As you all know, Mario Galaxy has been one the Wii’s most anticipated titles. After the somewhat ill-received Super Mario Sunshine released, many were still left with that void in their hearts that needed to be filled with classic Mario platforming, something that was rare in Sunshine. Now that Mario Galaxy has released, we can all take joy in knowing that Mario is back and better than ever.

The game starts out at a nighttime festival around the beautifully rendered Peach’s castle. You gain control of Mario and walk around the festival enjoying the beautiful atmosphere, that is, until Bowser rides in on his airship and rips Peach’s castle and its foundation off of the groud and blasts off with it into space. Mario, being the hero he is, tries to save Peach and jumps onto the castle’s foundation before it is ripped off. This doesn’t work too well as Mario is knocked into space by one of Bowser’s baddies. That is where the adventure really begins.

Gameplay:

Mario Galaxy is a classic 3-D Mario game at heart, but with a new twist, you  are in outer space. The outer space theme is very welcome as it offers gameplay that has never been done before while keeping the classic Mario platforming. On your
quest to save the Princess, you will be adventuring through outer space on small planets, big planets, and sometimes by drifting through space using the Wiimote pointer as your guide. Another element that really makes exploring the game’s 40+ galaxies a lot of fun is the return of Mario’s suits, which really add to the variety of gameplay. The development team did a great job at creating unique levels and challenges for Mario to use his 7 new suits on.

There are some interesting ways to use the Wiimote in Galaxy, all which work perfectly.

The most important gameplay factor though is the fun factor of the game. I am glad to say that this is the most fun game I have played in a long time. Never have I seen such an amazingly beautiful, yet amazingly fun, platformer. The game completely draws you in and doesn’t let go. Controlling Mario is a blast, and seeing Mario soaring across the sky after firing off a sling star for the first time is one of those great gaming moments that you’ll never forget.

10/10 

Controls:

If there ever was a perfect control scheme for the platforming genre, this would be it. It controls exactly how you would expect Mario to control. The two new additions to the controls is the ability to do a mid-air spin by shaking the Wiimote or Nunchuk, and the ability to pick up star bits by pointing the Wiimote at them. Both of these actions feel surprisingly good to perform, and they really do add to gameplay.

Mario uses some of his new moves while fighting bosses.

If I had to choose something to complain about though, it would be the camera. Even though the camera usually keeps everything you need to see in perfect view, there are times when you need to adjust the camera yourself. This wouldn’t be an
annoyance, but the thing is, you can’t always control the camera. There are a few times when you want to turn to see something, but the game won’t let you. This tiny control issue doesn’t really hurt the game overall, but it does become bothersome at times.

9.5/10

Visuals:

As soon as you pop in the disc, you will notice the jaw-dropping visuals in Galaxy.  The amount of detail in Mario and all of his friends(and enemies) really shows that the Wii is a capable system. No object in the game will look stiff as everything is animated perfectly. The shimmering water, reflections, and lighting effects truly bring this game to the next level graphically. Every location is extremely varied and very visually appealing. You will constantly stop and just stare in amazement at how gorgeous this game really is. This game runs at 60 frames per second(with no noticeable slowdown) and supports both 16:9 wide-screen and progressive-scan modes. Not only is this the most beautiful Mario game to date, it is the most beautiful Wii game to date. This game alone should take away any doubts of the system being underpowered.

 You can see the beautiful visuals and galactic variety in this game.

 9.5/10

Audio:

What surprised me when I started playing Galaxy is that the quality of the audio matched the quality of the visuals, both being absolutely stunning.Not only are the sound effects spot on, the music is breathtaking. Never have I heard music in a
game that has drawn me in as much as Galaxy’s music has. Immediately after my first session with Galaxy, I wanted to get my hands on the soundtrack, which unfortunately is unavailable in the U.S. right now. Nintendo really outdid themselves with this beautifully orchestrated soundtrack.

10/10

Lasting Appeal:

Ofcourse with all platformers, there is an end, but the good thing about Galaxy is that
it is so fun that you will want to play through it multiple times and get the few, but awesome, unlockables. There is also a semi co-op mode that you and a friend can play, but this is nothing to marvel over as the second player uses only the Wiimote to execute basic functions like shooting star bits. ***Spoilers***Overall there are 242(121 with each brother) stars that you can earn by beating the game with both Mario and Luigi. If that isn’t enough game for you then you probably have too much free time on your hands.***End Spoilers***

9.5/10

Overall: 

Simply put, Mario Galaxy is the pinnacle of platform gaming. Nintendo has done a wonderful job mixing old design with new ideas. What you have in the end is a near perfect game that will blow you away in every aspect. The fantastic level design, addicting gravity effects, beautiful visual and sound effects, and great controls all add up to be a phenomenal experience that you will never forget.

The only notable flaw that the game has, the camera troubles, can be easily cast aside as it doesn’t happen enough to hamper the fun you will have while playing this game, and although the game isn’t very difficult until the end, this doesn’t really hamper gameplay. Personally, I like the easier difficulty as it lets me relax while enjoying this masterpiece. There are times though when the difficulty gets ramped up and you might have trouble completing a level.

Overall, I’m going to give this game a 9.8/10 because it is as close to being perfect as any platforming game has gotten in the industry. This game will go down as one of the few instant classics in gaming history.

Gameplay: 10/10

Controls: 9.5/10

Visuals: 9.5/10

Audio: 10/10

Lasting Appeal: 9.5/10

Overall: 9.8/10

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