TwiddleGeek

I’ve finally gotten around to playing Mario Galaxy after finishing Mario Sunshine, and thanks to SpaceKitty, who is lending me her copy. My feelings on Sunshine were obviously lukewarm at best, but Galaxy has proven itself right off the bat of being in a whole different league. Familiar enemies return, familiar settings are once again remixed into beautiful 3D, and we’re back once more to collecting stars.

So far I love the creative planets, gravity platforming, classic enemies, and more free-form and exploration encouraging structure of the levels. The speed run challenges are especially interesting, and I like the fact they get you to replay the levels in a more meaningful way than the usual secret stars. The graphics are obviously beautiful, more so than Sunshine in my opinion, filled with color and style.

I would say my only real complaints so far in is that there are too many pointless loose ends. Why is there a coin collection high score count, and hidden switches that activate secret coins, when collecting them does not matter? Why give us so many chances for extra lives, if every time you save and quit you are reset back to 3? Why limit Mario’s attacks to a simple spin and star bits? None of these complaints stop it from being fun, but things like the coin count seem like a half completed thought.

Sub: Mario
Title: Bowser
Size: 21.21 KB
Downloads: 60

Made this one from a capture taken during the ending of Mario Sunshine. If you’re a Bowser fan, enjoy… but that “smile” is just plain creepy.

Sub: Mario
Title: Bowser

Format: 100×100
Size: 7.53 KB
Downloads: 19

If you haven’t already heard the raving praises being piled onto Super Mario Galaxy, you are clearly out of the proverbial loop. I probably don’t need to tell you that it’s a fantastic game, but I’m going to add my two cents anyway.

The game starts us off with the same story as always: Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, yet again (why don’t they staple her to the floor already?). A few new characters come to Mario’s aid - the Lumas, personified stars, and their leader, Rosalina, a Peach-look-alike with a big, albeit broken, starship. To restore the ship and pursue Bowser, Mario must hop across various galaxies to collect stars. While the story is clearly flimsy… who really cares?

Also, while the Wii’s graphics are obviously not on par with the other consoles of its generation, again I must ask, does it matter? Galaxy is bright and colorful, with appropriate cartoon style. And it has bunnies. The music is catchy as well, with a number of tracks that are revitalized renderings of classic Mario music. The voice acting is… awful, but thankfully very limited.

While it’s certainly not one of the hardest games out there, the difficulty curve is appreciable. Early levels can be quite simple, while some of the later ones are likely to trump you on your first try… or your first few tries (”Luigi’s Purple Coins” is now a registered SpaceKitty torture method). Most bosses follow the same pattern: the first few hits are cake, but getting that last one requires a step up. … (Read More)