Incoming 2011: LittleBigPlanet 2

What we know

The year of 2011 is set to be filled with interesting titles and begins on a high note, as the first big release is tomorrow's LittleBigPlanet 2, developed by UK-based studio Media Molecule and published by Sony exclusively for the PlayStation 3 platform.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is set to continue in the pretty successful footsteps of the first title, and take it to a whole new level, pitching itself not as a platformer game but as a platform for games.

The original title surprised a lot of people, and even though it didn't sell a lot of copies, it was supported by its community, who created over 2 million levels that were shared with the rest of the world.

Now, Media Molecule is set to enhance the whole LittleBigPlanet gameplay, by letting players not only create regular, platforming levels, but also complete game experiences, from shooters to racers or anything in between.

The players will have almost complete control of the creation tools, with the likes of the Controllinator, Creatinator or Grabinator, that can be used to reshape the environment and create new, custom levels.

Players will also be able to shape the behavior of enemy units, the so-called Sackbots, which can be programmed to use special routines or move in certain patterns, not to mention attack in various ways.

The community aspect is also going to be enhanced with the release of a special website, LBP.me, which will allow visitors to sync their PlayStation Network accounts in order to browse levels and content on the PC, then queue it up to be downloaded on the PlayStation 3.

Last but not least, the single-player portion of the game is set to receive some special care, as one of the main drawbacks of the original was its lackluster story, so SackBoy will return in style for this new title.

Why it matters

The original LittleBigPlanet was a different beast from the regular games we receive these days, so its sequel, with all the promises highlighted above, seems to take it up to a new level, and might finally reach commercial, not just critical acclaim.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will be launched on January 18, in North America, and January 19, in Europe, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.