Little Big Planet 2

🎮 Overview

• Title: LittleBigPlanet 2

• Platform: PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Move support optional)

• Release Year: 2011

• Developer: Media Molecule

• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

• Genre: Puzzle-Platformer / Creative Sandbox

• Tagline: “Play, Create, Share.”

• Style: A whimsical, highly creative game that combines platforming adventures with powerful creation tools, allowing players to make their own games inside the game.

📖 Story / Campaign

• Players once again step into the stitched shoes of Sackboy, the customizable mascot of the series.

• The narrative follows Sackboy as he joins the Alliance, a group of characters banded together to stop an evil vacuum-like creature called the Negativitron, which is sucking up all creativity from Craftworld.

• The story is lighthearted and told through charming cutscenes narrated by Stephen Fry, full of humor, quirky characters, and imaginative worlds.

🕹 Gameplay

Core Platforming

• Classic side-scrolling platformer mechanics: running, jumping, grabbing, swinging, and pushing objects.

• Sackboy can now grab and carry items, use bounce pads, and interact with new gadgets.

Gadgets & Tools

• Grabinator – lets Sackboy pick up and throw large objects.

• Creatinator – a helmet that shoots objects (like fireballs, water, or custom projectiles).

• Grappling Hook – swings across gaps and climbs surfaces.

• Sackbots – programmable NPC characters that can be given behaviors, used for puzzles, or even full mini-games.

Create Mode (Game Creation Tools)

• A huge expansion over the first game:

  • Players can create not just platformer levels but entire games: shooters, RPGs, racing games, puzzles, even cutscenes.

  • Includes logic tools, timers, switches, and circuits, enabling programming-like complexity.

  • “Sackbots” and cinematic tools allow for scripted sequences and storytelling.

• Player-made content can be shared online with the community.

Community & Online

• The game’s online hub allows players to:

  • Browse and play millions of community-made levels.

  • Rate, tag, and heart creations.

  • Share their own levels or full games.

• Online multiplayer supports up to 4 players cooperatively in both story levels and community content.

PlayStation Move Support

• An optional Move pack was released, adding motion-controlled creation and gameplay features.

🎨 Presentation

• Graphics:

  • A handcrafted aesthetic where everything looks stitched, glued, or made of cardboard, wood, or fabric.

  • Levels are bright, colorful, and full of playful detail.

• Sound:

  • Narration by Stephen Fry, lending warmth and wit.

  • Original soundtrack mixed with licensed indie and pop tracks, giving each level its own charm.

• Tone:

  • Whimsical, creative, and family-friendly, but with room for complex designs by advanced creators.

📝 Reception

• Praise:

  • Hugely expanded creation tools compared to the first LittleBigPlanet.

  • Charming story campaign that doubled as a tutorial for creation possibilities.

  • Enormous community content, ensuring endless replayability.

  • Cooperative multiplayer made it fun both offline and online.

• Criticism:

  • Platforming physics still felt floaty to some players.

  • Creation tools, while powerful, could be overwhelming for casual players.

  • Some community content varied in quality.

✅ In short:

LittleBigPlanet 2 for PlayStation 3 is more than just a platformer—it’s a creativity powerhouse. While Sackboy’s charming story mode offers fun, family-friendly platforming, the real magic lies in its creation tools and thriving community, where players can design everything from levels to entire games and share them online. It’s a playful mix of imagination, collaboration, and limitless possibilities, making it one of the most beloved titles of the PS3 generation.