Super Mario Galaxy Wii 1st Review

Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 was, and still is by many, seen as the pinnacle of 3D platform gaming. Therefore, when Super Mario Sunshine came out on the GameCube, several heads were shaken and chins rubbed at it due to it not particularly sharing the same charm as its predecessor. So Nintendo is back once again, with Miyamoto & Co., to rectify matters with Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii. The question remains, though, of whether this will be the Super Mario 128 we are all expecting…

I watched nearly every video of Super Mario Galaxy’s demonstration at this year’s E3 event and became extremely worried by the amount of people that really looked like they had no clue whatsoever as to how the game should be played. Now, it was either a case of them being completely inept at videogames, or something was fundamentally wrong with the control system for what was most probably my most anticipated Wii game. It only took a few seconds to realise that sadly, for the people seen in those videos, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Mario Galaxy in the slightest! I felt like I was back in the control of the podgy N64 Mario, back in 1996, dancing a merry trot across lush grass, jumping and flipping around to land on pesky Goombas and having a rip-roaring time with the integrated Wii controls.

As, like I said, I had become quite familiar with the locations people had visited during the E3 demo, and analysed their faults as well, I ran around, pointing the Wii controller at the little bells and shaking it slightly from side-to-side, making them all ring. Once done, twenty colourful music notes appeared in a line, with each one giving off a higher pitched sound as they were collected. This brought Mario round the first main bend to a tree stump where a 1-UP Mushroom appeared once all were collected. Then the chase was on to catch it! The wily bugger…Here it was taught how shaking the Wii controller on its own, without pointing, causes Mario to do a spin attack, which comes in very handy when dispatching enemies, smashing boxes, or launching projectiles into the distance.

Here there was a circle of stones on the ground that others seemed to just bypass – not me, as I wondered if they were like the wooden posts in SM64. Turned out that pointing and shaking at them turned each one into a tasty golden coin, so I was not far off with my prediction. Anyway, off I trotted to a fancy little transporter, in the shape of a star cookie-cutter. Making Mario jump and then shaking the controller launched the portly plumber off that planet and through space toward another, smaller meteor-style location. Once there I found a wealth of coloured crystals floating around – cue plenty of pointing and waggling fun to help practice the move, before stunning the lone Goomba that comes blundering after you with a quick waggle, then jump on him to finish the blighter off once and for all.

And then it was off to another rock in space. Just for those that are wondering – the A face button is jump, whilst the trigger on the Wii controller (B) acted as ‘fire’. So, continuing this little tale of mine through Star World, Mario finally makes it to a lush green section with pesky white bunny rabbits hopping around (remember those pests from SM64? Oh, how I could forget them…). Natural instinct was to follow the first one I saw off to the left and up a dark slope that ended with a tiny Toad and a bubble above my head. The aim? Point at it, click the trigger B, which drags Mario into the air slightly, just in reach of a star transport device and then wiggle that controller! Whilst on flight to a beach location, you can point and grab various star pieces that float around Mario on his journey, which is a nice piece of interaction since flying about like that could grow tiresome after the 500th time.

Here boxes could be smashed and fruit could be launched into space with a quick shake, clearly preparing the gamer for something up ahead. I wonder could it be a boss perchance? Well, the first step was a mini-boss, a lovely, spiky cactus (aptly named ‘Pokey’, for those that do not remember) that required you to repeatedly fling fruit at in order to prevent it from squashing you. Once disposed of, another transport device appears and off we went to a place with Bullet Bills shooting around and strange little blue creatures that tried to stick to Mario…Jumping up a few platforms as quickly as possible (for the five minutes were fast running out due to my dawdling) I shot Mario over to a flying airship with enemies shooting balls at me from a distance. A few shakes later and they had been killed by their own balls…opening up a bridge to the other side and granting me access to some steps that I had, for some reason, an awkward time getting up because of the automatic camera position.

But, with a timely double-jump and then trademark backwards flip, Mario traversed them with ease and lo-and-behold the final transport awaited me atop the main deck of the ship. Time for the final encounter and by now I am in full Mario flow. Seriously, if the rest of the game is as accessible and fun as this then I am indeed a happy chappy. So, running around this final area I discover some gorgeous lava bubbling away and an octopus-type character with a big snout and crown bobbing up and down in it. Huge flaming rocks come flying at me; time to dodge. But wait, what is this? He shot out a piece of fruit! Time to play tennis with this monster. Shake the Wii controller at the fruit and he simply bats it back to you, repeat this and he does the same, albeit with the fruit now travelling much faster. Manage a third whack / rally and it smacks him on the nose, knocking his crown off. Time to rinse and repeat, methinks, but faster this time (in true Mario style). And, with the seconds literally counting down on the clock, he was finished off, and a star left in his wake. You got a star! “Thank you so much for playing my game” says Mario as the demo ends. It was my pleasure…