A new style to a old classic is exciting at first, but become repetative soon.
Mario Galaxy starts off great, using the Wiimote and Nunchuck as well as any decent Wii game the controls feel natural while still keeping the wii's motion sensing in the game play. The controls themselves are rather simple meaning they're quick to pick up giving you plenty of time for mastery and developing your own play style, which any good plat former should do.
As for the game play, those with a persuasion to motion sickness should stay far away from this one. The constant loop de loop around small asteroid like planets could easily send one to the floor or worse. Luckily in standard Nintendo fashion, a lot of work and design was put into making the style as family friendly as possible. So while it can be a little tough on the stomach is you try to make it that way (by shifting the camera in certain ways while moving mario about topsy turvy) overall with a little camera control it's rather easy to stay away from upset stomach difficulty mode. As for the core play it's self, it will be very fun and interesting at first. After a few hours you'll find that you've adjusted and the exhilaration of it is over and now it's just fun. A few more hours from that and you'll realize that the games simplicity is just complicated enough to begin feeling partially like a chore instead of fun. More complex than original Mario but far simpler than other adventure games like Tomb Raider or such, tends to feel like an unhappy middle ground. You can't just relax totally and enjoy a simple game nor can you really delve in and get absorbed into a complex frantic action game. It eventually becomes a droning of "Push forward, wiggle wrist, flip wrist, push forward, wiggle, flick and repeat"
Visually, the game is on par with that of Mario Sunshine. While minor upgrades have been made one must remember that the Wii has little more power than the Gamecube did, since the focus was on Motion Sense instead of graphics. Still the visuals do nothing to take away from the game; universes are still interesting and beautifully designed while at the same time characters are cute and lively. Just don't be expecting a contender to the Unreal 3 engine or anything you may find on Xbox or Playstation in this day and age.
Rundown
The Good
+Fun game play even after a long time of play. It does get rather drab after a few hours but it never feels painful in terms of repetition.
+Levels. While over all they all play very similar the design to each and every level feels unique and thought through. Every level feels cared for and designed specifically for it's self.
+Hey it's a' me Mario! Fact is I can't think of a BAD Mario game, though Mario Through time on the SNES was pretty close. Overall if you get this or any Mario time chances are you'll find yourself enjoying it at some point and for some amount of time.
The Bad
-Controls - Don't get me wrong the controls ARE easy to learn. Over time though they do tend to feel inadequate for the situations. The limited moves Mario does have will be enough to get any hardy adventurer through alive, but it still feels a little drab for the standard Mario assortment since Sunshine and Paper came out.
-Mario and friends - More puzzling than anything is the inclusion of a type of multiplayer. If you're looking for a game to play with friends get almost anything but this. It's not a true horrible since the two player is so close to not existing it can't be counted as good or bad. Instead of playing with you, player two merely using the star cursor to launch stars at baddies while player one controls Mario and does everything else. Through game play I rarely used star shooting and to give someone only that doesn't feel like coop but something you'd do to keep your little brother occupied while you actually played the game by yourself.
-Haven't I been here before? - As is becoming a common ground for games today, in an attempt to drastically extend the game you will be able too (and in many cases just to proceed to the next area) be required to play the same levels over and over again to obtain enough stars to unlock new planets and new galaxies. While at first this is rather interesting as every time you go back for a new star you explore a slightly altered version of the level previous. While this is interesting to watch as you shoot through the worlds area and see the places you've been before zip by you, many a time you'll end up running the prior level all the way through so just at the end you can find one last star jump that wasn't there before that will send you to a boss. Long term this becomes tiring as you realize every planet you go to will require you to beat it 3 to five times.
Overall Mario Galaxy is something any and every Wii owner should have. It's a blast when it's new and something to do once it's old to you. The camera rarely does have issue and usually assists the player more than hinders, the few issues one may have typically are in situations without baddies or other stressful situations. Veterans and more experienced gamers will find themselves wondering where he real game is, feeling near the end that the game was a lot of pretty colors but not much meat. Though the game has great length this can at some points feel more taxing than anything, as some though very few levels do tend to be un-enjoyable due to level mechanics. Still, it's worth the play if you own a Wii and are looking for a good game be it action or anything else this should do the trick.