Review: SuperMario Galaxy - 05/05/2008 by Michael
Platform
Super Mario Galaxy.
The greatness of Mario continues on the Wii with a highly original new game that is super fun. The concept of each one of the levels being a self contained micro world or galaxy is just another feather in the cap of Nintendo's designers. They continually recreate and evolve existing gaming platforms into intriguing and enjoyable new ones. This game showcases what Nintendo does differently to the other gaming platforms. Whilst others compete for the prettiest looking power sucking graphics with 7.1 sound and as close to real life feel, Nintendo just does old fashioned child like fun. This game is a real tribute to the alternative thinking that has made the Wii a winner against the PS3 and 360, despite having only a fraction of the processing power..
The game starts off like most Mario games, everything is super sickeningly happy until Bowser rocks up and takes Princess Peach. So call an Italian plumber of course. This time Bowser has stolen the power of the stars and has run off to the far reaches of the galaxy. Luckily there is a spaceship run by a lovely young lady and populated by lumas, which are ridiculously cute baby stars. And so we start to search the galaxy for power stars to power up the ship to get to Peach. Thats about the whole story for the game, but who needs plot in a Mario game anyway..
No, Mario is about a plethora of crazy worlds and the crazy puzzles that lie within. Now when you hit your first galaxy you will be a little disorientated, or maybe a lot, as the incredible 3 dimensional layout is entirely new to your brain. It can take a little to get used to, as if some previously unused section of your brain has to wake itself up from a million years rest. This game does not try to over use the Wii remote, in fact the majority of the controls are very conventional, but instead concentrates on making the most mind bending jump in in-game physics. I refer to the way in which you can now run completely around spherical or other odd shaped mini worlds, but the trick is at various times you will appear to be upside down or standing horizontally, and then sometimes the gravity will change as well, so knowing up from down can be the most challenging part of this game..
It is so much fun getting to a new world and working out how it works, every one has its own inhabitants and style as well as challenges, the game almost always feels fresh and you don't feel like you are just going over the same ground again and again. Some worlds you swim, others you fly, others you bounce like a spring and sometimes you float around in space. Even just the scope of each level has been widely expanded by using the stars that fire you across the galaxies and allow you to see the level from a birds eye view. This game is epic in design and feel, you feel as though you traveled through the far reaches of space because whilst each world is only small there are some many that it seem you have done a lot..
This brings me to one very big gripe with this game, and that is the ending, if you can call it that. Now upon completion of the game, when you have all 120 stars having negotiated every challenge, even Luigi's purple coins and the purple comet on the dreadnaught galaxy, instead of a nice slap on the back or a handshake, you are rewarded by unlocking Luigi, and sent off to do the ENTIRE game again. And no the levels don't change its all the same. BOO. I have others games that need playing, I don't have time for this nonsense. And the final insult is that after getting the 120 with luigi, you get the 241st star on the ultra happy level, then Nintendo sends you a letter to your Wii mail which is a picture of Peach and all the other goons and a note of thanks. Lame. Super Lame. Surely they could think of something a little cooler than doing the game over as a prize for finishing. But maybe they were out of cool ideas, as they used them up in the game itself..
I feel better now I've said that, back to the praising. The game is awesome, and is one of those next step games so if you haven't played it you are missing out, so get a Wii, they are only cheap anyhow. Go on, go get it.