He’s baaack! He may be engineered from nothing more than a couple of buttons and a ball of yarn but the disturbingly cute (well, at least for a grown man) little Sony mascot returns to flop, flail, and flounder to the adoring squeals of fans all over the world. No, I did not personally squeal. I let loose a much more dignified “Awwww”, coupled with an ever-expanding grin and a pointed look from my wife that showed clear concern for me as an individual.

From the moment you fire up LittleBigPlanet 2, you’ll be hit with familiar waves of nostalgia as you guide your bouncy Sackboy through Media Molecule’s ingeniously designed levels. All the elements that made LBP such a fan-favourite are reassembled here for the sequel, but the assembly this time around is tighter, more polished, and generally a much more focused effort. Find out more after the jump.

You might be excused for initially thinking that this is more of an expansion pack than a fully-fledged sequel. Your pod, which still acts as the hub from where everything is accessed, looks exactly the same. Stephen Fry once again provides his wry, but eloquent voice-over for all the tutorials, and the first level may well have been plucked from any of the millions of user created levels within the first game. But the sense of familiarity starts dissipating immediately after the basic introductory level, as Media Molecule start trickling through their new innovations steadily during the course of the single player campaign.

It has hamsters and bunnies? Cuuuuute!!

Media Molecue has managed to create a single player campaign that trumps its predecessor in every way. It’s still essentially a showcase for the gameplay additions and their new toolset – a way for them to show off their wares – and veteran level builders will probably salivate in anticipation of the potential these new tools hold. But they somehow managed to make the whole affair engaging this time around with a charming little tale of your Sackboy being all that stands between the evil Negativitron and the safety of the LBP universe. It’s ridiculously over-the-top, and all the better for it. The improbability of these scenarios are, after all, a collation of the dreams and musings of us earthlings, and seen in that light, it makes perfect sense.

The floaty controls are still present – perhaps ever-so-slightly tightened up – but I never felt it was a true detractor to the gameplay in the first one, and it certainly didn’t bother me here. You’ll be too busy getting the hang of the newly introduced gadgets, ride-ons, and Sackbots. The Grabinator, the first introduced new feature, will be one of the most used gadgets in your arsenal. It acts as a grappling hook, and you’ll be swinging your way through narrow pathways, covered in bristling electricity or scorching flames. You will play levels that hearken back to the 8-bit era, with echoes of Space Invaders and R-Type, while others will have you controlling robotic bunnies or camels, or flying a bee with honey as its preferred ammunition. One section had me gleefully guiding a furry hamster through twirling loops and swerving corners, a rollercoaster ride that was just a blast to play. Cuteness overload? You betcha! It’s a saccharine-sweet experience as diverse as any candy store, and for a sweet-tooth like mine, just as addictive.

The single player is short though. Very short. You can easily trounce through it in less than 5 hours, but it really is just a means to an end, a tiny glimpse of what’s to come when the community has had some time to come to terms with the sheer amount of content they’ll be able to work with.

The toolset returns, simplified and streamlined, and should you invest the time to watch the many tutorials, you’ll be building levels before you know it. It took all but an hour for me to quickly create a very basic level that my 3-year old could play. Granted, it’s a crude and embarrassing example of my level-building skills, but it goes to show how easily anyone can pick up the controller and almost immediately start their own creations.

Here’s looking at you, Sackboy

In the looks department, LBP 2 is slightly more crisp and clear compared to the first game. The amount of textures you’ll be able to work with have increased, and certainly the biggest improvement come in the form of the various effects employed in the game. Fire, liquid, billowing smoke, and booming explosions all impress with their visual fidelity to their real-life counterparts. The levels themselves are much more diverse than before as well, and set-pieces range from an almost apocalyptic wasteland backlit by flashes of lightning, to a 50s inspired sci-fi serial evoked in sleek and simplistic lines. For the most part the game runs smoothly but there are some occasions where the amount of things happening on-screen made the frame rate chug a little. And for some reason, the Retry button will always result in a slight freeze in the action. These instances are few and far between though, and are nothing more than a very slight annoyance when you encounter them.

Sackboys and girls – UNITE!

As before, you’ll need the co-operation of one or more friends – either online or offline – to help you reach those hard-to-reach score and prize bubbles. At the time of writing this, the online multiplayer aspect still has a few kinks that need ironing out. Joining a game was hassle-free 50% of the time, with the other 50% consisting of waiting patiently for a level to load.

Similarly, it seems the larger community levels are currently causing problems for players who want to download them. Some levels took so long to load that I had to quit the game via the PS button, not being sure if it was legitimately taking long to load or if my system froze on me. Media Molecule already detailed that they’re working on a patch so I’m sure these issues will be resolved post-patch. But when it does work, it’s a lot of fun, with games often reduced to a player-slapping and throwing contest (yes, with the Grabinator you can throw other players around this time) instead of focusing on the actual objective at hand.

Conclusion

LBP 2 is the natural evolution of the “Play, Create, Share” mantra introduced two years ago, but instead of resting on their laurels and pumping out LBP1.5, Media Molecule succeeded in justifying another dip into the LBP universe. I would love to revisit the game six months down the line, simply because I know I will be blown away by what the community will produce.

The game is an exuberant celebration of the creator in us all. It still has the charm of the original, but manages to be both bigger and more simplified than its older brother.

It’s an irresistible romp through the imagination of Media Molecule, and an invitation to contribute your own dream-space to the larger collective, an invitation you will quite easily succumb to. 9/10