Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) Review

The word awesome is an overused word in today’s vocabulary. Let’s look at the definition of it: ‘inspiring awe’. Now, think about the last time you used the word. Was it referencing something awe inspiring? Probably not, so now for me to say the next sentence you know that I really mean it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is awesome. Many doubted this game from the second it was announced. A numbered sequel that looks and plays the same as the last game? How dare they! The rest of the video game industry does this on a yearly basis but there was something different about this one. The real question, though, is how do you improve on one of the best games of all time? It’s Nintendo, they just do it.

The fact that the game is similar to Super Mario Galaxy will never cross your mind once you get into it. The entire package has been refined and polished; new level ideas and gameplay mechanics are fresh and exciting, and still better than most other developers are pushing out. The great thing about Galaxy 2, though, is that if you’ve played the first, you’re already set and ready to go. The game jumps straight back into the action, but at the same time is just as welcoming to new players.

Gone is the huge hub world from the previous game, which is replaced and streamlined with a smaller ’Starship Mario’ that floats around from World to World and Level to Level much like the older Mario games and New Super Mario Bros. You can still explore the Starship and doing so will net rewards, but getting to levels is streamlined and easier, making getting back into the action more simple.

The good thing about the hub world is that you’re free to go back and easily explore the previous Galaxies. You won’t and can’t collect every star on the first run through and even then there are Comet Stars and other challenges that crop after you’ve been through the world the first time. This means the game is as hard as you want it to be; the more you do the harder it gets. Veteran players will find constant challenge with new levels and worlds that continuously unlock as you progress. There are even several ’spin off’ Galaxies that are pure platforming challenges and will push even the most expert Mario player. On the flip side, if you’re not as good as the best out there you’re free to venture to whatever Galaxy you want to in order to get the required stars to progress. You can even skip many levels entirely if you find them too hard.

There is also the added help of the Cosmic Guide this time around. Borrowed straight out of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the guide will appear when you die a certain amount of times and help you complete a level. You won’t get the same shiny gold star for it but it will help you advance in the game if you’re totally stuck. There is also a second helper in the game called Hint TV. This one will just show you how to complete a particular hard section of a level but not do it for you. I never had to use it once, but I will admit the Rosalina shaped helper did appear once or twice for me. But don’t tell anyone.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is advertised as a two player game but in reality it’s just the Co-Star helper that has returned. This time around you can do more than just collect star bits, but it’s the same sort of experience again. The game is the same whether you use the co-star or not, so it’s a lot easier if you have a competent player wielding the second Wii Remote.

The universe is a big place, and again Nintendo has found a nice pocket of it for Mario to explore. This pocket is bright and colourful, dark and gloomy and everything in between. Each Galaxy comes to life in brilliant graphics and detail; the enemies littered around bring it to life. Each level has different theme with a different tune to match, you’ll transition from 2D gameplay to 3D gameplay and not even notice it. There’s more 2D on board here this time around too but while you might be playing on a 2D plane you’ll be floating up and down, upside down and on the sides. Gravity has been thrown out the window; you are in space after all. Taking Mario to space is probably the best move the Mario series could have made, when you remove the limitations of a ’real world’ the fun really starts. The first 50 or 60 stars are all a fresh experience, it’s not until after you get there that things can repeat.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 may draw heavily from the first one, but it also draws upon the older Mario games as well. There are Super Mario Sunshine references and characters everywhere, including the music. You don’t head back to Island Delfino but there are several Galaxies included that closely resemble Delifno Island and a few secret ones, too. The slides from Mario 64 are also back and again a bunch of fun; some of them are insanely hard with chunks missing and enemies to avoid as you slide down. Possibly the biggest Super Mario World throwback (apart from one big big one) is not the music but the inclusion of Yoshi this time around.

Yoshi isn’t just along for the ride, as he plays a key component in many levels and offers many new challenges brought about by his flutter and long tongue. There are several foods littered around levels that offer new challenges, too. Pick up a Dash Pepper and Yoshi will run foul as it burns up in his mouth. There is one level that requires you to chain Pepper runs; poor Yoshi, but that star must be gotten. Yoshi can also take to the skies, sort of, with a Blimp Fruit that pumps him up like a balloon and slowly lets the air out to make him float. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is very a vertical experience this time around. Yoshi’s tongue is pointer controlled, so you’ll need to point the Wii Remote at the screen to get him to gobble up enemies. It’s great and easy to multitask this way with all the foot controls on the Nunchuk and tongue on the Wii Remote. The other fruit, the Bulb Berry, lights up rooms. Now, it’s not just a normal light, but one that makes walls and floors appear in a void in one of the coolest effects I’ve seen in a game in a long time. Luigi fans can rejoice, too, as on certain levels you’ll be able take control of the oft-forgotten brother. He plays pretty much the same as Mario but with just a bit more loose controls with his crazy footwork. Great to see Luigi, he should get his own game again. (Subtle, ey?)

There are a handful of new powerups in the game, nothing as cool as the Penguin suit from New Super Mario Bros Wii but still they’re pretty good. The coolest new suit is definitely the Cloud suit, which allows to you plop out up to 3 clouds for Mario to land on as you scale new heights. The least inspired is the rock suit, but the first boss you take on with it is cool so all is forgiven. The power ups from the first game are back as well, with the Bee, Cloud, Fire, Rainbow, and Spring (god how I hate you, spring suit) making second appearances. The old suits are used less in this game but are also used in new ways.

Each level is a whimsical journey into the Galaxy, but most of them are not a walk in the park. The name of the game is speed this time around. There isn’t a push to make you finish in a certain amount of time but each level should be tackled with a certain level of pace. Check out the levels with the saws that fall away for a great example of this.

So with this being the second game surely the ideas wear thin after a while? No, not really, even after the 242 stars to get in this one. The main game takes up all the usual 120 stars but the added incentive is there for completists.

I’ve already talked about how the game looks; the style is exemplary but it’s also the technical achievements that the game offers. The lighting effects are especially great, but it’s the small things like the way Bulb Berries dissolve the floor just oozes the previously mentioned awesome. The Wii isn’t as technically competent as the HD consoles but if every Wii game looked like this you wouldn’t complain. It’s amazing that Nintendo can get this out of the Wii; perhaps they know something we don’t about the power hidden in there and aren’t sharing, but I cry a little on the inside when I see other games that just look completely lazy next to this shining beacon.

The music again for Super Mario Galaxy 2 is tremendous. Not every single little track is orchestrated but the vast majority of them are and their quality just makes New Super Mario Bros ancient in comparison. There are some recycled tracks from the first game, but they’re rare. Most of the game is all brand new, with a great mix of original tracks or classic themes remixed and replayed with the orchestra.

Continue reading below for the final verdict.

Graphics 9.9

The best graphics the Wii has to offer. It is amazing that Nintendo can get so much out of the little white box. Its not just the technical achievements, the game is alive and colourful and a great showcase.

Gameplay 9.9

Perfect precision control for a platformer with a near flawless camera. Its so good you dont even know its there – it just works. Platforming perfection.

Sound 9.9

Fully orchestrated soundtrack with some recycled tracks but everything else is either new or a remix of a previous games music.

Tilt 9.9

Jam packed to the outer rim of the disk. 242 stars will keep you coming back to this game for a while. I havent mentioned everything this game has to offer, as youll want to find that for yourself and doing so would take a long time.

Value 9.9

An absolute joy to play on all accounts. If anyone says Nintendo has lost their way, this is the bum steer to change their mind.