~~ Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii :: A Non-Techie Perspective ~~

I remember playing Super Mario Brothers with my brother when Nintendo first hit the market, which was ages ago! Now I've got a whole new gaming system -- the Nintendo Wii -- and Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best games I've played ... ever!

When my husband first bought Super Mario Galaxy and started playing it, I watched and whined. "What?! Why is there so much reading!?" There actually isn't that much reading, but the first bit of the game does introduce one to the story and Mario's objective.

Super Mario Galaxy is rated E for everyone and retails for $50.

The Story :: Short Version
Mario was going to the castle to visit Princess Peach when Bowser, that troublemaker, came and princess-napped Peach. He flew into space and thus sets up Mario to explore the many different galaxies.

As Mario goes through different galaxies, he battles out the bad guys and collects Power Stars. Collecting the Power Stars allows Mario to open up new galaxies ... All to save Princess Peach.

The Game
There are plenty of galaxies for Mario to explore. Each galaxy has a different theme, such as garden, junkyard, or spooky themed. Mario has special powers he can assume in some of the themed galaxies/planets such as Bee Mario (garden, flower themed) and Boo Mario (a bit spooky themed). I found the organization of the galaxies/planet/missions a bit confusing and every now and then my husband reminds me that it's like "Level 4 Dash 1" in the old Mario when I wonder aloud why the planet looks strikingly familiar to what I thought I had completed. Most of the missions are straightforward, though some are tougher to figure out than others.

The designers also integrated bits of the old Mario games into this new one, which is neat to see. For example, they have those magic "boxes" that Mario can keep jumping under for coins or star bits. They also bring back those turtles and their shells, the green pipes that lead Mario into a secret chamber, and even some of the same sound bites. But not to worry, there are plenty of new things in Super Mario Galaxy. One of the neatest things I found in Super Mario Galaxy was the tweaking of gravity. In one of the galaxies, gravity either pulls Mario up or down (according to the arrows on the walls). This may seem simple, but is tricky especially when Mario jumps and crosses to a different pull of gravity.

The graphics in the game are awesome. They're cute and fun. I can only compare them to what I'm familiar with -- the Original Super Mario game and Super Mario Galaxy is lightyears ahead of the original version.

The Controls
Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii puts the Wiis innovative controllers to their maximum use. I love how it uses both the nunchuck and the Wiimote. The mushroom on the nunchuck controls Mario's direction while the Wiimote controls moves such as jumping, spinning, shooting, and the pointer to collect star bits.

I'm impressed by how the designers of the game integrated both the nunchuck and the Wiimote into the game. They used both controllers to their maximum potential. It's fairly easy to control Mario, though sometimes it can seem a bit tricky with the pressures of the task (of the game) and trying to have Mario stay on course.

The Perks
Gold coins are two-fold treasures. If he needs health points, then a gold coin will restore one health point. If his health is full, then he just collects coins and ultimately 50 of the coins translates to an extra life.
Mystery coins look like gold coins but have a question mark embedded on it. There are various surprises when this coin is activated.
Green Mushroom is the extra life mushroom. These are found throughout the game.
Red Star Mushroom is a health boost. Mario usually has three units on his health meter; getting a red star mushroom temporarily boosts this up to six.
Star Bits look like little gems and Mario collects these throughout his journey into outer space. Collecting 50 translates to an extra life.

The Music
The music that goes along to Super Mario Galaxy compliments the game superbly. It's fun, appropriate for the various galaxies, and doesn't disappoint. Old music bits from the Original Super Mario game are integrated very well into the new game and it's nice to see an ode to the old Mario.

Play Time
Super Mario Galaxy will yield many hours of game time. There are so many different galaxies to explore and plenty of missions for Mario. Even if you rescue Princess Peach, which my husband has done, there are still hidden planets or uncompleted missions to finish.

Nitpicky
My only major complaint about Super Mario Galaxy is that it is a one player game. It's not like the original Super Mario where if you die, Player 2 gets a chance to play. This one it's all about Player 1 ... though Player 2 can help. If you (the second player) activate the second Wiimote, you can help the primary player collect star bits, shoot an enemy with a star bit, and make Mario jump and spin. I've tried playing the helper role while my husband was the primary player but it was quite annoying (for him) since both pointers (Player 1 and Player 2) are on the screen. I guess it didn't help that I made Player 2's pointer shoot back and forth across the screen to madly collect star bits.

Overall Thoughts
Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best games I've ever played. It's both fun and challenging.

Thanks for reading.
Pooks
Copyright 2007