Little Big Planet 2 Video Review

It's more than two years since Little Big Planet introduced Sackboy to the world, and the creativity of the game's community continues to impress. Players aren't just designing new platformer levels, they're creating lots of different gameplay experiences, over three million of which will live on in Little Big Planet 2.

User creations that don't resemble traditional Little Big Planet levels are sure to become much more common with the release of Sackboy's sequel. That's because with the superior creation tools you get this time around it's much easier to make games that span multiple genres, multiple levels, and even multiple cut scenes. It's a great time to be a Little Big Planet creator, and since there are also some solid systems in place to ensure that the best creations are easy to find, there's also never been a better time to be a Little Big Planet player. Everyone's a winner.

Regardless of what you ultimately hope to get out of LBP2, the Story mode is a great place to start. The world of Little Big Planet has come under attack from the evil Nagativitron, and only you (and up to three of your friends) can save the day. The 30-plus Story mode levels are incredibly varied both in terms of gameplay and visual design; one moment you're jumping between moving wooden platforms and swinging from sponges, the next you're riding a bee through a blocky-looking side-scrolling shooter and knocking enemies out of the sky with honey projectiles.

Each and every Story level serves as an enjoyable showpiece for what the new creation tools are capable of, and they have plenty of value if you're interested in finding all of the hidden collectible materials, stickers, Sackboy outfits, and other goodies. Some of them can only be reached if you're playing cooperatively, and while that's a good incentive to get some friends involved, co-op play can get confusing. When the camera zooms out it can be tricky to tell Sackboys apart, and if players lag too far behind the camera gives up on them and leaves them for dead. The camera isn't always a problem in co-op play, but your best bet for fun multiplayer is to check out versus games which, in addition to those being created by users, include unlockable Story mode takes on basketball, air hockey, and pool.

When you're ready to have a stab at creating a game of your own, you'd do well to check out some of the new tutorials beforehand--even if you're familiar with the tools from the first game. There's a LOT of new stuff now, and the Stephen Fry narrated tutorials do an adequate if not comprehensive job of explaining things like sackbots, power-ups, and microchips.

These are just a few of the new creation tools at your disposal in Little Big Planet 2, and their addition is quite literally game-changing. For example, Sackbots are non-player characters that can be customized with different appearances and behaviors.

Power-ups are another great addition because, much like the Paintinator gun that was introduced in the LBP Metal Gear Solid expansion pack (and which, like all of the original LBP's DLC, works with LBP2), they open up so many new possibilities when designing levels. The grappling hook lets you swing from any object that it can grab onto, the grabinator gloves give you the strength to pick up and throw heavy and dangerous objects, and scuba gear lets you swim underwater without having to seek out oxygen-filled bubbles or come up for air.

The most exciting power-up, though, is the creatinator; a helmet that can be used to fire any projectile that game designers choose, and that includes user-created objects. Want to create a level in which Sackboy puts out fires? Give him a creatinator that fires a steady stream of water. You can even have the creatinator launch objects that then fire projectiles of their own. The possibilities are endless.

Perhaps the most significant game changer introduced in LBP2 is the controlinator; a small and unassuming device that, amongst other things, can serve as a seat for Sackboy in vehicular gameplay sequences. More importantly, the controlinator is used to give players direct control of any object--effectively taking Sackboy out of the equation. Used in conjunction with the new anti-gravity object tweaker, the controlinator makes it quite easy to create side-scrolling and dual-stick shooters, top-down racing games, and games in which you control nothing but a crosshair and a trigger, to name but a few.If you're a creative type willing to put in some hours testing and iterating upon your designs, there's no reason you can't share games with the Little Big Planet 2 community that are good enough for them to come back to again and again. Heck, you might even get asked to make sequels.

Of course, not all of the creations that find their way into LBP2's community area will be very good, or even remotely good. Already, numerous levels are appearing--just as they did for the first game--that serve no purpose other than to unlock trophies for anyone who plays them, while others simply aren't finished. Thankfully, there are some solid systems in place to help you sort the good from the bad, so it's pretty easy to avoid games that you have no interest in playing.

Like the series' most prolific creators, Little Big Planet 2 is a game that just keeps on giving. That's also true of the first game, but what separates LBP2 from its predecessor is the sheer variety of games that are being created and which will no doubt continue to be created for many months to come. This isn't just a superbly presented game that incorporates multiple genres and comes packaged with a powerful creation suite, it's your doorway into a wonderfully charming, vibrant, and ever-changing universe where almost anything is possible. Even if you're not interested in designing and creating games yourself, Little Big Planet 2 is not to be missed.

GameSpotScore9.0Editors' Choice
Metacritic Score9186 reviews
User Score9.11928 votes
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Jan 14, 2011

Justin Calvert and Sackboy flex their creative muscles in this video review for Little Big Planet 2.

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336 comments

Newest | Oldest

seal180

LBP KARTING!!!!!

Albaficas

best platform game to date enough said

hossamehabadel

GOTY

Jmaster211

This game is awesome. I love being a creator and making levels!

Amaterasu_11

the little big planet 2 can only play with the play-station move?

pop-warriorwith

beyound imagination

Devils-DIVISION

@bryan9247 At least the score is not less than the previous title. As they're prone to doing sometimes.

bryan9247

if it is a better game then why the same score

NeilCardiff

@Larouche911 I'm not but then again I don't get any, try using Adblock Plus on Firefox.

burrito_tester

I have both 1 & 2. Both of them are game changers.

SiLenTWarrior29

"Never judge a game by it's cover" ...never again... Only now I had the chance to play LBP1 cause of the free games sonys offering and so I decided to give it a try, infamous I played before and the other games weren't that great and due to the great things I heard about this game I downloaded it... Maaan this game is hella fun! It's real funny too...well to me it is.. Now I'm on it like crack now... It's been almost 3 yrs since this game came out (LBP1) and I'm way behind the pack because of my ignorance.. "It a little kids game... Not for me" ...I never gave it a chance til now.. I never been so wrong in my life... Now LBP2 is out since january! Now I'm thinking... Infamous 2 can wait I'm getting this first ASAP! For you doubters out there this game is one of a kind... Don't miss out on this like I did... I have much to learn.. So little time

Gh05t_

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

Zero_Kull

Just my luck, when i went to buy my PS3 3 weeks ago they only had the one that comes with GT5 xD

Ejhutch15

Yeah man, i really, want this I have a 360, but allways want a ps3 since day one, i want this, infamous series, uncharted three later man!!

aussie_man18

So damn AWESOME!!! love this game!!!!

jimmygamer

@supersackboy23 lol, i saw that too

Larouche911

Anyone else tired of adds?!

supersackboy23

[6:16] look at the title of the first game on the list.

oR3PTiLEo

So i'm a xbox man, and always have been. BUT I really want to a get a ps3. And when I do this game will be my first purchase. Killzone second. And God of War Third. Awww man What's happening to me!>?!>?!?! lmao

unorthodox---09

just got this today with my new ps3 it came with the ps3 I am so happy its my first ps3

InvisiblyClear

@pH347m3 I think that ALL GameSpot reviews should be taken with a grain of salt here and a drop of water there. After all, these people are PAID to find everything wrong with a game.

zandoon

I need IT!!

pH347m3

GameSpot doesen't give enough 10s.

BudgetMonkey82

Hopefully someone will emulate all of the mini games from Kung Fu Chaos.

xxFallenAngel

lol what did Clyde say at the end??? I heard the F word :P

patriotsnake171

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

pie369

all my friends have xbox and play nothing but cod, so they ask me why i own a ps3, i say bluray, more power, better exclusives, and LBP 1 and 2 (and uncharted 1+2 mgs4 kz2 soon kz3 mag soon uncharted 3... oh and cod's ok too)

zaiderules

uggg im trying to save up for a new ps3 BUT THE GAME INDUSTRY IS MAKINH IT HARD WHY IS LBP2 AND KILLZONE COMING OUT SO SOON ;(

ThatGuy2020

Fantastic-looking game. I wish I had a PS3.

Flat_Spectre

If I had money, I'd buy this game in a heartbeat.

Nodyoxide

I can't believe it ! This is not just a game, It's a gate to an uncountable number of games of your very own imagination ..

Kratos_Kills

if this game is not game of the year or maybe even game of the decade then nothing is.

Kaneau

this game looks awesome so gonna get it

Scianix-Black

IS DAT SUM G DARIUS MUSIC AT 5:00?!

KriobaKeys

'Ohh 'ello... my name's Clive' that bit when i first saw it in LBP2, quite honestly made me laugh so hard i missed the rest of the cutscene.

dennisgameongr

10 is my score.i am 35 years old i have played thousends pf games.this one is the best game ever made in history.must buy to play and see.

mentos_eater424

This one of the only reviewers left that I actually like.

EDD_FIRE

why haven't i got this game yet?

hyksiu

I like the unlimited fun that you get with the many levels in the game

ico92

is it me or does this guy look like simon pegg

bourne2live

Wow 0_0

king_bobo

Considering the only bad things he had to say about the game were that sackboys can be difficult to distinguish between when the camera zooms out, and that the tutorials aren't comprehensive, I think this should have been given a 9.5, not a 9.0

Jawad2007

@jasonzilla11 thanks for calling me that ! as i said and i always Said life is an opinions Take it or leave it ! My total point wasn't that the xbx360 better ! its just some ppl don't have to play all the games ! they search for more harder or some theme of games . and xbox360 delver something and ps3 deliver all of themes . so who win ? the variety or 1 major ! ? think about it !

Petch1984

Joyful game. Never met a rude/offensive player on either this or the first. Quite a few decent user levels out there already and ones from the first game carry over - even when I play a level which doesn't quite work or isn't that great they still seem to offer something. It really is a AAA game and the charm makes it impossible to dislike. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

jasonzilla11

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

jasonzilla11

Clive Handforth was so awesome in this game.

csl_hrdcr

This is a quote from JansonVank from the IGN community; "You can't evaluate a game (or anything) outside of its context. Any assessment of value is made in relation to the thing's contemporaries. To do otherwise is, well, impossible: to evaluate a one of a kind thing would be to evaluate a thing that is both the best and worst example of its kind. From a scale of 1 to 10, it would be the scale. LittleBigPlanet (one) was assessed in terms of it's contemporaries, and LittleBigPlanet 2 has been assessed in terms of it's contemporaries. The number ratings are an indication of each game's contemporary value, not their comparative value to each other. There is no universal standard of "worth," and no tool with which it can be measured. Get over it." I think he put it perfectly.

Alezzx73

this is the genius idea that if it aint broke DONT FIX IT just an amazing in every way

AwsomeCowboy16

Should I buy a PS3 just to get this?

RandomTigran

I agree with zigi_aho. Gamespot has a stupid rating system that no game that's really good can have a higher rating than Forza or Halo. It's just stupid.

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