I’ll get the formalities out of the way; my name’s Poopface Morty and I’m a new writer. That is all.

Some of you may remember our review of Super Mario Galaxy. To put it lightly, lawl sure as hell didn’t care for it. That’s cool to me, as we all have different tastes, but it seems that about 90% of everyone who read the review disagreed with him. With my first article for the Explosion-of-Sex™ that is MEGATONik, I decided to put up a re-review of the title. Expect more creative articles at a later date, as I’m getting this sumbitch up before everyone forgets about this game. This review isn’t a direct rebuttal to lawl’s, that which I already posted in his review in the comment section, but this is my own standalone review. So, hit the jump to see what I have to say about this game.

One thing I must get off my chest immediately is that Galaxy is NOT the greatest game of all time. At best, it perfects the star collecting formula that Mario has been sticking with since his first foray into 3D about a decade ago, though it stands as one of the best Mario games of all time. Aside from the whole idea of traversing around spherical planetoids while defying gravity (which is amazing), it still is Mario through and through. But to say that it is the greatest game of all time, then you’d have to be kidding yourself. This game may perfect what was great about Mario 64, but for it’s time, Mario 64 was far more impactful than Galaxy. That said, this game is an absolute blast and is the most fun you can get on the Wii at present, Metroid Prime 3 included.

If you aren’t aware by now, the premise is that Mario has now taken to deep space to rescue a once-again captured Princess, and this lends itself to some gravity defying stages. After the initial opening sequence at The Star Festival, you will find yourself on your first planetoid. Although a very memorable moment, you may find yourself disoriented, but this is a great place to show off just a little of what is in store for you. Thankfully, the standard play control is spot on, with most of the actions being identical to past Mario 3D titles. A simple wiggle of the Wii-mote will activate most of the shooting stars to get you to different areas, and it is also your method of attack. The Wii-mote’s cursor also acts as your method of getting star-bits, and using it comes naturally. After becoming acclimated to the controls and completing the initial challenges, you are sent to the Observatory, which serves as the hub of this game.

Storywise, there’s really not much to address. Bowser, who has left his nancy-boy voice acting in Sunshine and now sounds like a relative badass again, kidnaps Peach for the 9,000th time. Mario is assisted by Rosalina, a hotter Peach clone, and from there you’re basically collecting stars. Later in the game you can visit the Observatory Library to get some more background on the game, but this is entirely (and thankfully) optional. Besides Mario RPG and possibly the Paper Mario games, story has never been a strong suit in a Mario title.

You will find that the gravity defying gameplay lends itself to some very creative level designs, some of them the best I’ve ever seen in gaming to date. Prior to the game’s release, I worried that this title would have levels that were essentially a series of mini-planetoids that you hopped to and from in a very linear fashion to get to each star. Although a few galaxies do this in a star challenge here or there, many of them have larger planetoids that act as a more traditional zone. Most (if not all) have smaller planetoids that you will need to access still, so it still retains the excitement of the gravity defying galaxy hopping. As you progress to some of the later levels, you will be thrown for a loop (literally in some cases) as you try to manage your way through tricky gravity changing environments. Just wait until the final stage where you can witness some mindbending challenges.

Mario is also introduced to some new powerups this time around, notably the Bee suit which allows you to briefly fly to high locations, and the Spring suit, which will be needed to reach high areas and even worse, if you’re not careful, to your death. Later you will also be given the ability to fly, but despite being an absolutely amazing experience, this item is featured maybe twice or three times in the game, and one of those places is the Observatory hub.

One gripe I have is that while this game is very fun overall, maybe 10-20 out of the 120 stars are truly difficult to get, while the others are pretty simple. You will amass many lives through each play session (those of which do not save when you turn off the console). Most of the challenge comes in the form of Cosmic Stars that usually require you to do an earlier challenge with a stipulation such as you can only take one hit, or a time limit, or collecting 100 purple coins. In most stages, if you lose a life, you start at checkpoints rather than completely having to start over, which sometimes is a godsend, but for the most part makes the game a lot easier than it should be. Ultimately though, this game isn’t going to make you sweat.

Another problem you will notice before too long is that you’ll be fighting the camera on occasion. What generally happens is the camera will get stuck behind an object while Mario is on the other side, and thus seeing what you are doing nigh impossible. Manually setting the camera is not always responsive as either a) you are in an area where you are prohibited from doing so (which usually isn’t a problem as the orientation is design specific) or b) you are in motion, even if it is ever so slight. This will become a bother at times, and it comes off as unnecessarily clumsy. There are other times where the camera doesn’t position itself ahead enough and you may not see that you are in fact jumping into a black hole.

Graphically speaking, Mario Galaxy isn’t going to make 360 or PS3 owners wet their pants, but this game looks fantastic, especially on an HDTV with component cables. Not once did I experience any hiccup in framerate; this game is as smooth as silk. Finally, although the graphical prowress is impressive (at least, by current Wii standards), the art direction is what makes this game truly shine, and is far more memorable than any bland post-apocalyptic setting from your typical FPS.

For those of you who grew up with older Mario games, you will be excited to hear that many of the classic tunes make a return. The original theme is remixed in a toy/bedroom galaxy, the Bowser stage music from Mario 64 returns almost exactly in original fashion, and to my great surprise, the Airship music from Super Mario 3 has returned. Some of the original tracks are simply outstanding as well, especially the serene and relaxing tune of Spacejunk Galaxy and the epic Battlerock Galaxy. If that isn’t enough, most of the tracks in this game are orchestrated; little to no MIDI to be found here.

All in all, Mario Galaxy is a definite purchase for any Wii owner, whether you are 14, 24, 34, or if you’re a parent looking for a game to get for your child’s newly acquired Wii this holiday season. Mario Galaxy is definitely a welcome site on a console that is looking for some more quality titles. Just bear in mind that the overall premise and gameplay is similar to Mario 64, so if you are looking for a gigantic leap in a different direction, there won’t be much.

Pros:
+ The classic Mario formula is perfected in probably one of the greatest Mario games of all time.
+ Spot on play control without tacky Wii-mote functionality.
+ A vast amount of levels, enemies/bosses, and challenges keep this game fresh.
+ Some of the greatest level design I’ve seen in my 20 years of gaming.
+ A good chunk of the mundane story is optional.

Cons:
- The camera is extremely agitating at times, and when it does get wonky, it can result in your death.
- The ease of difficulty for the majority of stars may turn off gamers looking for a more strict challenge.
- Some of the items are not included enough (namely the flight one).
- This game overall may not be different enough for those of you who have tired of hunting down 120+ stars.

Categories: Nintendo, Platformers, Reviews, Wii