For those of you who have played Super Mario 64 and were amazed at how revolutionary and immense the game was, you'll be equally as impressed, if not more, by Super Mario Galaxy's robust appeal.

Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach yet again, and this time, he has taken her deep into outer space. With the help of old and new friends such as the star beings known as Lumas, Mario travels from galaxy to galaxy collecting enough stars that will help him rescue Peach and turn Bowser's plans of galactic domination into space dust.

Galaxy is similar to SM64 in its game play aspect - collecting stars that open up new worlds for you to discover - but the comparisons can end there. Being on Nintendo's Wii, Galaxy gives you an entirely different gaming experience than what you were used to when playing SM64. For example, new collectible items, Star Bits, have multiple uses in the game. One of these being ammo for you to shoot with by aiming the Wii controller at the screen. The controls for Galaxy are very simple and yet this simplicity makes the game more about the experience than just playing a Mario game on the Wii. You move with the nunchuk's analog stick, jump with A, crouch with Z, and move the camera with the D-pad. Unlike before, Mario doesn't punch, but instead, he whirls around in the air to attack his enemies when you shake the controller. And yes, you still have Mario's old moves like his back flips, ground pound, and multiple jumps.

As soon as you begin playing, you'll realize what playing in space is all about. Each world, or galaxy, Mario travels to contains multiple star missions that range from platform puzzles to boss fights. Each galaxy is unique and each planet you land on has different gravitational fields. Planets range from actual orbs to platforms to other objects depending on the galaxy you're in. Most of the time, you'll land on planets that can be traversed on all sides leading you sometimes to walk upside down and even sideways. Other planets have normal gravity, meaning you can't walk off the edge and expect to walk to the other side. In these cases, you'll fall off the planet and into black holes leading to immediate death. Think of these black holes as Galaxy's answer to pitfalls in older Mario games. This is the only aspect in the game that might frustrate you at first since you'll have to adapt your controls to the gravity which may lead you to sometimes run around in circles until you figure which way is up. Also, because there is no sign indicating how the gravity is like on a planet (except in some cases,) you might think you can walk around a planet, but instead die as you walk off the edge.

Comparable to worlds in previous Mario games, each galaxy has a different theme. Some galaxies are grassy worlds, underwater labyrinths, fiery deserts, and even snow-capped mountains. You might enter a grassy galaxy and realize it's reminiscent of a SM64 world for example or land on a planet and realize you're on platforms that create the 2-D sprite of Mario. Whatever the galaxy, the graphic capabilities of the Wii are put to good use as worlds are rich and colorful. Sun rays reflect nicely off liquid substances, lava looks amazing in outer space, and even Bowser looks more scaly than usual. It's everything you'd expect from a Mario game but with richer detail.
Normally, Mario games have simple, catchy, and rhythmic tunes that go well with its simple yet effective style of play. This time however, it's so much better. The majority of the game's soundtrack has been professionally orchestrated giving the game an air of greatness. You'll enjoy listening to this epic soundtrack as you travel through worlds and as you battle bosses. Battles with Mario's arch nemesis become something of a holy struggle as an entire chorus accompanied by violins and horns create a song truly out of this world. Of course, all the favorite Mario tunes are in the game and they sound even better remixed and updated.

Mario's galactic adventure is huge. With over 200 stars to collect in the game, each one with a different mission, there is a lot of variety and replay value in the game - even after you beat it. Some stars will have you doing mini-game type missions that will require you to change the way you hold your controller. Other star missions will force you to race against the clock and even yourself. Boss battles are fun and increasingly challenging. Overall the game's difficulty is nicely spread out and levels range from relaxingly fun to annoyingly difficult. Its great variety will leave even the more challenge-hungry gamers satisfied.

Labels: games, nintendo, review, wii