Little Big Planet 2™

     Let's get it out of the way early -- LittleBigPlanet 2 is awesome. The levels are clever, a bunch of new additions change platforming for the better, and the community tools are smarter than ever. This game is a fantastic way to kick off a 2011 packed with PlayStation 3 exclusives. Still, the game has some nagging issues that won't be unfamiliar to folks who rocked the first game. Does it ruin the experience? Not at all.

    LittleBigPlanet 2 packs 30 story levels that tell the tale of the Negativitron, a horrible beast that has invaded Craftworld and is gobbling up all the cities on the planet. You're Sackboy, and you've got to travel to spots on the globe to run, jump, shoot, grab and fly on your way to saving the day. The story is cute like a children's storybook, but it's not all that engaging. Luckily, the levels are exciting and the gameplay's a blast.The majority of this plays out in the familiar LittleBigPlanet style, which is essentially 2D platforming similar to a Mario game. Sackboy starts on one end of the level and runs to the other side while jumping over obstacles and on top of enemies to make it to the goal. There are three planes for Sackboy to live on (background, middle and foreground) and you move him between them with your controller. All the while, you're nabbing point bubbles and hidden prizes on the screen. If you get lonely, you can team with up to three other Sackpeople either locally or online. Media Molecule has outdone itself on these story levels. Each world feels unique, and the platforming challenges get more intense as you go along -- one minute I was fighting a possessed cupcake and the next I was using deadly fireflies to navigate my way through a pitch black room full of spots to die in. As great as those levels are with their colorful motifs and truly rocking tunes, the stuff that I really dug had nothing to do with platforming.

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