Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"All it's cracked up to be"

After playing the first Super Mario Galaxy, I absolutely loved it. It brought me back to the days of Super Mario 64. So I had to pick up the sequel and although it is similar to the first game it has enough to make it shine and make it unique.

As far as the story goes it is just as similar to every Mario game you've ever played. Princess Peach is captured by Bowser and Mario must travel to multiple galaxies in order to find all 120 stars. Finding these stars makes it possible for Mario to travel on his ship to new areas and finally reach his destination to Bowser.

The graphics and sound are excellent. SMG2 has one of the best graphics on the Wii. Everything is very colorful and well designed. Cutscenes look very slick and nice to watch. The soundtrack is quite amazing. Its orchestrated beautifully. There are some new songs, songs recycled from SMG, and some old school Mario songs remixed for this game and they all sound great.

One thing that makes SMG2 so amazing is the level design. Each galaxy you travel to is like a whole other world. Galaxies are large to explore, quite challenging, and gorgeous to look at. Gameplay is very simple, but it's a Mario game and thats just how it should be. You are given directions on what star you need to find and you 'platform' your way to find it, by jumping, running, and destroying all enemies in your way. Including Yoshi and new powers for Mario gives the game that extra step that makes it better than its predecesser in my opinion.

This is an excellent game. One of the best the Wii has to offer. In my opinion it isnt perfect enough to recieve a 10, but it sure is close. If you've ever played any Mario game, then you should play this one too. It's definitely in the top 3 Mario games in my opinion. Or if you are just looking for a fun game that is lengthy then this is for you. Its simple enough that most people can play through the game and enjoy it. While it is also quite challenging to collect all 120 stars and beat the game also. You will not be dissapointed by playing this game. I promise :)