LittleBigPlanet 2

I'm late to the party here, but fashionably so.

I regard LittleBigPlanet 2 as my favourite video game of all time. It has a wacky, entertaining story mode with characters that are so interesting and from a character design perspective incredibly well done, a beautiful background design with really good level themes and settings and as the cherry on top, the game has beautiful voice acting. It maintains the charm from its predecessor but expands upon that, something LittleBigPlanet 3 struggles with at times.

LittleBigPlanet 2 was a game far ahead of its time and it makes me so utterly heartbroken to see it forgotten so often. The game never gets old for me, never gets boring, and even almost 13 years after its release still hold up. If you like family games, creative games, interesting characters and just a silly lighthearted game to take your mind off things - LittleBigPlanet 2 is the game for you.

When i first got my hands on this game, i tough it would just be just like it's predecessor with some things added. Boy, i was wrong! This game, not only expands the universe of LittlebigPlanet, as it takes it to a next level! The plot is charming and funny, the character designs are simply brilliant. The gameplay remains very close to the original game, with new tools and gadgets such as the "Grappling Hook", the "Creatinator" and the "Bounce Pads". The graphics are gorgeous, with new particle effects, better shaders and textures. LittleBigPlanet was known because of it's replay value, there was millions of levels yet to be explored, the game simply never got boring! The same can be said about it's sequel. It doesn't matter if you like adult games, if you like family games or even sports games, this game will entertain everyone!

I remember back when I was - must've been around 8 years old. Only just got into gaming, and my mum took me out to get a game for the PS3. This was just sitting on the shelf in a box labelled "PS3 essentials". I took it home, played it, and it became an all time favourite of mine. Platformers never used to appeal to me, but this was something else. It gave us a fantastic storyline, epic boss fights, just everything you can imagine. You could build your own maps, for goodness sake. Those hours I spent as the lovable little sackboy were some of the most fun I've ever had. This game will forever hold a special place in my heart.

If you've played the first and loved it for its wonderful custom levels, this is certainly a must have. The options for creating your own levels/mini-games/games, and subsequently playing others explorations of the new mechanics, are simply fantastic and lots of fun. In terms of an online experience, LBP 2 is certainly peerless.

However, apart from that, every other facet of the game is grossly underwhelming. Which is odd, because in the first installment Media Molecule did an unprecedented and mind- boggling thing: made an engaging story mode that honestly inspired the gamer to build their own levels. It was a sincere, charming, and fun experience. This time around, the story mode is a far cry from the first game. That's not to say it's not a good experience, it really is, but it pales in comparison to LBP.

The levels have lost their je ne sais quoi; they aren't as fun or as challenging as the first game's story levels. They present nifty new mechanics, but they aren't implemented well enough to inspire you to use them for your own creations (which is the real game here, creating!). The graphics aren't really improved, but in a game like this I could care less. The characters you meet throughout the story are severely faulted people, which is a nice change, but alternatively they are also all stereotypes. No good. The story itself is awful, and unfortunately I think the team either pushed the envelope too much while attempting an epic scope, or was forced to do so. Sure,the story mode is peppered with some great pop culture references, but outside of gameplay it wasn't entertaining, involving, or interesting. Another standout from the first installment, the musical compilation, while retaining diversity, isn't as driving this time.

Sorry to rant, but don't let it discourage you! Far more time was put into the creation "half" of the game, and it is awesome. Pick it up, play through the story, if you lose interest, try to do better yourself! And in the meanwhile, play any of the scores of ingenious player made content, some of which is outstanding.