Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release 2010 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.9 \ 10.0: Masterful

This amazing platformer lives up to its predecessor in nearly every way and improves every other facet of the game. I can't overstate my love for SMG2, but I'll have to begin with a nitpick, and that is that the plot isn’t as deep as this game's predecessor— Bowser is no longer attempting to take over the universe, but kidnaps Princess Peach just for her delicious cake which Mario was invited to have. The opening sequence is now 2D as well. One of the most notable changes of this sequel is that there are a greater number of 2D sections than in the original Galaxy. These segments play differently than traditional Mario side-scrollers, but flying in a bee suit through a maze of deadly plants and swimming in space through moving cubes of water ends up being more better than you'd ever expect. I did not enjoy this sequence as much, but  everything that follows it is nothing short of spectacular. Your main hub is no longer Rosalina’s Cosmic Observatory— it's now Starship Mario. This is a spaceship which Lubba, a plump purple Luma, transforms into a starship in the form of Mario’s head, or as Lubba calls it, a "faceship". This is among Lubba's mediocre jokes and puns  that will only appeal to young children. The world maps are different, too—they are no longer composed of circling galaxies, but now bare a slight resemblance to world maps found in the New Super Mario Bros. games, but are ventured by starship, rather than foot, and are in deep space. The game introduces new power-ups— the Cloud Flower, with lets you create up to three cloud platforms by shaking the Wii remote, and the Rock Mushroom, which allows you to curl up into a boulder and smash through enemies and objects. The stages in which you ride Yoshi add to the fun. Yoshi's three power-ups are enjoyable to use as well. The first of these is the Dash Pepper, which sets his mouth afire and causes him to dash forward at tremendous speeds, allowing you to run up walls; second is the Blimp Fruit, which causes Yoshi to swell up like a balloon and float upwards until you run out of air; and finally, there's the Bulb Berry, a glowing yellow fruit that causes Yoshi to glow, making invisible platforms appear. But as the effects wear off, the once invisible objects start shrinking from sight, and are no longer solid. Mario also has a couple of new power-ups. The first is the Cloud Flower, which allows you to create cloud platforms by shaking Wii Remote; the second is the Rock Mushroom, allows you to transform into a boulder and smash through objects by shaking the Wii Remote. It also introduces Comet Medals. There’s one in each galaxy, and they later let you play the galaxy’s Prankster Comet stage, a difficult challenge based on the galaxy’s environment. These challenged were included in the first Super Mario Galaxy, but were unlocked randomly. Prankster challenges include completing a stage under a  time limit, defeating a boss with just a single life mark, collecting a certain number of Purple Coins, finishing a stage while being followed by Cosmic Clones (evil duplicates of Mario who copy your every move), and defeating a large amount of enemies under a time limit. In some stages, you’ll find the blue chimpanzee known as the Chimp, who tests you with similar challenges.  Also, in this game, there are 120 Green Stars, instead of just a measly three, and they must all be collected to unlock the final galaxy, Grandmaster Galaxy. A second player is still able to join. Player two can do everything he / she could do in the first game, but is now visible onscreen as an orange Luma, as well as a cursor. The second player can now pick up coins well. There are even ways the game is better than the original aside from the gameplay. The soundtrack, although it recycles a handful of the original game's tunes, but throws in tons of new songs that add up to a better soundtrack. Additionally, the already incredible visuals of  Super Mario Galaxy have been improved, are some of the best I've ever seen (and for a non-HD console, that's really saying something)! Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my favorite videogame of all time, and if you haven't played it (shame on you!), you don't know what you're missing out on! It's a true masterpiece, and it will remain my all time favorite video game, likely forever. If you're a Wii owner with money to spare, than you have no valid excuse not to play this game.

Ups
Very creative
New power-ups
Inclusion of Yoshi
Incredible graphics
Amazing soundtrack
Everything else

Downs
We need Super Mario Galaxy 3!!!

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $49.99 (Retail)