This game dude. This was my LIFE from like 2011 to 2013. Basically my first ever experience with social media. Pretty much takes everything that the first game did and expands upon it in such a large way that it basically makes the original game obsolete. There were SO MANY good community levels and tons of players online to hang out with. This was one of the first games I ever stood up all night playing. As time has moved on though, so has this game. The servers were shut down in 2021 very unceremoniously, and I haven't spoken to anyone I used to play this game with in years. The single player mode of this game is cool, but the community was really where the game shined, and frankly that aspect is completely lost to time. You really just had to have been there.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with LittleBigPlanet 2.
Moreso than the first game, the campaign this time around is much more fantastical and imaginative, which, while fun, kind of robs the game of some of the quaint feeling its predecessor had - the original LittleBigPlanet is a globe-throtting adventure told through an arts and crafts project, this is just a full on sci-fi fantasy video game.
And that's like, fine.
All the characters are still demonstrably either dolls or made out of papercraft materials, we've just moved into a much more anthropomorphisized world.
It has its advantages and disadvantages, the game has a far greater focus on character writing with companions that follow you around the world and dedicated cutscenes between levels, your character is a part of a big ensemble cast which, while one-dimensional, is still suitably entertaining.
Do I kind of miss the tourist-y feel of the original game's campaign? Yeah, it lended itself better to the customization aspect of it all with your character being able to use the different outfits of the places they were visiting (a whole decade before Mario Odyssey did it too!), but this kind of goofy parody mixture between Star Wars and Ocean's 11 works well enough here and makes the game feel distinct from its predecessor.

As far as the actual levels are concerned they're often both very long and also have a tendency of feeling like tech demos more than anything, the game's more preoccupied with showing you all the cool ways in which you can use the new creator tools than it is in having a good coherent campaign, which results in more than a few dud levels across the campaign with gimmicks that maybe could have been left on the cutting room floor.

That said, it's hard to deny how much more fleshed out the customization and level creation in this game is, there's stuff here that's just outright coding language presented in a way to be easily understood and utilized by a kid and that's something to be commended - there were user-created levels in this game that would put some actual professional projects out there to shame.

Now did -I- use any of these amazing new tools that would let you take your creations to the next level? Well... no, I was a bit too dumb to wrap my head around it all and ultimately I just kinda wanted to make levels where you jump on stuff, which is where my bigger problem with the game arises: it's a bit TOO complex.
I realize that's kind of a nothing complaint, but I think there's some merit to it - LittleBigPlanet 2 increased the complexity of level creation to such a degree from the first game to the point where it stopped feeling like you could just pick the game up and make a fun level, anything you could make in a few hours with friends would just feel inadequate next to the gargantuant projects that smarter and more dedicated players could put together - is that a big of a skill issue on my part? Sure, but I think a game that's all about promoting creativity making it feel like your ideas aren't as good as other people's isn't exactly ideal.

Still, all of that said I had a grand time with this game as a kid and that's something I just can't brush aside, I can't think of a game since this one that allowed me to make so many friends and have fun all within the game itself with no outside input - it's likely that there'll never be anything quite like this again, and I'm glad that, despite the faults, I was there to experience it.

It's not terrible, in fact it looks really great and I love the look of the world, but everything else I did not like.

First of all, the part I was looking forward to the most was the level design aspect, but I could never get into it. It felt too complex for its own good and I didn't really care enough to delve into its mechanics. The UI really needed to be better organized.

Then there's the story, the game's main attraction. This is one of the most run of the mill platformers I've ever played. It was easy to the point that it bothered me. I get that it's meant for a young audience, but so are most Nintendo games and they're still fantastic.

The level design is basic, but I wouldn't mind if movement was fun but it isn't. Controlling Sackboy is heavier than it should be. His jumps are weightier than he looks and it never feels right to move him for lack of a better way of putting things.

Some mechanics are decent enough, but most are a pain to control. The game throws you a million different ideas but never develops any to the point of mastery.

The worst part is the final boss which was incredibly frusttrating for a game that was otherwise a cakewalk. I don't know why the developers thought that was a good way to end THIS of all games, but I suffered throygh it and came out hating this game more than I wish I did.

I really, really, wanted to love this one but I just can't. It sucks. Even as a kid I doubt I would have liked it. It's a boring mess that is a pain to control. If you want a great platformer, play some Mario games. Even the worst ones at least control well.

If you never played this game, sadly there's little to no point in doing so now, it was a 'you had to be there' type game. Of all the things I could wish for again in my life; I would wish to relive the era in which Little big planet 2 was popular. The community was absolutely amazing and the only video game community in which I could randomly join someone's pod and end up still chatting to them 9 years later! Inadvertently this game has shaped me and my personality therefore creating me as a person and I am none but thankful to media molecule for it. "Out pops a transcendental dream verse. A remarkable place where the real meets the fantastic and this vast expanse of imagination has a name, they call it Little Big Planet"

I'm not sure where to even begin with this. There is no combination of words I can type here that will ever allow you to understand what playing this in 2012 felt like if you weren't there to experience it.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will forever be one of the most unique gaming ideas and experiences ever conceived. Media Molecule knocked it out of the park with a whimsical and fun story mode, but let's be real - it was the community that truly made this game. Every tool that allowed Media Molecule to develop their story mode was given over to each user that played the game, allowing them to create their own levels and stories for other community members to play. It was a community entirely driven by creating fun ideas for others to experience - no profit incentive, no ulterior motives. Just 100,000+ users that wanted to play, create, and share.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is where I began to form my closest online friendships. Hundreds of hours were spent playing levels together, sharing ideas in create mode, and just fooling around in the pod. The game was like it's own little internet bubble - there were popular creators, well-respected and anticipated level series, an entire system of commenting/reviewing/favoriting, and endless content browsing. It was a nice segway into the much more expansive "real" internet as I entered my teenage years.

Beyond the sense of community and warmth, LittleBigPlanet 2 was so great because of all the friendships I formed. While many have come and gone over the years, there are some people whom I met there that I still I interact with 12 years later. Even crazier, some of the most well-respected creators of this game went on to find positions at game development studios or found their own creative avenues on the internet afterwards.

What a gem. I mean, truly. Nothing compares to this. The absolute best game that ever release on the Playstation 3 - maybe the best Playstation game that there ever was. I will forever love this game.