A reviewer with more than an interest in art, gadgets, computer games, electronics and many things r...
A reviewer with more than an interest in art, gadgets, computer games, electronics and many things random.
Member since:19.07.2005
Reviews:21
Welcome to my second Wii game review.
Only a couple of weeks ago I purchased Super Mario Galaxy secondhand, very curious about what it was like to play (and what all the fuss was about). I had since found out that the game is being held up as "one of the greatest games ever made", with reviews giving it nearly unanimous perfect scores, and Nintendo fanboys and fangirls creaming their pants.
So here is my take on Super Mario Galaxy.
OVERVIEW The game takes place in a 3D universe, where Mario visits different "galaxies" to retrieve various stars. The game is divided into six rooms, with five "galaxies" in each room. Each galaxy comprises of five levels, with extra levels that act as side-quests. There are also "hidden" levels in other parts of the game, which are accessed by performing specific tasks.
Collecting stars in each level opens up new levels along the way, but you can only access other rooms by beating the bosses in each room. While each galaxy has its own boss (I've seen one exception so far), the room boss is always Bowser or Bowser Jr.
To complete the game you will have to collect 60 out of the 120 stars from all the levels, in order to access the last stage. The good news is that you don't have to complete all the levels first; some levels have hidden stars in them.
CONTROLS Super Mario Galaxy makes use of both the Wii remote and the nunchuck controller (you won't be able to play it without the nunchuck controller). It will take a while to get used to, but I found it was quite an innovative control method. On most occasions you'll use the nunchuck controller to move Mario around, and the Wii remote to perform actions and use an onscreen cursor. The cursor is used to point at and interact with objects, and can be used to pick up Star Bits, which act as the game's currency. I feel this is a brilliant touch to the game, as I've often found myself frustrated with moving the character around in 3D games
- usually at risk - just trying to pick things up. Unfortunately it doesn't work for more valuable items, such as coins or powerups.
In some scenarios, such as riding on the back of a ray or rolling on top of a ball, you will use the Wii remote as a kind of steering wheel or joystick. This will take some getting used to (and might have you throwing the remote down in frustration).
In general, the controls will take some getting used to, not least because of the contollers. Swimming and flying will probably drive you mad.
MUSIC and SOUNDS There was apparently a debate during the making of this game, as to what kind of soundtrack it should have. I think they made the right decision to go with orchestral music, which really does sound epic and suits the mood of the game. Unfortunately the same can't be said for a few select tracks in the game: namely those that borrow from classics such as Super Mario 3. In my opinion, they should have been left alone.
POWER-UPS You have the Star Bits that act as currency. There are also coins, which, strangely enough, act like energy; you use them to replenish Mario's health. I was expecting a lot more in the way of power-ups in the game, but I guess it was more important to have other things to do. Of the ones there are, most of them are severely underused. Some of them were just plain messed up.
First, Mario has three different transformations: Bee Mario, Boo Mario and Spring Mario. Bee Mario can fly for a limited time, and can walk on objects like flowers and clouds. Boo Mario can travel through bars. Spring Mario (haven't used) can apparently bounce long distances. You'll end up using Bee Mario most of the time; I haven't seen anywhere else you can use Boo Mario, apart from the haunted house galaxy.
The Fire Flower makes a comeback, this time coupled with the Ice Flower. The Ice Flower lets you walk on water by freezing it underneath you, and... that's it. Both have a usage time limit, after which you revert to normal.
You heard me right: the Fire Flower has a time limit!
You also get the invincibility star, this time transforming you into "Rainbow Mario".
Also in the game, yet undocumented, is a red star that turns you into Flying Mario. For a short time, Mario is able to fly! and you'll have a heck of a time trying to control him, particularly on spherical worlds.
In a word, I thought the powerups were disappointing. I would like to have seen some other transformations, like Hammer Mario, and also for the Fire Flower NOT to have a time limit!
GAMEPLAY Most noticable is that the 3D worlds in Super Mario Galaxy are literally 3D; most of the time you can move across the entire surface of the level, whether sphere, disc or some strange shape. This feature is what makes the game so unique, and apparently it will be featured in future Nintendo games.
You still have some of the problems that plague 3D games; not being able to tell where you'll land sometimes, miscalculating jumps, and the camera screwing you over occasionally as it switches positions (and refuses to shift). It's not as much of a problem in this game as in others, fortunately. If anything, you'll get used to it.
Most levels have one or two checkpoints, to make getting through the level a bit easier at the difficult parts. There are some, including the "trial" and hidden levels, that make you start from scratch if you fail. Depending on the level, this can be very annoying.
In regards to gameplay, I have to mention one thing: there are more than a few elements borrowed from Sonic games. My brother pointed out that one level in particular was a rip of a level in Sonic Adventure 2. I pointed this out to counteract some people's claims - mostly from fanboys and reviewers - that this game is "innovative" and "original". I feel that, if another company were to do it, they would have been called on it eventually.
Other than that, I did have a couple of gripes with the general gameplay. I still feel that Mario moves far too slowly, and has a nasty habit of performing time-consuming actions when you least want him to. At some point you'll run into time trials of specific levels, and this will eventually get you.
The bosses, though sometimes tricky to beat, weren't that interesting. I got tired after watching the third one "get mad" after taking so many hits. Though beating each of them requires different methods, most had the same kind of formulaic method: three hits and out.
LONGEVITY Super Mario Galaxy suffers the same fate as more recent Mario games like New Super Mario Bros.: you get WAY too many extra lives! As frustrating as the game has been at points, I have never seen a game over screen. You get extra lives for every 50 Star bits you collect, every so-and-so amount of coins, and by picking up one of several 1Up mushrooms scattered around. Every time you start the game, a letter from the Princess gives you five extra lives to begin with. I would rather have a longer game, where there's a risk of losing your progress, than a game made much easier with too many lives.
However, the levels in Super Mario Galaxy will provide a very good challenge, purely because of the ever-changing gravity and the shapes of each world. Having to move around vast distances helps make this game last longer, too.
OTHER NOTES One small thing I didn't like was that the game seemed to be confused about whether to be realistic or not. Being able to jump high and long, as well as spinning attacks and what not, is very useful. The time it takes to recover from hits, and being able to execute another spin, is sometimes ridiculous. I kid you not: once I was trying to knock out an enemy using the spin attack. I got hit shortly afterwards, having missed, which knocked Mario onto the edge of a bridge. While he was pissing around, another enemy pushed him off (due to collision).
A final thought is about the overuse of dialogues which require use of the Wii remote. I'm an old school gamer, meaning I'm used to using the D-pad for menu selections (if not a mouse). It would have been nice to be able to select options using the nunchuck controller or D-pad on the Wii remote, instead of having to point at the screen. A prime example is the (what I think is gratuitous) Save screen.
OVERALL Let's get this out of the way first. Super Mario Galaxy is a good game, and might even be a great game, but - and I'm sure you saw this coming - nowhere near worthy of the title of "one of the greatest games of all time".
But it is a good game. It had me hooked for hours, much like GTA 4 did when I was really into it. Things like the Prankster Comets, which alter certain levels in certain ways, help to keep the game interesting and playable. You also find yourself wanting to see what happens if you collect just one more star.
If you can get it at a low enough price, make it part of your collection.
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Advantages: Some great exclusive games that use the Wii-mote and other accessories for a unique experience. Disadvantages: Underpowered next to its main competitors and with weak versions of many cross platform games.
Phantom_Wombat 08.04.2009 (08.04.2009)
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Oct 13th, 2008
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