 will not change your stance on it. You didn't like the jumping in the original, you won't like it now. Just saying.

Now, anyone who played the original will know that "play" is only 2 parts of the equation. 1 part story, 1 part community play; but what's the 3rd part? The 3rd is "Create", which allows any player to make almost anything using the creation tools. The tools are robust enough to make anything you want, but simple enough to start on something small for those of you who are creatively challenged.

The creation tools are so robust that we've seen top-down racers, side-scrolling shooters, first-person shooters and fighting games. For anyone well versed in the create tools, the only limitation to your creations will be your imagination.

REPLAYABILITY
So what happens when you finish the story and you're done with creating? Well, if you've gone back and aced all the levels, collecting everything there is to collect, then it's time for you to jump online and experience what other people are sharing. Or if you'd like, share some of your own stuff. LBP was one of the only games I've continually played since its release, and I foresee LBP2 being played on and on and on, because the level library is always expanding.

The addition of competitive multiplayer games to the mix makes this title even more fun with friends, both locally and cooperatively. Be sure to try the basketball game. It's amazingly addictive.

Oh, and if you happened to waste your money on PS Move, or WiiHD as it's been dubbed, then it also comes with Sackboys prehistoric moves. Haven't played it, but free stuff is always nice, right?

OVERVIEW
I don't want to sound like a rabid PS3 fanboy here, but if you don't own a PS3, this is the reason for you to get one. Don't get put off by the childish vibe, just do it. You won't regret it. For those of you who played the original, you need to pick this up. LBP2 is exactly what a sequel needs to be; polished presentation, natural evolution of gameplay and simplified, yet robust creation tools make this an amazing title to own.


Next week, my first MMO, DC Universe Online. Should be interesting. I'll see you next time!