Rating:

It is an extremely playable game with controls which are easy enough to understand but also varied enough to allow your character to do a host of different moves. You wont easily get bored.

The concept of the game is also simple (even if the storyline is a little childish) and this makes it accessible for everyone and anyone. I have to add to all of the other reviews and champion the stunning graphics and compelling music. They really are exquisite.

Some of the reviews mention the annoying sense of the consistently changing viewing and playing angles. I have to say that this is not something that irritates me, in fact it makes it far more original and fun.

The last time I played Mario was about 18 years ago on the Game Boy. Times have changed and this is an incredible game if you enjoy the platform format. If you buy one game this year, you could do a lot worse than Super Mario Galaxy.

Rating:

.gameplay is very good and it is just fun to jump around the planets. The controls are simple and easy to use.

.the sound is great with classic mario sound effects and tunes remixed so there even better.

.The life span of this game is months.

All round its marios 1st next gen classic

Rating:

The music… is so awesome… going to some areas and hearing classic Mario tunes really brings a smile as you instantly remember it!

When you fly through the Galaxy … the only word that can be used is… Wow!

Its a really really beautiful game, It’s so relaxing, and some of the levels are fiendishly clever, with tricks everywhere.

The Graphics… are AMAZING! They really must have been working on this game’s looks because it looks like a 360 title! This raises the bar for future Wii games… and (hopefully) stops lazy developers taking Playstation 2 ports to the Wii.

This is the game of the year IMO.

Mario is back on form. Well done Nintendo, you deserve a pat on the back… *pat pat*

It’s a Me! Mario!

Rating:

The answer is quite simple. Super Mario Galaxy is arguably the best platforming games released in recent years and quite possibly one of the best, if not the best, games ever released. This may sound slightly exaggerated but trust me, it’s not. The gameplay is flawless, the graphics are polished, the soundtrack is phenomenal and the presentation is sublime. What more could you ask of a game.

Gameplay

Like most Mario games, Super Mario Galaxy provides an excellent experience for the gamer. The controls are tight and have very few flaws. If there is one problem with the controls it would be when Mario is swimming. During this period sometimes it can be quite frustrating when it doesn’t do exactly what you would have wanted. The camera very occasionally (and I mean very occasionally) leaves you a bit stuck when you cant quite see what comes next. For those of you worrying don’t, as it’s 10 times better than the camera in Super Mario Sunshine. It is automatic and does a very good job of keeping you right next to the action. The new special power-ups such as Bee Mario and Ghost Mario all control well and add some variation to the game.

Graphics

Super Mario Galaxy features the most gorgeous and polished graphics we have yet to see on the Nintendo Wii. The slowdown is minimal and it runs at a very constant 60fps. The animations are gorgeous and all the characters are flourished with detail and personality.

Presentation

You’ve got the basic Mario storyline of Princess Peach gets kidnapped and you have to rescue her. If you are buying Super Mario Galaxy for its story then think again because it is hardly the most original story. This time there is a slight twist and you get the option to hear a `side story’ which tells the story of Princess Rosalina and how she ended up where she was. There is WiiConcect24 support where you can send shots of your high score tables for your friends to view. Overall presentation is fantastic.

Sound

The music which Koji Kondo and his team have conjured up for this game is incredible. The orchestrated music contrasting with the classic Mario themes works a treat. The minimal voice work which is in the game is also good and Mario is well voiced by Charles Martinet. This is definitely a massive plus for the game.

Overall

Super Mario Galaxy is clearly one of the best games ever made. Nothing else could really be done to make this game any better and to call it anything but perfect, would be a lie.

Rating:

Value for money:

Simple. Value is excellent. There are some great little games in this set, and as you get a Wii controller in the pack, with batteries, it is hard to see how it could be better value.

Crummy games:

The table tennis, the fishing, the racing and the pool games are all a bit, well, mediocre. I went through them to open each game up, but frankly I haven’t been back since.

Great games:

The shooting gallery is utterly superb. Ridiculously simple and just so much fun in two player mode. the noise in my living room when I’m playing against my nine year old daughter is worthy of an apology to the neighbours. The laser hockey game is an Atari classic on steroids, enormously frustrating and yet almost too easy to go back to. The little tank game is so stupendously addictive that words can’t describe. In fact, I’ll have a quick go before bed…..

Overall this is a pretty good set, and nothing takes more than a few minutes per game. It turns the Wii into something to play in the advert break! An extra controller adds great value to Wii itself. What more do you want for this price?

Rating:

If you enjoyed the original, then you will soon pick up the thread on this one but newbies can start with this one quite readily. There are enough differences to warrant picking up both volumes in any case. While there are some dramatic improvements nothing that wasn’t broken has been “fixed”

Although some of the first few planets are as tricky as some of the original titles later levels, indeed on the whole I found this game has a steeper learning curve than the original and there are some fiendish balancing/jumping levels early on but the harder stars are optional and can be returned to when you have more of the game sussed. There are loads of hidden coins and galaxies but if you want to merely rush through the game to get to the final boss as quickly as possible you will find things getting tougher, quickly. Each area is so peppered with mini challenges, warp-pipe secrets and hidden stars that you simply cannot find or realistically complete everything on your first run in any case.

Galaxy 2 is at times calm but it will then ask you to complete puzzles, to navigate worlds that can change at a moments notice and just as you’ll be scratching your head wondering how to reach ‘that’ star, you’ll be reaching for those 1-UP mushrooms PDQ. The difficulty of some levels could have been a turn off but the sheer “one more time” playability of this title keeps you coming back for more. Indeed every death is a lesson learnt, but this difficulty only makes success taste sweeter. I haven’t been able to play this game with one of the new sensor controls but it works pretty well with the original numchuck and wiimote although it may just be me that keeps falling off some of the trickier routes where timing is vital. The game has beautiful graphics so you can’t blame the lack of sharpness on the screen for this failing.

Beating every level will unlock something else to do: another path on the world map, a new feature on Starship Mario, or a Prankster Comet level that remixes a previously visited area. Having said that, repetition is kept to a minimum as the designers manage to invest similar or old levels with new challenges and design tweaks. A new Cloud level appears to have taken the place of the ice levels on the original (which I don’t mind as I was rubbish on ice) and there are some new upgrades and Yoshi makes a guest appearance. There is also a new World Map system for navigating levels, much like classic Mario titles and the New Super Mario Bros. series.

I have been fortunate to have had this title for a week now so suffice to say I am nowhere near completion and there may be some more surprises around the corner but even if the game stopped now there is enough variety, excitement and sheer gaming pleasure in what I’ve already done that I’d be more than happy to play it all over again and indeed probably will.

My only quibble would be the fact that Nintendo have released this game in time for the summer so you may not get much of a sun tan this year as you will be spending a LOT of time indoors playing this game.

And that will be time well spent!!

Rating:

( Word of caution – screw the racket head in dead straight or it can get locked in at an angle )

Overall, an inexpensive and fun addition for Wii fans