This is why Super Mario Galaxy will win GOTY... READ! [56k]

Why Super Mario Galaxy will win GOTY...

It's almost that time again... Game of the Year time. There are a ton of great games out there for all systems: Uncharted, Heavently Sword, Metriod Prime 3, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, The Orange Box, and it goes on. But there is one I think stands out above the rest, if only barely. That game is Super Mario Galaxy.

Why this isn't your average Mario...

We've all heard it from various fanboys. "OH NO ANIOTHER MARIO GAME!?!?!". But this is nothing like the Mario we've seen. It's a million times better. Why is that?

So Many Ideas in One Game

I've been astonished by the ammount of creativity in this game. It oozes charm and personality. With each galaxy you reach, you are bet with brand new ideas and a completely unique galaxy, and there are a ton of galaxies.

At one point you are trapped in a bubble, where you must use the wiimote cursor as a fan and move the bubble across the screen.

Next you will be riding a manta ray or riding on top of a ball by titling the controller left and right.

Or you could be moving snow around with the cursor pointer, trying to find a switch on the ground, or just zooming through space... and there is more to do, including the six powerups (or should I say seven) in the game. The bee suit even takes the basic functions of the FLUDD suit and puts it as a small part in the game, which I think is very cool.

And then come the galaxy which are all unique. IGN was right when they said that each galaxy could be in its own game, it's so true. They all have unique gameplay mechanics associated with them and you don't get bored of the game because every galaxy is so different.

It moves the platforming genre and Mario franchise forward

For a long time, I think we were in a platforming slump. We were definitely covered in the days of the N64 with Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64... and some unique platformers like Spyro and Crash on PS1. A couple of jems game out last generation, such as Ratchet and Clank, but I think we can all agree that Mario Sunshine didn't live up to the rest of the Mario games, although it wasn't horrible by any means.

This game takes everything we know about platformers puts it all together, and just expands on everything. This is, without a doubt, my favorite platformer ever, beating out my old favorite Banjo Kazooie. I hope another developer can take the same ammount imagination and creativity found in this game and create a game this great. I'm looking at you, Rare.

Probably the most interesting thing about the game is its gravity system and spherical worlds. It works so well. Sometimes, you won't be sure if you can run on the bottom of a planet and all the sudden the camera turns around to reveal that the bottom has a ton of stuff you didn't see before. Also, the gravity goes without a hitch. If you are on a planet without a black hole and you try to jump off, you will be sucked back into the planet. Try to jump off and you will orbit around the planet, and if you get close to another planet, you will enter its orbit.

Music

I'm going to say this right now - this is probably, no this is the best soundtrack Nintendo has ever made for a game. It is totally amazing. Every song in this game is great, and a large ammount of them are orchestrated. Even when they aren't orchestrated, they are still beautiful. I have had the Good Egg Galaxy song in my head forever, and when you hear the bowser boss fight music, it will make you want to yell in excitement. This is actually an orchestrated song in which the music changes depending onw hat you are doing, you'll just have t play to see what I'm talking about. ;) There is also some fantastic remixes of old songs.

Amazing orchestrated music here

Video featuring remixed SMB3 music

Graphics

The Wii is definitely not known for putting out the best graphics, and it never will be. That said, Mario Galaxy looks amazing. Period. It is without a doubt the best looking game on the system and a great looking game on its own. The game has a great art sty.le and thats where the game really shines. And what is even better is that the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS.

The cutscenes are also quite amazing for a Mario game.

I'm hedging my bets on Halo 3, regardless of whether it's deserving of it or not. Either that, or the Orange Box. We'll have to wait and see though.agentfred

The reason I don't say Halo 3 is this. Game of the Year is typically a game that moves a genre or the series forward. I think Super Mario Galaxy does this and more. Halo 3 is a great game, but I don't think its as fresh as Super Mario Galaxy is.

But yes, I think Orange Box is Galaxy's biggest competition. Mostly because of Portal.

It may be a great game but I don't think It's going to win GOTY...Hinata237

I got this game for my little brother who has a Wii and played it a little bit. The music is so awesome it is my favorite part.

I need a Wii!!!

Well, I think Rotting Christ's Theogonia should get album of the year.twags82

GOTY. On. Lock. There, I said it.

I think SMG has a very good chance of winning GOTY. :)

And about Bowser's boss battle music... it's my favorite tune in the entire game, especially when he gets hit by the fire/lava.

it's my personal GOTY too. no matter what anybody says.

i've played some great games this yer:

-Gears of War

-Rainbow Six Vegas

-Portal

-heavenly Sword

-ratched and Clank

-Zelda Twilight Princess

-CoD4

-Bioshock

-Metroid3

-Dirt

-Lost Planet

-Crackdown

-Halflife2 (Orange Box)

-Halo3

-Flow

-Wii sports

and i have still got to play Assassins Creed, Uncharted and Mass effect and vene maybe Crysis.

But galaxy wins it for me. hands down.

I was just playing Banjo Kazooie today. I finally have all 100 jigsaw puzzles, all 900 notes, all 24 hollow honeycombs, I think all the Mumbo Tokens, and everything else you can get, besides stop and swap after nine years. I haven't played Super Mario Galaxy yet, but I think Banjo Tooie and Banjo Kazooie are still the best platformers, by far.

Nice read, man. I can't wait to finally try out this game. It looked amazing when I first saw it, but I never thought that it would get as much praise as it is getting. It seems like such an interesting game, especially with the spherical levels. We finally have the ultimate three dimensional platformer that moves the genre forward. I still have to wait to get it for Christmas, though... It is going to be hard waiting that long.

Well, I think I'll go back to some classic platforming while I'm waiting...

I think SMG has a very good chance of winning GOTY. :)

And about Bowser's boss battle music... it's my favorite tune in the entire game, especially when he gets hit by the fire/lava.

Moon_of_Majora

you're wrong. Those are great reasons why it will be nominated. it will win because it is accessible to anyone. The "family fun" and "undeniable charm" medals will win GOTY for galaxy. I'm basing that on the write ups for GOTY winners of the past. I'm not saying kiddy game, either. It's the accessibility. A game has to be noticed by everyone to be GOTY, not just video game fans on forums

galaxy is the game that anyone could relate to, regardless of video game experience. From hardcore to casual to newbie

I'm hedging my bets on Halo 3, regardless of whether it's deserving of it or not. Either that, or the Orange Box. We'll have to wait and see though.agentfred

[QUOTE="Moon_of_Majora"]

I think SMG has a very good chance of winning GOTY. :)

And about Bowser's boss battle music... it's my favorite tune in the entire game, especially when he gets hit by the fire/lava.

Shinobishyguy

The Megaleg song is the best, but I seem to be the only one that likes it. You also have to be on Megaleg to hear the good part, when your not on him the music is different.

The way I see it, Super Mario Galaxy's main competitors are Crysis and World in Conflict.

The reason I speak of only those two is that according to GameSpot, Crysis was such a great FPS it basically set up a new standard which leads me to believe the other big titles (Halo 3, Bioshock, Orange Box) won't be comparable. How can you call a game the most perfect evolution of the genre, then give GOTY to another game in that genre?

I see these titles as rivals to Super Mario Galaxy because where Super Mario Galaxy excels (gameplay, creativity, music), Crysis and WiC keep pace. It's no secret these games have been lauded by GameSpot as breathing fresh air into their respective genres, genres which are extremely competitive.

But where Crysis and WiC excel, Super Mario Galaxy does not keep pace. Its graphics are utterly uncomparable to these two, and there's no online or long term MP to speak of. This sort of thing shouldn't be relevent to a review (where games are rated on their platforms, in their genre) but it definitely should be to the GOTY award.

So basically, it's a three way race this year IMO.

GOTY comes down to Crysis and Super Mario Galaxy imo. But nice post.

IMO, the biggest achievement in Super Mario Galaxy is not only the "out of this world" level design, but the music/ sound design as well. Never before has a game had such variety in its score and have it represented so well. Sound effects are also outstanding. The sound in the game is definitely a big part in your want to move forward.

Solid Gameplay, amazing look, innovative new environments and gamepaly... all is topped by the music.

I agree but I think you got one of your facts wrong. I thought it was said to run at 30fps.Relys

nope, its 60. :D -
"The title runs at 60 frames per second" - last page of the IGN review.

GOTY comes down to Crysis and Super Mario Galaxy imo. But nice post.

IMO, the biggest achievement in Super Mario Galaxy is not only the "out of this world" level design, but the music/ sound design as well. Never before has a game had such variety in its score and have it represented so well. Sound effects are also outstanding. The sound in the game is definitely a big part in your want to move forward.

Solid Gameplay, amazing look, innovative new environments and gamepaly... all is topped by the music.

kansasdude2009

SMG made me realize sound > graphics. SMG, even with the "kiddiest" graphics possible, still feels epic because of the music.

[QUOTE="kansasdude2009"]

GOTY comes down to Crysis and Super Mario Galaxy imo. But nice post.

IMO, the biggest achievement in Super Mario Galaxy is not only the "out of this world" level design, but the music/ sound design as well. Never before has a game had such variety in its score and have it represented so well. Sound effects are also outstanding. The sound in the game is definitely a big part in your want to move forward.

Solid Gameplay, amazing look, innovative new environments and gamepaly... all is topped by the music.

sexy_chimp

SMG made me realize sound > graphics. SMG, even with the "kiddiest" graphics possible, still feels epic because of the music.

:D - battlerock theme!

:D - Ending Theme

:D - My favorite Theme! (dont ask why - I just really like it)

[QUOTE="sexy_chimp"][QUOTE="kansasdude2009"]

GOTY comes down to Crysis and Super Mario Galaxy imo. But nice post.

IMO, the biggest achievement in Super Mario Galaxy is not only the "out of this world" level design, but the music/ sound design as well. Never before has a game had such variety in its score and have it represented so well. Sound effects are also outstanding. The sound in the game is definitely a big part in your want to move forward.

Solid Gameplay, amazing look, innovative new environments and gamepaly... all is topped by the music.

kansasdude2009

SMG made me realize sound > graphics. SMG, even with the "kiddiest" graphics possible, still feels epic because of the music.

:D - battlerock theme!

:D - Ending Theme

:D - My favorite Theme! (dont ask why - I just really like it)

Bowser Star Reactor

They still don't have the Megaleg song though :evil:

This game takes everything we know about platformers puts it all together, and just expands on everything. This is, without a doubt, my favorite platformer ever, beating out my old favorite Banjo Kazooie. I hope another developer can take the same ammount imagination and creativity found in this game and create a game this great. I'm looking at you, Rare.

Homesrfan

You sound exactly like me minus the Rare trolling. >_>

I was just playing Banjo Kazooie today. I finally have all 100 jigsaw puzzles, all 900 notes, all 24 hollow honeycombs, I think all the Mumbo Tokens, and everything else you can get, besides stop and swap after nine years. I haven't played Super Mario Galaxy yet, but I think Banjo Tooie and Banjo Kazooie are still the best platformers, by far.

DeathScape666

You are one of my new favorite posters.

Any site that gives The Orange Box GOTY will lose any credibility with me that they had. The main game in that set is like 3 years old from crying out loud... how stupid would it be for a game made in 2004 to win GOTY 2007? The Orange Box is a good value, but can't be used as a GOTY candidate unless you're out of your mind. It'd be like Ocarina of Time winning GOTY because IGN gave the VC game a 10... it'd be just downright dumb.

As I sit here at my computer, listening to the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack on the internet, less than 30 minutes after beating it with 77 stars, and still actively hunting down the rest, I have to completely agree with you. I don't think I've ever played a game that has been so entertaining, creative, well orchestrated, and simply plain fun before. Maybe it's because of all the "serious" and "mature"games I've been playing like Halo 3, Orange Box (The HL part anyway), Assassin's Creed, WiC, etc. but SMG felt really fresh and great for me.

The game is so amazing in so many ways. The gameplay is new and original, one of the best of any Mario platformer. The levels are designed perfectly. Whether you're dodging an unstoppable barrage of cannonballs, orclimbing to the top of a slowly sinking volcano in a desperate attempt to survive, or simply catching a ride on a giant floating dandelion, every level feels like something special. The music, is great too. The orchestrated music fits with every level and fits every theme. You'll feel good exploring the Good Egg Galaxy for the first time, while feeling epic and determined when challenging Bowser for the survival of the Universe. I could go on and on, but I'll save that for my review of the game.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this game is amazing and it would be a complete and utter shame against humanity if this game did not win GOTY. It would be even worse if Halo 3 won. In fact, the very idea of Halo 3 beating Galaxy for title of GOTY hurts my soul. :P

Where did you get the soundtrack? I didn't know it was out. I'm dying for the song that plays during the storybook parts... so peaceful.bretthorror

Heh, sorry about that. There is no soundtrack for SMG. I simply looked up the music on various sites like Youtube and found a bunch of the songs. Still, I'd love it if Nintendo released a Galaxy Official Soundtrack.