In 1985, Mario revolutionized the gaming industry. 23 years later, he proves that he is still the brightest star of all.
So great is it in fact, that I am at a loss for where to start on this review.
Anyways, I shall start with the graphics. The game runs smoothly at all times, and during my 80+ hours of playtime with the game so far, I'm yet to detect any sort of slowdown or messy frame rate. Each world is incredibly colourful, but not in a cutesy fashion, and the gorgeous backgrounds of outer space are beautiful to look at. Mario himself looks as good as ever, as does his taller yet slimmer brother, who pops up at unexpected moments during the course of the adventure. All in all, aside from possibly Metroid Prime 3, this game sets the bar for graphics on the Wii.
However, don't think you will have time to stop and stare at the game's beauty - there is so much to do, so much to discover that you won't get a chance. With the usual amount of stars to collect, 120 in all, you'll have an awful lot to do, and there are so many little secrets hidden around the games many stages that you're almost guaranteed to find something new every time you pick up the remote, whether that be another star or simply an asortment of star bits (the game's form of currency) floating in the background.
The tasks you need to complete to obtain these stars range from racing a Boo ghost, stomping a giant mole (one of the game's many bosses), and even easing the pain of the Queen Bee by picking up the star shards on her body. Basically, the things you need to do to collect these stars varies greatly, resulting in players never getting bored of picking up stars, and being guaranteed to do something different every time. Another feature in the game are the 'comets', which appear at certain times on the game's levels, and they help to add a new twist to each level. There are many different types, such as the 'Daredevil' comet, where you only have 1 piece of health - when you get hit, you die, and also the 'purple' comments, where you have to pick up 100 specially placed purple coins in each level to get a star. Again, this helps in add to the variety in the game. All in all, Super Mario Galaxy will take you quite a while to beat, as it starts out easy, but can provide a great deal of challenge at certain points, making it a very well balanced and accessible game.
And even after you have all 120 stars, it still isn't the end, as you will find out...
Another option that increases the accessibility of the game is that a second player can pick up another remote, and assist the first player in collecting star bits, and even fire them at enemies on the screen, thus making life easier for the first player also. While this feature may feel a little tacked on to some, it does help in making the game accessible to younger players, who may simply want to join in with a parent's or older player's game.
Adding to the game's charm is it's beautifully crafted soundtrack. It just oozes charm from the moment you set foot into the observatory (the game's hub world of sorts), and changes dramatically yet sutiably dependsing on the level. You'll find yourself humming along to the tunes in the main levels in no time, and for fans of the series there is another treat - many of the themes from the series' previous games also find their way into Super Mario Galaxy, providing a special nostalgic feel for fans of the series and the mustachioed man himself.
However, none of the above points would mean a thing if the gameplay itself wasn't up to scratch. Happily, I can easily say that it is. It's extremely easy to pick up the controls, with the Nunchuck being used to move Mario, the Z Button used to crouch, the B button used to fire star bits by aiming with the Wiimote, and the A button making Mario jump, with consecutive presses making him do double or even triple jumps, as seen in Super Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine. You'll get used to it in no time, and it will feel so natural, so second nature, that you'll be doing all manner of crazy jumps and ambiious leaps of faith in no time. There are a couple of points where the remote's tilt function is used in other ways as well, but I would not want to spoil the surprise; that's always been the fun thing about the Mario series, with a surprise being around every corner. The game manages to get the camera aspect spot on too, with the D-pad being used to rotate the camera angle as needed, meaning you'll never be stuck in a blind spot or behind another object or part of the scenery.
Now some of you may think that I am maybe rating this game a bit too high, but when you first take control of Mario on the first of the game's 30+ planets, you'll be sucked in by the pure magic of it all. In summary, the flawless controls, the game's beautiful graphics and it's equally mesmerising soundtrack, not to mention it's accessibility to gamers of all ages and skills combine to make a game that can't be described as anything other than perfect.