Mario shoots for the stars in his most recent adventure, as he soars to new heights on the Wii.
The Good: One of the most enjoyable Mario games for a long time, superb graphics and sound, awesome creativity, somewhat long, strong replay value, surprisingly good controls
The Bad: Not a very powerful story, very easy and not punishing remotely, occasional camera/gravity problems, no multiplayer
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Before I get a bunch of crap about how lame my complaints are, remember one thing: this is more of a hardcore gamer point of view. I understand that this game was aimed for all audiences, but this is a review from the standpoint of someone seeking a challenge. Thank you.
Super Mario Galaxy is pure joy. I cannot express how stunned I am. When I typically think of games featuring gravity changes, I think of headaches, dullness, and boredom. However, Galaxy is completely opposite. I love this game, and albeit its minor faults, it proves to be what gamers of all kinds were looking for. It is a lot of fun, and it keeps you coming back. I was expecting the Mario platformer formula to be old and uninteresting, but Galaxy completely refines the style.
Despite its relatively same old story, Galaxy starts off enjoyably. The controls take no time at all to master. You'll be performing triple jumps within minutes of starting the game. The controls are spectacular, yet so simple. Using the nunchuck attached with the Wiimote, you move Mario around. Pressing A makes him jump, B makes him duck, flicking the Wiimote activates his spin, and so on. One thing that surprised me was how significant the spin move is in this game, but I won't get into it. Anyways, the game works like any Mario platformer on the big consoles. Essentially, you go through numerous levels acquiring stars. Each level contains various missions to obtain these precious items. Once you collect a specific amount of them, new levels open up and you proceed from there.
Again, this whole idea has been used for a long time, yet it is still a great, satisfying experience. The missions you go on to get the stars are excellent and various. They all seem completely different from the others, which goes to show that this game rarely gets repetitive or boring. The whole galaxy themed idea really adds on to the already present creativity. It's hard to get bored of this game. Another great part of it is the intense boss battles. After grabbing stars, certain galaxies lead to boss fights, which, if you win, grant you a power star. You will fight Bowser, Bowser Jr., or some other colossal, intimidating foe Jr. summons. Some of you out there may be thinking that fighting Bowser for the billionth time in a row may be boring, but it hasn't been better. Every boss battle is a new occurrence. While none of them are particularly challenging, they are really fun to battle against.
The graphics in this game are amazing. Each galaxy you travel to is a beautifully designed level ranging from underwater mazes to volcanic courses. On top of that, the sound is also great. I like the music, but the characters don't say much at all. That's not something I'm going to complain about though. Nearly everything about this game is good. But there are annoyances…
Yeah, the main problem for me had to be the camera. I frequently died numerous times because I was unable to see what I was doing. You do get control of the camera, but sometimes its hard to adjust it to the spot you want it. Also, the rules of gravity can sometimes be frustrating. It's hard to tell when it's safe to go under a course and when it isn't. The story is not very deep. I am not looking for some great, tear jerking, complex tale, but Galaxy's story did not really interest me much at all. Lastly, this game is easy. While it has its length, the missions are fairly easy and don't take much effort to figure out where to go or what to do. Plus, when you die you often respawn right where you lost. The only time you have to restart the whole level is when you get a game over, which does not happen very frequently. Despite these complaints, Mario Galaxy is incredible.
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Closing Quick Thoughts
Graphics- The visuals are among the best on the Wii
Sound- Great music, despite no dialogue
Replay Value- Coming back after completing this game to get all 120 stars is nearly a necessity.
Gameplay- A terrific adventure that takes quite some time to complete, yet it lacks true challenges for the hardcore gamers.
Story- Not the best, but it is worth paying attention to.
Controls- Superb, never thought they'd be near as good as they are.
Overall- Purchase it, have a lot of fun with it, come back to it often.