It wants your brainzzzz
Little Big Planet 2
With Kirby getting me in the mood for cute and fluffy gaming, what better way to round up my co-op experiences at the Eurogamer expo than with Little Big Planet 2? Originally planned for release this year, but held back to give the ‘perfect’ experience, the build I managed to get time with was pretty close to the finished product. I and three other lucky souls (or sacks!) were given free reign with numerous pre-built levels in the game. What struck me immediately was how similar it is to the first LBP. The graphics are slightly cleaner, and the jumping is a lot better, but apart from that the game essentially builds on what was already an intelligent set of mechanics.
LBP2 is a game that is all about creating and sharing. You can create your own levels using the in game tools and this there are a lot more features to create something brand new, or homage to something you already love (just make sure that your friends download the map before the copyright police arrive). Once built, you can post up the level and four players at once can join in and try to beat it. When all four sackboys/sackgirls are bounding around the screen simultaneously it is great fun, especially when played locally. The screen pans out far enough that you can move quite far apart, but not so far that you all become as minuscule as Tiny Tim’s collection of miniature models.
I always believed that the co-op in the original LBP was great fun, so more of the same is fine by me. However, like in the first game, the enjoyment that you have as a gamer relies on the community spirit. If the series finally becomes the behemoth that Sony hopes it will, there will be plenty of new and brilliant levels to play. However, if the community falls flat, like me, you will be forced to create your own levels that are about as entertaining as visiting the National Museum of Lead Linings (no offence to all the lead lining fans out there – you know who you are).