Do not play if you hate fun.
-
-
-
Mario games are usually structured around a similar story line; Princess Peach the ruling monarch of Mushroom Kingdom is kidnapped by Bowser, the nefarious koopa king, time and time again. Motives, backgrounds and settings are practically thrown out the window; the only standard plot devices present are the protagonists, antagonists and conflict. But then again you don't play Mario games for the story, so just know that it's another light-hearted romp through a crazy universe. To avoid spoilers basically Rosalina, a blue dress clad female, is the captain of the Comet Observatory. She offers its services to you and tells you to go collect stars. Bowser has moved to the center of the universe with Peach and the Observatory can go there if it has enough stars to power it up.
-
-
-
Sure SMG's gameplay is extremely simple, all you do is run, jump and spin your way through some of the zaniest levels ever concocted by anyone and anything, all the while being attacked by ravenous zombies and collecting new armor and weapons… wait what? Anyways, SMG is a platformer, but unlike some of the modern platformers out now, you won't be collecting oodles and oodles of random shiny things. Ok I lied; you do just run around grabbing anything that gives off that heavenly sheen and serene sparkle. However collecting is not extremely necessary, all you essentially need to grab are stars and these stars end the current level that you're in, so it doesn't really matter if you grab anything else, but everything helps. Oh and there are no zombies or armor and weapon collecting, sorry folks.
-
-
-
Controlling Mario (your character) with the wii remote and nunchuk attachment (nunchuk is required) is responsive and precise. If you die you only have yourself to blame, or that thowmp that just smooshed you. Executing any of Mario's special jumps is easy, wall kicking is pie, pulling of spin attacks and butt stomps are not only simple but also fun and in the end controlling Mario is just a joy. It's rare when a game can immerse you so well with only its control scheme. Plus simultaneously it does not overdo the wii's motion controls or ignore them completely; SMG becomes second nature quickly.
-
-
-
The graphics deliver; this is the first Wii game that will knock your socks off. Technically its not much, jaggy lines and awkward textures pop up here and there, but there are some sweet lighting effects and animations. But SMG is all about art style; its near lunacy as you go from each miniscule planetoid to the next, words cannot describe the wacky locales you visit. To see SMG in action is a simple pleasure in itself. Accompanying the great graphics is a head banging death metal cuss word spewing soundtrack… naw I'm just pulling your leg. It's mainly remixed nostalgic tunes but awesome remixes at that, plus the main menu ambient hip-hop drum infused soundtrack is sweetness.
-
-
-
Another thing SMG has that is rare is accessibility. Fossilized cheek grabbing grandmothers, 7-year-old siblings and middle-aged soccer moms can all have a pleasant time with SMG. But accompanying this accessibility is a charm and laid back feel. The game doesn't rush you, it doesn't force you to do certain things and it simply offers you a universe that is bristling and oozing with new things to see and stuff to experience. SMG is also highly polished, new stuff is implemented into the game slowly and oddball side quest levels are explained well. Then there are no hit-collision quirks, no level geometry glitches and the camera is pure genius. The main campaign should take at least 10 solid hours, but only 60 of the 120 stars are needed to complete the game. So the other 60 stars offer many more hours of gameplay.
-
-
-
In the end Super Mario Galaxy is a highly recommendable and enjoyable game for all audiences. If you have a Wii this is not to be missed. To call Super Mario Galaxy anything less than fantastic is an offense that will be dealt with fireball launching and butt stomping castigation.
-
-
-
Traditional 5 category scoring.
Gameplay- 9
Graphics- 9
Sound- 10
Value- 9
Tilt- 10
~ 9.3