Like many other games (or rather all of the other games) in the series,
the game starts off with Princess Peach getting kidnapped.... again.
This time though, prepare to leave your safety zone of the mushroom
kingdom for, no, not that craptacular tropical paradise Isle Delfino,
but the boundless area of outer space. You'll quickly become familiar
with a princess-like character, Rosalina (commonly referred to as
simply "mama"). Your hub world is set on her starship, the observatory.
Like in Super Mario 64's castle and Super Mario Sunshine's Isle
Delfino, the observatory serves as the connection to all of the many
galaxies set in the game.
What are galaxies, you ask? Essentially, they are the equivalent of the
worlds in past games. Each galaxy has its own theme, some fire themed,
some ice themed, some with frightening themes, some with dark themes,
and even some with toy themes and pastry themes. Without a doubt, the
thing that stands out the most in this game is the varied galaxies
you'll discover. Not one is at all repetitive, and these worlds are
undoubtedly the single most creative and imaginative you'll ever find
in a video game. The clever design of each is astounding, and you'll
constantly be scratching your head thinking "Wow, that was absolutely
brilliant!"
Along with the fresh new design of the worlds, with innovative
spherical designs to be found throughout most of the game, comes the
classic Mario gameplay we've come to know and love in Super Mario 64.
Just like the previous two Mario games, you'll be collecting 120 power
stars (or shines, in Sunshine's case) to save the universe. While only
sixty are required to complete the game, collecting all 120 stars will
present you with a reward you're bound to find worthwhile. The
refreshing platforming in Galaxy is perhaps what makes this game truly
stand out from the rest. The simple fact that they managed to perfect
the Mario gameplay and create a fresh, innovative experience at the
same time is what makes Super Mario Galaxy excel. Tricky puzzles and
intense nostalgic platforming combined make this the best 3D Mario game
yet.
As for Wii Remote usage, you'll quickly find that motion control is not
forced upon you by any means. But, at the same time, the way that the
game does use motion control is fitting and works very well. To do your
nifty spin attack, you'll slightly shake the remote... which worked
100% of the time in my playthrough. In addition to this, you'll notice
a tiny star cursor on your screen that you can move around using the IR
control in the Wii Remote. The cursor actually adds a lot to the
experience, you can collect star bits (the currency in Super Mario
Galaxy, which is found more frequently than coins interestingly enough)
which can either be used to shoot your enemies, pay to lumas to unlock
new galaxies, or can give you 1UPs with every fifty you collect. It
actually adds an interesting shooting element to the game... but at the
same time you could most likely go the entire game without ever
shooting any of the star bits. Of course, chances are it will be
beneficial to do so.
In reality, the only real complaints to have with Super Mario Galaxy
would be its occassionally frustrating camera. Because it uses an
automatic camera rather than a manual one, the camera will sometimes
switch to a position rather confusing for the particular situation.
Specifically, the camera underwater will most likely confuse you, since
the amount of manual control you have over the camera is so minimal.
For the most part, however, the camera is right on top of everything it
should be focused on. For an automatic camera, it more than suits the
purpose, but excels beyond what your expectations would usually be for
an automatic camera in the platforming genre. Along with this, the game
may be a bit easy for more experienced players.... that isn't to say
that there won't be some very tricky and challenging moments throughout
the game though. If you want to collect all 120 stars, prepare for some
serious work. Thankfully, while some levels may be relatively easy to
play through, they are never dull, which stays true to Shigeru
Miyamoto's philosophy of gameplay.
Visually, Mario is not only looking better on Wii than he ever has
before, but his new game is easily the best looking game on Wii.... or
better yet, the best looking platformer this generation. The art style
used fits the Mario theme extremely well, but at the same time creates
a certain galactic flair you are bound to pick up on. The colorful
visuals and technically advanced graphics for the Wii are simply
amazing. At times, you'll begin to question if your eyes are perhaps
even playing tricks on you! Indeed, this could easily fit in with some
of the many games on the other two platforms. The colorful pop and
cheerful sugar coated graphics definitely set the standard extremely
high for future Wii titles.
Concerning the audio, Super Mario Galaxy stands out as having one of
the most beautiful soundtracks of any game. The development team has
truly evolved the sound of Mario's tunes by giving it orchestrated
music, rather than the usual MIDI music. Is it a success? I encourage
you to listen to the music for yourself to understand just how truly
successful the music is. You'll find yourself revisiting galaxies just
to listen to the music of that particular galaxy again. There are
definitely a ton of great remixes of old Mario music (which are
extremely well done), and many new pieces as well that are equally as
good, and sometimes better. This great blend of music combined with
some small but good voice overs (Charles Martinet of course never
disappoints with Mario's small voice overs) and great sound effects
make this game's audio one of the best of all time.
While once you beat the game and collect all 120 of the game's power
stars, you'll probably find that there isn't a ton of replay value, the
simple fact that you'll probably spend roughly fifteen hours beating
the game and a whopping thirty hours doing every single thing in the
game is more than enough to satisfy you for quite awhile. Not only
this, but you're bound to enjoy just replaying some of your favorite
scenarios in your favorite galaxies. Everything in the game is so
polished and perfected, that it would be hard not to want to replay
some of these galaxies. Plus, there is an included "Co-Star" mode as
well, which adds an extra cursor to the screen for the second player to
point at Mario and make him jump, collect star bits, or help out in
other helpful or sometimes hindersome ways. It may not be a fully
fleshed out co-op mode, but it's definitely a nice touch to the overall
experience if you have someone else that is willing to play. The
intuitive design of Co-Star mode can appeal to everyone, which is a
good thing if you can't find a true "gamer" to play with.
Overall, this is the game that proves what Wii is about. Innovation.
Quality. Intuitive design. I could easily go on and on, but ultimately
I need not describe to you what this game offers. Once you play it for
yourself, you'll quickly learn that this is an experience that can not
be matched on any other console, new or old. Super Mario Galaxy's sugar
coated fun and fresh new take on the platforming genre creates the
first true Wii game that is not only a must-have for any and everyone,
but the game that will give you reason to buy a Wii. This is Mario like
he's never been before, and he's better than ever.
