LittleBigPlanet 2, commonly abbreviated LBP2, is an upcoming puzzle platformer video game for the Playstation 3, centered around user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the PlayStation 3 console and is expected to be released at the end of 2010. Unlike the first game which was marketed as a platformer, LBP2 is being marketed as a “Platform for Games”. The game will be backwards compatible with all of the 2 million user created levels from the first game.
Players continue Sackboy’s journey after the events of the first game and the portable version. An inter-dimensional vacuum cleaner appears over the skies of LittleBigPlanet and begins to suck up its inhabitants including Sackboy. Larry Da Vinci, the leader of a secret organization known as “The Alliance”, comes to Sackboy’s rescue saving him from what they call The Sucker. The organization is dedicated to battling with The Sucker and defeating it before it destroys the whole Cosmos.
While still retaining the three-layer, 2.5D nature of the original title, with the player controlling their Sackboy characters, players are not restricted solely to platforming levels, and can now choose to create many types of levels including racing, and puzzle and role-playing games. The player may also chose to create and customize their own heads-up display to accommodate their game type. New animation recording options are available and players will be able to create full-motion cut-scenes to go with their level design, as well as record their own sound effects for use in the level. Multiple levels can also be linked together, so that finishing one level immediately takes them to the next in the series.
A new tool to assist in gameplay creation is the “direct control seat”. This allows players to assign specific actions, such as button presses or Sixaxis motion control, to specific aspects of their gameplay design. Players are not restricted to using the direct control seat on level elements, however, and they may use it to direct the actions of the player’s Sackboy character, allowing greater freedom of movement; Media Molecule made this design choice in response to the large number of homages to early platforming games, in which players had to “hide” and manipulate the Sackboy character in specific ways to replicate the style of gameplay. In addition to this tool, more gameplay items, similar to the Metal Gear Solid paintball gun released as downloadable content, will be available, beginning with a grappling hook; Media Molecule plans to regularly update the game with further items.
Enemy creation has also been improved. Players can now create “Sackbots”, which are non-player characters whose AI can be controlled by the level creator. Options include determining weak points on the Sackbots, as well as programming routines for the AI to follow. Sackbots can be customised using costumes and decorations in the same way that the player character is and the AI for may be copied and pasted between mulitple Sackbots. Sackbots may also be controlled by the aforementioned direct control seats.
As stated previously, all downloadable content from the first game will be usable in this sequel, including all user-made levels from LittleBigPlanet. Players will be able to use a keyboard and mouse to edit levels. Sony has also confirmed the title will be compatible with Playstation Move.
