IGN: LittleBigPlanet 2 Review

There's no denying that LittleBigPlanet 2 is an amazing game. It's fun, clever, deep, engaging and great to try out with friends. The only issue is that some of the same frustrations from the last game are still present. Still, the ability to make games and not just levels outweighs any con. LittleBigPlanet 2 is a blast to play, and that's without the thousands of cool levels people are about to start posting.

Presentation - 9.0
Graphics - 9.5
Sound - 9.0
Gameplay - 9.0
Lasting Appeal - 9.5

[Snake-eater]

a solid score, but you would think they would give above 9 given how they praise

[Iamback]

so 9 is now solid? You people need to get a life. 9.5 or 9 same crap , it means awesome game, buy it, play it and shut up about score.

[RememberThe357]

Thanks for generalizing. How about I generalize and talk about how 360 guys only talk about sales. Or maybe I can talk about how 360 gamers only play shooter.

Everything we both just said is wrong because it generalizes form a small sample.

@Snake: There is no reason to get butthurt about a 9, in fact on the contrary it's a reason to be happy. But I guess some people just want to complain.

[Bathyj]

2 million levels on game that was never heard from again?

Riiiiiiight.

[DualConsoleOwner]

It should have gotten 10 on lasting appeal..

just look at these amazing custome games.

Fist of CraftEarth- check this out. amazing
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

FF7 remake- skip to the end
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Marvelvs Capcom vs Sony
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

a sport game trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Retro_Zombie]

@candystop

I would appreciate you not lump all us PS3 gamers together in the same pile.

[GWAVE]

Great review! WOOOOO! Can't wait to play this game with my wife in just a few weeks!

[anh_duong]

regardless of what the recent editor says ign have recently been consistent giving ps3 exclusives lower scores than metacritic average..

not sure why..

but it doesn't really matter since lbp transcends fanboyish due to it's undeniable charm.. if you don't like lbp2 then i think you are missing out of what really constitutes gaming i.e. fun and innovation

[Retro_Zombie]

here's the youtube version
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Ducky]

@Anh_Duong

Which exclusive are you talking about?
GT5, HeavyRain and GoW3 sit at a metacritic just below IGN's score. (I only checked those three games)

Seems like they've been giving fine reviews recently.
Besides, LPB is so unique that someone can just look at the game and decide if they want it or not.

[candystop]

I'm not lumping all PS3 gamers in one pile. My comment was directed at PS3 fanboys which I see now has to be typed.

@ann_duong,
LBP2 just like anything does not need to appeal to everyone. Some will like and some wont end of story! I could honestly say the same thing about kinect but that's my opinion!

[HolyOrangeCows]

-Creation Woes

So his only major gripe is that in the 3 days that he played LBP2 ("Beat it in a Saturday", no doubt last Saturday), he didn't become a master at level creation?

[AEtherbane]

Not only does IGN need to work on their writing but...
(9 + 9 + 9 + 9.5 + 9.5)/5 = 9? I know its not an average, but IGN, your bias is showing!!!

[NonApplicable]

@AEtherbane

They got rid of the overly precise .1-4 scale and instead round the score from half a point to a full point.

So gone are the days of 9.2s, the 9s and 9.5 are here to stay.

[poopface1]

this game is getting alot of 9-10s, I dont see how anyone can complain about that.

Looks great, I wasnt much of a creator in LBP1 but playing other peoples levels is great fun.

[ngecenk]

in a gaming industry where shooters, racing and fighting are everywhere, 9/10 is a solid score for platformer that dont have 'mario' brand on it

[HSx9]

horrible review, the guy gave the game a thumbs down because he's horrible at making levels, and what's the deal with this guy and the word "sucks" isn't he working for a professional company? I didn't know a reviewers vocabulary could be as low as a 1st grader. I was in the beta and yes the creator mode is complicated, but I got used to it and made an amazing level called "Telekinetic Sackboy" which became very popular, whoever this guy is, he needs a better education and more self esteem. Decent score overall, bad review.

[insomnium2]

@DualConsoleOwner

OMG those vdeos make me want to get this game so bad. Good times.

[anh_duong]

apologies, i wasn't actually clear in my comment..

i meant to say recently ign have rated ps3 exclusives lower relative to their metacritic score compare to xbox exclusives relatives to their metacritic scores..

i am not sure why this has suddenly happened because ign were actually rating ps3 exclusives high int the past.

don't believe me then do the analysis yourself on recent titles..

btw i did this same analysis on Edge and Eurogamer magazine i long time ago..

http://neogaf.net/forum/sho...

i statistically proved (before anyone else) that Eurogamer were FAIR reviewers whilst EDGE had a distinct bias against ps3 games..

[Rage_S90]

a 9 is awesome seriously people have too high a standard these dayz

[clank543]

It sure is! Remember that IGN also has a .5 score system now you score mongers, so its probably a little above a nine. Anyways, he also gave two good points about why it got that score. The load times are still long in the tooth and the creation mode has so much going on its extremely intimidating for people who just want to make simple stuff. I actually thought this was one of the better reviews from IGN recently.

[fooltheman]

...long long...long is subjective...

[Kurt Russell]

Fairly informative review as well.

It won't stop some people pissing and moaning about how they believe it could only possibly be a 10, and how IGN is biased against all their beliefs :/

[Abash]

A 9 is a great score. I don't know why people act like every PS3 exclusive has to score a 10

[AndrewRyan]

9 is a good score. But considering there are millions of levels within the game itself I think it deserves a better score but that is just me.

[FAGOL]

9 is a great score. Only a handful of games are worthy of 10. If every game got a 10 then what would make it special.

[RedDead]

Ok AndrewRyan, i've said this plenty of times, million's of levels doesn't mean that they will be better than any game in each genre, Lbp is a game of every genre now, but none of the creations in Lbp will be as good as a game dedicated to one genre. If you see what I mean, i've been told the fact you are creating things is why Lbp is good, which is fine. It is sorta compared to lego, you have hundreds of pieces, do with them what you want. That;s all though, millions of levels doesn't equal a few quality levels.

[Minifig]

It deserves a 10 because the only niggle they had with it was the creation mode, which is down right stupid.

[ps3rider]

this is a ps3 elusive, why u r here

[Kazu0 Hirai]

Thank you for saying by far the most intelligent thing in this PS3 fanboy thread. LBP2 might be great. but its not the second coming of christ.

[Kurt Russell]

Minifig... you'll find creation mode is one of the main things they've been punting with the LBP series, so no, you're off by a country mile.

& Kazu0 - it's a bit silly referring to people as PS3 fanboys when this is clearly a PS3 related topic.

[Snake-eater]

9 is awesome but you can only compare it to the first game, which had a greater reveiw score, yet they admit the second installment has more feature but gave it a lower score

[SJPFTW]

yes that is because most sequels seem less fresh does not mean inferior. 9 is an awesome score i personally had fun with games that had lower scores on metacritic (ex. Just Cause 2). like seriously who gives a shit

[Rage_S90]

the first 1 broke new ground just think about how many games got inspired by it(mod nation)this is of course better but not quite as ground breaking

[Undeadwolfy]

@SJPFTW

People do give a shit. The scores matter because gamers like us will buy the game because of what we think of it. The score wont matter much. Gamers enjoy the game. But for those who want a casual game or are casual gamers, they will look at the score, and albeit the score is pretty high, but when there are two games which are similar, one gets a higher score than the other when gamers know it shouldnt, the mass casual gaming consumers arent going to look at the details. They are simply going to look at the score and go "ah that got lower than the other thefore ill buy this one".

[TheLeprachaun]

IGN rate on a 20 point scale now, rather than a 100 point one. A 9 is 18/20, I fail to see how that's a bad score.

[kinf-of-zon]

Because they rated the first game a 9.5 and sequels usually score better than their predecessor so it should have scored the same or exceeded the original because they gave halo 3 and reach they score.

[popup]

The only thing that annoys me is that Greg mentioned some woes he had with create as being a nebgative point. I can promise that the solutions to his problems do exist but not that he has the skill or brain power required to solve it without help!

You can see that as a criticism if you like but LBP has real depth to it's tools and can be treated as a programming language in itself. People were making working calculators on the previous game after all.

Thankfully, creative players come in various flavours. Artists, programmers, story tellers and many more all show off their particular styles.

It is a shame that Mr Miller came across blaming his tools for his lack of technical knowhow and ended up taking his fustration into his review.

He seems a nice chap though and I enjoy the Podcast they do at times and 9 is still a great score.

[TheLeprachaun]

If LittleBigPlanet 2 had released at the time of LittleBigPlanet instead of that game, it would have scored higher. Standards change, it's obviously an improvement but not as fresh as the first game. Even if LBP2 is better than the first game, which is obviously is, that doesn't mean it has to score higher, as you score games individually, at the time they're released.

[Biggest]

Name one game that does LBP better than LBP2, TheLeprachaun. I understand what you mean and I do agree with the idea. That idea doesn't apply in this case. Standards can not change when there are no agents of change. Here are a few examples:

Gran Turismo was expected to have a different customization set because of games like Forza.

Sports games are expected to have career modes because of games like NBA2K.

LBP2 is expected to have "(nothing fits here)" because of games like "(again, nothing fits here)".

Time hasn't passed enough to change the bar set by Little Big Planet. The best LBP-type game on the market now, and in recent history, is LBP2. It should be scored higher than any other LBP-type game. You can not find a better LBP-type game anywhere in the universe.

[ofx360]

Let me just ask, who reviewed LBP? Now, who reviewed LBP2? That should answer your question on why the score is different.

BUT does the score really matter? Really? Maybe if there was another game like LBP where some casual gamers might want to compare scores, but LBP is the only game of its kind releasing this year.

On top of that, if you're an actual gamer and you want to know what game to purchase f*ck the score. Scores are not important. READ the review, that's what's important. Reading the review will tell you what's good with the game, not the score.

[SonyPS360]

@kinf-of-zon

That's not how it works. If they had released a game "as good as" the first it wouldn't have gotten exactly the same score, rather a lower one.

To get this high score with a sequel shows they've improved on an already great formula.

Short version: Stop being spoiled with scores and play the fucking game. Like it getting another .5 is going to make the slightest bit of difference to your enjoyment.

[TheHater]

I am not sure how you can give a score to a game that the vast majority of its contents will depend on the community. Do a review and give all the positive and negatives about the game, but just don't give it a score (the way all reviews should be).

Six months from now we have no ideal how LBP2 will look or play base on the community. We seen some of the bad, good, and amazing stuff people were able to create just from the beta tools.

And for people to say that the bar has been raise over the past 2 years. What exactly raise the bar? Mod Nation Racer? EA Create (LOLZ)? LittleBigPlanet 2 is in the Play, Create, and Share genre and nothing release since LBP over the past 2 year come even close to toping LBP. Everything we seen and played points to LBP2 being a far better game and creating tool than the first game.

[clank543]

Well, to be fair, all the levels from Little Big Planet 1 are still on there and ready to play, so he probably tried those out. The review was more to explain how well everything works in the game rather than anything else.

[Biggest]

". . .so he probably tried those out."

It's doubtful that he tried even the top 100,000 out of the close to 3 million (probably way more by now) user created levels.

[visualb]

no. 9 isn't "solid"

8 is solid

9 is outstanding

10 is unrealistic since no game is perfect.

[Vherostar]

They gave GTA IV a 10.. A game that is FAR from perfect

[TheLeprachaun]

10 doesn't mean perfect jeez. It's just the highest most websites can rate a game. There wouldn't be a point in having a '10' score if 10 was perfect since no game will ever be perfect.

That's like saying if you get an A+ on an essay it's perfect. It's not perfect, improvements can always be made, it just satisfied all the requirements to get full marks.

[redsquad]

10 doesn't mean 'perfect' - the score is a general indicator of the game quality, while the text lays out the details.

[l King I]

strong start for the ps3 exclusive

[DigitalAnalog]

Is IGN trying to set "new" standards here? Because hopefully, I do hope they keep them. It's understandable that you shouldn't be throwing 9's or even 10's easily if it doesn't go beyond anything the previous game has to offer. I still don't like IGN in any case, but if they continue to be consistent throughout this year and beyond then maybe I'll offer some credibility with their work. This isn't like 2008 and 2009 where just upgraded sequels *COUGH (MW2) could easily strike a 9.5. The bar has been raised incredibly high the idea of getting a 9 or higher MUST be properly earned.

That being said - since LBP2 gets a 9, and from the review, it's quite clear the content and gameplay went a LONG way from it's predecessor. This being the standard "benchmark" when it comes to high scores now. Any more nonsense scores from any future COD sequels with barely any improvements on graphics & gameplay takes all credibility from this site. PERIOD.

I don't expect Forza 4, GeoW3, KZ3, Infamous 2 and even U3 to be getting those 9's quite as easily now. That I can accept, if they are going with this new review format. This way, we can say GT5 came at a period where the reviews are now "tighter" then ever with a lot of expected AAA titles coming to the table. 9's and above should be the "cream of the crop" to make a 'distinction' between itself and the others.

-End of Line

[bviperz]

Time will tell. But in the meantime we get to enjoy another PS3 jewel!

[JUDALATION]

Once again I.G.N FAILS at a review... The fact is that LBP2 is not an ordinary game... It is the most revolutionary concept in the history of gaming and a game that can appeal to ALL gamers not just KIDS! I have created levels and I am in the Beta and simply put The game is a VASSSSST improvement over the first and is WAYYYY more fun.... Being able to jump from level to level and create levels like Heavy rain(youtube) is the REAL REASON TO BUY THIS GAME! not the story mode... which is just a way to get collectibles! now with new search methods you can play the best levels and sort through the trashy levels... an incredible feat! I would give this game a 10 /10 for revolutionizing gaming! LBP2 IS THE GAME OF THE YEAR!

EDIT: To you idiots saying that 9.0 is a good score... You are under estimating the changes made in this game.... ask any level editer like my self... what would take days now takes thirty minutes... the potential has not even been unlocked yet... this is the MUST HAVE GAME of the year!
Halo reach had out dated graphics and was basically a 60 dollar map pack and got a 9.5. Black opps was boring crap and got a 9.0... IGN NEEDS TO STOP OVERRATING THESE CRAPPY SHOOTERS while one of a kind games like these get under scored!

[KillingAllFanboys]

Calm the fuck down it is just a game man....the score will hurt nobody. lol

[LORD-PHOENIX]

They admit its deeper than lbp 1 and you can adjust the floatiness of the jumps yet give it a lower score...?

[Iamback]

it's been over 2 years, standards change kid. So what were they supposed to give LBP? 10.0`?! LBP3? 10.5! Grow up people. Can't believe some call "9" solid LMAO, it's triple A score !

[Downtown boogey]

Yeah, it's not like LBP 1 is just suddenly wiped from existence. It's there as a reminder that this kinda game has already been done quite long before.

[HellzAssassin]

Exactly, people can't accept that fact. Little Big Planet was a huge change and something that we have yet to see this generation, thus it was groundbreaking for gamers. LBP2 may be better but it just drastically improves on what LBP originally did. LBP1 was original.

[Zir0]

I guess it only got lower than the first because the first was so original and LBP2 just builds on it rather than taking it to a whole different level, like full 3D.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

this is true for most shooters, too. And yet, I believe some score higher than the previous version... or I might be wrong.
Anyway we just play the game and rate it on our own since taste is different from person to person.

[hassi94]

Nope - shooters are rarely original to begin with, the originality of LBP was what made it so great, not it's fantastic polish or super-tight responsiveness in gameplay nor it's ease of use. There is less originality in LBP2, a lot of originality still, but not as much.

A 9 is fantastic, get over it guys.

[SnakeMustDie]

Good Score. I was expecting it to be higher though. I have one complain from this review, why on earth is "Creation Woes" a negative? I thought the create mode is more simpler(Well, creating a level anyway, but he said it himself) compared to the first one. If he has problems from create mode in LBP2 because it is hard to understand, Greg must have banged his head on a desk several times while creating something on LBP1 because it is more complicated(Tutorial wise, I haven't got the game so i might be wrong).

[PlayerX]

IGN gave 9's to Donkey Kong Country Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn. I knew they where bias. I can only hope Sony can get past this hatred.

[Halochampian]

Three amazing games scoring three amazing scores.

I fail to see a bias.

[Jack-Pyro]

Player X you're an Idiot.

[Shok]

Fail. Donkey Kong Country Returns and Epic Yarn are masterpieces. I seriously doubt you even played those games.

[Aloren]

"I can only hope Sony can get past this hatred."

Yeah, such hatred, 9.0 !!

[Traveler]

People like you are an embarassment to gamers. It honestly seems like you are never happy unless every single PS3 game gets nothing but 10s.

[christheredhead]

i like how 9 is a disappointing score now and that it should have scored higher. lets say they gave it a 10, who cares. its all the same. the game could have scored a 1 for all i care, i will still be playing it. scores are always irrelevant.

[RememberThe357]

Thank you. How the hell did a 9 become a low score. These people are looking for reasons to be butthurt.

Your not victoms, get over it.

[hatchimatchi]

I agree.

It's game sites that did it though. No longer is an 8 or 9 a good score when it comes to the masses of idiots that play videogames. Most sites either score extremely high and overrate everything or extremely low, like 5's. There's not much of anything in between anymore. It's quite silly if you ask me, some of my favorite games this gen (and previous gens) have bombed horribly in review scores.

[specialguest]

All of you complaining about a 9 needs to get your PS3 taken away. Seriously, you people are like spoiled brats who needs a beating by their parents.

Daddy buys his daughter a Mercedes S class for her sweet 16 birthday, and instead of being happy, she throws a fit and cries, because she wanted a Maserati.

[swat]

Ouch

[TheHardware]

I don' give a rats arse what they gave it, I was buying it no matter what...IGN coulda gave it a 2.1 for all I care.....IGN has lost it's prestige and credibility lonnnnnnng before LBP2 was announced.

[MajestieBeast]

Sorry dont trust the site that has their own portal on xbl and gave halo:reach a 10. That game is so damn basic its not even funny i couldnt even finish the campaign and multiplayer wasnt much better.

[SJPFTW]

they gave halo reach a 9.5 you idiot, which is pretty much consistent across the board with every game critic out there. there is no difference between a 9.5 and 9 anyways. so have fun being butthurt over reviews while i enjoy playing my games on my ps3

[MajestieBeast]

Halo is the madden of fps little tweaks with no real content added.

[Halochampian]

MajesticBeast

I guess adding duel welding and matchmaking in the second is nothing.
Adding forge, theater, equipment in the third one is nothing
And adding jet packs, and classes along with crazy customization and game modes is nothing.

All while adding new weapons and vehicles and other things to tweak gameplay for the better.

Anyways... what im trying to get at is that you would know these things if you played the Halo series. Each game has its own feel (And each is amazing in that aspect)

[poopface1]

Because you do realize that reach added a FULL map editor for an UNLIMITED amount of completely custom maps. Its not Bungie fault that other FPS devs are still playing catch up.

I mean, halo 2 had 4 player online splitscreen matchmaking, and COD just added 2 player online with its most recent game. Same with theater too. Also, what console FPS has a built in map editor besides Timesplitters(Ut3 required you to use a PC).

CoD is the madden of FPS. Same engine, same gameplay, new entry every year, etc. If you think the halo games dont add ALOT of stuff per entry(on top of the industry leading features they already have), you dont play them or know anything about them. Reach has a full map editor where you can make an unlimited amount of maps, and they are only a few KBs because the assets are on everybody's disk. Seems like thats a huge addition to me. halo 3 let you place objects on the already created maps, reach lets you make completely new maps and even create maps with other people in co-op or online.

[SJPFTW]

why would bungie change the FPS formula that made Halo famous? why would they add perks, gun sights, killstreaks or weapon unlockes that seems to be plaguing every fps these days? if they did that the community will be in uproar. and even then bungie still improved on the original formula with each iteration. I dont think you can call Forge World or the game mode Invasion "not real content". how many other console FPS shooters allow you to create your own levels/maps. Only a hand full

[AceofStaves]

While I agree that it's a good thing that Bungie kept the formula that made the 'Halo' series famous, I find it hilarious how some series are downmarked for keeping the same formula from installment to installment, while others, like 'Halo' aren't criticized for doing the same.

Double standards are pretty stupid.

[BeaArthur]

You are referencing a review for a totally different game written by a totally different person, reviews are products of individuals not sites. I see that you also ignore the fact that the reviewer is Greg Miller who is admittedly a Sony fanboy (which is his right). I would imagine that you don't trust anything that doesn't have Sony blasted across the top of the page. Learn to think for yourself...actually learn to think and then learn to think for yourself.

[theafroman]

so far so good with the reviews :)

[Goeres]

9 as a score gets a low status due to CRAP games like BO and such main stream games getting it aswell.

It's not like 9 should be a bad score. It's close to perfect after all, but when LBP2 gets compared with BO in quality then yes, it's low..

[Jack-Pyro]

LBP isn't mainstream...I think your automatically mainstream if you sell over a million copies bro....

Also...who the fuck is talking about Blops?

[visualb]

love it how the con is "creative woe's" which are ALL due to the person and not the game xD

awesome =) not a bad review, surprising coming from IGN

[renato]

The IP of the Generation.

No Doubt.

[Black-Helghast]

I don't get it...Why did IGN give LBP1 a 9.5 and LBP2 a 9. Are they saying the first game is better? :P

[vickers500]

Standards change. It would be stupid to give every games sequel a higher score simply because it was better. MGS4 got a 10 from IGN, so lets say they make another MGS and it's better than #4. Are they supposed to give it an 11 now? No, that would be ridiculous.

It's not really that hard of a concept to grasp.

[ps3alldayeveryday]

IMO if a game a sequel improves on everything on from the previous game why would you give it a lower score than the prequel??

I think this game at least deserves a 9.5

[BeaArthur]

So you've played the finished product? I don't see how you can presume to know more than the reviewer when you haven't played it.

[ps3alldayeveryday]

I was selected to be in the BETA for LBP2 and that already is way better than the first. And that was just the BETA buddy...

[BeaArthur]

Okay so I was right and you haven't played the final product.

[ps3alldayeveryday]

So u think that the final version of the game is crappier than the BETA?? Even though the BETA itself is better than the first game?? Ur funny! haha

[kingjoker34]

hey beaarthur
shutup you sound dumb.

[BeaArthur]

I sound dumb? Great articulation there. Also I don't know if I would call people dumb with punctuation and grammar like that.

[Snatcher]

Guys I think I know why LBP got better score. LBP was a original and unique game, It's something we had never seen before. While LBP2 offers plenty of features, it does not have the same impact as the original.

[blackburn5]

Who cares what IGN gave it? IGN sucks. I don't trust them at all. They have gone down hill just like Xplay and Kotaku. Couldn't care less even if they gave it 10/10. LBP2 here I come.

[AllroundGamer]

the reviewer isn't probably too bright, since he has problems creating in LBP2, you could sense his hatred towards the game in the video :) i will buy this game mostly because of the creating feature, just like LBP1.

[GeneGodHand]

Magin Vegeta owns and he has a Ps3 :)

[Kakihara]

It does seem odd that he'd make a negative out of HIS inability to do something in the creator, something he knows other people have been able to do seemingly with ease.

If he'd spoken to other people and found out they had had the same exact problem his argument is fine but poorly worded, if he really is scoring the game down due to the fact that he personally found something difficult in the create feature that'd be like me scoring the first one down because I was too stupid to realise you could hide pipes and emitters when creating my first level.

He already said in a preview how he had trouble even creating an IGN logo and that his inability to create anything was solely due to his lack of artistic skill.

[despair]

"He already said in a preview how he had trouble even creating an IGN logo and that his inability to create anything was solely due to his lack of artistic skill. "

I hear that, my artistic skill is nonexistent I mean I actually sat down to plan my LBP1 level for half a day, just plan, and couldn't come up with a single plausible idea.

Sad thing is I love games like LBP and ModNation because of the creative side of it and yet I have zero creative ability :(

[Dac2u]

I'm right there with you, I wanted to get the Plat for LBP, but getting.. what was it? 30 people to heart your level just wasn't happening for me. I just couldn't come up with any good ideas. I spent the better part of a day creating a crappy Unbeatable Banzuke level. I'm just glad there are a lot of people out there creating original content for the game.

[James Vanderbeek]

i dont think people are mad lbp2 got a 9. its just when you see crappy games like halo3 get a perfect 10 on everything then people start to wonder. also the last couple of reviews from ign have sucked on ps3 exclusive. gt5 that review was a joke.

little big planet 2. lasting appeal 9.5%.. that should easily be a 10. you can spend endless hours creating or playing other peoples stages in this game. ign been playing to much black ops..

[Aloren]

In what way was halo 3 crappy ?
See, other people could start to wonder too when you randomly call a game you didn't like (and which was enjoyed for years by millions) "crappy", just cause your "champion" didn't score as high (though it still got an excellent score).

[Traveler]

Halo 3 wasn't a crappy game. You just showed how biased you are.

[The EDGE]

must buy, getting great reviews all over

[teething]

Wow, the PS3 fans that play reviews and not games will not like this. 9/10 is the new 7/10 if you are a fanboy.

I would say that this (and GT5) is revenge to all the PS3 fanboys that were all over Alan Wake for it's "pathetic" 9.0... except that I just can't get over the terrible lip-syncing of that game...

[AceofStaves]

Except that LBP2 was never hyped to be a 'second coming' of gaming - like 'GT 5' and 'Alan Wake' were.

Hype is the problem, which is why gamers should wait until the final product is released before shooting off their mouths and looking like fools if the retail version doesn't meet their 'expectations.'

[gamer2010]

What? You think Alan Wake was hyped more than LittleBigPlanet 2 was? No way. LBP2, like most PS3 games, has been hyped like crazy.

[teething]

Just about every PS3 exclusive is hyped to death by PS3 fanboys. I think that is my beef. All of them are solid games for the most part, but like Alan Wake and GT5... they are no second coming. No game is a second coming... except Mass Effect 2, and everyone will get to enjoy that now.

If Killzone 3 ONLY gets a 9.0 there will be a riot amongst fanboys.

[The EDGE]

difference is alan wakes reviews were not consistent

[Denethor_II]

He gives a 9.5 for lasting appeal, but yet everyone's still playing the first one. It's a game that never ends.

[callahan09]

Yeah I don't get how it's a 9.5 for lasting appeal. The LittleBigPlanet games are the very definition of "lasting appeal." I spent over 1000 hours just creating levels in LBP. Hundreds more playing other people's levels, and at least 60 hours just acing the Media Molecule levels. If this game isn't a perfectly 10 for lasting appeal, nothing should be.

[A change in the wind]

Don`t forget people, PS3 games are held at a much higher standard than any other platform, a 9 from IGN is amazing.

[gamer2010]

Haha suuuure mate, keep telling yourself that.

A 9 is always a good score. PS3 games are not held to any higher standard.

[despair]

The way I see it is that as the devs get better at using the consoles power to make better and better games the rating system has to take the new level of quality into account and rate it on a higher level. A new standard for rating games that will avoid 9s and 10s everywhere, meaning what was considered a great game in 2009 should get a lot harder rating now. I'm not saying reviewers are doing that, but they should.

[Ethereal]

My wallet is starting to weep....going to be a great year for gamers.

[JonnyBigBoss]

This is a really fun AAA title.

[Figboy]

i'll preface this by saying that 9.0/10 is a FANTASTIC score.

now, on the other hand, i can't really see why the game didn't score the same as it's predecessor. i mean, logic kind of dictates that if the sequel is as good or better than the original, then it should score equal or better than the original.

i mean, a lot of people would score Spider-Man 2 The Movie, higher than Spider-Man The Movie, because SP2 is a much better film than SP1.

and the whole, "standards change, bub" is a fine argument, when the particular genre has seen improvements that have shifted the standard.

for example, Perfect Dark Zero was a fine FPS for 2005. but since then, games like Call of Duty, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Killzone 2 have come along and CHANGED THE STANDARDS of what to expect from an FPS title. it's understandable that FPS reviews aren't being compared to the standards of Perfect Dark Zero, but to the standards of the new big dogs.

So, my question is: What game in the same genre of Little Big Planet has changed the standards of that genre? *crickets* There simply is no other game out there like Little Big Planet. the game ISN'T just a platformer. that was it's method of execution, but no other platformer allowed you to create your own levels in the way that LBP did. So, LBP set the standards for this "Play, Create, Share" genre.

so, since there hasn't been a new standard shift in what we can expect from a Play, Create, Share game, WHY wouldn't Little Big Planet 2, which CHANGES THE STANDARD, score equally or better than it's predecessor? it's clear to me that the game is better than the original.

nothing has come out in between LBP1 and LBP2 to change our expectations of the genre.

9/10 by itself is a fantastic score, but when compared to LBP1, it gives the impression that LBP2 is somehow not as good as LBP1, which we've seen, in the various reviewer's own words, that this isn't the case.

if the game improves upon the original formula, and there are no other titles in the genre that improve on the formula, then that new title is the new standard, and should awarded appropriately.

if IGN is going to use the "more of the same" argument to downscore sequels this year, then i expect Killzone 3, inFAMOUS 2, Dragon Age 2, Batman: Arkham City, Gears of War 3, Yakuza 4, Dead Space 2, Uncharted 3, Resistance 3, etc, to ALL score lower than their previous entries in the series.

these shifting criteria for scoring games just isn't working. i personally want set criteria for games (dictated by the genre they are in), and i want ALL GAMES in that genre to be held by that criteria. when standards are changed, like they are in Little Big Planet 2, then that should be noted, and the games should be scored appropriately. it really isn't a hard concept to grasp and utilize.

[Undeadwolfy]

Bravo! Bravo! Excellent comment. Couldn't have said it better myself. You are right. There really is no competitor to lbp therefore its sequel (with more features) should score higher.+ Bubs

[CryofSilence]

This guy didn't rate it higher because he's a sissy and can't handle games that require effort and artistic direction. If you look at his recap, the only thing he says negatively toward it is it's intimidating and complicated. It's not fair to rate something down if you're not willing to put in the effort. Masterpiece paintings take months to make. Masterpiece games, years.

Still a good score, make no doubt about that, but I didn't find his reasoning justified.

[Djinn]

So if this game only gets a 9 why does some piece of crap like a Halo sequel or COD sequel get just as high if not higher than the prequel. I don't give a damn about this game or its score. i just wish all these scumbag journalists were more fair and consistent. It seems like only Sony games get called out for being more of the same.

[sasukeftw]

Am playing the first one right now lol,its on pause.

[Minifig]

Good for you, want a cookie?

[sasukeftw]

screw you

[Djinn]

lmao

[Minifig]

They had problems with the re-playability..and the grappling hook, and the creation tools.

Because of this.. it gets a 9, yet, once you beat Grand Theft Auto, you have nothing left to do other than multiplayer.

It got a 10.

I don't see GTA with a level design feature or people uploading thousands of levels per day..

IGN is full of hypocrites.

Lousy review by a company who has been caught before with reviews being paid off.

[xtremegamerage]

If you enjoyed or totally loved the first game, you'll get it.

[IHateYouFanboys]

aaaaaaaaaaaand here we go again - the PS3 fanboys kicking and screaming that their beloved PS3 exclusive didnt get a 10/10 lol. right on time.

9/10 is a great score however you look at it. you guys all act like 9/10 is a 3/10. just because LBP got 9.5/10 doesnt mean LBP2 has to get higher because its a sequel lol.

just go back to your parents basements and be happy that one of your beloved exclusives got 9/10. its a good score.

[rob6021]

I'm willing to bet they'll give KillZone 3 a 9.0 as well based off this score.

[RyuCloudStrife]

im gonna pick it up day one its my first LBP game

[Arup02]

Wow, they didn't complained about the damage features.

[SLAYMANIO_ULTIMATE_1]

The big problem here is that people say littlebigplanet1 got an 9.5 because it was new and very innovative but the second one was just an improvement and that's why it got an 9 but lets look at an other game that was just an improvement and was better rated then it's predecessor:
-Mass Effect 1 = 9.4/10
-Mass Effect 2 = 9.6/10 ( AND yes Me is part of it because they removed the Mako, so no more real planet exploration, literally compromised the upgrade system from ME1 and added THERMAL CLIPS, WOW WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT...By the way ME1 was the best one, way better than ME2, And I STILL PLAY IT ON MY XBOX.

[Fromrio]

Count this as a must buy, as the reviews pretty much everywhere are fantastic

[xstation79]

Sounds like a awesome game. Its to bad that their will be alot of fanboys spending more time talking about how good it is and how everything on the 360 sucks compared to it, instead of actually playing it.

[strickers]

Some people are losing all perspectives of these scores.Most reviewers would like to do away with scores but the market,ie us,wouldn't allow it.

9 is outstanding on the IGN scale and if you knew anything about Greg Miller,you would not accuse him of bias.He loves PS3 but he is not a blind fanboy,and does not tend to over score much.

Different reviewers give different scores and IGN have discussed this in the past,talking about games they would have scored lower than other IGN reviewers.
All subjective after all.

[Fel08]

Oh man, Jan. 18th just seems so far away. Can't wait to get my copy.

[jneul]

and yet some sites virtually handed out free 10's to smg2 despite changing hardly anything, lbp2 has made a lot of improvements and ign ignored the steps made by mm, but then i hate ign now just for their recent ignorance on everything ps3 related

[xCaptainAmazing]

IGN is absolutely fine and always has been. Different PEOPLE review games differently, and what IGN has to say is usually on par what the majority of reviewers thought, fact. Everyone cries about MW2, but all the other publications gave that a good score as well. They couldn't have possibly known how much of a mess it would become, so it's not fair to accuse them of this. Black Ops, for example, received a noticeably lower score, but IMO is arguably the better of the two (on 360 at least, I think it has fewer bugs). What can you do?

Considering LBP 2 is ESSENTIALLY the same game with a better feature set, it would seem like it would not deserve a score equal to, or higher than the original. That being said, the guy loves the damn game, so chill out. To put it into perspective with something like Uncharted to Uncharted 2, Uncharted 2 absolutely PISSED all over its predecessor. Drake's Fortune is a GREAT game, but it's undeniable that the second just blew it away in every aspect that it certainly deserved a higher score.

And to those claiming bias, you're fucked in the head. Last I checked they gave UC2 game of the year over at IGN last year... so shut up with your crap and look at the points made in the review instead of the giant number next to it that will not be a 10 again for a long fucking time.

Most people don't agree with MGS4 and GTA4 getting 10's, which I completely agree with as neither of these hold a candle to something like OoT and how it practically transformed a genre. Then again, the guys reviewing them thought they deserved it, and maybe they like to rate games higher than the rest of the guys. Oh noes! Different opinions.

Some people need to stop living in fantasy land, where they think their opinion is the only one, where they believe religion is real, and where they feel that they're victims all the time.

[gamer2010]

Well said. MGS4 and GTA4 were both about 8.5 games to me. I kept finding myself getting bored as I played them. They had their good parts, but I would have given them lower scores.

But did you see me bitching because I didn't agree with IGN's scores for those games? No. It happens all the time that I disagree with the scores some games get.

[YOUR-MUM]

Ps3 fans still hurting after the poor gt5 reviews. I think 9 is a great score, and deserved, it is a great game. Just like gt5 deserved it's 8.5,both great games.

[Daz]

I still carnt believe people think there bad scores.

[Dr-Zoidberg]

I am just waiting for KZ3 scores to come in I bet it will get anywhere from a 8 - 9.5 but I know full well people will kick off about it getting nothing more than a solid 10 or 100%.

[LetMeSaySumthing]

I had to create an account just to ask this question... Can someone please explain to me how a game with 2 million user created levels that can be played from the old game, and many more to be created when it's released; gets a 9.5 for lasting appeal?? I don't understand how did ign came to that conclusion.. This is a game that is actually limitless in terms of replayability. There's always gonna be a new level to play!!!

[IHateYouFanboys]

so by that mindset, any game that has a level editor should get 10/10 replayability?

just because it has limitless levels doesnt mean people will want to keep playing it. remember, LBP2 is essentially just a 2D sidescrolling platformer (yes i know you can make your little racing games/shooters etc) - and the 2 million user created levels didnt stop me getting bored of the first LBP after a few weeks of the same old platforming.

[SnipeySnake]

No, it depends on the level editor. LBP2 can make levels way more unique than most games with level editors. Bringing variety to each of the levels.