Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

Nearly 3 years ago, Nintendo sent Mario soaring off into the cosmos with the original Super Mario Galaxy and once again redefined the way in which we play and think about games on a console. With such a high level of success and many ideas having to be left behind at the drawing board, there was ample opportunity for the company to bring Mario back for a sequel and thankfully, Nintendo have obliged sending Mario back to the stars in Super Mario Galaxy 2, complete with new levels, new power-ups and even an old friend or two to keep him company. Does this sequel take Mario to bold new frontiers and redefine gaming again or does it simply feel like an expansion pack for the first game?

Gameplay

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a sequel of sorts to the original game. The story shows little in the way of continuity between the two games, at least at the beginning, and follows a less is more line of thinking this time around. Mario, invited by Princess Peach to watch the meteor shower and the enjoy some cake, heads off to Peach's Castle only to find it under attack from none other than Bowser, who has grown significantly in size. Kidnapping Princess Peach, Bowser heads off to the centre of the universe hoping to create a galaxy of his own over which he can rule with an iron fist. Teaming up with a group of luma, the cute star people from the first game who are captained this time around by a large purple luma named Lubba, Mario is granted the use of a space ship in the form of his face and sets off in hunt of star pieces so he can eventually rescue the princess.

This time around, there are two significant changes to the game. Firstly, the hub world of the first game has been removed and in its stead comes the 'face ship' Mario is piloting through the universe. This in turn helps the game as the observatory from the first game didn't quite make for the best hub world and while small, the 'face ship' soon becomes populated with other characters to speak with but at all times, it makes it well known where you should be going and what you should be doing. Leading on from this then is the new world map system. Unlike previous 3D Mario games, Super Mario Galaxy 2 utilises a map system akin to that seen in the earlier and more recent 2D games in the series. It streamlines the approach to getting between galaxies and unlocks progressively as you collect stars and beat end of world bosses and there are plenty of secrets awaiting your hard earned star bits to unlock.

As with previous adventures, the game continues with the traditional Mario platforming ethos and brings in a plethora of new galaxies and power-ups that make the game a unique experience. As you travel through the game's initial 6 worlds, with another becoming unlocked after reaching a certain star total, you'll aim to collect 70 stars before heading to the final showdown with Bowser, although the game continues to follow the 120 star total seen in the previous games. On your way to reaching this total, you'll go through all manner of new galaxies created specifically for the game, making use of a varied level design and new power-ups, such as Cloud Mario, Rock Mario and Drill Mario, with some power-ups returning from the previous games and the return of Yoshi, who also sees some power-ups this time around in the form of the Dash Pepper, the Balloon Fruit and the Light Bulb Fruit. Each of the levels presents you with the typical Mario style of platforming, with jumps of all variations and spins needing to be connected to make it successfully through some of the game's truly difficult later offerings which will really test your abilities and patience as a gamer. The levels specifically designed around the new power-ups, be it those used specifically by Mario or those used by Yoshi, show exactly why the game is an essential gaming experience as they create experiences unseen in the genre and once again redefine the way you'll look at a platforming game.

The game requires a minimum number of 70 stars to be collected before you can get to the final showdown but beyond that, there are a total of 120 stars to collect, with some being incredibly tricky. Yet, the game offers further playtime beyond these initial stars by offering a true post game experience. Once you've collected the full 120 stars and faced the final showdown again, you'll begin a second story within the universe where Green Prankster Comets will descend upon all of the game's galaxies. These are of course different to the Prankster Comets you'll see when playing through the first lot of stars, which require you to collect the Comet Medals hidden within the first level of each of the galaxies, and hide 3 extra stars somewhere in the vicinity of the level for you to seek out. You'll need to use your eyes and ears if you want to collect all of these, with a further 122 stars available on top of the original 120 meaning that the game will last well over the 30 hour mark, with many game over screens being viewed by some of the later green star challenges.

Controls

Controlling Mario, Luigi or even Yoshi around the planetoids in each of the galaxies is very simple, with the game employing the same control setup as that used in the original game. The analogue stick covers Mario's movement while A is used for jumping and the Z button can be used in conjunction to butt stomp or for long jumps. A shake of the Wii-mote sends Mario into a spin, either for attacking enemies or for activation star junctions, and a tap of the B button shoots your star bits, which can be used to stun enemies. It's the now standard setup for 3D Mario games on the Wii and is as close to perfect as the controls can be for this type of game. Even with the game and the camera shifting around with the effects of gravity on each of the planetoids, the controls always maintain their workability and you'll never have an issue carrying out something on the underside of a planet that you can do on the topside.

While you don't have full control over it, the game does a fantastic job of moving the camera around to show you what you need to see. You can move the camera either left or right or even go into a first person view to get a better look at the layout of the levels, but the camera works extremely well even without gamer input and although there can be slight issues with the camera snagging on bits of the environment, they're easily remedied by simply continuing through the levels as normal.

Graphics

At first glance, there are very few differences between the visuals of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and its predecessor. Running on the same engine as that which powered the first game, the basics of the visuals remain the same. Yet, this isn't a bad thing. The first game was largely applauded for the visuals it managed to push given the Wii's reserved horsepower and that same sentiment of pushing fantastic visuals on the console remains intact here as Nintendo have made another stunner in the looks department.

Characters and environments are crafted with such skill that they seem to come to life effortlessly as a result of the vibrant colour palette. The Mario games have always made use of vibrant colours but here, they seem to literally leap out at you and the way in which the lighting has been used to further accentuate certain parts of the game help to create a surreal yet living world brimming with energy. These things of course help to define the fantastic level design, which is again one of Nintendo's strong points and a reason why the Mario games are so revered.

The levels are intuitively created, combining various elemental types into the gameplay that really look fantastic such as believable water effects, extremely well done fire and lava as well as ice formations that refract light better than just about any other game on the console and many on the more powerful ones. The amount of imagination and craftsmanship which has gone into creating each of these galaxies and the individual planetoids is staggering and only something you would expect from Nintendo, with single galaxies alone bringing together level design elements and effects which put to shame many other full games. Character design follows a similar suit, recruiting characters and enemies from previous games while also bringing in new enemy types or variations on some well known enemies. The highlights are of course the boss characters who this time really do make for some memorable encounters and sights.

The game maintains a solid frame rate throughout its entirety and at times, you'll be taken aback by this with the number of objects, enemies and other things being piled onto the screen at one time. Dissolving floors, either as a result of being eaten by dry bone heads or as a result of the light bulb power-up Yoshi receives, light refraction in the crystals and fur animation are just some of the effects being put into effective use here and in many cases they really do shame a lot of games not only on the console but also the more powerful ones.

Sound

The gameplay, controls and visuals may all be set at a very high level of quality but what really steals the show here is the game's audio work. Composers Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo have teamed up with the Mario Galaxy Orchestra to create one of the most memorable and beautifully composed soundtracks to a game in recent memory. Each of the game's galaxies have their own orchestrated pieces which sweep throughout the level design and swell to a crescendo at key points, pinpointing certain parts of the gameplay, and some stages even incorporate sound cues into their notation making for a truly unique experience.

You get a mixture of orchestrated remixed songs from earlier Mario games as well as brand new tracks created specifically for the game and while it is the new tracks which stand out the most, all of the music is of such a high quality that gamers will surely remember many of the tracks for years to come. Such is the quality of the music, even the most hardnosed of gamers will find it difficult to not find anything they like in the game's audio, with many high points which will have you replaying levels just so you can sit and listen to the music.

Final comments

The first game redefined the way in which we thought about games and now Nintendo have furthered this with Super Mario Galaxy 2 by crafting not only one of the finest platforming experiences on any console but also one of the finest games to ever have existed. Everything from the gameplay to the level design to the controls is nothing short of incredible and there really isn't anything else which comes close to meeting the standard or quality of this game on the Wii or any other console. It's accessible enough that newcomers can enjoy it but offers enough difficulty to entertain even the most hardcore of gamers and as such, regardless of what type of gamer you are, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a must own title for everyone and one that would be unthinkable to miss out on.

Pro: Gameplay remains as involving and intuitive as ever, new power-up suits and the return of Yoshi make for some great level design, presentation is unmatched in the medium in all aspects
Con: Some very, very slight camera hiccups
Final score: 10

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