Super Mario Galaxy Review
"[Super Mario Galaxy] is a must-buy for anyone that picks up a Wii." It's not every day that we get a new Mario game. I don't mean a soccer game starring Mario or a puzzle game featuring some ancillary Mario character, I mean a balls-to-the-wall, insane platforming, mushroom gulping Mario game. The last one was New Super Mario Bros. on the DS and before that, well, Mario Sunshine didn't really feel like a Mario game. For many you'd have to go all the way back to Mario 64 for a pure Mario title on a home console, and that was more than 10 years ago! So yes, we've been waiting a while for Super Mario Galaxy, and now that it's finally here we can see it was worth the wait.
Super Mario Galaxy Basics
Super Mario Galaxy begins in pretty typical Mario fashion. Princess Peach is swiped by Bowser and his minions and it's up to Mario to save her pink frilly butt. This time, though, it'll require some interstellar travel, as Bowser's packin' UFO technology! The only way to catch up to him is by powering up a space station with star energy, collected from nearby galaxies. And so your adventure begins again.
The space station/observatory acts like Peach's Castle did in Mario 64. It's basically a hub world from which you can travel to different levels. Each galaxy (which are just like the paintings from 64), has several challenges, and completing each one earns you a star. More stars unlock more galaxies, so on and so forth, until you've caught up to King Koopa. The basics should be pretty familiar to anyone that played that 1996 classic.
Once you jump into a galaxy, though, it's clear that things are a little different. Super Mario Galaxy is all about the ways to use and abuse gravity. Many of the levels allow Mario to step off ledges, only to walk right off the side and turn himself upside down. Walking up walls and around mini planets are staples of the game, and they really require a different mindset than you've had in previous Mario games. Every dimension must be considered, not just the single plain that stretches out in front of you. If you get stuck you're probably coming at the problem from the wrong angle.
Super Mario Galaxy Controls
Despite the wacky gravity, the controls are actually pretty similar to previous Mario games. You can still pull off triple jumps, butt slams, long leaps and wall jumps, using different combinations of the Nunchuk and remote. New to the mix, though, is an onscreen cursor which allows you to fire star bits into enemies, stunning them and allowing Mario to walk over and boot them into the blackness of space. You can also pull off a spin attack by shacking the Remote, which sends enemies spinning in the opposite direction. On the basic levels, though, the motion controls are used sparingly and I never felt put off by them. The experience was pretty similar to how they were used in Twilight Princess. In short, less is more.
There are mini-galaxies, however, that use the motion controls in entirely different ways. In one you're challenged by a giant penguin (sound familiar?) to try Ray Surfing. Here you hop on the back of a manta ray and follow a flowing stream of water, which is pretty reminiscent of the giant slide from Mario 64. The difference, though, is that you steer the ray by twisting your wrist. In another galaxy you're tasked to jump atop a large ball. Holding the remote in your first with the top pointing up you can steer the ball by tilting in the direction you want to go. These mini galaxies are rather fun and provide a nice change of pace from the rest of the game.
As an extra bonus, Super Mario Galaxy actually features co-op play as well. At any point during the game, a second person with a Remote can hop in. That second person really just controls a cursor, but with that you can fire star bits, hold enemies in place or even save Mario from a fall by giving him an extra boost. It's simple yet elegant, and it actually makes playing the game a much more party-friendly experience.
Super Mario Galaxy Shiny!
Visually Super Mario Galaxy is by far the best looking game on the Wii. Its worlds and characters are incredibly vibrant and often overwhelmingly large, giving you a real sense of scale. Also, jaggies that were pretty prevalent on HDTVs during Twilight Princess are hardly noticeable here. Granted it's not going to look as sharp as a fully HD game, but within a few moments of playing you probably won't care. The game also features a brilliant score, featuring a mix of classic tunes with new riffs, which changes depending on the galaxy you're in.
Is Super Mario Galaxy Too Short?
It's worth noting, though, that this isn't the longest Mario game you've ever played. Unlike Mario 64, whose challenges were often focused on exploration (finding the 8 red coins, for example), most of Galaxy's challenges are pretty linear. The galaxy you're in will be rearranged for each challenge, with new planets and launch stars, but you're usually moving in one specific direction throughout. The end result is that none of the challenges are going to take you spectacularly long (unless, of course, you end up dying a heck of a lot). The hardest challenge is usually just staying alive, with the puzzles taking a back seat. This is great news for platforming fans, but if you're looking for more of an adventure experience you won't get a lot of it here. Because of this you can probably blow through the main game in about 10 hours. Of course if you're inclined to go for all the stars and discover all the hidden galaxies you're probably going to double that time. And then, on top of that, there may or may not be a very good reason to play through it again...but I'm not really allowed to go too in-depth with whatever that reason may or may not be.
Super Mario Galaxy: Final Word
While it doesn't have the industry-changing clout that Mario 64 did, I'd so as far as to say that I've had a lot more fun playing Super Mario Galaxy. It's not tremendously innovative (though some of the galaxies are ingeniously designed, it still feels very Mario), and while pretty, it's not going to win any awards for its graphics. What it comes down to is that it's just plain fun. I haven't had this much fun with the Wii since Wii Sports, and for Mario Galaxy you don't need a crowd or a protective screen over the TV! It's also the first game since the system's launch that's a must-buy for anyone that picks up a Wii. Some people just don't dig Zelda or Metroid, but who in the world hates Mario? And does that person hate bonus checks and puppies, too? Flat out, if you buy one Wii game this year, Super Mario Galaxy should be that game.
Source
Linear Mode
