Review - Super Mario Galaxy
posted 18 November 2007, Sunday
Super Mario Galaxy
1-2 Players
10+ Hours of Gameplay
Medium Difficulty
Magical. That is the only word that I can think of to accurately describe Super Mario Galaxy. I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but the fact is that Mario has that magic, and Super Mario Galaxy takes that magic to astronomical levels (pun intended). I was hyped for this game - super hyped - but my insane hype level was not sufficient for what this game had to offer.
We all should know what Mario games are about by now - saving princess Peach and defeating the guy who stole her away who is usually King Bowser. This time the twist comes in the form of another princess, Rosalina, who is also in need of some help so she talks you into saving her ship so in turn you can save Peach. The stars have a lot of meaning this time around and the game gives some good background as to their reason for being in the Mario universe. Rosalina also tells you her story, and while it's optional you'd be a fool to miss it. As in all Mario games the story is very simple (if there even is a story), but it is charming and captivating nonetheless.
All of Mario's moves from Mario64 have carried over, and his new compliment includes being able to hang to walls for a few seconds, a spin attack that hits enemies and manipulates objects and the ability to shoot star bits that stuns enemies. Controlling Mario is as simple and easy as it's ever been, and that's thanks to an automated camera system that is probably the best that has ever been implemented in a game of this kind. In Mario64 one of the biggest issues was the horrible camera and the need to fight with it in order to see where you were going. That problem has been taken care of here, though it still offers an occasional hiccup. You are given limited control of the camera which makes bad angles even less frequent.
The game also features a 2-player option where the second player controls a star pointer and can shoot your star bits or grab enemies to help you. I believe that having more options is always good so while this feature doesn't stand out it's nice to have. Now you don't have to sit idly by and watch your friends play, or you can help a newcomer learn the ropes.
The gameplay theme of the game is gravity, and you will be dealing with all sorts of gravitational situations. Though Mario responds precisely these gravitational effects takes getting used to. You will be platforming upside down a lot, sideways, wrongways and all sorts of other ways which can frustrate you. Sometimes these effects can make Mario go wonky or reverse the controls on you, but that's not a mistake or error. This game makes you pay attention to the gravity effect you are currently under so that you can control Mario accordingly, and it's great.
The levels for the most part are linear with an occasional extra path or secret, but they also are unfortunately short. There are some moderately sized levels, but they are too few. There are even some areas that only have one star to collect which feels like a huge waste of the awesome, unique ideas used in them. All this leads to the quick gathering of stars which puts the main part of the game on the easy side. It's not that much easier than Mario64 though, and in some cases it's more difficult thanks to the gravity effect and crazy camera angles (not a bad thing). It balances out to a medium difficulty because the optional stars are more difficult. The difficulty continues to increase the more you play and those wanting a serious challenge will collect all 120 stars to unlock the big secret, and re-collect them for the final secret. I have no problem with how the difficulty is spread out, and I think it's better in the end because making the main part of the game too hard would rob a lot of the charm for all but those few extreme difficulty gamers. Besides, Mario games have never been that hard anyway.
If you read my reviews you know I don't talk about graphics, but this game sets a milestone for Wii games and I have to mention it. SMG is the first game to truly showcase the Wii's graphical capabilities, and it does so by putting every other Wii game to horrible shame.
There aren't any bugs to speak of, and the only real issue is the camera that sometimes gives you a bad view. Mario is always seen through objects via a shadow, and while I don't think that your view of the character or your path should ever be hindered in a platform game the instances this happens are very few. Some other minor gripes have to do with design choices like the fact that the power-ups are only used in controlled situations and the fact that some power-ups run out after a short period of time where in past games they lasted until you were hit. In spite of how amazing this game is I feel like Nintendo missed some opportunities to make the game even more amazing. I feel that more power-ups should have been placed throughout the galaxy in order to give us the option of how to approach certain areas, but instead power-ups are only given to us to do very specific tasks after which they are useless or simply run out on you. Lastly is the re-use of one of the galaxies. They basically cut and pasted one of the galaxies into another area and made some minor changes, but considering how most other games re-use most of their assets it would be stupid to complain.
Super Mario Galaxy is a spectacular game. It outshines every other game in its category, and it immerses you in a magical universe of ideas, creativity and gameplay that has rarely been seen before - if ever. Super Mario Galaxy is another example of the best videogames have to offer and it fully deserves to be honored as such without hesitation or second thought. Mario is back and better than ever.
I GIVE SUPER MARIO GALAXY A 10/10 [CLASSIC]
Franchise Bias +
PROS:
- 241 stars to collect
- Couple of big secrets to unlock
- Unbeatable Mario charm
- Some of the best music you will ever hear in a game
- Just about everything else
CONS:
- Camera can give a bad angle now and then
- Power-ups aren't used enough
- Many Levels are pretty short (play time)
VALUE:
- This game is worth full price without a doubt, and it offers plenty of play time after you finish the story if you choose to collect all the stars and unlock the bonuses. You can also replay to better your score for each level.
