Creators, gamers and everyone inbetween will find a lot to love about LittleBigPlanet 2.
Not long after the events of the first game, your Sackperson is thrown into another adventure of a lifetime. A horrific vaccuum monstrosity called the Negativitron has been sucking up the flotsam and jetsam of Craftworld, threatening its very existence. Fortunately, a stalwart band of dedicated heroes have decided to fight back and put an end to the Negativitron's reign of terror. Known as "the Aliance" and lead by a peculiar creature named Larry Da Vinci (get it? Larry?), this merry band of crafty outlaws extend the opportunity for your Sackperson to join them in their battle, but not before forcing you to pass a series of tests first to prove your plushiness. Faced with overwhelming odds and a diverse portfolio of unique new levels that introduce some of LittleBigPlanet2's newer methods of creationism (i.e. mini-games and genre-benders), it is up to you to defeat the Negativitron and save all of Craftworld. The gameplay remains almost relatively unchanged from the first game with the exception of some new power-ups and tools that present new platforming opportunities like swinging across chasms or bouncing to great heights. Much like the original game, LittleBigPlanet 2's levels are cleverly designed to take full advantage of the robust editing tools that players can use to create their own masterpieces, and offer a glimpse of what can be achieved with the software. In other words, those who share a passion for building levels---much like the growing community of LBP players---will not only enjoy the Story Mode for what it is, but also use it as a learning tool and a source of inspiration for when they begin creating their own nefarious obstacle courses.
As before, LittleBigPlanet 2 presents the player with an enormous toy box filled to the brim with a vast array of goodies. However, they won't do you a lick of good if you're not learned in the ways of using them to your creating advantage. That said, everything is explained through cleverly-scripted, interactive tutorials (narrated by British comic luminary Stephen Fry) that go over nearly every possible detail of the game's diverse tool sets as well as the overall creation process. If you're familiar with how the whole deal works from the original game, you should have little to no trouble getting reacquainted with what you already know, but for the newbies, the tutorials will go over things in Layman's terms quite acceptably; even if some of the lessons aren't as comprehensive. All of the tools and kits from the first game (as well as the ever-so-amusing Pop-it Cursor) have made the transition fully intact, and they're likewise joined by some interesting new ones as well; such as bounce pads, the controllinator (for creating rideable vehicles and makeshift beasts) and the Sackbots. Sackbots are perhaps one of the more noteworthy additions to LittleBigPlanet 2; they serve as customizable A.I. or player-controlled NPCs that can be made to interact with your character in either a friendly or hostile manner; giving your levels more depth, personality and a fair degree of challenge. Add to that some brand-new Sackboy-specific power-ups like the aforementioned grappling hook for swinging, the Grabinator for grabbing and throwing objects and the Creatinator for shooting projectiles, and you've got yourself a vast array of opportunities to conceptualize some truly incredible ideas for levels that weren't really possible in the original game. Even better, it is also possible to link your levels together to form a continuity---eliminating the debauchery of downtime between switching levels from the outside hub. Speaking of the original game, LittleBigPlanet 2 will carry over everything you've created and collected out of the first LittleBigPlanet so you needn't worry about losing all your hard-earned progress. You cannot, however, transfer anything from the second game to the first due to the fact that LBP2 works on an entirely new graphics engine.
And, incredibly, it's not simply just levels you can create with LittleBigPlanet 2. The game gives you a wealth of advanced editing tools that pave the way for entirely different genres other than platform jumping. Puzzle games, top-down shooters, role-playing games, racing games----whatever fantastic idea you might have curled up in your throbbing gray matter can be wholeheartedly realized through indigenous use of LBP2's deeper (and more complex) editing system. You don't even have to make a game at all---it's also possible to make full-length feature movies composed entirely of cutscenes. Furthermore, you're allowed to record your own voices, compose your own music through use of the Music Sequencer and, like the first game, take photos through your PlayStation Eye camera to use as placeable stickers; although it might have been nice if the option to use an outside source (like a digital camera) were included. LittleBigPlanet 2 also makes some use of the PlayStation Move motion controller for certain mini-games, and you might even build a game of your own that can use the device as well. Granted, with all this cool stuff at your disposal, the learning process may take a great deal of effort and time for newer players, and even veteran level architects already acquainted with the familiarities of the first game will probably be a little overwhelmed by these wholly new offerings. Still, like most things in life, a great deal of patience and a little bit of trial-and-error are essential for the highly ambitious Picasso mindset to build something truly special.
Of course, if you don't want to build anything at all and would rather just play the game, there's nothing wrong with that either. In fact, all the more power to you. The LBP community are a diverse, dedicated and highly imaginative group of creationist afficionados devoted to filling the online hub with new levels that are being constantly added often, so there's always something new to discover. A new search feature has been included to assist the player in finding levels a lot easier by simply lettering in the name of a level creator or specific key words to pinpoint creations. And, per usual, you're given the opportunity to rate levels and leave comments, and "heart" creators you might find favorable. Whether you are enjoying particular levels from particular players, or just want to dally around with whatever's out there in your immediate line of sight, LittleBigPlanet 2 covers all of those bases and then some.
The floaty jump physics from the first game have been a considerable point of contention among players and, unfortunately, LittleBigPlanet 2 does not seem to address these issues. Thus, navigation of some of the more complex levels can be a difficult affair when your Sackboy is floating around haplessly trying to land on platforms or leap across pitfalls. Nonetheless, it isn't so much of a problem as to hinder the gameplay experience outright, but you can't help but feel it to be a little annoying at times. Everything else, however, handles great; controls for creating levels using LBP2's assorted tool expanse is pretty straightforward, and quite a bit of fun to boot; even if it does take some bit of adjustment when you're first digging into it. Otherwise, it's like riding a bicycle---once you get the hang of it, you'll have no need for training wheels. Despite using a new engine, LittleBigPlanet 2's graphics aren't a noticeable improvement over the original, but this is by no means a bad thing---it still looks utterly fantastic all the same. Some excellent use of licensed music (the funky Beethoven remix you've probably heard before makes an auditory cameo here, and it can be used for your own levels if you prefer) round out the package and are done to great effect.
To call LittleBigPlanet 2 a mere sequel is an erroneous label for a game that strives to expand the possibilities of creation for nearly every player involved. New ideas and concepts, no matter their magnitude or ambitious scale, can only so much as come to the point of realization if the player is given the appropriate tools to work with, and LittleBigPlanet 2 provides these and so much more. Even people that don't wish to build levels can get a great deal out of what LBP2 offers in terms of an constantly evolving hub that bursts with new experiences for every visit. To that end, the game does many things right. It builds on a tried-and-true premise for greater creating opportunities, provides an ever-changing playground that rarely loses momentum, and never loses sight of the community that contributed to the success of the first game. Whether you're a veteran of the original game, a newbie just starting out, a creator at heart or just someone looking for a fun gaming experience that never stales, LittleBigPlanet 2 is just the game for you.