Super Mario Galaxy

Written by L.T. on November 15th, 2007 and posted in Reviews
Tags : mario, nintendo, nintendo wii, Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy otherwise known as SMG is the game that all Mario aficionados said would be the true successor to Mario 64. Yes Mario Sunshine was a good game but far too outside the realm of what a Mario game is supposed to be. Years went by with the portly plumber only making appearances in spinoffs leaving fans asking, “Where’s Mario?” Well fans, he’s here, here’s back, and he’s AWESOME!

STORY
As with previous Super Mario games, this one also comes with a shell of a story. Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom are celebrating the comet festival which happens once a century until a very scary Bowser flies in on the famous pirate ships literally ripping Princess Peach and her castle right from the ground. In a failed rescue attempt, Mario is hurled into the voids of space where he’s rescued by stars called Lumas. It’s here where the Lumas’ caregiver Princess Rosalina (don’t worry, Mario’s faithful) tells Mario about Bowser’s evil attempt to control the cosmos by stealing all the Grand Stars. Mario agrees to help Rosalina and the Lumas in return they help him find Bowser and Princess Peach.

GAMEPLAY
Although Nintendo didn’t stray too far from the tried and true, SMG introduces new concepts into the Mario universe making the game fresh, engaging, and dare I say just plain kick ass. Like Mario 64, levels are broken up into different worlds Mario can visit, tho this time they’re galaxies. In order to travel to distant galaxies, Mario has to collect gold coins. Aside from that, this is where the new stuff comes in. Galaxies vary greatly in design. Some are spherical, some are donut shaped, and some are for lack of a better word, crazy. The game relies heavily on physics and gravity. They’re not only crucial to how Mario moves but also present interesting challenges. As you progress thru the game, those two variables really tax your brain. I mean we’re talking hardcore platforming here. Don’t let the bright colors fool you. Mario ain’t no joke. Thankfully SMG is littered with 1-up mushrooms and trust me, you’ll need them.

Speaking of extra lives, another new concept are star bits. They’re abundant in SMG and for good reason. Collect 50 and you get an extra life. They can also be used as weapons. Mario still has his spin and jump attacks but if those don’t suit your fancy you can aim and shoot star bits at enemies, temporarily paralyzing them for Mario to come in and deal the final blow. Star Bits are also used to feed the Lumas. They eat them like candy and feeding them makes them happy.

Then we have Mario’s famous powerups. Yes the Fire Flower is back, so are the Invincibility Star and Super Mushroom. New additions are the Bee powerup which enables Mario to fly, the Boo powerup which allows him to pass unperturbed thru haunted realms, Spring powerup which puts Mario in all kinds of bouncy, springing positions, Ice powerup which channels Mario’s inner iceman abilities, and the Red powerup which enables Mario to fly around space much like the wing cap from Super Mario 64. Each powerup compliments the level you’re playing and can not be saved but it doesn’t matter because the game makes sure you have plenty of opportunities to get them. That being said, it ain’t easy.

There’s also a multiplayer component. A friend can grab a second Wii-mote to collect and shoot star bits at enemies for you. It feels a bit tacked on yes but as a perk, Luigi is back. I won’t say how and where. All I’ll say is keep your eyes open. Once you unlock Luigi, you can play as the lean mean green machine in lieu of Mario.

CONTROLS
One of the best features about SMG is the locked camera. It knows exactly where it should be leaving you free to concentrate on gaming which in my opinion is way better than Mario 64’s setup. I mean who wants to bother controlling a camera while playing anyways? That being said, it took me about 20 minutes to adjust. Running around on spherical worlds can turn the camera sideways and upside down. I’ll admit I got dizzy at times but the game does a great job of keeping you grounded so you’ll always know where you’re going.

To play the game you use both the Wii-mote and nunchuck. The former controls Mario’s jump and attacks while the latter controls Mario’s movements. Like the camera, controlling Mario with this new setup took some adjusting. But after awhile I came to realize this game would have been really hard using standard controllers. The Wii-mote really does simplify things and if anything, SMG is a shining example of why Nintendo’s paradigm shift in controllers was a good decision.

One concern many people had from viewing the trailers are the bit sized looking worlds. There’s a reason for this. By keeping the “platforming area” small, players will always know where to go and what to do because space is a pretty big place. The second reason is graphics. I suspect the great looking textures, animations, and frame rates are only possible because the play environments are smaller. Of course this by no means limits the fun or challenge. It just breaks things up into more manageable pieces.

SOUND
SMG is the first Mario game to be completely backed by an orchestra. Sure there are some midi sounds in there but it’s arranged brilliantly with brass and strings to give it that Marioness. They complement the levels so well and the number of compositions is staggering. I’m not halfway thru the game yet I don’t feel like I’ve heard the same tune over and over. Hooked up to my stereo system, the Dolby Logic II setup is enchanting and definitely adds to the game’s charm. In fact, it sounds so good I hope they release the soundtrack. I found myself randomly humming certain songs even after turning off the game.

GRAPHICS
Here is Mario’s greatest strength and the Wii’s weakness. As I said before, textures are amazing. Colors are vibrant and crisp. Animations are smooth with a very cartoon like quality. Sometimes I’m amazed at all the things going on screen at once - enemies charging, flower beds twitching, all the while stars are shooting and black holes spinning in the background. The particle effects look great and coupled with the smooth 60 fps, they make SMG the best looking Wii game to date.

Now the issues. The game only runs up to 420p which is fine if you don’t have an HD set. I do and there were times when the camera was zoomed in far enough for me to notice jaggies. You can still see the low polygon count in many areas but Nintendo did a great job hiding it by using superficial edge lighting and bloom effects. Don’t get me wrong. When I said SMG was the best looking Wii game, I meant it. It’s just nagging to know had Nintendo upped the Wii’s power a tad, the game would have looked even more amazing.

CONCLUSIONS
There’s no doubt Super Mario Galaxy is the best 1st party title to date. Of course Metroid Prime 3 was awesome and the impending Super Smash Bros. Brawl is sure to win hearts but SMG has a special place with me. I can play it, my parents can play it, my non-gamer friends can play it. It’s addictive and the presentation is so polished, you immediately notice what’s lacking in other titles. I definitely recommend picking this up. You could easily spend over 40 hours on it if you collect every coin and star in the universe. After playing this game, I’m left to wonder what Nintendo might do to reinvent the next Super Mario.

• Super Mario Galaxy Information

• L.T.'s Rating :

  Rating: 5
  Readers Rating :

  Rating: 5
• Super Mario Galaxy website
• Price : $49.99
• Buy Super Mario Galaxy from Amazon UK
• Buy Super Mario Galaxy from Amazon US