Little Big Planet 2

_Little Big Planet_ is a game like no other, and _Little Big Planet 2_ has taken careful notes from its award-winning predecessor and provided a game that improves upon nearly every aspect, proving that sequels don’t – in fact – have to be crap.

The game starts with the sweet sound of Stephen Fry’s soothing voice, weaving a tale of ‘ideas’ and the ‘transcendental dreamverse’ (an added bonus for you philosophers out there). Stephen Fry narrated the first _Little Big Planet_ game too, and his inclusion in the series is worth far more than just points on the celebrity scale – he is the narrator, the comforter, the omniscient story-teller who gently shows you how to make your way in the world of _Little Big Planet 2_. His brilliant comedy is a welcome addition, bringing just the right tone to the game. _Little Big Planet 2_ is a game that is not supposed to be taken seriously; it is full of jokes, funny-looking characters and pop culture references. At one point, the game lets your (fully customisable) character play various mini games including _Breakout_ and _Pong_; it’s touches like these that make the game so well-rounded and an easy favourite.

Just like in _Little Big Planet_, there are two parts to _Little Big Planet 2_. The first stop is the story mode, which takes the form of fairly short platform levels strung together with a vague narrative. While the presence of a story has improved on the almost non-existence of such in _Little Big Planet_, it is still very light, and definitely not the reason you would find ourself playing the game. There are no cliff-hangers, no emotional dramas, but then this fits within the context of _Little Big Planet 2_, the game like no other games (apart from _Little Big Planet_). There’s a big bad guy (the ‘Negativitron’) and a collection of good guys, each with their own quirky personalities, and that’s enough.

However, the game falls foul to the problem faced by all games with a more substantial story – length. Mario games can afford to be fairly long, because the story is describable in one sentence, but with the introduction of a progressive storyline and different characters _Little Big Planet 2_ is considerably shorter than it might have been otherwise. They could have made a hundred more levels, each unique (as shown by the myriad of user-created levels), were it not for the fact that they had to make them somehow follow on from one another. Of course the game might also seem short because of the lack of real challenge. _Little Big Planet 2_ is more difficult than its prequel – even the tutorial-style levels at the beginning seem harder than some of the later levels of _Little Big Planet_ – but it’s still not a tough game. I had to retry the big bad boss level a few times, but the whole story mode is only going to take the average player about three hours.

However, shortness is not a drastic downfall for _Little Big Planet 2_. The levels are completely replayable, and you will want to replay them, even if only to collect the items (used for creating your own levels – more on that below) that seemed out of reach before. There’s real strategy involved in figuring out the right way of reaching some of the items, and an obsessive player could easily spend a few more hours collecting them all.

Where the story really shines is when you play through the levels with friends. _Little Big Planet 2_ allows you to play co-op with up to three other people, on your own console or over the internet, and even includes mini parts of levels which you can only get through with more than one person playing. Unlike co-op games which detract from the experience by splitting the screen or giving one player no more than the ability to point a cursor and collect things (_Super Mario Galaxy_, I’m looking at you), _Little Big Planet 2_ actually makes every player feel equally involved. The only problem with playing with others, especially if you do go up to 4 players, is that _Little Big Planet 2_ involves a lot of fast-paced covering of ground, leaving it open for the other players to get left behind and pushed out of the screen, which causes them to lose a life. In the gaming world, where it is important to encourage social interaction, co-op ought not to make a game more difficult. However, gamers may still hang onto their friends through the versus levels; short but fun competitive levels which can only be played with more than one player.

After completing story mode (although you can do it beforehand, you’ll just have fewer items), you should turn to the ‘me’ section of the game, which consists mostly of tools with which to make your own levels. This might sound pedestrian, but it’s arguably _Little Big Planet 2’s_ biggest feature. You’re introduced to the level design feature (or ‘moon’) via 50 tutorials, which show how complex it is, and it might seem daunting were it not for Stephen Fry’s encouragement helping you through each. Once you’ve completed these tutorials – which requires a fairly large chunk of time, though they’re each fairly short – you begin to get a grasp of exactly what this game is capable of.

Throughout the story mode, inspiration from other popular games is obvious. There is a grappling hook which feels very _Ratchett and Clank_, a level where you shoot things constantly coming at you à la _Space Invaders_, a world based in a factory which has a feel not unlike _Abe’s Oddysee_, and more – and this can be taken much further with the level creation feature. With the ability to make objects out of a variety of materials, control how things move and interact, use various kinds of switches to activate things when you use the right object, come within a precise proximity, and more, the only limit is your imagination. There’s even the inclusion of advanced logic, which you can use lined up on a ‘circuitboard’ to have exact control over how your level runs. It can’t be explained in words – you really must go buy it and try it for yourself.

_Little Big Planet 2_ is a rarity in the gaming world: completely unique (save for the original _Little Big Planet_), and – with the level creation feature and the ability to go online and play levels created by other users, and join games others have started and play along with them – endlessly playable, despite the story mode’s short length. It’s charming and witty, and just downright fun. If you have a PS3, take my word for it – _Little Big Planet 2_ is a must-buy.