Wildly imaginative, breathtaking in it's execution...this is the successor to Mario 64 that everyone has been hoping.
Super Mario Galaxy is a impressive game and one that took me back quite a few times. There is nothing more exhilarating than seeing Mario soar over entire planets, sparkling in their light before making a landing. It's that kind of breathtaking wonder that Mario needs to be just that, Mario. The game is pretty much the same as Mario 64 in terms of objectives. You run around an overworld (though not nearly as large or interesting as Peach's castle) going into "observatories" to pick the galaxy you wish to collect stars in. You pick a star for grabbing and off you go, what sets it apart from Mario 64 is the way in which you collect the stars.
The game is very linear from this point on, but that certainly is not a negative. You jump, glide and dash from planet to planet on your way to the next star. You figure out HOW to get from Point A to Point B and the journey is certainly more entertaining than the destination. Maybe you need a Bee Suit, maybe you need to figure out gravity puzzles...the game really doesn't hold back here.
My only complaint is collecting stars gets pretty old if you play for extended periods. Yes, you will be taken aback by the beautiful level design but after collecting the Nth star, you want something new. The side missions would do the job, but the irregularity of their spawning takes that one clean away.
I highly recommend this one to Wii owners, easily one of the best games of the year.