Release Date: November 12th, 2007
Available On: Nintendo Wii
ESRB Rating: E - Mild Cartoon Violence
Genre: Platfomer
Number of Players: 1-2 (offline)
Strong Points: Fantastic platforming gameplay that is unrivaled and genius; work in the audio and visual departments is equally outstanding; controls are very intuitive
Weak Points: As is usual for Mario's non-RPG endeavors, the story is uninteresting; the co-op option brings little to the table
Technical Score: A
Artistic Score: A
Final Score (not an average): A
Moral Warnings: Hop-and-bop violence, with occasional melee attacks, fills the game; power-ups include the ability to turn into a ghost; ghost-like enemies are around; Bowser finds a new source of supernatural powers
The Super Mario series dates back to 1985, when "Mario" and "Nintendo" became household names. Many would even credit Super Mario Bros. for saving the gaming industry from certain death. Whether or not such a claim is true, there is no denying that the title changed the face of gaming and set a precedent for one of the most successful game series around today.
As the latest game in the long-running series, Super Mario Galaxy continues to impress gamers with inventive twists on the once-saturated platformer market. Super Mario Galaxy has been in the works for a long time, but the extreme amount of polish and refinement show that not a single moment of the game's development time was wasted.
The game opens with a familiar premise: Bowser has found a new source of power, claimed Princess Peach for his own, and means to finally have his way in the world... or galaxy, as is now the case. Mario finds himself ill-equipped to save his beloved Peach, but there is hope! Rosalina, a woman familiar with the galaxy, offers to assist Mario rescue Peach, but she first needs his help to restore power to her spaceship.
And so begins Galaxy's rather simple and underwhelming story. Fortunately, the Mario platformers have never been story-driven in a fashion that the story compels players to move forward. Instead, it is the thoroughly enjoyable gameplay that motivates players to keep moving and to keep coming back for more. Even more fortunately, the game's gameplay is quite possibly the best the series has ever seen (and that is no small feat!).
Though the game still follows a fairly linear progression of beginning at one point in a level and running to reach the end, there is a bit of exploration involved. Moreover, there is often more than one means to a given end. Sometimes, finding the right means to an end requires a good bit of ingenuity to move on. Needless to say, the adventure and puzzle elements of Galaxy are more than welcome here.
The big change that the game brings to the series is in the level design itself. Gone are the days of flat levels. Gone are the days of two-dimensional gameplay in three-dimensional worlds. Heck, gone are the days of even knowing which direction is down! The big shift that Galaxy carries is that a large number of the levels move Mario into small chunks of rock (very pretty rock, I might add) floating through space. The simple application of this is that gravity is no longer fixed. "Down" is the direction of the land mass' core. Often, the need to gain enough power for a jump is necessary to break free of one mass' gravity and move on to the next.
Moreover, Mario can run completely around the land masses as a general rule of thumb. The game is truly three-dimensional, and it requires players to think in much less convetional ways. There is also a very new sense of freedom as a result of this.
Unfortunately, it is in no way impossible for the game to get confusing because of this. The biggest issue isn't one of getting lost in the level as it is of forgetting which direction on the control stick to press to go the right direction. This, however, is by far the biggest issue with the game design. The rest of the controls work exceptionally well. They're also easy to understand and come naturally to just about anyone who's played a platformer since the days of the Nintendo 64.
Also new to the series, for it is largely bound to the gravity mechanics, is the ability to use the Wiimote to grab hold of a distant marker and move to it in a way that seems similar to the tractor beams seen in sci-fi movies. Through simple point and clicking, moving in linear paths couldn't be easier. However, some levels require that players pay close attention to the layout of the markers and switch destinations with the right timing to gain a more curved path and, in some cases, avoid hitting space mines.
Yet another new addition to the series is the new co-op option. A second player is able to pick up another Wiimote and assist the first player. The second player does not get to run around as an extra character. Rather, he/she gains a pointer on the screen that allows for a few different things to happen. The second player can draw a quick circle around Mario to make him execute his spin move; click on Mario to make him jump and, with the right timing, this can result in a super jump; moving the pointer across the collectible gems snatches them up so Mario doesn't have to; and pressing the fire button shoots said gems, causing most enemies to be stunned. While it's nice a nice gesture that Nintendo presents such an accessible co-op option, it isn't something that holds a great deal of appeal to most gamers.
Though it isn't technically a new addition, Mario is also able to take on alternate forms with power-up mushrooms in some stages. These power-ups range from turning into a Boo, gaining fire power, becoming a skilled ice skater, and so forth. These changes are often necessary for gaining access to new areas and achieving goals.
And, as if the outstanding gameplay, in terms of both innovation and execution, were not enough to give this game a great standing, the graphics and music/sound effects are also exceptional. Visually, Galaxy remains one of the best looking games on the Wii. The character models are detailed and cleanly designed. Polygonal jaggies are minimal, and the texture maps are very well detailed. Moreover, the special effects are truly stand-out affairs. Flame effects, in particular, are gorgeous. Enemy designs are great.
Better yet, all of the worlds played in are well varied in appearance. And players can see forever. To have such great draw distances, and such detailed characters, without taking a hit on frame rate, is very impressive. Yes, Galaxy is a very beautiful game indeed.
Musically, Galaxy does not fail to impress. New songs are dynamic and well arranged while still maintaining a very Mario-esque feel to them. Long-time fans of the series will be more than a little thrilled to here new arrangements of pieces from previous games. Koji Kondo's masterful work returns in full force here. Nostalgia may very well hit players like a ton of bricks when hearing the return of songs from Super Mario Bros. 3 and other games in the series.
And that sense of nostalgia reaches far beyond the music. There are more than a few graphical throwbacks to previous games, and the same can be said of level and world designs. Even the power-ups will remind fans of the special abilities available in Super Mario Bros. 3. Of course, the return of the fire power is more than welcome. Though no prior experience with Mario games is necessary to enjoy these things, fans will likely be thrilled to see the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) throwbacks to previous games.
Morally, the game lands quite fairly in the territory of the ESRB's Everyone rating. The violence is very cartoonish, generally revolving around jumping on an enemy's head. Punching and spin move attacks are present, but equally cartoonish. All violence is directed to very unrealistic enemies. There is the power-up that turns Mario into a Boo, and many of those ghost-like enemies are present in the game. Another power-up gives Mario the ability to shoot fire from his fists. Stars and other tidbits of space are collected, for they contain some form of power, but this never takes on a dark feel.
Really, Super Mario Galaxy is a must-own game on the Wii. It's the kind of game that sells systems. It's a ton of fun. The production values cannot be compared to anything else. It's the sort of game that creates lifetime gamers and franchise loyalty. Short of being put-off by the mild violence, you pretty much owe it to yourself to own this game.
-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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