Sackboy returns in “Little Big Planet 2” this November, with a slew of genre-bending creation tools.

When Media Molecule’s charming gem first hit the scene two years ago, the adorable platformer spawned a creation revolution. Talented users from across the globe created levels that rivaled the best Media Molecule had to offer with its robust toolset, and over 2 million levels have been shared to date. “LittleBigPlanet 2” will give this community of budding developers the chance to create not only levels, but entire games across multiple genres with its vast set of creation tools.

Media Molecule showed off a series of levels that were part of its Community Game Jam, an event designed for top creators in the “LittleBigPlanet community.” During a studio visit, the users were shown developer-created levels from the sequel and were then tasked to create their own using the toolset from “LittleBigPlanet 2” in a mere 24 hours. The results were impressive. We saw a real-time strategy game, a retro space shooter, a 2-D brawler, a sumo wrestling game and more. When playing these levels, we were amazed not only by the range of genres users explored, but how each level’s design was different down to every piece of geometry. It was also apparent that users can tinker with physics, which can make a zero-gravity adventure in space or a game of bumper cars feel that much more realistic.

We were shown several of the new creation tools during the demo, but one of the standouts was the ability to create Sackbots. These AI bots can be any size you wish, plus you can customize their proportions and costumes. AI logic can be applied to these bots, which can be programmed to follow you around, attack you, or simply follow a path of your choosing, allowing you to create tons of mini-Sackbots for your own version of Pikmin or to develop the next Ico. If you simply want to create your own music video and make the bots groove, you can record motions performed manually using the analog sticks and triggers. Once you stop recording, the motions are looped for an adorable dance sequence. Though seemingly complicated, the interface’s labeling is straightforward and easy to navigate.

Needless to say, amid the gunshots, explosions and blood splatter on the E3 show floor, it was refreshing to see this family-friendly innovator get all the attention it deserves. We cannot wait to see what the community will come up with when “LittleBigPlanet 2” releases in November.

‘LittleBigPlanet 2’

No rating provided.

PlayStation 3

Sony, Media Molecule

Release date: Nov. 16

New game releases

The following titles were scheduled for release the week of Aug. 1:

• “Castlevania: Harmony of Despair” (X360)

• “Junior Classic Books and Fairytales” (DS)

• “Widgets Odyssey 2” (PSP)

• “The Treasures of Montezuma” (DS)

• “Disney Sing It: Family Hits” (PS3, Wii)

• “Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” (DS)

• “Monster Rancher DS” (DS)

• “Superstars V8 Racing” (X360, PS3)

• “Mystery Tales of Time Travel” (DS)

— Gamespot.com

Top 10 On the WII

The editors of Game Informer Magazine rank the top 10 Wii games for August:

1. “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” Nintendo

2. “Sin & Punishment: Star Successor,” Nintendo

3. “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11,” EA Sports

4. “Toy Story 3,” Disney Interactive Studio

5. “Cave Story,” Nicalis

6. “Red Steel 2,” Ubisoft

7. “Trauma Team,” Atlus

8. “Mega Man 10,” Capcom

9. “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4,” Warner Bros. Interactive

10. “Bit.Trip Runner,” Aksys Games

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Weekly download

‘DeathSpank’

For: Playstation 3 via Playstation Network and Xbox 360 Live Arcade

From: Hothead Games/EA

ESRB Rating: T for Teen

Price: $15

Considering the enduring popularity of the two things — “Diablo”-style dungeon crawling and comedy — “DeathSpank” attempts to merge as one, it’s rather amazing it’s taken this long for the two to come together as naturally as they have here. “DeathSpank” starts off a little slow, and there are a handful of things it does adequately but never expertly. The sensation of combat “Diablo” absolutely nails never feels quite so satisfying here, and between the simplicity of the quest designs and the modest ambitions of the game’s comedic writing and voice acting, this likely will be neither the best-playing dungeon crawler nor the funniest game you play this year.

Fortunately, what “DeathSpank” doesn’t do amazingly well, it does more than well enough — so much so that the experience actually improves rather than degrades once the novelty of comedic dungeon crawling wears off. And the world’s fleeting resemblance to an illustrated pop-up book (without the actual pop-up animation) works in tandem with the amusing overall tone to create a universe that, imperfections or not, is a whole lot of fun to explore.

— Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune News Service