THE GOOD:
THE BAD:
FINAL WORDS:
Super Mario Galaxy is not a "Revolutionary" game, because it doesn't creates a completely new way to play a platformer, but almost does that by presenting a lot of cool new ideas. In my honest opinion, this is the best 3D platformer ever created (yes, it's better than Super Mario 64, by a narrow margin), because it makes the best use ever of the platforming gameplay created in Mario 64, because of the awesome new gameplay ideas it brings to the genre and because it has some of the best level designs of any 3D platformer. Galaxy was the third-person game I enjoyed more playing since "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", although it wasn't the most challenging or the biggest one.
Galaxy is also the only 3D platformer I decided to play a second time (I'm going to catch every star again!) - this alone could be an indicator of how much fun I had playing this incredible game. In the end, Galaxy might not be a "Perfect" game, but it's a remarkable package of polished and varied gameplay, wonderful and innovative level designs and a phenomenal audio-visual presentation - a true Masterpiece.
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SCORE: ((( 9.5 / 10 ))) => (in a scale of 0.5 increments, without a formula)
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Gameplay ---- (10)
Graphics ----- (10)
Sound --------- ( 9 )
Value ---------- ( 9 )
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- The controls are smooth, extremely responsive and feel right once you get used to them;
- Plenty of gameplay variety with the right amount of very well implemented fresh ideas and the right amount of familiar platforming gameplay - all refined almost to perfection;
- Simple and intuitive use of the Wii remote that makes the experience more engrossing than it would have been with a regular controller;
- Some of the best and more diverse level designs of any 3D platformer, that are able to tap the inherent potential of almost all the gameplay ideas presented, especially those related to gravity, physics and pure platforming, and have many well thought-out, always enjoyable and never confusing puzzles;
- Beautiful, charming and vibrant art design, that's more then the sum of its parts: terrific use of saturated colors; great animations and character designs; outstanding, crazy and varied level designs with an incredible amount of details; and a camera that takes a cinematic perspective;
- The game is also technically impressive, with some neat especial effects and physics, an amazing draw distance and some stunning particle effects and running always at a smooth 60 frames-per-second - and all this makes the art design standout even more;
- Modernized and orchestrated classic Mario tunes and some even more amazing new musics, really help the game to be more engaging and provide the right amount of nostalgic flavor for those who have been following the plummer since the NES;
- It's a big platforming adventure, with lots of stages that are fun to explore and tons of stars to find and collect;
- It has an incredible pacing, especially for the more experienced gamers, because there's always some action happening on screen, it's always evident where you're supposed to go or what you're supposed to do, there are multiple mid-level check-points from where you restart after losing a life and the loading times are minimal and very well disguised;
- The combination of gameplay variety, accurate controls, incredible pacing, wonderful level designs and a phenomenal audio-visual presentation, gives the game a considerable amount of replay value, especially for those who love Mario-platformers (and the game does a good job encouraging you to replay it).
THE BAD:
- The "just one more star" addictiveness could be hard to control for some gamers;
- A couple of gameplay mechanics are a bit overused: the bee suit and swimming or riding-a-shell underwater;
- The main story is too simple and predictable and the Rosalinda's story is told in a not very entertaining way (but the main story is also too minimal to be considered a main component of the game and the Rosalinda's story is optional);
- A couple of gameplay mechanics are a bit underused: the boo suit and the "unstable ground" (used in the awesome "Matter Splatter Galaxy");
- Half the levels are easy to beat (although still very fun), making this platforming adventure not as big as it could have been (probably won't take you more than 30-35 hours to collect all the 120 stars).
FINAL WORDS:
Super Mario Galaxy is not a "Revolutionary" game, because it doesn't creates a completely new way to play a platformer, but almost does that by presenting a lot of cool new ideas. In my honest opinion, this is the best 3D platformer ever created (yes, it's better than Super Mario 64, by a narrow margin), because it makes the best use ever of the platforming gameplay created in Mario 64, because of the awesome new gameplay ideas it brings to the genre and because it has some of the best level designs of any 3D platformer. Galaxy was the third-person game I enjoyed more playing since "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time", although it wasn't the most challenging or the biggest one.
Galaxy is also the only 3D platformer I decided to play a second time (I'm going to catch every star again!) - this alone could be an indicator of how much fun I had playing this incredible game. In the end, Galaxy might not be a "Perfect" game, but it's a remarkable package of polished and varied gameplay, wonderful and innovative level designs and a phenomenal audio-visual presentation - a true Masterpiece.
--------------------------------
SCORE: ((( 9.5 / 10 ))) => (in a scale of 0.5 increments, without a formula)
--------------------------------
Gameplay ---- (10)
Graphics ----- (10)
Sound --------- ( 9 )
Value ---------- ( 9 )
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