As kids who were born and grew up in the 90s, the majority of us are familiar with video games. We know how many of them work: make your way through levels, completing whatever obstacles and goals given to you. However, LittleBigPlanet has taken the levels idea and revolutionized it. The first game was released for Playstation 3 in 2008 and became instantly popular because it offered the opportunity for gamers to create their own levels and play them through the protagonists called “Sackboys.” In addition to this, the online community makes it possible to share these created levels with the world. But now Media Molecule, the creators of LittleBigPlanet, has taken things a step further with the release of a sequel. LittleBigPlanet 2 was released on January 18, 2011. As a fan of the original LittleBigPlanet, I immediately decided to buy the sequel. In both games, the plot, graphics and game play are based on imagination and somewhat childlike ideas. In this sense it is a very simple game that is meant to entertain and make people laugh. So I wasn’t surprised when this came out almost instantaneously in LittleBigPlanet 2’s introduction. For those who have played the original game and thought that the graphics could have been improved, your worries can be put to rest. Everything seen in LBP 2 is more detailed and accurate than its predecessor. I was also impressed with the storyline mode. In the first game, the plot seems undeveloped and loose. The people you interacted with were just there to move their mouths and tell you which way to go. This has taken a step up in LBP 2: the characters have personalities and thoughts, not to mention actual voices. There are even cutscenes — something that was noticeably missing in the first game. One of the things I disliked about the game was how short the storyline actually turned out to be. There seemed to be many more levels and worlds in the first game, whereas there are only five in LBP 2. Another new feature introduced was vehicles. The creators of LittleBigPlanet combined randomness and imagination to make mounts for the Sackboys. These range from giant rabbits with a “slam attack” to bees that shoot honey at enemies. Of course, the most improvement in the game went to creating your own levels. There is now much more opportunity. ” A powerful new set of tools awaits you, tools that vastly widen the scope of possibility, and that hand you the power to create WHOLE GAMES,” states the homepage of the official LittleBigPlanet 2 website. It goes on to list all the new features for creating new levels. “Through a familiar but revamped Popit, you can bring your characters to life, compose your own music, direct cinematic masterpieces, wire controllers directly in to your contraptions, connect easy to use switches, microchips and circuit boards to build epic bosses, vehicles, machines, and puzzles.” I also interviewed two others who had played the game. “It has a more in-depth storyline,” says Gabbie Cain, a junior, when asked what she enjoyed about LittleBigPlanet 2. “You still get the old costumes, but you get more along with that and it is still a fun game to play.” On a scale of 1 to 10, she gives LittleBigPlanet 2 an 8.9. “LittleBigPlanet 2 is freaking awesome! I like the characters and plot and graphics,” says Iris Schaumann, a senior. She had never played the original LittleBigPlanet, but she was instantly hooked on the newly released sequel. “I like the control system, and I love the music. I would give it a ten,” she said. After playing the game and exploring all the elements, I would choose my final rating as an 8. The game play is fun and simple, but offers puzzles and obstacles that gradually get tougher. The multiplayer mode also makes it a great game to play with friends. With the level-creating features, the game is literally always changing and offering new challenges, which overcomes the rather short storyline. I would recommend it to anyone who likes classic level games such as Mario, as well as anyone who enjoys light, fun game play.