LittleBigPlanet 2 review (PS3) ★★★

Review by Nathan Hardisty
UK Certification 7+ | UK RRP £49.99 | Region PAL | Developer Media Molecule | Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment

Media Molecule, the studio behind LittleBigPlanet, had a simple dream: to take the design aspect of a game and put it in the hands of gamers. This was a revolutionary idea, so it’s odd that the original revolution seems to have been prolonged into a sequel. The first LittleBigPlanet was undoubtedly a good showing of what we can expect from user-generated games, although only one out of five levels showed signs of quality. I’ve yet to see something from this series, created by a user, that actually rivals the main story.

On the topic of story, the first game had this charming and simplistic plot line which was ruddy good fun, and mixed in all sorts of children’s book clichés along with some adorable commentary from Stephen Fry. The loveable, huggable Fry returns to narrate LittleBigPlanet 2, and all I can say is that, in terms of the story, it was never LBP’s strongest card, but here I found a tale full of wit and British charm, as well as one of the funniest narrations I’ve heard in a long while. It ain’t no Mass Effect 2, but it does what it says on the tin: bridge gaps and dazzle the eyes.

Speaking of eyes, you’re certainly in for a treat. The engine has been lifted to new grounds and the aesthetics have gone from a homemade feel to a completely natural environment. They’ve been tightened up and the particle effects all look lush. There are little touches such as the way fruit jam oozes when you prod it with your little sack fingers. The littlest things make up the bigger details and in a game that's all about just that, the visual design of LittleBigPlanet 2 is even cutesier than the original.

Gameplay keeps the same formula of run, jump and grab, but the team at Media Molecule decided to mix in some new toys for us to play with this time, such as the grappling hook, Creatinator and Grabinator. The Creatinator is a hat that can spawn just about anything and a specific, ingeniously well-designed level based around it involves spawning cakes to cross ravines. The Grabinator on the other hand is a pair of super-charged gloves that allow you to pick up heavy objects and throw them around.

These new gameplay additions are welcomed and they certainly broaden the technical palette of LBP, but I couldn’t help thinking that a few problems were still present. For one, the mechanics are introduced brilliantly but they’re never tested or twisted in new ways. The jumping is still floaty and leaping between layers still has issues, but otherwise I can’t wait to see what the community does with these new little mechanics.

On the subject of community, I’m sad to say this but it's the same as what I said when LBP1 launched: it’s not what it could be. The first game was new in putting DIY tools in the hands of creators and it took a few weeks to get the best out of them, but with these new LBP2 tools, which pretty much allow people to create whole games instead of just platformer levels, it’ll take a while. From what I’ve played, there’s promise certainly, but right now the community is going to be playing a waiting game for quality user-generated content.

I’ve been trying out the online component a lot, hopping into random games and joining up with a buddy of mine, and unfortunately I’ve confirmed my own worst fears in that the online infrastructure is worse than that of LBP1. I honestly didn’t think that it was possible but even when browsing the level selection globe in a friend's pod, the whole screen has a shaky loading bar that goes nowhere until it loads. It stutters and should have been fixed. It’s been over two years since the last game and the way you connect to other players should've been made smoother.

How can I insult the game at the end of the day? It’s a cutesy wonderland of an adventure, truly charming and surprisingly full of witty writing. The community will be quick to get to work on building their own games, but for now I actually don’t think that I can recommend LittleBigPlanet 2, despite all the good things I’ve said about it. It’s a high quality, five-hour campaign with around two hours of required hiking to get those extra prize bubbles. If you have friends, a few hours and patience with networking then give it a whirl, but otherwise wait until the community wises up and the price goes down.

• LittleBigPlanet 2 is also available in a Collector's Edition, which includes a copy of the game in a SteelBook case; five PlayStation Network avatars; and an assortment of costumes for Sackboy (Toy Story 3 Alien, TRON: Legacy Chu, The Muppets' The Great Gonzo and Even More Animals' Crocodile, Vulture, Cobra and Mandrill). Unfortunately, the UK gets a bum deal in contrast to the US Collector's Edition, which also contains a Sackboy toy and two book ends.