The eagerly anticipated sequel to one of Playstation 3’s best exclusive titles is here! Little Big Planet was something special when it hit the scene in 2008, seeing as it belonged to a gaming console that’s synonymous with violent action games, Little Big Planet offered something truly unique to the current gaming trends: an opportunity to build instead of destroy.
At its core, Little Big Planet was a cutesy side-scrolling platform game with quirky worlds, adorable characters and, most importantly, a level-creation function that was quite impressive. Game/level creation tools aren’t anything new to the gaming world so LBP had to find a way to make itself memorable, and it succeeded in doing so. How? By being easy to use but just as powerful as it was user-friendly; within minutes even the newest players could make fully functioning levels to share with friends and romp through together, and it would only get more fun as the player learned more of the tricks to making better levels.
This said, Little Big Planet 2 is stepping into some pretty big shoes, boasting that now gamers can create full games. LBP2 has a big uphill battle ahead of it being the follow-up to one of this generation’s most unique gaming experiences, and also with the ever-present whining of gamers insisting that sequels should just be downloadable content. So, does Little Big Planet 2 stand on its own two feet and deserve to be its own title?
From what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s safe to say so.
Premise Admittedly, I’m pretty new to the world of PS3. I’ve played it before, but I’ve only owned one for a week or so and only had so much time to experience Sackboy’s first adventure before indulging in this highly anticipated release… yeah I still can’t get my head around the name “Sackboy”. Regardless of my lack of exposure to the game, I was making working levels within 15-20 minutes and within an hour I was making levels that only sucked a little bit. LPB was an outlet for creativity and LBP2 picks right up where its older brother left off.
Where the previous title seemed focused on making levels, however, LBP2 is powerful for players to make actual games. The ease of use is still there but none of the power of the creation functions have been compromised; I’ve tinkered with it and though I’ve made nothing I’d be proud enough of yet to post on the web for other gamers to play, I’ve already downloaded a user-made game that is a complete recreation of Metal Slug. The game hasn’t even been out a full day and already there are creative geniouses out there making complete homages to classic titles. LBP2’s catch phrase is that it’s not just a platform game, but a platform for games, and so far this seems to be incredibly accurate.
ANYWAYS, the game actually has a real story this time around. The realm of imagination, specifically an area called Craft World, is being attacked by an evil entity, known as The Negativitron, that is focused on destroying creativity and imagination, and you take your little Sackboy on a wild adventure with The Alliance to keep imagination free for all. Colourful and amusing characters litter the narrative, bringing some vibrance to what is, at its core, a story that isn’t all that original or creative and feels more like a parody of struggle tales such as Star Wars and Terminator. Everyone knows that no one is playing this game for the story, so its clear that the tale is made just to be a fun extra to help gamers learn the ropes.
Characters LBP2 does offer a decent compliment of characters to drive the story, but again they’re just filler to help the player learn how to use the game. The Alliance leader Larry Da Vinci is a comical mentor with a voice that has an eerie similarity to Eric Idol. At the end of the day all that matters is that Sackboy is just as cute as before and is fully customizable to appear in any way the gamer sees fit; mine has bright glowing eyes and 3D glasses with a cute little scarf that I imported over from Little Big Planet, yes, you can do that.
Gameplay The game itself is a basic side-scrolling platform game with simple controls and easy-to-use navigation menus. Anyone who has ever played a game along the lines of Mario Bros. will feel comfortable with the basic fundamentals of this game.
We all know though that the real draw is, of course, the game creator. While obviously it’s more in-depth than the basic game, its learning curve isn’t so steep as to make players rip their hair out; much like its predecessor, LBP2 is easy enough to use that a player can make some basic games almost right away, with more amazing capabilities available to be used as the players hones their skills. Like anything, the more you familiarize yourself with it, the easier it will come to use and the payoff is obvious from what I’ve already seen some of these brilliant creatives out there already post for the public.
One of the disappointing features, for some, about this game will be the confusion regarding the inclusion of Sony Move control. The core game itself, at this time and to my knowledge, is not accessible to the Move, rather only one game type called Prehistoric Moves uses the Move. I’m not torn up about this, as I’m openly a Kinect supporter and haven’t been too impressed with the Sony Move, but it is bound to be a disappointment for those who were really set on using their Move wands to traverse the worlds of imagination; just one more bullet Sony’s shot into its own foot in regards to the Move, in my opinion.
Graphics Little Big Planet 2 is just as pretty as the first title. Materials all appear in the proper textures, from corrugated cardboard to soft fabrics, everything looks like it should; it feels like the image of Kirby’s Epic Yarn has been given a beautiful graphical facelift.
Lighting plays a big role in this game and its done flawlessly. Despite how silly the story is, when there are times that are meant to convey certain emotions, the simple use of lights creates that atmosphere and accentuates the vibrant worlds very nicely.
Sound The Little Big Planet franchise reminds me of the Katamari franchise in some ways, primarily the audio area. The sound effects are fun and full of life and the music is over the top and catchy. From dub remixes of classic symphonies right down to the mumbling of your sidekicks, the game is very pleasing to the ears. One of the main reasons it reminds me of Katamari is that many times a level’s song leaves the gamer thinking “this makes no sense” as it never feels like it properly fits the level you’re experiencing, but it’s just so much fun that it doesn’t matter.
What I Liked The game is an easy to use game creation platform that has the potential to make any gamer create amazing things.
What Needs Improving If you’re going to promote Sony Move compatibility, then make it fully compatible, not only somewhat.
Final Thoughts It’s more than “more of the same”. If you didn’t like the first installment then this one won’t convert you, but if you did enjoy the creative power put at your fingertips then this game will be a very enjoyable addition to your library. Should it have just been downloadable? I think not, if for no other reason than the sheer number of things made available to the gamer. Again I would hardly call myself a tried-and-true expert on the universe of Little Big Planet, but I feel safe in saying it’s worth squeezing into your library.
written by Lee Clifford
The eagerly anticipated sequel to one of Playstation 3’s best exclusive titles is here! Little Big Planet was something special when it hit the scene in 2008, seeing as it belonged to a gaming console that’s synonymous with violent action games, Little Big Planet offered something truly unique to the current gaming trends: an opportunity to build instead of destroy.
At its core, Little Big Planet was a cutesy side-scrolling platform game with quirky worlds, adorable characters and, most importantly, a level-creation function that was quite impressive. Game/level creation tools aren’t anything new to the gaming world so LBP had to find a way to make itself memorable, and it succeeded in doing so. How? By being easy to use but just as powerful as it was user-friendly; within minutes even the newest players could make fully functioning levels to share with friends and romp through together, and it would only get more fun as the player learned more of the tricks to making better levels.
This said, Little Big Planet 2 is stepping into some pretty big shoes, boasting that now gamers can create full games. LBP2 has a big uphill battle ahead of it being the follow-up to one of this generation’s most unique gaming experiences, and also with the ever-present whining of gamers insisting that sequels should just be downloadable content. So, does Little Big Planet 2 stand on its own two feet and deserve to be its own title?
From what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s safe to say so.
Premise Admittedly, I’m pretty new to the world of PS3. I’ve played it before, but I’ve only owned one for a week or so and only had so much time to experience Sackboy’s first adventure before indulging in this highly anticipated release… yeah I still can’t get my head around the name “Sackboy”. Regardless of my lack of exposure to the game, I was making working levels within 15-20 minutes and within an hour I was making levels that only sucked a little bit. LPB was an outlet for creativity and LBP2 picks right up where its older brother left off.
Where the previous title seemed focused on making levels, however, LBP2 is powerful for players to make actual games. The ease of use is still there but none of the power of the creation functions have been compromised; I’ve tinkered with it and though I’ve made nothing I’d be proud enough of yet to post on the web for other gamers to play, I’ve already downloaded a user-made game that is a complete recreation of Metal Slug. The game hasn’t even been out a full day and already there are creative geniouses out there making complete homages to classic titles. LBP2’s catch phrase is that it’s not just a platform game, but a platform for games, and so far this seems to be incredibly accurate.
ANYWAYS, the game actually has a real story this time around. The realm of imagination, specifically an area called Craft World, is being attacked by an evil entity, known as The Negativitron, that is focused on destroying creativity and imagination, and you take your little Sackboy on a wild adventure with The Alliance to keep imagination free for all. Colourful and amusing characters litter the narrative, bringing some vibrance to what is, at its core, a story that isn’t all that original or creative and feels more like a parody of struggle tales such as Star Wars and Terminator. Everyone knows that no one is playing this game for the story, so its clear that the tale is made just to be a fun extra to help gamers learn the ropes.
Characters LBP2 does offer a decent compliment of characters to drive the story, but again they’re just filler to help the player learn how to use the game. The Alliance leader Larry Da Vinci is a comical mentor with a voice that has an eerie similarity to Eric Idol. At the end of the day all that matters is that Sackboy is just as cute as before and is fully customizable to appear in any way the gamer sees fit; mine has bright glowing eyes and 3D glasses with a cute little scarf that I imported over from Little Big Planet, yes, you can do that.
Gameplay The game itself is a basic side-scrolling platform game with simple controls and easy-to-use navigation menus. Anyone who has ever played a game along the lines of Mario Bros. will feel comfortable with the basic fundamentals of this game.
We all know though that the real draw is, of course, the game creator. While obviously it’s more in-depth than the basic game, its learning curve isn’t so steep as to make players rip their hair out; much like its predecessor, LBP2 is easy enough to use that a player can make some basic games almost right away, with more amazing capabilities available to be used as the players hones their skills. Like anything, the more you familiarize yourself with it, the easier it will come to use and the payoff is obvious from what I’ve already seen some of these brilliant creatives out there already post for the public.
One of the disappointing features, for some, about this game will be the confusion regarding the inclusion of Sony Move control. The core game itself, at this time and to my knowledge, is not accessible to the Move, rather only one game type called Prehistoric Moves uses the Move. I’m not torn up about this, as I’m openly a Kinect supporter and haven’t been too impressed with the Sony Move, but it is bound to be a disappointment for those who were really set on using their Move wands to traverse the worlds of imagination; just one more bullet Sony’s shot into its own foot in regards to the Move, in my opinion.
Graphics Little Big Planet 2 is just as pretty as the first title. Materials all appear in the proper textures, from corrugated cardboard to soft fabrics, everything looks like it should; it feels like the image of Kirby’s Epic Yarn has been given a beautiful graphical facelift.
Lighting plays a big role in this game and its done flawlessly. Despite how silly the story is, when there are times that are meant to convey certain emotions, the simple use of lights creates that atmosphere and accentuates the vibrant worlds very nicely.
Sound The Little Big Planet franchise reminds me of the Katamari franchise in some ways, primarily the audio area. The sound effects are fun and full of life and the music is over the top and catchy. From dub remixes of classic symphonies right down to the mumbling of your sidekicks, the game is very pleasing to the ears. One of the main reasons it reminds me of Katamari is that many times a level’s song leaves the gamer thinking “this makes no sense” as it never feels like it properly fits the level you’re experiencing, but it’s just so much fun that it doesn’t matter.
What I Liked The game is an easy to use game creation platform that has the potential to make any gamer create amazing things.
What Needs Improving If you’re going to promote Sony Move compatibility, then make it fully compatible, not only somewhat.
Final Thoughts It’s more than “more of the same”. If you didn’t like the first installment then this one won’t convert you, but if you did enjoy the creative power put at your fingertips then this game will be a very enjoyable addition to your library. Should it have just been downloadable? I think not, if for no other reason than the sheer number of things made available to the gamer. Again I would hardly call myself a tried-and-true expert on the universe of Little Big Planet, but I feel safe in saying it’s worth squeezing into your library.
written by Lee Clifford
The eagerly anticipated sequel to one of Playstation 3’s best exclusive titles is here! Little Big Planet was something special when it hit the scene in 2008, seeing as it belonged to a gaming console that’s synonymous with violent action games, Little Big Planet offered something truly unique to the current gaming trends: an opportunity to build instead of destroy.
At its core, Little Big Planet was a cutesy side-scrolling platform game with quirky worlds, adorable characters and, most importantly, a level-creation function that was quite impressive. Game/level creation tools aren’t anything new to the gaming world so LBP had to find a way to make itself memorable, and it succeeded in doing so. How? By being easy to use but just as powerful as it was user-friendly; within minutes even the newest players could make fully functioning levels to share with friends and romp through together, and it would only get more fun as the player learned more of the tricks to making better levels.
This said, Little Big Planet 2 is stepping into some pretty big shoes, boasting that now gamers can create full games. LBP2 has a big uphill battle ahead of it being the follow-up to one of this generation’s most unique gaming experiences, and also with the ever-present whining of gamers insisting that sequels should just be downloadable content. So, does Little Big Planet 2 stand on its own two feet and deserve to be its own title?
From what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s safe to say so.
Premise Admittedly, I’m pretty new to the world of PS3. I’ve played it before, but I’ve only owned one for a week or so and only had so much time to experience Sackboy’s first adventure before indulging in this highly anticipated release… yeah I still can’t get my head around the name “Sackboy”. Regardless of my lack of exposure to the game, I was making working levels within 15-20 minutes and within an hour I was making levels that only sucked a little bit. LPB was an outlet for creativity and LBP2 picks right up where its older brother left off.
Where the previous title seemed focused on making levels, however, LBP2 is powerful for players to make actual games. The ease of use is still there but none of the power of the creation functions have been compromised; I’ve tinkered with it and though I’ve made nothing I’d be proud enough of yet to post on the web for other gamers to play, I’ve already downloaded a user-made game that is a complete recreation of Metal Slug. The game hasn’t even been out a full day and already there are creative geniouses out there making complete homages to classic titles. LBP2’s catch phrase is that it’s not just a platform game, but a platform for games, and so far this seems to be incredibly accurate.
ANYWAYS, the game actually has a real story this time around. The realm of imagination, specifically an area called Craft World, is being attacked by an evil entity, known as The Negativitron, that is focused on destroying creativity and imagination, and you take your little Sackboy on a wild adventure with The Alliance to keep imagination free for all. Colourful and amusing characters litter the narrative, bringing some vibrance to what is, at its core, a story that isn’t all that original or creative and feels more like a parody of struggle tales such as Star Wars and Terminator. Everyone knows that no one is playing this game for the story, so its clear that the tale is made just to be a fun extra to help gamers learn the ropes.
Characters LBP2 does offer a decent compliment of characters to drive the story, but again they’re just filler to help the player learn how to use the game. The Alliance leader Larry Da Vinci is a comical mentor with a voice that has an eerie similarity to Eric Idol. At the end of the day all that matters is that Sackboy is just as cute as before and is fully customizable to appear in any way the gamer sees fit; mine has bright glowing eyes and 3D glasses with a cute little scarf that I imported over from Little Big Planet, yes, you can do that.
Gameplay The game itself is a basic side-scrolling platform game with simple controls and easy-to-use navigation menus. Anyone who has ever played a game along the lines of Mario Bros. will feel comfortable with the basic fundamentals of this game.
We all know though that the real draw is, of course, the game creator. While obviously it’s more in-depth than the basic game, its learning curve isn’t so steep as to make players rip their hair out; much like its predecessor, LBP2 is easy enough to use that a player can make some basic games almost right away, with more amazing capabilities available to be used as the players hones their skills. Like anything, the more you familiarize yourself with it, the easier it will come to use and the payoff is obvious from what I’ve already seen some of these brilliant creatives out there already post for the public.
One of the disappointing features, for some, about this game will be the confusion regarding the inclusion of Sony Move control. The core game itself, at this time and to my knowledge, is not accessible to the Move, rather only one game type called Prehistoric Moves uses the Move. I’m not torn up about this, as I’m openly a Kinect supporter and haven’t been too impressed with the Sony Move, but it is bound to be a disappointment for those who were really set on using their Move wands to traverse the worlds of imagination; just one more bullet Sony’s shot into its own foot in regards to the Move, in my opinion.
Graphics Little Big Planet 2 is just as pretty as the first title. Materials all appear in the proper textures, from corrugated cardboard to soft fabrics, everything looks like it should; it feels like the image of Kirby’s Epic Yarn has been given a beautiful graphical facelift.
Lighting plays a big role in this game and its done flawlessly. Despite how silly the story is, when there are times that are meant to convey certain emotions, the simple use of lights creates that atmosphere and accentuates the vibrant worlds very nicely.
Sound The Little Big Planet franchise reminds me of the Katamari franchise in some ways, primarily the audio area. The sound effects are fun and full of life and the music is over the top and catchy. From dub remixes of classic symphonies right down to the mumbling of your sidekicks, the game is very pleasing to the ears. One of the main reasons it reminds me of Katamari is that many times a level’s song leaves the gamer thinking “this makes no sense” as it never feels like it properly fits the level you’re experiencing, but it’s just so much fun that it doesn’t matter.
What I Liked The game is an easy to use game creation platform that has the potential to make any gamer create amazing things.
What Needs Improving If you’re going to promote Sony Move compatibility, then make it fully compatible, not only somewhat.
Final Thoughts It’s more than “more of the same”. If you didn’t like the first installment then this one won’t convert you, but if you did enjoy the creative power put at your fingertips then this game will be a very enjoyable addition to your library. Should it have just been downloadable? I think not, if for no other reason than the sheer number of things made available to the gamer. Again I would hardly call myself a tried-and-true expert on the universe of Little Big Planet, but I feel safe in saying it’s worth squeezing into your library.
written by Lee Clifford
The eagerly anticipated sequel to one of Playstation 3’s best exclusive titles is here! Little Big Planet was something special when it hit the scene in 2008, seeing as it belonged to a gaming console that’s synonymous with violent action games, Little Big Planet offered something truly unique to the current gaming trends: an opportunity to build instead of destroy.
At its core, Little Big Planet was a cutesy side-scrolling platform game with quirky worlds, adorable characters and, most importantly, a level-creation function that was quite impressive. Game/level creation tools aren’t anything new to the gaming world so LBP had to find a way to make itself memorable, and it succeeded in doing so. How? By being easy to use but just as powerful as it was user-friendly; within minutes even the newest players could make fully functioning levels to share with friends and romp through together, and it would only get more fun as the player learned more of the tricks to making better levels.
This said, Little Big Planet 2 is stepping into some pretty big shoes, boasting that now gamers can create full games. LBP2 has a big uphill battle ahead of it being the follow-up to one of this generation’s most unique gaming experiences, and also with the ever-present whining of gamers insisting that sequels should just be downloadable content. So, does Little Big Planet 2 stand on its own two feet and deserve to be its own title?
From what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s safe to say so.
Premise Admittedly, I’m pretty new to the world of PS3. I’ve played it before, but I’ve only owned one for a week or so and only had so much time to experience Sackboy’s first adventure before indulging in this highly anticipated release… yeah I still can’t get my head around the name “Sackboy”. Regardless of my lack of exposure to the game, I was making working levels within 15-20 minutes and within an hour I was making levels that only sucked a little bit. LPB was an outlet for creativity and LBP2 picks right up where its older brother left off.
Where the previous title seemed focused on making levels, however, LBP2 is powerful for players to make actual games. The ease of use is still there but none of the power of the creation functions have been compromised; I’ve tinkered with it and though I’ve made nothing I’d be proud enough of yet to post on the web for other gamers to play, I’ve already downloaded a user-made game that is a complete recreation of Metal Slug. The game hasn’t even been out a full day and already there are creative geniouses out there making complete homages to classic titles. LBP2’s catch phrase is that it’s not just a platform game, but a platform for games, and so far this seems to be incredibly accurate.
ANYWAYS, the game actually has a real story this time around. The realm of imagination, specifically an area called Craft World, is being attacked by an evil entity, known as The Negativitron, that is focused on destroying creativity and imagination, and you take your little Sackboy on a wild adventure with The Alliance to keep imagination free for all. Colourful and amusing characters litter the narrative, bringing some vibrance to what is, at its core, a story that isn’t all that original or creative and feels more like a parody of struggle tales such as Star Wars and Terminator. Everyone knows that no one is playing this game for the story, so its clear that the tale is made just to be a fun extra to help gamers learn the ropes.
Characters LBP2 does offer a decent compliment of characters to drive the story, but again they’re just filler to help the player learn how to use the game. The Alliance leader Larry Da Vinci is a comical mentor with a voice that has an eerie similarity to Eric Idol. At the end of the day all that matters is that Sackboy is just as cute as before and is fully customizable to appear in any way the gamer sees fit; mine has bright glowing eyes and 3D glasses with a cute little scarf that I imported over from Little Big Planet, yes, you can do that.
Gameplay The game itself is a basic side-scrolling platform game with simple controls and easy-to-use navigation menus. Anyone who has ever played a game along the lines of Mario Bros. will feel comfortable with the basic fundamentals of this game.
We all know though that the real draw is, of course, the game creator. While obviously it’s more in-depth than the basic game, its learning curve isn’t so steep as to make players rip their hair out; much like its predecessor, LBP2 is easy enough to use that a player can make some basic games almost right away, with more amazing capabilities available to be used as the players hones their skills. Like anything, the more you familiarize yourself with it, the easier it will come to use and the payoff is obvious from what I’ve already seen some of these brilliant creatives out there already post for the public.
One of the disappointing features, for some, about this game will be the confusion regarding the inclusion of Sony Move control. The core game itself, at this time and to my knowledge, is not accessible to the Move, rather only one game type called Prehistoric Moves uses the Move. I’m not torn up about this, as I’m openly a Kinect supporter and haven’t been too impressed with the Sony Move, but it is bound to be a disappointment for those who were really set on using their Move wands to traverse the worlds of imagination; just one more bullet Sony’s shot into its own foot in regards to the Move, in my opinion.
Graphics Little Big Planet 2 is just as pretty as the first title. Materials all appear in the proper textures, from corrugated cardboard to soft fabrics, everything looks like it should; it feels like the image of Kirby’s Epic Yarn has been given a beautiful graphical facelift.
Lighting plays a big role in this game and its done flawlessly. Despite how silly the story is, when there are times that are meant to convey certain emotions, the simple use of lights creates that atmosphere and accentuates the vibrant worlds very nicely.
Sound The Little Big Planet franchise reminds me of the Katamari franchise in some ways, primarily the audio area. The sound effects are fun and full of life and the music is over the top and catchy. From dub remixes of classic symphonies right down to the mumbling of your sidekicks, the game is very pleasing to the ears. One of the main reasons it reminds me of Katamari is that many times a level’s song leaves the gamer thinking “this makes no sense” as it never feels like it properly fits the level you’re experiencing, but it’s just so much fun that it doesn’t matter.
What I Liked The game is an easy to use game creation platform that has the potential to make any gamer create amazing things.
What Needs Improving If you’re going to promote Sony Move compatibility, then make it fully compatible, not only somewhat.
Final Thoughts It’s more than “more of the same”. If you didn’t like the first installment then this one won’t convert you, but if you did enjoy the creative power put at your fingertips then this game will be a very enjoyable addition to your library. Should it have just been downloadable? I think not, if for no other reason than the sheer number of things made available to the gamer. Again I would hardly call myself a tried-and-true expert on the universe of Little Big Planet, but I feel safe in saying it’s worth squeezing into your library.
