Game: Super Mario Galaxy

After the disappointment that was Super Mario Sunshine, the most famous face in the video game industry returns in Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii. This game has been getting a great deal of buzz since its release, especially for the fact that for a time, it knocked it's Nintendo brother "Zelda: Ocarina of Time" off the #1 game of all time slot on many review score averaging websites such as GameRankings.com. While it has since then been bumped down to the #2 spot, the game is still clearly getting rave reviews. I got the game on more of a whim than anything, since I have never been that much of a Mario fan (I'm more of a Sonic person myself, though I'm ashamed to say so in light of every 3D Sonic game of the last half decade), and I did find myself having a fun time with the game.

It's just that, to me at least, it is not even close to "best game ever" material.

Let's start with the basics. The game looks absolutely gorgeous and it's artistic design is superb. The level designs are some of the most diverse and creative to ever grace a television screen, especially since the "galaxy" aspect of the game is taken so seriously. Every little planet in each galaxy (and some levels are made up of many, MANY little planets) has its own gravity, so the movement from one area to another is always new and interesting. Everything looks like it should in a Mario game; a bit cartoonish, never really serious, but still very enjoyable. The best part is that levels are never repetitive, so there is no fear of having to do the same thing over and over again.

Character and enemy design is great, especially with the main characters of Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Rosalina (a new character). I wont go deep into the plot, but you can pretty much guess it; Bowser gets mad, steals Princess, Mario must save. Everything looks nice and clean though, especially Bowser and the other bosses scattered throughout the game. The addition of a new "Spinning Attack" for Mario also helps, since getting around can sometimes be a bit confusing so the classic "jump on the head" tactic gets a bit difficult. There are also a few all new abilities for Mario to try out, the most fun of which is a new "Ice Mario" that only manages to show up maybe two or three times over the length of the game. The sound design as well has very few faults; good music, good sound effects, all around a very good job.

So what's wrong with the game? Everything is good, well polished, and plays well. My major problem comes with that I was able to beat the game (that is defeat the final boss) within four days of getting it. The level of difficulty in the game just felt non existent once I got used to the controls. Death was never much a problem, considering that once you get a certain length through the game a postman gives you five extra lives on a regular basis when you start up the game. It was easy for me, at least, but for people who are planning on this being their very first Wii game, beware. Many friends of mine who had never played anything but "Wii Sports" before on the console became VERY frustrated with the controls, sometimes confusing what was up and what was down during some of the puzzle portions of the game. My experience is, at least, that the game is too difficult for the casual player, and too simple for the experienced player. That seems impossible, but that is what I have seen.

Score: 8.7 out of 10. It's a good game, to be sure, but I certainly do not agree with the sentiments of "Best Game Ever" that are being screamed about all over the web. The two other games of Nintendo's holy trifecta, "Zelda: Twilight Princess" and "Metroid Prime 3", seem like much better picks for the Wii. If you really like Mario, though, I'm sure you'll have a blast with this game. For me, something just didn't click as it clearly did with so many reviewers.