The hand-me-downs from Super Mario 64 and generations before it complement Super Mario Galaxy as the Wii's most invigora
If you don't already know the story, you could probably take a well-educated guess and hit the nail on the head. Peach's security force compiled of Toad clones fails to thwart Bowser's plans yet again. This time, the King of Koopas kidnaps the entire castle and sends it into orbit. Kudos to him for mixing things up, seeing as how nothing else seems to work in his favor. Mario ends up in orbit as well, cast aside, and dangling to a small, nearby planet full of small cottontails begging to play with him. Here you'll begin your training session to acquaint yourself with the extraordinary control formula. You'll also be greeted by your soon-to-be companions known as Lumas, seemingly helium-filled creatures that are also looking to stop Bowser. Their queen, Rosalina, provides a basic ground area with all kinds of rooms where you'll return every time you acquire a star. Think the castle in Super Mario 64, or Isle Delfino in Mario Sunshine. Getting used to the controls is pretty awkward at first, but once the tutorial gives way, you'll immediately notice some very unique abilities, as well as some familiar moves from past installments.
Mario is reacquainted with his lineup of jumps, ranging from the triple jump to the wall jump, as well as one, yet very significant new ability, which has you shaking the Wii remote to manufacture a spin move. In total, there's nothing extremely daunting about the control scheme, but you'll still come across some galaxies that require the use of the Wii remote in bizarre (and sometimes difficult) ways. Some individual galaxies may have you roll through a course on a ball using the Wii remote in a vertical formation, and weaving from side-to-side causes the ball to move left and right. Some will have you use the on-screen pointer--Showcased by simply pointing the Wii remote at the sensor bar--To grasp "pull stars", little purple objects in orbit that you can attach yourself to, and occasionally you'll have to traverse dozens to reach your objective. There's no doubt that you'll come across a wide range of galaxies that'll put the Wii's motion sensitivity--And you, for that matter--To the test, but as stated earlier, the controls are pretty self-presented and easy to acclimate to. Even if you're not totally convinced that the game won't just throw all kinds of motion-sensitive knuckle balls at you, the first portion of play-through is almost so easy, you'll want to keep playing until you reach the harder galaxies. On the other hand, if you want to feel the pressure and difficulty right off the bat, you might like to hear that Mario's life meter has only three bars. Three hits in a row and it's a life less on your screen.
The galaxies themselves aspire to great variation, where you'll notice illustrious similarities with games like Mario Sunshine and Mario 64. First off, they basically incorporate the same proportions as the painting levels in Mario 64, and they also feed off the same principle: You'll gather a certain amount of stars in each galaxy until it's entirely completed. Secondly, most galaxies range in great size, but it's pretty tough to get lost, even if you make an attempt at it. Most of the game is very linear and subjective to simple, yet enjoyable gimmicks that ultimately feel relaxing, which is great because build up for the more difficult levels ahead isn't frustrating or stressful. Each galaxy is different from the other: One might be wind and sky-oriented, one my be filled with meaningless junk, one may include the elements ice and fire together, while another could sum up to a haunted mansion theme. Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine players will feel right at home with the galaxy foundations, and those that aren't familiar with the series will still find the worlds wholly enjoyable.
Mario will also be able to take different forms in certain galaxies. In one galaxy he can become a bee and fly for a short time. The haunted galaxy allows Mario to become a ghost, where he can filter through some walls. There's also an ice ability, where you can skate on freezing water, and wall jump up water falls, as well as the fire ability, where Mario simply throws fireballs. In any case, a lot of the time you'll rely on your environment for particular procedures. In order to reach another planet, you can use launch stars, which require a simple shake of the Wii remote, grassy stalks sprouted from piranha plants, which, again, require a flick of the remote, or you can use large flowers that glide in the wind.
Gravity takes a huge role in Super Mario Galaxy. It's so big, that the game itself would be just as unique without the Wii remote and its motion-sensitivity characteristics. Nearly every planet in a galaxy can be expedited through up and down and left and right. Being in an upside-down circumstance isn't nearly as confusing as it sounds, and even some of the more advanced situations are more of a pleasure than a bother. At a few points, you'll come across double gravity (which, believe me, is quite difficult to explain in words), where the ceiling and floor are both magnetized to a certain direction, and you'll be pulled into that direction immediately, even when transitioning from top to bottom.
The game gets over pretty quickly, as you need only 60 stars to challenge the final Bowser, but the short time frame is made up for quite well. The game consists of 120 stars, and with many of them being "hidden", you can count on hours of star-searching even after you complete the campaign. On top of that, there's a pretty cool aspect at the end of the game that may have you replay through it all over again.
In a nutshell, everything comes together impressively. The galaxies, creatures you'll encounter, boss battles, and entire atmospheric presentation forges the greatest installment to the Mario series since the Nintendo 64's debut. Even though you'll see all kinds of similarities with Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine, there are so many unique attributes to the game that make it feel fresh and invigorating. Graphically, no other Wii game comes close to Mario Galaxy's artistic design. The huge worlds and seamless backgrounds create a compelling and visually stunning universe that makes you want to explore and find out what secrets lay within them. Even the audio category sets the bar for future Wii games to come, using both the console's speaker input as well as the Wii remote's, which definitely calls for an unparallel experience. It may not be the greatest game this generation, but the overall feel of the presentation will please people of all ages. All in all, the hand-me-downs from Super Mario 64 and generations before it complement Super Mario Galaxy as the Wii's most invigorating game available.