I was struggling between galaxy, prime, and wii sports. I didn't choose wii sports because despite its immense impact on the industry as a whole and its commercial success, I really don't feel like it is the "game" of the decade. I guess I am trying to say that the amazing thing about wii sports is not really the game itself but the overarching idea or concept. The substance of the game is not mind blowing, but the accessibility that was promoted by the game and nintendo simultaneously is what created the change in the industry. As a game I can't really choose it.
I think what pulled me away from Prime was the fact that it took many of the ideas of super metroid, and i don't know if it necessarily changed, improved or enhanced them, but i guess put it through a different lens if that makes sense. I also feel like the ideas of prime have been furthered this decade with its predecessors, of which I think echoes is my favorite (you aren't alone jonny). It may also be the fact that I played the series from corruption to prime to echoes that may have changed my opinion of the series as a whole. And I really feel like the ideas of super metroid were really refined in zero mission. As an aside, zero mission is currently my favorite in the series although I am only about two thirds through super metroid currently so it is subject to change.
Although a cohesive world is something I am drawn to in games, I feel like that really isn't important to me when playing a mario game. Mario in many ways to me is a way for Nintendo to say "How much can we expand this world, or how many different experiences or ideas can we fit in this world or theme and have it still fit?" I think the genius of galaxy is that Nintendo gave themselves basically the whole universe to play with. Essentially they found an environment in which they were free to go bananas. Even in reality the galaxy is not cohesive, we only really know much about our own little hub world earth. Galaxy is like the melting pot for gaming as a whole from this decade and before. The fact that Nintendo is making a sequel I think emphasizes on how limitless the ideas that could fit in the setting are. They didn't have to create a new arena for mario like the castle or delfino island to keep the game fresh (at least we will see). So there we go. Mario Galaxy.
That was basically my thought process written down. Kudos to the RFN crew. The discussion on the last episode was so great that I just had to make a post even though I am insanely inactive here. I always tell myself to go and post after I listen to a show but life and games that I am playing tell me otherwise.