Co-ouples: Should I buy it? Little Big Planet 2

Plenty of game reviews are from just one person’s perspective but Pixelated Geek is hoping to offer an alternative to these uni-perspective overviews with Co-ouples. Little Big Planet 2 has always been a shared gaming experience between my Wife and I, but it was interesting to find out that a lot of the PixelatedGeek staff were having similar Co-Op experiences. So what’s our thought on LBP2? Is it the end-all be-all Couples game? Video review and thoughts after the break.

This weeks Co-Ouples:

Andrew & Kristal

James & Becca

Click on each name for individual’s review.

This is a game that is difficult to characterize, as it has the uncanny ability to stand up to almost any age group or demographic. LBP2 attempts to re-visit an almost forgotten genre in the 2D Platformer. However, that’s only the tiniest outer-layer of what this game truly has to offer–for instance, Level Creator and vast Multiplayer fun.

The only part of this game I felt was a little lackluster was the Single Player Campaign. In the previous title there wasn’t much effort focused on story. It felt more akin to playing with your toys as a kid. This time around there is a full-fledged story, and while at the beginning I was really enjoying it, towards the end I started to find it a bit restrictive. At times it almost felt like it took away from the imagination that is LBP2. The level design is pretty amazing, though it felt a little gimmicky, offering a new Gameplay element that can only be found on one level. It felt like the Hammer Brother Suit in Mario 3; a real blast to play with but you only get to use it once or twice throughout the game.

Where LBP2 truly shines is in it’s Multi-player Component, which is almost a must for this game, as there are various costumes and stickers that require anywhere from 2 to 4 players to get. There is also a drop-in, drop-out co-op that allows for anyone to just jump in. Of course this is magnificent for Online play as well, where there always seems to be someone playing–plus the LBP2 community is really polite and friendly.

The biggest component to this game is the Level-Builder. It has been reworked from the original and it really shows. Building levels couldn’t be any easier. They also have a massive tutorial system that makes learning everything super simple and you can upload your level to the Online LBP2 Community. There are currently a huge number of Levels that are already playable.

Overall it’s a pretty solid game. I wish the single player campaign was a little more fleshed-out, but I generally enjoyed playing this game.

Whot? Whot? I Say…
Little Big Planet 2: A heaping sack of nonsense

Is this game worth the expense?

Well, that depends upon your definition of game value. Are you one of those people who need cutscenes to make you feel fulfilled or are you like me and yearn for more story mode after you’ve beaten the cream puffs out of the game within an inch of it’s life?  It took approximately five days, on normal, sporadic play; not the non-stop, trying-to-avoid-things-I-have-to-do-by-escaping-into-LBP kind of gaming.

If the choice were mine, I’d make more levels and longer game play in lieu of pricy cinematics. However, since the choice was quite obviously not mine, you’ll just have to suffer through overwhelmingly flashy cutscenes which could make you feel like you’re watching a cheesy, but extremely expensive movie about absolutely nothing. Call me a purist, but when the definition of “game” changes to something I’m not able to participate in, I get distracted. Normally, I’m a ridiculously patient person, but some of these cinematics seemed to drag on eternally, which evoked the unpleasant sensation of waiting at a stoplight, hoping for it turn green. I became exhausted after an hour of suppressing the urge to shout expletives at the TV, “Just let me ?!*&@%$ play already!”

Oh, but they didn’t stop there!

This game seemed intent on testing my patience with the return of an equally annoying element, the LBP conversation bubble–granted, such captions are function and story-imperative, but the timing was what drove me to a seizure-like, caption related insanity in which I found myself hurriedly circle mashing to get out, regardless of wether I knew how to use a hook-shot or not. It could just be my imagination, but when comparing LBP and LBP2, the text boxes were much more obnoxious the second time around.

With or without communication, it was easy enough to get the gist of the simple plot. Evil tries to destroy the sack world and Sack-boy–or Sack-girl in this case, is the only one standing–fashionably–in the way of its total annihilation. The story line, however, is not what keeps players playing: better costumes and more creative fabrics are what make this gamer a happy berry-head. I can honestly tout that LBP2’s wardrobe gives a new lease on sack-life! There is nothing like disco gradient fabric or creepy glowing eyes to get you back in the mood to show off costumes online.

Another plus for LBP2 was its very low glitch factor; especially when considering the endless opportunities with this type of game to wedge yourself somewhere you never expected. I found myself mischievously looking for ways to outsmart the game’s creators by actively attempting to get into areas unintended for access and getting a hold of prize bubbles in much more efficient ways. Which leaves the question what can’t you do with two sack people and a Cakeinator? Or better yet: Sure, it’s backbreaking work Mm, but couldn’t you have made just a few more levels?

James & Becca

I spend a lot of time analyzing interactive entertainment, breaking down game-play elements, both presentational and design choices, looking directly at definitive factors like mood, tone, character, plot, and theme. Usually, the ability to immediately critically analyze a title means that those elements are obviously good or obviously bad, or at least blatantly presented, and the difference between a good title and a great one usually lies in both achieving high marks in all the technical and literary fields AND creating a world that sucks you in to the point where you forget symbolism and bump-mapping alike. Titles like Dead Space and Mass Effect sweep you past all the highly-developed worlds and HDR bloom into a story with characters and events you truly care about, into a personal limbo of sorts where its your own love-life you’re cultivating, and your neck you’re saving from constant threats of horrifying alien violence.

Little Big Planet just makes you grin ear-to-ear and want more. And there’s something to be said for that. If we dissect Super Mario Brothers with an analytical scalpel, we’re left with a somewhat-stereotypical Italian plumber with a penchant for  plant-life who chases a useless Princess down pipes after a big Lizard with both a Princess- and Castle-fixation and a host of questionably-anthropomorphized enemies. BUT: its fun. Its super-fun. Its one of the most popular and beloved franchises in entertainment. And as much as I can poke fun at a silly little plumber breaking blocks with his head, I’ll buy every single one of the Mario titles, and Little Big Planet has cuddled its way into my chest and snuggled up next to my heart in the exact same way. Very few mascots cause the universal Aww/Giggle that Sackboy does, and very few games can deliver the perfect marriage of challenge, fun, and child-like sense of wonder that LBP does.

Little Big Planet 2 is no different. The addition of the Grappling Hook, the Grabinator, and Controllinator are wonderful evolutions directly in line with Media Molecule’s development aesthetic. The predominant focus in Little Big Planet 2 doesn’t seem to be to revolutionize the title in any way, but rather to evolve the franchise in a more varied and detailed way. Most of the changes benefit the actual Creators of levels in a more direct way than the rest of the audience, but all of those additions will work in a way Reaganomics never did.

Ultimately, I love this title because I loved the child-like sense of wonder that the first provided me with, and this is a cleaner, and more refined version of the same. Its not for everyone, but I can say without question if you have the slightest interest, you WILL love it.

I find it hard to describe how I feel about Little Big Planet 2 when I really feel like you just need to be in the room, hearing me squeal with glee and child-like wonder as my sackboy soars into the air on a giant fluffy bunny rabbit. Little Big Planet is a sleeping bag, a good book and a flashlight. It’s footie-pajamas, hot choclate and a fireplace. It’s every warm and snuggly feeling a smiling sackboy in a wooden knight costume has to offer. Little Big Planet 2 is everything I loved about the first game with new elements that elevate the fun. The ridiculously fanciful plot littered with cute new characters and new toys that grant the power of flight, grappling, and super-strength are just enough to remind me of the old while making the new elements enjoyable. I’ve never had so much fun racing a mouse around a cupcake racetrack.