Super Mario Galaxy 2 ReviewJune 9, 2013 by

Hello everyone, it's been a little bit since my last review, and a lot has gone down in the time I have been away. First and foremost, I am now a father to a beautiful baby girl, Emma Michelle Gibson, who was born 20 inches long, and weighed 6lbs 10oz. This is mine and my wife's first child, and we are of course adjusting to the wonderful lifestyle known as parenting, and boy what a change it is. The nights are longer, and the lack of sleep has its effects on me, but it's all worth it. I have been working on Super Mario Galaxy 2 for a long time now, and while I have taken a good bit longer to finish it than a usual game (for one, because of the baby, and two, because the game itself took a lot longer to 100% complete than most, so it added up), I still intended to review it, eventually, so, without further ado, Super Mario Galaxy 2!

In 2007, Nintendo wow'd us with the next iteration of Mario, the Galaxy series, taking Mario where he's never been before, to outer space, and beyond. The game featured fantastic use of the Wii controls, letting you pick up shards by pointing at the screen, all while managing a control scheme that is not too far off from the Super Mario 64 title. It worked, and the journey was fantastic. Collecting stars was still the main method of advancing in the game, but everything else around you had definitely changed. Not only was Mario in 3D, the way he interacted with the world around him had never been seen before. It was a FANTASTIC game. When Nintendo announced a direct sequel, which until recently was a pretty big rarity with Mario, I was excited, but also curious to see what levels they could take the franchise without making it stale. As you have probably seen in recent times, the "New" Mario titles have become very stale after 4 VERY Similar iterations of the franchise. I am happy to say, even though I am late to the party, I've arrived, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is better than it's original, and is one of the most fantastic games I've ever experienced.

The best part of SMG2 is that the game is an evolution of the first one. The team saw the success of the game, what worked, what didn't, and they improved upon it. What we have here is a game that 1. Takes complete advantage of everything the Wii has to offer, including graphics (this game is beautiful despite the Wii's hardware limitations) 2. Controls, which are absolutely fantastic, and this coming from someone who truly despises Nintendo's Wii controls, and 3. Introduces Mario to an audience that may have missed the first game, but were captivated by New Super Mario Bros Wii, and wanted to try something new.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 introduces players to Mario's 3D elements in a smart, but not too hand holding way. They start you out simple, with a 2D side scrolling beginning, and begin to pull back the curtain, introducing more concepts into the game, preparing you for the grand adventure to come, and by the time they turn you loose, you're prepared for most of what the game will throw at you.

One of the biggest changes you'll notice in SMG2 compared to the first title, is the abandonment of the hub world. There is no longer a big overworld for you to find your next adventure. Perhaps in a move to make the game more streamlined to a more casual player, they have brought back familiar world selects, like the days of Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World. This is fine with me, considering it's easier to put the game down, go take a break and do something, maybe go watch a movie, or hang out with some friends, and then come back to the game later on, and not be completely disoriented by trying to remember where you left off and where you needed to go, but then again, I didn't have that problem with Super Mario 64, and I was 12 when I played that game. Some people will love the level select, some people will hate it, and some people will not care either way, the latter of which I categorize myself.

My least favorite feature, one that has caused a lot of criticism from long time hardcore players towards Nintendo, is the extreme hand holding measures this game implements throughout your journey. While I mentioned earlier the game does a good job of introducing elements to players, and slowly lets go of your hand, giving you free reign, they introduce a feature here that's just said. If you die too many times in a particular level, the game offers to play the level for you, and beat that particular mission, giving you a star, but not a golden star you'd normally get on your own. This is absurd, I can appreciate hints, and the hints are here too in the form of monitors that show you how certain objectives play out, which, while a bit much, are HELPFUL, but don't do it for you, the "play for me" feature will do ALL the work for you, and while it doesn't reward you with a normal star, it's just crazy to think Nintendo would put that much help in the game. If they ever did this for The Legend of Zelda, I'd probably lose my shit on them.

"Hello, I will be beating "X" level for you today!"

The level design in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is brilliant, a mixture of new and old, familiar elements of the first title are all over here, like flinging Mario back and forth towards different planets of all shapes and sizes. It's amazing how smooth and fantastic this games, and plays. The camera is fantastic, handling all the switching between 2D and 3D with ease, as well as all the movement going on around it. This game does so much, so well, that you wonder how other games get a pass for not taking on as much as Mario Galaxy 2 does. It's simply brilliant.

Yoshi is introduced in the game, and his controls feel familiar, even though they are finely tuned, compared to the trainwreck that was Yoshi in Super Mario Sunshine. It's smooth sailing, and even though not all of the levels feature Yoshi, the ones that do are seemless, introducing elements like Yoshi's ability to blow up like a balloon and float throughout the level, or his ability to light up platforms that otherwise wouldn't exist, giving you many advantages and uses for Mario's green dinosaur friend. Yoshi's familiar tongue lash is handled with the Wii remote, and works just as well as using the remote to pick up star bits. Everything about him is handled well, integrating him into a very established game, very effectively. Mario also receives some new power ups, like the Cloud Suit, giving you the ability to create platforms, or the Rock Suit, giving you a nifty rock attack that proves useful in some tight situations later on in the game.

While the game is certainly accessible to all players, if you're a hardcore gamer, like myself, you'll get the most out of Mario Galaxy 2. Hidden coins called "Comet Coins" can be collected in each level, opening up different challenges for the player to collect. Also, if you collect all 120 stars, you can unlock the even harder challenges the game has to offer. I was also happy to see you could unlock Luigi to play as, even if it was a little later in the game than I would have liked. Super Luigi Galaxy 2 sounds even more appealing than Mario Galaxy 2, if I do say so myself! Hey, we are getting New Super Luigi Bros, so maybe a Super Luigi Galaxy isn't too far off!

I approve

Super Mario Galaxy lives up to the hype, and surpasses the game in which it succeeds. Nintendo is good at one thing, and that's making quality first person titles. They seriously looked at the first game, found everything they didn't like about it, and improved it, and here is what we get, a polished, beautiful, interactive beast of a game that is a must own if you have a Wii. Seriously, if you have a Wii, or a Wii U (It is 2013, after all,) you owe it to yourself to have this game. You're not only playing the best game the Wii has to offer, but one of the best games of this generation. To all the people who criticize Nintendo, saying they've lost their touch, or to a greater extent, their minds, take a good long look at Super Mario Galaxy 2, and prepare to have your mind blown. It's epic, for sure.

Treeter's Score: 9.5

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