Awesome job with the thread ziran. Thanks for the kudos too, I appreciate it.
Galaxy doesn't just ask for appreciation, it
demands appreciation. It's the best 3D platformer ever created, the best game of this generation, and the very definition of Fun. Galaxy reminds us of why we play videogames in the first place. It's not about epic cutscenes. It's not about groundbreaking AI. It's about FUN. And Galaxy delivers that ingredient - the single most important ingredient - in spades.
Everything about the game screams polish. The sublime controls. Incredible animation. Beautiful art. Sweeping orchestral score. And, most important, the outstanding level design, which continually throws new concepts at you from the start of the game to its very end.
But let's speak of those distinct points. Firstly, the controls. I'm still not sure how Nintendo does it, but from the very beginning of Galaxy, it feels like you already know exactly how to control Mario. I think a key part of this is how Nintendo only use two primary buttons - Z and A. Barely anything else is used, aside from the d-pad (which is only sparingly used to control the camera, since the auto-camera is almost always more than sufficient) and the B-button, which you can optionally use to shoot star-bits if you so wish. The controls are so basic that anyone can jump into the game and have it down-pat within minutes.
As for what the Wii controls bring to the game, I feel this is a very underappreciated aspect of Galaxy. I often hear or read people saying "Galaxy could've controlled just as well on the Gamecube", a statement I believe to be both false and ignorant. Yes, Galaxy doesn't use motion controls in any extreme or innovative fashion. But that's the thing - it doesn't abuse motion control, but rather, it subtely bring motion into the game in such a fashion that you don't even realise it's their most of the time, yet it's essential to the experience.
The primary motion that is made throughout the game is Mario's spin attack. By simply waving the controller, Mario does a 360 spin which can defeat enemies, unlock screws, smash crystals, and much more. Does it offer something amazingly new and fantastic? No. But what it does do is offer that extra sense of involvement in the world, making you feel part of the action. For such a simple movement, you wouldn't believe how many times you unconciously use it throughout your adventure, and how different the game would feel without it. Galaxy also contains several levels that utilise motion, such as controlling Mario on a rolling ball, or guiding a stingray in a racing course. These levels aren't revolutionary or anything, but they do offer even more variety to the game and help break up the usual platforming.
Another aspect of the controls that I really love is the pointing mechanism. The pointer, typically represented on the screen a a blue star, is used in a variety of ways throughout the game. The basic use is to collect, or shoot, star bits. I adore this element on the controls, because you can point your star to collect star bits that are far away in the distance, and see them rush towards Mario from kilometres away. It makes you feel like you have a hand of god, and when you have to trudge over coins to collect them (which you cannot point at), you realise how just beneficial and seamless pointing is to collecting. The pointer is also used for a variety of actions, such as blue pulling stars which Mario can guide himself towards, shooting Mario from a cannon, feeding Hungry Lumas, and more.
As for the music, wow. Just wow. Nintendo really delivered the best soundtrack that I've heard in years, even surpassing the likes of Shadow of the Collosus, Metroid Prime, and others. Galaxy was Nintendo's first real foray into orchestrated music, and it payed absolute dividends. Galaxy's insane level design makes it already feel epic enough, but the sweeping score just bring it to another level. Often orchestarted music in games impacts on compostion in favour of instrumentation, but Galaxy strikes the perfect balance, creating tunes that you just won't be able get out of your head. It's the perfect demonstration of the Sound of Mario in the new generation.
I won't list them all, but some of my favourites include,
Good Egg Galaxy,
Space Junk Galaxy,
Buoy Base Galaxy,
Megaleg Battle,
Bowser Battle and
Bowser Final Battle, and my favourite (and the best videogame music for a very long time),
Gusty Garden Galaxy. Of course, there's tons more I could mention. An absolutely outstanding musical achievement and hopefully its only a sign of things to come from Nintendo in the future.
As for the beautiful art, well, if I may, I'll let the screens below indicate just how beautiful the game really is. Of course, it's in motion where it all comes to life, particularly the outstanding animation. The movement of Mario and all other characters within the game is simply sublime. One particular moment that comes to mind is the spider boss that you find in one of the stars in one of my favourite levels, Space Junk Galaxy. For those who have the game (which should be all of you - and if not - shame on you), check out the insane animations of the boss, as well as the sublime physics of the webbing, which you can play around within after defeating the boss. Moments such as these are absolutely littered throughout the game and only further display Nintendo's at-times obsessive attention to detail.
I hope the screens below help reawaken the memories for those who've played the game, and for those who haven't (once again, shame on you), they should demonstrate the sheer artistic beauty of Super Mario Galaxy.
Not a bad looking game, huh?
However, as good as Galaxy is, it's not perfect. No game can be, and I think it's worthwhile to point out Galaxy's few flaws.
The first that comes to mind is its difficulty. Though I appreciate that Nintendo didn't want to scare of novice players too early in the game, the first 60 stars are usually pretty easy. Of course, they're very very very fun, but I would have appreciated some more difficulty in the earlier sections of the game, particularly for the bosses, which looked amazing but were mostly pushovers (save a select couple, especially Bouldergeist and his very challenging Daredevil Comit). Thankfully, the difficulty does ramp up for the last 60 stars, especially for the Purple Coin stars, which are a delight for the hardcore gamer. These stars, in particular Luigi's Purple Coins and Dreadnought's Purple Coins, were some of my favourite stages in the game and required a lot of effort and skill to accomplish.
Another issue that arose from time to time were somewhat underwhelming stars. Though rare, some stars weren't so hot. Examples that come to mind include the diving test star in Beach Bowl Galaxy, most of the stars in Sea Slide Galaxy, and several others. In fact, that bring me to another point - there were too many water stages in the game. Beach Bowl. Sea Slide. Buoy Base. Deep Dark. Bonefin. Drip Drop. Bigmouth. And others. It was just too much, and it didn't help that the swimming controls weren't always so crash hot. Of course, stuff like Buoy Base and Bonefin Galaxy were absolute gold, but I would have appreciated a bit less water and bit more really exciting stuff like Matter Splatter or Sweet Sweet Galaxy.
My last, and very petty, complaint is the interface. The hub world is absolutely fine - I think it had a lot of character, fantastic music (which developed as you progressed through the game) and everything was very easy to access. However, the process to getting to your desired star takes too long. First you have to find your dome, then you have to pull Mario to the blue star, then you have the select your Galaxy, then you have to confirm that you want to go to that galaxy, then you have to watch Mario fly to that galaxy, then you have to select your star, then you have to watch the star spin, and finally you are able to play. Yes, it's a tiny issue, but it's too long and I want to see Nintendo really try to speed this up in the next Mario game.
These complaints are incredibly small, and any negative within the game is completely overshadowed by the sheer genius that occupies 99% of Super Mario Galaxy. Flying through space. Wall-jumping up waterfalls. Shooting out erupting volcanoes. Navigating a sandcastle upside down. Racing a giant Boo through a course made out of giant bones. Iceskating on lava. Running on apples suspended in mid-air. Jumping on a planet made out of Yoshi's head. Moments like these - hundreds of them - are what makes Galaxy so great. It's not about delivering the most cinematic experience of all time. It's about being fun. It's why we game, and it's why Super Mario Galaxy is gaming's greatest achievement in a very long time.
