Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Review by Javier
One of the most awaited games for the Wii was without a doubt Super Mario Galaxy, the last entry in the mainline Mario series. Now, can this game exceed the expectations that people had for it, and become one of the best games in the series? The answer is yes, and more.
The story hasn't changed. Mario is on his way to the Castle when suddenly Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser and Bowser Jr.. Mario tries to save her but fails, and when Bowser escapes to space, Mario is send flying and lands in a distant planet. Over there he collects the first star, meets Rosalina, and is sent to the Comet Observatory, which is where our adventure begins.
The Comet Observatory is the main hub in the game (like Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64 or Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine), and you must navigate it to enter various rooms where there are Warp Stars that transport you to different galaxies, which act as the levels in the game. The main galaxies have six stars, divided in three main episodes, two comet episodes, and a secret episode. There are also many small galaxies where there's only one episode with one star.
Once you start playing the levels you realize the great gameplay that's in this game. The levels are all brilliantly designed, and the way it combines the small planets with the gravity is fantastic. And even though this may all sound somewhat complicated, the end result is very well achieved. The camera in general has no issues and it adjusts automatically to the stage you're playing.
Controlling Mario is easy. If you have played Mario 64 and Sunshine then you shouldn't have trouble getting used to this one. You move with the Nunchuk stick, jump with A, and shake the Wiimote to do your main attack, which is easy to get used to and doesn't feel forced like a lot of other motion controls on other Wii games. There's also a two-player mode, but it's not the typical turn-based multiplayer. Instead, Player 1 controls Mario while Player 2 controls an aim on the screen that's used to collect and shoot Star Bits. It's not required or anything, but it can create a fun experience, besides, it's useful against certain bosses.
Graphically speaking the game is a beauty. The level variety, the attention to detail, the ample coloring, everything is done beautifully and it's definitely the best that's there for the Wii. Specially the parts where Mario flies through the galaxies when he's fire by a star. That's where the game really shows its full capabilities. As far as level design goes, the best ones are Gusty Garden and Freeze Flame, which I would say are the best designed levels in the history of video games.
The music is a masterpiece. Composed mainly by Mahito Yokota, each track does an excellent job at giving life to every level, be it a new track or a remix of an old one (one that deserves a mention is the Toy Box theme, which is a remix of the original Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros.). Two particular themes (Comet Observatory and Good Egg Galaxy) were composed by Koji Kondo, who composed the original soundtrack of Mario and Zelda.
In addition, Mario has new abilities in this game. The most notorious being the Bee Suit that you get early in the game and allows Mario to fly for short periods of time. Then you have the Boo Mushroom that turns Mario into a Boo and allows him to go through walls and the Spring Mushroom that gives Mario the ability to jump very high (but it's hard to control). You also have the old ones like the Fire Flower and a new counterpart, the Ice Flower, that allows Mario to freeze the water he walks on so he can skate. There are a couple more but you better discover those yourself. In addition, while I can understand not being allowed to bring power-ups from one level to another, I really didn't like that the Fire Flower has a time limit.
The level of difficulty is well distributed. In the beginning the galaxies are easy, but as you keep moving on the challenges become harder and harder. More than one star will make you scream in frustration, specially the Purple Coin Challenges in the later levels. There are also a few special galaxies near the end of the game that are very hard to beat.
For everyone that owns a Wii, Super Mario Galaxy is a game you definitely want to own. It shows everything the console is capable of, and will definitely stay in history as one of the best video games ever. Excellent in every aspect, and I won't doubt on giving it the perfect score.
10/10
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