When the original Super Mario Galaxy was released, it was a prime example that the Wii was more than a console for Soccer Moms and Old people. It showed us that a full-fledged Mario title could be pulled off perfectly on it's hardware, with amazing visuals to boot. Now, Nintendo has succeeded in improving all those things with Super Mario Galaxy 2.
The games story is slightly more simplistic than the previous game, which can be good or bad (It's really up to the player.) Mario is invited to the Mushroom Kingdom's Castle to eat Cake with the Princess. Bowser shows up, takes off into space and you follow. Once again you are assisted by the Luma, adorable star-shaped aliens and the Toads which follow you into space. You must collect enough Stars to power your Mario-shaped planetoid and rescue Peach. The game seems to ignore the fact that the previous game had actually happened, but that's something we can overlook.
Fly Yoshi! For World Peace!
The game controls exactly the same as the previous title, at least when Mario is on foot. The big addition this time is the inclusion of everyone's favorite genderless dinosaur, Yoshi. When mounted on Yoshi, you are able to eat enemies, fruits, fire projectiles and swing with his tongue to access hard to reach areas. New Power-ups, while simple, also bring fun, new elements to the gameplay. Cloud Mario for example, allows you to create midair platforms, while Rock Mario rolls you up into a ball, destroying anyone or anything in it's path. The only real gripe with the gameplay is something that carried on over from the previous title, the camera angles. You'll find that the camera results in an unfair death more than once, it's sudden changes result in poorly-angled jumps or colliding into enemies. What has been improved from last time however, is the menu system. Getting from Galaxy to Galaxy is easier thanks to a map system that has been implemented, which is similar to the Mario games of yore.
The visuals are roughly the same as last time around, which is to say they're fantastic. The graphics are as smooth and detailed as it's predecessor and benefits from a variety of new galaxies to explore. Some of the Galaxies feature colorful new environments and unique elements that have effects on the gameplay. For example, one Galaxy has a drill-like device that allows you to dig through the various planetoids, while another begins has a tropical paradise and can transform into a frozen wasteland at the hit of a switch. They're minor additions that will be seen only once or twice, but they're fun and interesting nonetheless.
The audio has also carried on from the previous title, with the same memorable voices that have been seen in your favorite titles since Super Mario 64. The music is similar to the first games', it's an upbeat "Epic-space" style of orchestration that's catchy and memorable. The game features many entirely new songs and several remixes of classic tunes from the older Mario games.
Galaxies like this one have unique elements that are manipulated by the Player. Also, yes, you can play as Luigi.
Apart from it's occasional flaws with the camera, the game is as close as we'll get to platforming perfection. So we'll call it that: Super Mario Galaxy 2 is Platforming perfection that One-ups it's predecessor in every conceivable way. It's an experience that's not to be missed. Don't have this game? Buy it! Don't have a Wii? Buy one! You have to play this game!
- Kyle K.
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