Super Mario Galaxy Review -- 7.4/10

[B.A.M.]

To start things off I?m going to give you a brief history with myself and 3D Mario games.

Super Mario 64: Didn?t like it at all. In fact, I got only 15 stars before I called it quits.

Super Mario Sunshine: Enjoyed it a great deal until the camera angle made things too frustrating. I also got bored with it.

As you can see, I?m not really a Mario fan. I?m saying this for you to keep in mind when reading this review. Despite my dislike for previous games I?m going to try to make this review as unbiased as possible?.So bear with me. :P



Basic Information

1.Platform: Wii
2.Publisher: Nintendo
3.Developer: Nintendo
4.ESRB Rating: Everyone
5.North American Release Date: November 12th ,2007
6.Genre: Platformer
7.Multi-player Yes

Super Mario Galaxy (SMG) starts outwith a star festival in Mushroom Kingdom; during which you go to visit Peach at her castle. As shocking as this may seem, Bowser appears in a UFO and causes chaos. Mario hastily runs to save Peach only to get knocked unconscious by Bowser's henchmen as Peach is taken away. Once awoken, you meet Rosalina who is the mother of small star shaped creatures, which then aid you on your quest to rescue your lost one, known as ?Lumas?.

The object from here on out is to go to galaxy to galaxy and help others. Galaxies can be found and reaches through Observatory which are found throughout Rosalina's observatory. The reward you receive, as you well know, is a Power Star. Similar to previous games you unlock galaxies through getting Power Stars. Of course, there are bonus ones and multiple stars to get in most galaxies.

To get to Power Stars you have to complete certain tasks. This could be rescuing Toads, completing a minigame, defeating an enemy, or just solving a puzzle. Along with the famous coins you also collect star shaped star bits. These are easy and fun to collect. Once you collect a set of fifty star bits you also gain an extra life. Not to mention you can also feed them to lumas to move on past a level or stage of the game. Also, in different Galaxies you sometimes find a unique way to progress through the galaxy. This could be being ice skating or putting on a bee suit and buzzing around. This gives a nice refreshing feeling from the usual attack, ground pound, and jump we see in 3D Mario games.

But the most unique thing about SMG is that almost every part of a galaxy has something that has its own gravitational force. Basically, one can walk, jump, and do anything else upright, sideways, and upside-down. This occurs when you are on a small planet. These are mostly shaped like spheres but can be any shape as well.

SMG does well camera-wise. During the parts in which you aren?t on a planet the camera is okay, but it doesn?t stop you from completing tasks which is what?s important. When you are on a planet though, the camera is perfect. (Yah, the camera works better when the gravity is all messed up. ;)) Naturally, you will feel dizzy when you first start but it is very easy to adjust to the camera. (And this is coming from a guy who refuses to go on a rollercoaster.  :P)

Unless you don?t own a Wii and are completely oblivious you know that the control scheme is different than every Mario game since?ever. Thankfully, the controls are simple. You move around with the thumb stick on the Nunchuck, jump with the ?A? button, move your cursor with the Wii-mote, shoot star bits with ?B?, and perform the spin attack by shacking the Wii-mote. (As I said, fairly simple. :P) The controls are perfectly done as they make the game more fun and exciting.

One very noticeable thing that I found different from previous Mario games, that I?ve played, was the rushed feeling I received. This was created in part by the music but also in the level design. It?s linear to say the least. You find the Sling Stars (Stars that move you from planet to planet), move to the next planet while flying through space, and repeat until you get to the star. Not to mention the lack of exploration in Rosalina's observatory. This lack of adventure makes SMG more like a very large and long arcade game. A result of the arcade/linear feel is the lack of replayability. Basically, you?d be forced to do the exact same thing the exact same way when playing again. The original Sonic game has more options than SMG does. Granted, there are plenty of levels for you to play through so replayabillity doesn?t matter as much as it does in SMG?s predecessors.

Graphically, SMG is sort of a letdown.  Others may say the graphics are the best the Wii has seen but I just feel it could have been better. Granted, it looks pretty and cute and if that?s what you?re after then that is great. But for me, it wasn?t. It might have been because of the size of my small T.V. (I?m not sure if that makes it worse but it is much smaller than everyone else?s.) but I just wasn?t blown away as I should have been from a premium Nintendo game. Either way, it was nice to look at most of the time and if that?s what you?re after than it is great.

The music itself is fast paced with a fantasy/grand adventure feel. It actually fits the game perfectly and is quite enjoyable. The music, as mention before, aids to the arcade feel as well. Hell, I actually listened to the music while writing this review because I like it so much. :P

Lastly, there is a multiplayer option for SMG but it isn?t really worth it. Basically, a friend uses a Wii mote similar to yours. He can make you jump, shoot star bits, and collect them. Personally, experiencing the game for yourself is probably for the best.

 
Overall, it was good. It wasn?t bad and I suppose I had a fun time but I wasn?t compelled to collect all 120 Power Stars. (You can actually collect 242 but that involves playing through the game as Luigi after beating it) I know many of you are mouthing the words ?What the hell?? right now but I feel that for the kind of game SMG was set out to be by Nintendo and hyped by the media and the fans it wasn?t that good. However, as I think about it, this game isn?t built for me. It has an arcade pace while being a Mario 3D game, two things I haven?t really liked. Despite this, the game delivers and is well worth the money, especially if you are a Mario fan.

Rating: 7.4/10 A.K.A. Good

[Nayrman]

If you have a small tv it will look worse. Besides, it's the Wii, it has bad graphics. We need to completely throw out the graphics arguments for all Wii games unless they're ludicrously bad.
I think you're putting too much focus on the "star collecting" part of the game. Yea, its the same thing as the past games, but hey, as long as it isn't a bad thing it's not that big a deal (at least they keep it interesting). I mean, Snake's been sneaking, Sonic's been running, and Mario's been collecting stuff their entire careers and it still manages to be fun. Sorry, I just had the "redundancy" argument. If you hate redundancy, then you hate all sequels to games cuz that's basically all they are X_X;;

[B.A.M.]

If you have a small tv it will look worse. Besides, it's the Wii, it has bad graphics. We need to completely throw out the graphics arguments for all Wii games unless they're ludicrously bad.
I think you're putting too much focus on the "star collecting" part of the game. Yea, its the same thing as the past games, but hey, as long as it isn't a bad thing it's not that big a deal (at least they keep it interesting). I mean, Snake's been sneaking, Sonic's been running, and Mario's been collecting stuff their entire careers and it still manages to be fun. Sorry, I just had the "redundancy" argument. If you hate redundancy, then you hate all sequels to games cuz that's basically all they are X_X;;

SMG isn't necessarily a sequel. Though it may seem like that because Nintendo games generally don't change in terms of gameplay much. Hell, look at Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, LoZ, or anything else for that matter.

Graphics are still important despite it being on the Wii. Still, that's not why I gave it a 7.4. I only care about the graphics if they are just down right terrible. The score was what is was because the game was just good. It didn't have a major flaw and didn't have something that made it great. It was just a good game.

Also, I don't mind the traditional Mario gameplay, or I'm not criticizing it. I found the lack of adventure in SMG extremely disappointing.

[Nayrman]

If you have a small tv it will look worse. Besides, it's the Wii, it has bad graphics. We need to completely throw out the graphics arguments for all Wii games unless they're ludicrously bad.
I think you're putting too much focus on the "star collecting" part of the game. Yea, its the same thing as the past games, but hey, as long as it isn't a bad thing it's not that big a deal (at least they keep it interesting). I mean, Snake's been sneaking, Sonic's been running, and Mario's been collecting stuff their entire careers and it still manages to be fun. Sorry, I just had the "redundancy" argument. If you hate redundancy, then you hate all sequels to games cuz that's basically all they are X_X;;

SMG isn't necessarily a sequel. Though it may seem like that because Nintendo games generally don't change in terms of gameplay much. Hell, look at Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, LoZ, or anything else for that matter.

Graphics are still important despite it being on the Wii. Still, that's not why I gave it a 7.4. I only care about the graphics if they are just down right terrible. The score was what is was because the game was just good. It didn't have a major flaw and didn't have something that made it great. It was just a good game.

Also, I don't mind the traditional Mario gameplay, or I'm not criticizing it. I found the lack of adventure in SMG extremely disappointing.

Oh so you're criticizing the linear aspects of it. Which was my major flaw with it.
It did advance gameplay a bit with the gravtiy puzzles, jumping, and the like. But its not like you can do a whole lot with jumping

[Ridley]

If you have a small tv it will look worse. Besides, it's the Wii, it has bad graphics. We need to completely throw out the graphics arguments for all Wii games unless they're ludicrously bad.
I think you're putting too much focus on the "star collecting" part of the game. Yea, its the same thing as the past games, but hey, as long as it isn't a bad thing it's not that big a deal (at least they keep it interesting). I mean, Snake's been sneaking, Sonic's been running, and Mario's been collecting stuff their entire careers and it still manages to be fun. Sorry, I just had the "redundancy" argument. If you hate redundancy, then you hate all sequels to games cuz that's basically all they are X_X;;

SMG isn't necessarily a sequel. Though it may seem like that because Nintendo games generally don't change in terms of gameplay much. Hell, look at Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, LoZ, or anything else for that matter.

Graphics are still important despite it being on the Wii. Still, that's not why I gave it a 7.4. I only care about the graphics if they are just down right terrible. The score was what is was because the game was just good. It didn't have a major flaw and didn't have something that made it great. It was just a good game.

Also, I don't mind the traditional Mario gameplay, or I'm not criticizing it. I found the lack of adventure in SMG extremely disappointing.

Oh so you're criticizing the linear aspects of it. Which was my major flaw with it.
It did advance gameplay a bit with the gravtiy puzzles, jumping, and the like. But its not like you can do a whole lot with jumping

Oh my gosh! When I saw the haunted house, I thought I was going to get to explore a huge house that was bigger than the 64 one but it just dragged me through a few rooms and I didn't explore anything.

[thunderhero4]

I take it you dont like games of this genre?

This game was great for what it is, and it is also similar to Sonic because of it's linear-ness

It was meant to be more fun than long, and its still pretty long too

[B.A.M.]

I take it you dont like games of this genre?

This game was great for what it is, and it is also similar to Sonic because of it's linear-ness

It was meant to be more fun than long, and its still pretty long too

Not so much of 3D Mario games which I mentioned more than once.

I actually compared it to Sonic saying that Sonic is less linear despite it being a 2D platformer.

There are a lot of stars to collect but this game can be beaten in a very short time. It all depends on your patience and whether or not you love the game.

[Nayrman]

I take it you dont like games of this genre?

This game was great for what it is, and it is also similar to Sonic because of it's linear-ness

It was meant to be more fun than long, and its still pretty long too

Not so much of 3D Mario games which I mentioned more than once.

I actually compared it to Sonic saying that Sonic is less linear despite it being a 2D platformer.

There are a lot of stars to collect but this game can be beaten in a very short time. It all depends on your patience and whether or not you love the game.

I could get all 120 in 1 day if I so chose. Hell, on my FIRST playthrough I got em all in 2 days X_X;;

[B.A.M.]

I take it you dont like games of this genre?

This game was great for what it is, and it is also similar to Sonic because of it's linear-ness

It was meant to be more fun than long, and its still pretty long too

Not so much of 3D Mario games which I mentioned more than once.

I actually compared it to Sonic saying that Sonic is less linear despite it being a 2D platformer.

There are a lot of stars to collect but this game can be beaten in a very short time. It all depends on your patience and whether or not you love the game.

I could get all 120 in 1 day if I so chose. Hell, on my FIRST playthrough I got em all in 2 days X_X;;

I have to say, that's impressive. :P

[Nayrman]

I take it you dont like games of this genre?

This game was great for what it is, and it is also similar to Sonic because of it's linear-ness

It was meant to be more fun than long, and its still pretty long too

Not so much of 3D Mario games which I mentioned more than once.

I actually compared it to Sonic saying that Sonic is less linear despite it being a 2D platformer.

There are a lot of stars to collect but this game can be beaten in a very short time. It all depends on your patience and whether or not you love the game.

I could get all 120 in 1 day if I so chose. Hell, on my FIRST playthrough I got em all in 2 days X_X;;

I have to say, that's impressive. :P

My death count was only 10...7 of them on purple coin challenges X_X;;
That game was way too easy. Even tho I've played Mario 64 to death I die more times in that game...