I’m probably the biggest LittleBigPlanet fan as you are likely to meet. While never willing to devote the time into level creation myself, I simply cannot get enough of the content-creation community that is LittleBigPlanet. The sequel appears to be providing full backwards compatibility, which is really the only way for the developer to avoid fragmenting the community between the two titles. There was plenty to complain about with the platforming aspects of LittleBigPlanet, but as the trailer above suggests, many of those problems are being addressed in the sequel. Direct control, a much needed grappling hook, and several others should help the game become a more proficient platformer, while helping it evolve into other genres as well. For me anyway, LittleBigPlanet 2 is shaping up to be one of the strongest-looking releases this fall.

Today on the Engadget show, Peter Molyneux himself broke the news that Fable 3 will not include Kinect support on its October 26th launch date, but patched in later instead. It seems rather silly for such a major title in Microsoft’s fall lineup, from one of the most passionate supporters of Kinect, to lack out of the box support.  Microsoft certainly isn’t alone in disappointments though.  A few months back, Media Molecule confirmed what sounds like half baked Playstation Move support with LittleBigPlanet 2. Being a bit skeptical over the long term success of motion control in the first place, I can’t say I am all that upset by this news.  Yet when the success of a new hardware launch in the market is so heavily dependent on the software available for it, I wonder how Microsoft or Sony expect consumers to justify the steep entry fee with the current launch titles announced.

I’d love to get a perspective from someone who is excited about Kinect/Move and their respective launch titles. Leave a comment!

Today, the sequel to one of the most creative, unique, and simply adorable games I’ve ever played was “formally” announced, alongside the trailer above.

So what makes this announcement momentous?

Little Big Planet 2 will feature full integration with all 2 million player created levels from LittleBigPlanet 2. This news is HUGE, especially from a developer who has gone on the record in the past to dismiss a sequel as “counterproductive” to building and improving upon the player run community. The added features: namely player created AI, are really just icing on the cake.

LittleBigPlanet wasn’t a perfect game. I had a few issues with several aspects of the game that I am excited to see resolved in the sequel. These include:

• Multiplayer support without sharing the screen. This would allow for greater flexibility, especially in large levels, and help eliminate some of the frustration when one player getting stuck offscreen.
• A better level/user search engine. Sometimes I’d play a great level, but forget to favorite it, and would never be able to find it again.
• Better navigation and interface. sometimes the sheer number of items and tools available to the user were daunting, especially within the simplistic GUI that they were forced to fit in.
• Better precision with the creation tools. The amount of time required to achieve the level of precision necessary in building mechanical devices or large set pieces was often overwhelming. The snap-to grids were helpful in the first game, but they didn’t always suit the need of the situation.

What new features/fixes would you like to see in LittleBigPlanet 2?