Super Mario Galaxy
Publisher Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2007 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.8 \ 10.0: Masterful
There are many great 3D platformers out there, but this is easily one of the greatest. One of Super Mario Galaxy’s most noticeable features is its beautiful visuals. The game’s lush, vivid worlds really stand out, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a rigid character model or low-res texture. This pushes the limits of a non-HD console. This is a Mario game, so the gameplay is fantastic, but even more so then usual. Just as in the first 3D Mario platformer, 1996’s 64-bit classic, Super Mario 64, (Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, which came several months before it, is pseudo-3D, but it's an RPG, of course) you must collect 120 golden Power Stars in order to gain access to the final level. The plot is very similar to that of the SMG’s many predecessors— Bowser, the tyrannical, reptilian nemesis of Mario, kidnaps Princess Peach, but things are a bit different this time. The game starts out at nighttime, and the Mushroom Kingdom Mushroom Kingdom Castle , receiving greetings from Toads along the way. Once you reach the castle, a fleet of Bowser’s airships begin to blockade the kingdom, setting it ablaze with meteors. Sadly watching the chaos from the castle’s front balcony, Peach clutches a baby Luma, a small, star-like inhabitant of the cosmos, to her chest. As you approach the castle, another cut-scene begins. A large UFO of Bowser’s hovers above the castle and shoots a laser beam around the castle, damaging the ground. Four airships begin to lift the castle with chains, and Mario leaps onto the castle, but as it’s lifted into space, you’re knocked out by a Magikoopa’s spell, and the Luma flees from Peach’s grasp as the castle disappears in a flash of light. Peach thinks Mario is gone for good, but he's really just unconscious. You wake up on an odd-looking planetoid, and you are then confronted by three Star Bunnies who refuse to tell you what you’re doing on the planetoid, and you must catch them. After they’re caught, they transform into Lumas, one being the baby. They then introduce you to Rosalina, their mysterious, teal-robed ruler, whom they call their mother. Once you’ve been teleported to Rosalina’s damaged cosmic observatory, the adventure truly begins. You must travel from galaxy to galaxy in order to complete the game. Many of the stages are long, but fun, and some are short, but difficult. The boss fights are epic, the galaxies are well-designed, detailed and beautiful, and the orchestral soundtrack is fantastic— the music from the game’s first galaxy, Good Egg, was recomposed and included in Sega’s 2009 title, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, which I first heard it in. (The difference of the original version was so overwhelming, I shed tears of joy!) The game’s universe is made up of the observatory’s seven domes— the Terrace, the Fountain, the Kitchen, the Bedroom, the Engine Room, and at the top of observatory is the secret Garden, which not surprisingly, is the most dangerous. The seventh dome is called the Gateway, but it just grants you access to the tutorial galaxy, Gateway Galaxy. You can even uncover the observatory’s library and have Rosalina read you stories of her mysterious (and sad) childhood.The game's new gravity feature may be the best new feature-- it proves ingenious in many situations. I do wish game were a bit less difficult— galaxies such as Bubble Breeze and Matter Splatter are far too difficult for me to enjoy. All the un-enjoyment is eliminated by the brilliant features of the game, though. But the difficulty can sometimes be a good thing— for example my favorite galaxy, Honeyhive, is rather simple, but enjoyable, but my other two favorites— Battlerock Galaxy and Dreadnaught Galaxy, are both challenging. Battlerock is mostly composed of outer-space minefields, boulder-like planetoids, futuristic hazards, obstacle-filled space stations, and large battleships, and the boss fight with Topmaniac, the insane ruler of the Topmans, who are top-like, spinning robots, who’s technically a bionic buzz saw, is fun. (Though the stage in which you must fight him with a single life mark is not) Then there’s Dreadnaught, which is about four times as hard, is composed of bigger minefields, contains much larger, much more dangerous space stations, metal, generator-like planetoids with deadly laser beams circling above them, and colossal warships, and in the stage Revenge of the Topman Tribe, you once again fight Topmaniac, who’s out for vengeance. Some of the end-of-world levels, mostly the ones in which you battle Bowser Jr., Bowser’s mischievous son, are fun as well. This especially goes for Bowser Jr.’s Airship Armada. While the level is a bit difficult, the battle, which has you throwing Koopa shells at Bowser Jr.’s small airship, is a bit of a cakewalk until he starts launching heat-seeking Bullet Bills. Once Bowser Jr.’s down to his final life, he gets agitated and fires six Bullet Bills at once, which I consider his “fatal attack”. One time, when he unleashed the “fatal attack”, all six Bullet Bills were homing in on me right after I threw a shell. I had six life marks, but I thought I was a goner (okay, I admit it wouldn't have really happened-- I would've only lost one life mark, but can't a blogger create a suspenseful scene?), but right before I could get blown into oblivion, the shell struck the airship, and the Grand Star, a large Power Star found at the end of every world appeared, causing the Bullet Bills to explode. A second player can join in only as an orange cursor. This cursor can collect and shoot Star Bits, hold down small enemies and spin to destroy them, and hold large enemies in place. This game is extremely entertaining, and I very highly recommend it to all gamers, especially platforming fans seeking the experience a gem of the genre.
Ups
Very creative
Beautiful visuals
Incredible soundtrack
Just plain amazing
Downs
Sometimes frustrating
ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)
