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This is a review specifically focusing on the extras that come with the collector's edition of the game...The Sackboy Plushie: For a lot of people, this is possibly the biggest selling points of the collector's edition. Sackboy may just be the most adorable character to come out of the past decade, so having a licensed plushie of him would be, for many, a dream come true. It's disappointing then that the quality of the plushie is rather poor. The plushie looks significantly different than the Amazon image above and the image on the box. Compared to what is displayed, the plushie is a much darker brown, its head has more of a pronounced egg shape, its button eyes are smaller, and it just has an overall "school arts and crafts" vibe about it. I thought perhaps I may have just received a bad one, but I have seen images of others that are just the same poor quality. The image also shows the plushie sitting down which suggests that the legs can swivel or are loose enough pose. However they are stiff and cannot move. All this is upsetting because the Sackboy plushie displayed is clearly an entirely different plushie than the one you get. If your main reason for getting the collector's edition is the plushie, I would suggest possibly passing on it (Or at least look at images of the actual plushie you get to see if the quality is good enough for your liking. I have posted an image here on Amazon.)
The Bookends: Though they (intentionally) have a cardboard look to them, they are made of a stiff material and are sturdy. Each bookend is about 8 inches (20 cm) high and 5 inches (13 cm) wide. There are two cardboard cutouts, one on each bookend (Sackboy holding an arcade cabinet on one, and LBP's Da Vinci surrounded by Sackbots on the other) which add some 3 dimensional pizzazz. Contrary to the plushie, these bookends are pretty nice.
The Costumes/Avatars: For others, this will be the big selling point of the collector's edition. It's probably important to point out again that these are downloadable content costume packs and are NOT on the disc (otherwise meaning your PS3 will need to be hooked up to the internet to acquire them). Inside the game case is a small voucher with the code that you can redeem on the Playstation Network. The Jak & Daxter costumes are only available in the collector's edition of the game, so if you want them, this is the only way to get them. All the costumes are of good quality like the other LBP DLCs available and are definitely the highlight of the collector's edition. LBP costumes on the Playstation Network cost roughly $1-2, so all the costumes make up more the than half the additional cost of the collector's edition which helps justify it. The voucher also lets you redeem 5 avatars which you can display on your PSN ID if you want to show off your adoration for LBP2.
While the plushie is a bit of a letdown, the decent bookends and fun costumes pick up the slack. You would probably spend nearly $20 on the costumes anyway, so if you're interested in them (especially the Jak & Daxter costumes which, again, are only available if you get this edition of the game), you might as well pick up the collector's edition and get everything else.
Buy LittleBigPlanet 2: Collector's Edition Now
LittleBigPlanet 2 is a continuation of the first LittleBigPlanet, in the sense that the fun still never stops. With many new features this game easily packs a punch twice as hard as the first one though. new features include cut scene creator , sound creator, you can create (with some imagination) many different variations of mini-games within your created level (for me I made a paintinator shooter to play with my roommate). What's my favorite feature? Probably that it's compatible with the Move, although to be truthful I haven't used the Move with it yet (it just sounds like a fun idea that they had).The levels in LBP 2 are even more creative than the first one (if that's even possible), the graphics are more polished (if it matters), and load screens don't seem to take as long. The create mode is a thousand times easy than the first time (very user-friendly). Create mode is easier in the sense that all of the tutorials are right in front of you and you don't have to try everything on your popit in order to see them all. ALSO maybe my favorite improvement is that when you go to create and enemy (using the brain) they are just mindless going back and forth, they actually do what you would expect an enemy to do.
The online system is also amazing. The internet style level search bar looks like it will make finding levels you want to play a breeze (since nobody has really made any levels yet, I have not had the pleasure to use it yet).
When it comes to cons there really aren't any that I can speak of. Graphics are clean, gameplay is funner than ever, load screens are bearable, and sackboy is still cute as hell.
Now I have a sackboy plush to put near my TV as well. The plush is very durable and feels like it is lined on the inside with some reinforcing plastic.
The bonus costumes are all great but my personal favorite are the ratchet and clank ones (mostly clank because your sackboy looks so hilarious running around as clank)
So overall I would give this game 10/5 stars, but since they won't let me I'll just have to give it 5. I know what I'm doing in my free time this week =]
Read Best Reviews of LittleBigPlanet 2: Collector's Edition Here
I am going to review this a little different than my normal reviews as if you owned LBP1 you pretty much know the gameplay, graphics, sound etc. This review is going to be broken down into 2 parts.1. The Game itself
2. The CE box edition
____ THE GAME ____
Okay Little Big Planet, if you have not played it before, is pretty much a platform'er w/ some adventure and wonderful creativity thrown into it. The game is suitable for all ages and has almost infinite re-playability. When you finish the campaign not only do you have item collecting to do but online user created levels, can create your own levels, dress up your pod, play mini games or redo the campaign with up to 4 people and have a blast just enjoying yourself.
LBP2 made some changes to the formula which I think gave it a much stronger campaign. While the levels early on can be a bit annoying or challenging (due to the grapple gun mechanics) the game as a whole is very polished and boasts a fantastic sound track, some really good and funny voice acting. They implemented a more solid storyline this time and it gives each level a lot more meaning to it. The new versus levels are a lot of fun also with friends.
The online play is extremely fluid, hopping into random games or inviting friends is even easier than the first game. If you loved Little Big Planet this game will easily bring a smile to your face once again. If you loved to create levels in little big planet, LBP2 will blow your mind with what you can do. You can recreate games like pac-man, asteroids, street fighter, even play a game of basketball; the versatility of this game is never ending.
If you never played Little Big Planet but were very curious about it, this is definitely a title worth picking up. Next to the Uncharted series, LBP is easily one of my top titles released on the PS3.
9.7 / 10 ( 97% ... 5 stars ) for the game. There are some minor bugs that aren't game breaking but can cause that happy smile to turn into a frown for a few moments but not enough to hurt this game. I expect many of the little problems to be patched out within a few days as these are just your typical launch bugs
____ COLLECTORS EDITION _____
Now... I am going to review the collectors edition. Essentially, is the CE worth +$20 ? Lets review what you get with the CE first
1. Book/Game ends (60%)
** These actually are much better quality than I expected. They do not feel like cardboard at all but I have a feeling they are probably heavy duty cardboard w/ plaster coating over it. They seem far to light for the material. However, they do work quite well. I have tested it with a bunch of games and they hold just fine. They also do a good job holding a bunch of books; though small books like paperbacks such as Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time etc Each end has small rubber/felt feet(4) on it and I think here is the problem with why people are having issues with them. They dont' have enough "grip" to really hold these ends in place. On a smooth surface like my polished PC desk they slide far to easy and a simple bump would cause it to lose its hold on the books. Replacing the little felt feet with solid plastic/rubber would resolve the problem but overall, out of the box these kinda-sorta work.
2. 5 PSN avatars (50%)
** What can I say, they are PSN premium avatars. Nothing special honestly and they don't even look that good IMO
3. Jax and Daxter exclusive costumes (100%)
** These are exclusive to the CE. The costumes look fantastic in 720p with high detail put into them.
4. 11 DLC costumes (100%)
** Who doesn't want more costumes! Depending on pricing when the hit official DLC it can be $6-$11 in savings (technically since you are paying $20 more for the CE)
5. LBP2 game disk (100%)
** Of course you get the game silly! At least you better have a game in the box ^_^
6. 7" Plushie (collectible) (50%)
** If you don't already own a sackboy / sackgirl plushie then this might be worth having as they do sell for anywhere from $10 $30 depending on the quality. However they are all usually 10" in size not 7". This is pretty much a smaller version of the standard plushie you find anywhere. From the original pictures included of the box set when announced they showed a completely different , higher quality Sackboy plushie. It was the first thing I noticed also was that this wasn't the advertised Plushie in fact it is all over the internet, in these reviews, my friends pointed it out also. Is this a killer, not really as you still get a cute plushie! Its just a bit of a let down as well as slightly misleading pictures/advertising
ANYHOW as you can see , in my book the CE scored 2 100's 2 50's and a 60 so doing some math that's 72% (i'm not including #5 in the calculation for obvious reasons :) )
72% is pretty low in my book for a CE box set. (Caka.. BARELY passing) With that said:
*** The CE is a PASS. Do not spend $20 on this unless you honestly want a 7" plushie for the kids (or to add to a collection or something) and some bookends that sorta-kinda-maybe work half the time 0_o the costumes are really nice though but I'm sure you can end up buying them as DLC later on. Save your money
Want LittleBigPlanet 2: Collector's Edition Discount?
--Gameplay (5 out of 5 stars)--This game is definitely the successor to the original LittleBigPlanet. Although some complain about the storyline, it is insignificant compared to the breadth of levels and diversity in gameplay that you will encounter. You'll play with a grappling hook, Creatinator and many other gaming elements that will constantly challenge your platforming formula. These elements are enjoyable with one player or four players. You level of commitment can range from trying to ace every level solo or conducting a crazy social experiment with three other people you've never met. The ability to play with players locally, online, or both simultaneously while earning trophies on all associated accounts is a great feature.
More than the story, LittleBigPlanet is about community. As time goes on, you'll see more and more user-generated content. It can be brilliant as a Sack calculator, as fun as a game of Sack Basketball, as fast as overhead Sack Go Karts, or as funny as the Bed Intruder song with an Antoine Dodson sack following you everywhere.
For the casual gamer or the serious gamer, this game has unlimited possibilities and users never cease to amaze me with what they are capable of generating with the LittleBigPlanet tool at their disposal. If you own a PS3, this game is a no-brainer. Just don't buy the Collector's Edition for the reasons outlined below.
--Collector's edition perks (1 out of 5 stars)--
Unfortunately, the pictures for all of the additional content presented are rather deceiving. I was initially excited by the release images, but they a false representation.
Bookends
The characters depicted on the bookends are cute. However, the are little more than 2-d cardboard cutouts on what seems to be sticker-covered plastic slats. They will serve as excellent bookends for video games that can usually stand on their own. Anything of significance (e.g. Books) will cause them to slide or topple.
Sackboy Plush
The sackboy is a dark brown hue with a plastic zipper. Throw away any illusions of the texturized, well-constructed plush shown above. Other friends of mine have also purchased the Collector's edition and have been greeted with haphazard construction of their own plushies, including torn zipper lines and offset zippers. You can do much better at other online retailers.
Downloadable Content
The costumes and avatars are the two elements that appear as advertised! However, it is a just a combination of thrown-together costumes that will probably be available for individual purchase not too long from now.
The price for the additional By no means is this a large investment, but at pre-order Amazon offered $20 pre-order credit with the purchase of the standard edition. Having pre-ordered the collector's edition back in August 2009, I was rather cross once I found out about the discrepancy. To put it bluntly, I paid $40 for an underwhelming, poorly conceived (and constructed) set of LittleBigPlanet paraphernalia. As good as the game is, I recommend that you avoid the Collector's edition. Sorry Media Molecule, but you should stick solely with Video Games.
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