Thank You So Much For To Playing My Game

Super Mario Galaxy is the latest iteration in the long line of video gaming's most iconic character, Mario. This game takes Mario out into space where he must battle not only his rival Bowser and his armies, but the also the challenges the strange worlds he will encounter on his journey to the center of the universe. 

Super Mario Galaxy has been out for several months now, and you've no doubt seen the reviews, but now it's my turn. The questions are, is Super Mario Galaxy a good game, and can Super Mario Galaxy wipe the taste of Super Mario Sunshine out of our mouths?

Presentation

I could nitpick and say that if you look really carefully on a crystal clear HD screen you might be able to see some polygons in this game, or I could say that it isn't as pretty as titles on the PS3 or XBOX360, but that's not who I am. This game looks incredible. The color palette, the art style, even the camera choices are some of the best and prettiest I have seen in a long time. It was so pretty that I would often stop what I was doing just to stare at the beautiful backdrops to the stage I was on. Mario looks like a hero, and Bowser looks amazing. I mean he actually looks like a scary villain! While the water effects are a little dry compared to what I can find on my PS3, the way fur is visualized is something I've never seen in a video game before. The most amazing fact is that this is all being done on the Wii, the system that isn't even trying to keep up in the graphics department with the other two consoles, and it still looks better than most of the titles on those other systems!

Sound

Just as with the visuals, Nintendo really outdid themselves in the sound department. Mario sounds great, Bowser sounds intimidating, and Goombas sound just like they should. The sounds all mesh perfectly with the gameplay, and then you add the music. The music in Super Mario Galaxy is, for lack of a better term, sublime. The old synthesized tracks have been thrown out for a full soundtrack of full orchestrated pieces. The music is like honey for your ears, soothing, catchy, and perfectly fitting the mood of the gameplay. My only complaints in the sound department is that I wish there were a few more songs, just because the ones that are there are so damned good, and a small issue I had with Peach and Rosalina's voice acting. The problem with Peach and Rosalina is that they don't have any real voice acting, they utter the first word of a sentence occasionally, and while it's fine for Mario to be mostly mute, and for Bowser to simply roar, it's a bit awkward when Peach and Rosalina only say these single words. Also, the single words sometimes have an unsettling effect (like when Rosalina says "yes"), that just gives them a creepy factor that isn't a part of their character. These minor, and I do mean "minor" quibbles aside the sound in Super Mario Galaxy perfectly complements the gameplay.

Story

Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and it's up to Mario to save her. This single sentence has been the driving factor for a multitude of Mario titles, and it's still appropriate, Mario doesn't need a complex plot that calls into question the players own morals, because Mario is fun enough to survive without that. Super Mario Galaxy does go a bit further, adding in Rosalina who has her own story of how she got to be where she is today, which is told through a cute little picture-book that you unlock chapters of as you play. Honestly I wish Nintendo had gone a bit further, there's a small star that accompanies Mario who I felt could have been given some motivation, and Bowser's dialogue is just on the verge of revealing something about his character. We are told by Bowser that he wants to make a new galaxy at the center of the universe, but we never know why, or what is that is so bad about this (aside from kidnapping Peach so she can see it). It's not that Mario needs a compelling story, but I feel that there is so much wasted potential here, they could make it very compelling with just a bit more effort, which is just sad to me.

Gameplay

It isn't nice visuals, good music, or a compelling story that made Super Mario 64 one of the best games of all time. No, it was the fact that controlling Mario was just do much fun that made Super Mario 64 amazing, and Super Mario Galaxy is no different. In Super Mario Galaxy you are given levels where you have an objective that ultimately ends with you receiving a star for your efforts, 60 stars to save Princess Peach and "beat" the game, and 120 stars in all for the completionists. This is very simplified of course, but it holds true enough. What it all boils down to though, is that you get 120 levels to have fun with Mario. Super Mario Galaxy adds a number of new elements, strange planets with weird gravity effects are only the start, and I can say in the end that they are all fun. There was never a time when I was playing this game where I wasn't having fun, and honestly that's all I care about.

Extra+

Bonus points are awarded to Super Mario Galaxy for the inclusion of two-player (limited) and a second play-through with (spoilers!) Luigi. Two-player is just like single-player except a friend uses a second wii-mote to do special things such as stun enemies, freeze disappearing panels in place, or even make Mario jump (much to the player one's ire). Two-player is a great feature, and while not particularly important for hardcore gamers, it lets friends who are watching get in on a bit of the action and is a great way to play this game with your family. The second play-through with Luigi (unlocked after getting all 120 stars) isn't terribly exciting, since it's the same levels as you went through to unlock him, but there a few small changes that will throw you off a bit and Luigi controls differently enough that it's not nearly as repetitive as you originally think.

Final Grade: A

Super Mario Galaxy is a great game. If you have a Wii, go out and buy this game, you'll enjoy the experience the first time around, and I can guarantee that you'll want to dig it up for another play-through every couple of years. I probably would have given Super Mario Galaxy an S (the highest grade I give) if it weren't for two things: the final encounter with Bowser was not as epic as I wanted (totally should've had Giga-Bowser), and the fact that Super Mario 64 exists. While Super Mario Galaxy is more refined than 64, it simply feels to linear in comparison. Super Mario 64 let you go to a world and find stars that you weren't actively searching for, and even when you were it was a puzzle to figure out how to get the star. The world of 64 simply felt larger and more explorable than in Galaxies. Also, while this is hard to take as a complaint, Galaxies is a bit too well-designed, as you can't get amazing speed runs like this one. Also I was heartily saddened at the removal of my favorite Mario line, "So longie Bowser." and the editing of the engrish ending from 64 that is the title of this post.