LittleBigPlanet 2 Beta

The new features are cleverly executed and obviously beneficial, but the gameplay is still very much an extension of the first game. The floaty, fidgety movement didn't distract me as much as it once did, but there were still times when I cursed Sackboy's tendency to stutter and wobble when I needed him to be as nimble as a gazelle. A tall order for a creature made of yarn, perhaps, but not an unreasonable request for a prospective platform game star.

What is clear is that the story mode is intended more as a serving suggestion than a main course in its own right. This is a game that is very much about creation, and the "proper" levels exist to inspire new ideas rather than simply amusing in their own right.

When you head over to the creation and sharing side of the game, the first thing you notice is that Sony's previous squeamishness about "tributes" seems to have abated. Whether that's because this is just a private beta, or because ModNation Racers managed to offer unofficial Mario and Spider-Man skins without everyone getting horribly sued, the fact is that the menu is stuffed full of fanboyism. There are LBP versions of Pac-Man, Tetris and even Geometry Wars. There's a very clever 2D remake of Left 4 Dead's No Mercy campaign. There are even machinima versions of Star Wars and Pitch Black, made using the game's new cut-scene creation tools.

The second thing you notice is that this proliferation of parody shows just how varied user output in LBP2 can be. The flexibility of the camera and the ability to give the player direct control of in-game objects opening out the possibilities far beyond the left-to-right scrollers that dominated the previous game.

Sackro Machines is a good example, a faithful homage to Micro Machines, right down to the birds-eye view of everyday kitchen items. Also earning a lot of attention is a prototype Vietnam FPS level, although it would be more accurate to describe it as a cross between Duck Hunt and Operation Wolf. It's a touch wonky, but when you consider that it's been put together in a relatively short time by people still feeling their way around the new toolbox, it's an impressive promise of things to come.

But how much stock can we put in these early beta creations? Sony handed out invites to the most active LBP community members, so it's fair to assume they have something of a headstart in the design stakes. Whether the average player will be able to open their Pop-It menu and create anything so ambitious seems unlikely. While a lot of the mechanics of creation have been streamlined, particularly where moving parts are concerned, there's now a whole slew of new interlinked features to grapple with, and even the warm buttery tones of Stephen Fry returning as the narrator fail to make these dizzying depths less imposing.

For all the variety on display, it's notable that the best user levels in the beta are still those that hew closest to the classic platform game structure. Offerings like The Cave and Persian Dreams, for example, are simple but very effective dashes through nicely designed stages that make good use of the new toys. This is, at heart, still a platform game, and there's a danger that in cramming every genre into the LBP mould it risks being a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

I still want to love LittleBigPlanet, and for all my nagging misgivings I'm hopeful that the sequel will allow my cautious affection to bloom into genuine heartfelt passion. The potential is certainly there, but more than ever it seems it's up to the community to bring it to fruition. Let's hope we're up to the challenge.