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Review: LittleBigPlanet2 I ONCE interviewed Busta Rhymes. It was at the launch of an Xbox game - or Xbox Live, I forget which one. He had been flown to London at great expense by Microsoft to promote the service. Having opened with the obligatory "Woo Haa" we cut to the chase. I was expecting the usual badly-prepared celebrity bat-back.
"Are you into gaming?"
"Yes."
"Anything in particular?"
"Xbox Live."
Anything else?"
"Erm?Xbox Live."
"Thanks - I think we've covered everything."
Only this time Busta decided to go off-piste.
"Are you into gaming?"
"Yes."
"Anything in particular?"
"Yes - Resistance: Fall Of Man" "What?"
Yeah - Resistance, set in London. Killing those aliens."
Sitting beneath a neon Xbox Live sign, the rapper then proceeded to sing the praises of a PS3 title for ten minutes, while ashen-faced Xbox execs looked on. I've liked him ever since.
Celebrity endorsements continue in gaming, although none is needed for this week's big release - LittleBigPlanet2, Media Molecule's sequel to the ground-breaking platformer that quietly hit the shops back in 2008. Stephen Fry returns as the narrator but the real stars are the users, thanks to the innovative design tool that lets gamers design their own levels for others in the community to play.
For those who missed out the first time around, LBP2 is a standard platformer - you start at one end and finish at the other - featuring a small, sackcloth character that progresses via jumping, shooting, pushing and pulling. It's pretty straightforward but devilishly addictive as you navigate your way through the 30 or so levels developed by the designers.
Yet, unlike Mario, this platformer has literal depth, allowing you to move Sackboy from the foreground to the middle to the background, making for some entertaining problem solving.
There's a story attached that's pure window dressing - something to do with a robot attacking something. But who cares when you've a series of incredibly inventive levels to negotiate? There are several different worlds, each with a unique feel, alongside a raft of mini games that includes shooting, racing and fighting.
Alongside the single player, you can play in tandem, either with a friend or a random online.
Great stuff. But here's where LittleBigPlanet parts company with every other sensational game out there. It boasts a powerful creation tool that lets you design your own levels.
What's more, you can then post your levels online for others to play while you have access to around three million levels others have spent days, weeks and, in some cases, months designing.
Critics talk about a game having "legs" - replay value. And, thanks to the levels designer, there are always more challenges. It's infinite. That's not bad for fifty quid. How easy is it to make levels? It depends on the complexity of your design but you can have something basic up and running in a couple of hours.
Simply, it's not only an improvement on the original but far ahead of just about any other game that offers user-generated content. Add to that striking visuals and gameplay and you've an early contender for game of the year. PS3 owners - you've been spoilt.
PS3 ?49.99
93%
An early runner for game of year?
