Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reviewed

Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii hit store shelves on Sunday, May 23^rd. It was a first-day purchase for me, and now that I have gotten a ways into the game, I will share with you my impressions of this latest in the series of Nintendo's flagship franchise.

Graphics: This is easily the Wii's most graphically spectacular game with the possible exception of Galaxy 1. The colors and textures are sharp and vivid. The sense of depth and distance is amazing and, if possible, even slightly improved over the original. There are no blocky or grainy textures to be found anywhere.

Controls: The controls are flawless and intuitive. If you are familiar with the first game, you already know the basics. Galaxy 2 adds a few new movements which are mostly associated with Yoshi and the new suits Mario gets to wear. These are handled brilliantly and only add to the gameplay experience. There is a fair amount of "waggling" involved in the game, but it does not feel tacked-on or overdesigned.

Sound: Perhaps the game's most brilliant aspect, the sound is incredible. There is almost no voice acting in the game, but the music is inspiring and always fits the level and feel of the game. The sound effects other than music are also top notch. From wind, to echos inside caves, to the swish of water, it is as good as you will find on the Wii. In a bit of a twist from the original, at certain points in the game the Wiimote will actually produce cheering sounds if you accomplish something specific. It can make other noises too, depending on the situation.

Gameplay: As good as it gets. If you are a lover of platform games, this is heaven on earth. The designs of the levels are wickedly ingenious, forcing you to use the entire repertoire of Mario's moves. Depending on your skill level, there can be multiple ways to complete a given level.

Unlike the first game, Galaxy 2 allows you to use Yoshi on some of the levels. The Yoshi levels are among the games most fun, as he has certain items that he can eat which give him special abilities necessary to complete the levels. He is also amazingly cute.

Also unlike the first game, there is an option to play as Luigi in several of the levels instead of Mario. In Galaxy 1, you could replay all the levels as Luigi once you had earned 120 stars. In Galaxy 2, however, there are certain levels in which Luigi appears where you can choose him instead of Mario fairly early in the game.

Co-op mode: A vast improvement of the original, in which the second player could only swipe at stray star bits, the co-op mode lets player two actually attack(and in some cases defeat) enemies. A fair amount of strategy is involved in coordinating the play of players one and two, but if done correctly, it can make some of the levels a great deal easier for a struggling player.

Replay Value: This depends on how you want to define replay value. If you think of beating the game as finishing off the final boss(Bowser), then the replay value is great. You can get to Bowser and defeat him relatively quickly, but there will still be many other stars to collect.

If you consider replay the amount of gaming that can be done after collecting all the stars, then the replay value is moderate. It is a great game that you will probably enjoy playing through several times, but it will be the same game each time through.

Overall: This game is an achievement worthy of consideration for the greatest video game ever made. Yes, it's that good. This game does not have a weak point and is an absolute thrill to play. If you don't have a Wii, find a friend that does and play this game! If you do have one, this game is a definite must-own. I wouldn't be surprised if video game-loving women began naming their male children Shigeru, after the creator of this game(and many of the other Mario games).