REVIEW - LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

Despite giving the first LittleBigPlanet a rating of 10/10, and declaring one of the best games for the PS3 (as well as suitable for all the family), I was somewhat sceptical of LittleBigPlanet 2 (Media Molecule) as I approached this title for review.  One would think that I would be excited by a sequel to a title that I loved so much, and yet I found myself wary that this new release was anything more than a cash-in.  The previews had shown graphics with little improvement of the (admittedly beautiful) graphics of its predecessor, there seemed to be no major new gameplay features to report, and there was little excuse for a new level pack, as the online community ships out plenty of quality levels every month.

Little Big Surprise

Well I was completely wrong about LittleBigPlanet 2 - it is no mere cash-in, and it certainly does not lack in any originality whatsoever.  Just as the original LittleBigPlanet was one of the best titles on any console of 2008, LittleBigPlanet 2 is set to be one of the best games of 2011, and probably one of the top five games on the PlayStation 3.  Yes, it's that good.

Sack-Thing in his/her many different forms.

If you haven't encountered the LBP series before, LittleBigPlanet 2 is (for the most part) a 2.5D platformer that takes places in the super cutesy LittleBigPlanet - a world of ideas, dreams and fantasies where anything can happen; it's like Disney but sweeter!  You play Sack-Thing - a little cuddly...thing that can be dressed up however you like with various costumes that you will collect on your journey.

That journey is structured around your character's attempts to stop an evil machine (known as "The Negativatron") from destroying Craftworld.  The plot is a lot stronger than in the first game, with some excellent and funny cut scenes scattered around throughout the game.  Consequently the plot moves with a lot more pace, and keeps the player feeling like they are playing through a story, as opposed to a series of connected levels.  Although the cut scenes are very good, and the characters are inherently likeable and memorable, the plot really just serves as a device to take the player from world to world.  Although the single player on its own is not particularly long, the worlds are varied and original; from factories to forests to outer space, and each world has its own character and style of gameplay.  It means that just as the game is beginning to feel repetitive, the world changes and a whole new plethora of gadgets, novelties and scenery appear, making it feel like a whole new game.

Levels are not all platformers, and are packed with mini-games

Hamstertron Attack!

It is this variety that is probably one of the best things about LittleBigPlanet 2. It is not just the different worlds that are varied, but the levels within those worlds are only highly varied, with variety seamlessly integrated into those levels as well.  The player will be happily jumping through a level that feels like a standard platfomer, when suddenly the level will twist into a pinball machine, or a basketball court, or a space-invaders shooter.  It is tempting to list the many different gadgets that the game throws at the player (my favorite was the Hamstertron 2000!), but the game's charm comes from the surprise with which these novelties are introduced to the player, and the seamless, polished way in which it is done, so I won't pack this review with spoilers!

This polished presentation is a theme that runs throughout every aspect of the game.  The game's graphics have not been technically improved over its predecessor, but the better use of backgrounds, color schemes, and the decision by the design team to make the whole game feel much more epic and larger has contributed to a game that is even nicer to look at than the first instalment.  The music however, is much improved over the first LittleBigPlanet and offers a whole selection of stunning musical scores that fit in with the levels and really beef up the atmosphere of the game.  The use of licensed music such as Ferry Corsten's "Rock Your Body Rock" for some of the space shooter levels, and Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven" for a disco cut off in the Renaissance spices up the already excellent score designed for the game.  Wherever one looks in this game, one sees quality, originality and effort.

Little Sackbot companions assist you in your journey.

Even the excellent gameplay from the first game has been tweaked a little bit.  Minor complaints from the first game, such as the brutality of the pseudo lives system has been made a little bit easier, meaning that the player is less likely to hurl their controller across the room when the levels become a lot tougher later on.  The controls can still be a little bit sticky, but the 2.5D, 3 level environments work a lot better, meaning it is a lot easier to keep one's flow as the player is moving around obstacles, and there is a lot less plummeting off ledges because the game had shifted you back a bit when you weren't looking.

LittleBigCatholic?

In the original LittleBigPlanet review, I argued that it was one of the most pro-Catholic games on the market, and while the Catholic elements aren't as clear this time around, it is still a game that does not even come close to troubling Catholic morals.  This instalment chose to emphasise a message of teamwork, with "The Alliance" being less of a Star Wars reference, and more of a group of friends working together as a team in order to defeat the forces of negativity that threaten to destroy their home.  Although the ending is not quite as jaw-dropping as that of its predecessor (which must be in the running for the best video game ending of all time), Stephen Fry's final monologue of how our hopes and dreams are valuable things that can bring beauty and life into the world are messages that any Catholic can support, and one that Catholic parents will want their child to witness.  As with the first game, LittleBigPlanet 2 contains some very dramatic scenes involving destruction of machines and mild peril, so while the game's content is inoffensive, parents of young or very sensitive children may wish to preview certain levels before allowing their children to play.

If the game trips up at all, it is on the question of the length of the single-player.  The single player campaign is fairly short, and an experienced gamer will breeze through it in less than 10 hours; although it is worth noting that the campaign is highly replayable and most gamers will happily play through it a number of time to enjoy the levels and to collect all the goodies scattered around the various levels.  There are also a large number of additional side missions that often require a second player (or even a third and fourth) to play, which can add plenty of hours to the gameplay if a few players find some levels that they enjoy playing.  Yet the single player is not quite a full game on its own.

You guessed it - the rabbit is loads of fun!

Where the game's life expands significantly is the level design and the level design online community.  The game offers a re-envisioned level designer with which to create one's own levels, which can then be shared online.  The designer is easy to use and comes with no less than 50 tutorials from the magnificent Stephen Fry.  The moderation of the online community is very intense, meaning only the very best levels will be available.  This means that that for the player, one does not have to scour through poor levels in order to find the good ones.  Although still in its beginnings, the LittleBigPlanet community is already churning out many excellent levels, and they are easy to access.  The previous title added somewhere in the region of 2.5 million levels via the online community, so there is plenty to choose from!  If the reader is happy to go online and download new levels, they will find a great deal of quality there, and will be playing LittleBigPlanet for a very long time, and this game would therefore be recommended without hesitation.  However, if the reader has no interest whatsoever in doing this, then they may wish to think hard about buying this game at full price, as the single player campaign on its own may prove unsatisfying.

Conclusion


If, like me, you thought that LittleBigPlanet couldn't get any better, you are wrong - it just got a heck of a lot better with LittleBigPlanet 2.  A beautiful expansive world, loveable characters, varied and polished game design, oodles of replay value, and a thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack all contribute to an incredible little title.  The single player is a tad on the short side, yet if one is prepared to experiment with the many levels available on the online community, then this will expand the game enough to make it a title you will want to come back to time and time again.

From a Catholic perspective, LittleBigPlanet 2 gets a big thumbs up, just like its predecessor.  A positive message of teamwork, self-belief and friendship means that this is a game that affirms many Catholic values and is suitable for both Catholic adults and children.  The title contains mild cartoon peril and occasional explosions, and a final boss that some children may find frightening.

The technical rating for this title is 10/10

The Catholic rating for this title is A-I -- general patronage