Den’s place ^^

Finally it’s here! Yeah I know it took some time, but hey! Cut me some slack! This is my first review EVER, plus I have so many things to do, you can say I’m kinda busy. Yeah.. busy… oh well. Back to the main topic! Like I said this is my first review ever, plus it’s in an uncommon language for me so some feedback for the future is gladly appreciated. At least, if I’ll ever feel like making another review.. but that’s for sometime later! Without further ado, it’s time now for my review of Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo’s Wii.

I remember myself as a small kid. It was back in 1990 or something. Someone (I guess it must have been my brother at that time) knocked at the door during a Saint Nicolas’ evening. Opening the door, I was amazed. Nobody was there. All I could see was a large box that was wrapped in shiny paper in front of me. As young as I was of course I tore the paper off and looked at a big shiny box which said: “Nintendo Entertainment System”. My life changed since then. Literally. I became a gamer. I played so many great games, and oh boy there were lots of them back in those days. One of those games outstood as one of the greatest of that time. Of course it was the classic Super Mario Brothers. The sequels (well most of them) were even better. I was a happy kid. Looking over the years, those 2D side-scrolling platform action games with our favorite mustached plumber were and are still awesome. But as innovative as Nintendo is, of course they had to think of something to keep things new. In 1996 (1997 in Europe) Nintendo took a huge risk throwing the 2D-moneymaking concept aboard, and creating a totally 3D environment. Result: A huge success. Super Mario 64 was born. That game made a huge impact on the business.

Gamers waited ages, years, eons for a sequel, a game that can be called as a sequel of Mario 64. 10 years after the last impact of sheer greatness that a Mario-game created we’ve all felt disappointed. That game was nowhere to be seen. Mario got fond of playing in a million other sport games, or in other stupid games. But.. finally. The good news is.. the wait is over…
It has arrived. The sequel of Super Mario 64. Super Mario Galaxy.

You start as usual in the Mushroom Kingdom on your way to the castle of Princess Peach. She invited you to celebrate the passing of a comet. How cute. Things start beautiful, everything is okay, and then of course Bowser comes in and ruins the party. The whole setting is ripped apart (again), and the castle floats into the air. Yeah, a castle.. floating in the air.. Anyway.. while you get sucked into the air some Magikoopa blasts you and you fall of Peach’s castle, falling into outer space. OMG! But no worries. You fall on a small planet, and there’s where the real adventure starts!
You meet Rosalina. She is the watcher of the stars, and explains that Bowser has taken all the Power Stars and Grand Stars. These stars fuel the ship that is on her planet. Of course your job is to collect the stars that fell into the hands of evil. After a bit more storytelling and explaining controls, you finally can head for the first level.

The first thing you’ll notice (even though you walked towards Peach’s Castle in the start of the game) is that this game is unlike any other Mario, but still somehow feels the same. The controls are very easy to learn, the control stick of the nunchuck controller makes Mario move, you can move the nunchuck or Wiimote to make Mario spin. The A-button makes Mario jump, and in combination with other buttons you can make him do a ground pound, or spin him higher in the air. It all explains itself. New to this are the Star Bits that float in the air, lay everywhere in each level and are dropped by enemies you have squashed. These Star Bits are collected when you point the Wiimote at the screen (you’ll see a star as the pointing spot) and can be fired at enemies with the B-button. Of course there are still coins which regain health, and when collected 50 make you gain an extra life. This is also with Star Bits, collect 50 for an extra 1-up. Surprisingly easy to get used to.

The second thing you’ll notice is the graphics. We all know the Wii is a bit “underpowered” compared to the other two competitors, the Xbox360 and the Playstation 3. But really, this game is beautiful. It’s use of bright and many colors, the way Mario flies through the air when being launched by a launching star, the graphics “explode” right from your TV-screen. Super Mario Galaxy is truly the most beautiful Wii game at the moment. Third party developers should learn from this. just take your time developing games, and don’t shit them out each month. Sorry EA, don’t mention me saying that. *coughs*.

First level of Mario Galaxy.. it’s so much fun

Overall the thing you’ll notice, after getting used to the controls, is how much fun this game really is. There is a wide variety in gameplay, for some stars you’ll have to face a boss, for others you’ll have to other funny stuff like balancing on a ball, (by holding the Wiimote up in the air and tilting it towards the way you want to move) or racing etc. etc.

Combining these 3 things, the easy-to-learn controls, the graphics, and the great gameplay make Super Mario Galaxy really a game to checkout yourself. Playing a Mario game hasn’t been this fun in ages. If you have a Wii, or does your friend/family/neighbors have one? Do yourself a pleasure. Get this game and play it.

Gameplay: 9,5 - Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun. Thanks Nintendo.
Graphics: 9,5 - Beautiful, “exploding” colorful graphics.
Sound: 9,0 - The composition really fits into this game.
Overal: 9,5 - The best Wii game to date. You would be stupid to let this game slip by.