I just found this review i had wrote awhile back. I think i submitted it when i applied for a staff position.
I think its a decent review. Better then most of my others.
Super Mario Galaxy
The Wii Game that Could….
Yes it is true that as of now anyone that has fully experienced Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii understands that it is one of the greatest Mario adventure games of all time. Although Mario 64 can be argued to be equal or better, it is still a great collection to own for show or enjoyment. It has been clearly marked one of the top 10 games of 2007. If it is number one we will know, because of all of the different opinions on the web and television. Nevertheless it is still a landmark in the Wii’s history, which is why it has gotten so much hype. Now not to spoil too much lets move on.
Super Mario Galaxy contains a simple control setup which can be learned very quickly, when first picking up the game myself I learned the controls within the first minute, without reading any manuals, or tutorials. Motion controls are limited, but are not very necessary. Pointing for collecting star bits, and a swish of your wrist for spin attacks, are all that are included. The rest of the controls are mapped to a select few buttons on the controller. The only problem with the controls which seems obvious is the awkwardness. Sometimes on smaller planets or even larger ones the controls don’t feel right, usually awkward and confusing.. These few times this happened I found myself heading in the wrong direction. Despite these minor flaws the controls are one of the many wonders in the game.
One of the new features included in the game is the ability to play with two players, and it is not some kind of cheesy race included in most of Nintendo’s multiplayer games. It is simply a co-op mode in the game. The second player can assist in collecting star bits with the pointing function. Aside from collecting the second player can also make Mario jump and stop enemies in their tracks. This feature with enemy’s can help in many situations. You can stop incoming bullet bills which could lead to you losing your health, and resulting in the loss of a life.
The comets in the game that hover around the planets add a new interesting aspect to the Mario franchise. They vary in difficulty from to simple to overly challenging. The comets that prove to be more difficult are always the ones that are more exciting, especially the 100 purple coins comets. In these you must collect 100 purple coins, and if you lose all of your health, even if you are at 99 coins, you must start the entire process over again. In with the comets comes one of the very few bad aspects of the game. Towards the end of the game the comets begin to get very tiresome as there are 2-3 comets per galaxy. Sometimes you must wait for one to appear before you can move on to your next challenge, and some can be very time consuming. Other than that they were a great addition to the game.
One of the other wonderful marvels in the game is music and sounds. Although hearing Mario’s voice in more of a word form is not very pleasing, the wahoo’s he gives off are still just as enthusiastic, but aside from Mario’s voice the planets background music are simply astonishing. When first flying into the Good Egg Galaxy I was amazed at how well the piece was put together and worked in a Mario game. Planets that had a more dim sound to the like the Spooky galaxy also had a very pleasing soundtrack; although eerie. The game also brought back some of the retro sounds from the Mario games of the past. All of this put together made for a wonderful soundtrack.
One of the other portions of the game that have a flaw are the power-ups. It was nice of Nintendo to bring back the fire Mario that we have all come to know and love in the early games of Nintendo, but they all come with flaws. For one all of the power-ups have a time limit on them making their experience less exciting. Another problem would be the controls, they make it very difficult to aim when shooting a fireball and spring Mario moves slowly and more unpredictable. After some practice you can learn how to use each of these somewhat well but they take time and effort to do so.
Overall this game has been another masterpiece that Nintendo can hang onto their wall or game art. But this game leaves all of us a huge question, where will Mario go next. Now that he has been in space there’s not much more for him to do. Whatever direction Nintendo takes their main star hopefully they touch up the miniscule flaws found in Mario Galaxy to make it a perfect game in all aspects.
Score
Graphics Sound Control Gameplay Lastability Final
10 10 9.0 9.5 9.5 9.5
Summary
Pro’s Con’s
+ Graphics look amazing - Comets become time consuming and tiresome
+ Amazing Soundtrack - Control becomes awkward in some spots.
+ Fun gameplay - Miner flaws in the Power-up designs.
+ Comets add new aspect to
the Mario Series
Graphics – 10
The graphics in Super Mario Galaxy are absolutely the best we have seen on any Wii game so far; so amazing that I would call them jaw-dropping. The visuals while flying between planets are one of the best parts that they touched upon.
Sound – 10
As I said earlier in the review simply amazing, there is not much more they could have done to perfect the sound further.
Control – 9.0
Control is adequate, some minor flaws but good. Everything we would expect from Nintendo here.
Gameplay – 9.5
New intuitive design, with new aspects making gameplay more challenging and exciting for players old and new to the series.
Lastability – 9.5
There isn’t much more they could have put into this game that would make it last longer. You can get bored with it after some time, but you will be addicted until the first play through is complete.
Final – 9.5
One of the Best Wii games the we have seen so far on the Wii. Hopefully Nintendo will continue this trend producing even better Mario sequels.
Topic: Super Mario Galaxy (Read 4327 times)
