• Review: Super Mario Galaxy

    by
    Jason Arriola
    Published on 07-13-2011 09:21 PM
    2 Comments Comments


    Super Mario Galaxy

    Developer: Nintendo
    Publisher: Nintendo
    Platform: Nintendo Wii
    Genre: Platformer
    Rating: Everyone
    Release Date: November 12, 2007

    Mario takes to outer space in his latest adventure, the first full 3D Mario game for the Nintendo Wii. Leaving the Mushroom Kingdom behind serves as a huge change in Mario’s new journey and with it comes some surprisingly fun times.

    Presentation

    Mario has been invited to Princess Peach’s castle to celebrate the coming of a bright, shining comet during the Mushroom Kingdom’s Star Festival that occurs every hundred years. The heavens above the Mushroom Kingdom are showering star bits all over the area. The entire Kingdom was happy for the occasion, all the Toads and Toadettes dancing with glee and a sparkle in their eyes. Mario, also happy for the approaching comet, makes his way to Peach’s castle.

    Unsuspecting to our hero, Bowser has also come to town, waiting for the right time to strike and allow his latest plan to unfold. He decides to crash the party with his fleet of flying ships. The poor citizens of the Kingdom are bombarded with cannon fire from his ships. Eventually, Bowser flies to the castle and spots Peach standing at the balcony. Suddenly, Bowser summons a huge flying saucer above the castle which sends lasers that cuts the earth around the castle. Using the saucer, Bowser rips Peach’s castle right up from the ground and proceeds to fly up to space. Mario was able to make it to the castle’s front door, but not until a magikoopa appears and fires a spell at Mario, knocking him back, falling towards the planet below.

    “Mario! Mario!”, cries Princess Peach, as he plummets further and further away.

    Though all is not lost, Mario is saved by a creature called a luma. Lumas are star-like beings who hold the power to transform into power stars, and even planets. This luma helps Mario get back on his feet, and Mario soon sees that he’s on a small planet with its own gravitational pull. Soon, Mario comes upon a new face, Princess Rosalina, who keeps watch over the cosmos and those that inhabit them. Her star ship serves as a shelter for lumas, and is their personal home too, not to mention acts as a comet observatory. Rosalina decides to help Mario find and defeat Bowser once again, and save Princess Peach. However, in order to do so, Mario must recover the power of the Grand Stars, which will power Rosalina’s star ship to give chase.

    Mario must explore the reaches of the galaxy to gather the power stars. Join him in this fun galactic take on the Super Mario series.

    Graphics

    Mario is Nintendo’s flagship character, so of course no holds were taken in its design. Despite the Wii being a standard definition console, Super Mario Galaxy is still a pretty game to look at, and is one of the Wii’s best looking first party titles. The galaxies that Mario explores are rich in color, brightly lit stars will dot the screen and Mario will leave a beautiful stream of light as he travels at high speed from planet to planet.

    Lumas come in a variety of shapes and colors. The galaxies that Mario explores include bee hives, ocean paradises, ghost houses, golden deserts, and of course, Bowser’s fortresses surrounded by boiling lava. Sure they’re settings that you’ve seen in Mario games since the NES, but they look more impressive on the Wii, and makes you wonder the extent of the graphics had the Wii been running on high definition.

    Sound/Music

    Mario’s famed sound effects return, along with a plethora of new ones. The iconic musical jingles when you pick up a power up or jump down a warp pipe will bring a smile to any Mario fan. Mario, of course, will bring back his favorite exclamations such as “whoo-hoos, ha-has, and yip-pees!” One of the best new sound effects is when Mario flings himself towards another planet from a great distance. Mario just doesn’t fly casually to the next area he’s going, no, he rockets toward it like he’s his own spaceship, so it sounds cool each time he blasts off and thumps down in a new area.

    One of Super Mario Galaxy’s greatest assets is its soundtrack. It was a shame that another first-party title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, did not include an orchestrated score. Luckily, that’s where Mario hits a sweet spot. Super Mario Galaxy features some of the greatest original music since Super Mario 64, all with a full orchestra. Fans will be pleased to know that some tracks that were made popular in the old Mario games have received and orchestrated update. The Airship theme from Super Mario Bros. 3 returns, along with music from Super Mario 64. Koji Kondo’s done it again.

    Gameplay

    Super Mario Galaxy retains a similar gameplay feel to that of Super Mario 64, and of course Super Mario Sunshine. Jumping, ground pounding, wall jumping and back flipping should all be familiar to fans. Mario won’t punch or kick his foes this time; instead with the power of the lumas, Mario has gained a spin attack. Spinning into an enemy, such as a goomba, will send daze them so you can even jump on them to finish them off. Mario’s spin attack is your best bet for the whole game. The spin attack also acts as an extra jump of sorts, so it’s best to put it to use for those platforming segments where you’ll need a little more “umph” to get where you’re going. The Wii remote can be pointed at the screen to gather star bits, which can be fired at enemies too. Just merely waving the Wii remote over a group of star bits will attract them to Mario like a magnet, eliminating the need to walk over them.

    The point of Super Mario Galaxy may seem familiar to Mario veterans. Mario must explore a variety of galaxies to gather power stars. The more power stars Mario has, the more levels will open up. Mario will encounter bosses that must be defeated to obtain a Grand Star, which powers Rosalina’s star ship/comet observatory. New faces will appear to challenge Mario, along with old ones such as Bowser and Bowser Jr.

    Super Mario Galaxy’s most notable change of traditional gameplay is the absence of gravity, in some areas of the game. True, there will be times in the game where Mario will traverse a flat surface, traditionally, but for the most part there will be planets, both small and large, that Mario will need to explore. No worries though, when Mario approaches the curve of a planet, he won’t slip and fall, instead the gravitational pull of the planet will keep Mario supported. It makes for some interesting gameplay when up becomes down and left becomes right, etc.

    Of course, power ups are what makes Galaxy a Mario game. The Fire Flower makes a return to give Mario the ability to throw balls of fire at his enemies. New power ups include the Ice Flower, which gives Mario the ability to throw balls of ice that freeze enemies, also when Mario jumps into water, ice will form at his feet enabling him to “walk on water.” The Boo Mushroom will turn Mario into a Boo, allowing him to float around and, by shaking the Wii remote, will temporarily turn him invisible. Grabbing a Rainbow Star will turn Mario temporarily invincible, defeating enemies just by touching them. Using a Bee Mushroom will give Mario the powers of a Bee, he can stick to walls that show honey combs, and can flutter in the air with his wings for a short time. Finally, grabbing a Spring Mushroom will envelop Mario in a spring, allowing him to bounce around and jump to great heights. Mario can also use items such as koopa shells to his advantage.

    Getting around the various galaxies is the cool part. Approaching a launch star and shaking the Wii remote will launch Mario towards the next planet like a speeding bullet. During this time you can point the Wii remote at the screen to collect star bits that follow alongside Mario as he flies. In some areas of the game, Mario will come across blue stars that act as pull stars. When Mario is close to one of these pull stars, point the Wii remote at the screen, pushing A will allow that pull star to reel in Mario, keeping him suspended as long as you hold the button down. It makes for an interesting take on point and click gameplay, the motion based controls make it quite fun.

    Lasting Appeal

    Though you only need a few stars to reach the games end, there are still 121 stars in total to be found. Even if you don’t finish the game the first time with each of them in hand, that’s reason enough to go back and play the game to obtain every last one. I have to say, Super Mario Galaxy did bring challenge in some parts of the game. Sure there are familiar gameplay segments, but enough of it was brand new to keep me trying over and over again for each star, no matter how many lives I lost. Finding everything in the end was worth it.

    Collecting every single power star in the game and defeating Bowser in the final boss fight will award you with a surprise. What it is, I let you figure out so as to not spoil everything for gamers who may have not given the game a play through. I’ll just say that it gives the game a sudden need to be played again, and brings up replay value.

    Score
    9.5/10

    Comments 2 Comments
    1. Chris "WildCardCorsair" Garcia's Avatar
      Chris "WildCardCorsair" Garcia - 07-14-2011
      great review sir!
    1. Jason Arriola's Avatar
      Jason Arriola - 07-16-2011
      Thanks, WildCard I appreciate it.

  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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