Making a sequel to a popular game is always tricky. Do you go out of your way to make it as vastly different from the first game as possible, or do you make it similar to the first, but just make it harder and more visually brilliant? Nintendo has managed to find a comfortable middle ground. It's different enough for people who tried the first but want more of a challenge, but still fun and accessible enough for people who are just getting into video games for the first time. Even though the plot should be routine for people who have played several video games by now, it's still impressive that even after all these years, Bowser is STILL into kidnapping Princess Peach! Only this time, he has used the power of the Power Stars to make HIMSELF giant, and to celebrate kidnapping Princess Peach THIS time, he wants her to bake him a GIGANTIC, galaxy sized cake in the center of the universe! With the help of a Luma, Mario must once again trek across many different, varied worlds to collect Power Stars, and open the way forward to the fights against Bowser and his minions, and put a stop to Bowser's demented plan! This time around, Yoshi gets to join in on the fun, and Luigi is even more useful in this game than he was in the first; his better high jumping and long jumping are very useful for people doing speed runs of stages. The difficulty in this game is just as tough as the original, and some challenges can even make some of the stages of the "Contra" games seem like a cakewalk in comparison! Yet in spite of all the difficulty, the visuals of this game are VERY brilliant, maybe even better than the original! The controls seem slightly better than the original, and while the story won't win any points for originality, the way it unfolds certainly will. The game's progression takes us back to the days of "Super Mario Bros. 3" and "Super Mario World", in that the game play path is more linear, but you can still collect many Power Stars in a pretty random matter and manner of your choosing, meaning each game play may be vastly different from the last! Playing this game all the way to the very end, is worth it to wipe that smug smile off of Bowser's gigantic face! I easily give this game a full 10 out of 10, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good, challenging game to try on the Nintendo Wii! Enough said, true believers!
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