Review: Super Mario Galaxy

Genre: Platformer
Platform: Wii
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: November 12, 2007

For a fictional character, Mario is pretty amazing. He still stole the show in Donkey Kong, his big debut game despite not having his name in the title. In Super Mario Bros., he not only revolutionized gaming and the platform genre, he saved the North American video game market when many thought gaming in America was simply a thing of the past. When the next wave of 3D gaming was making the rounds in the 1990s, Mario stepped forward and reminded us yet again why he's so awesome in Super Mario 64. Super Mario Galaxy may not bring new innovations to the table like previous Mario platformers have, but it's still a very well crafted piece of work and one of the finest titles that the plumber has ever appeared in.

Black holes function as bottomless pits and the reach these things have is surprisingly far.

It's the night of the star festival and all the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom are gathering at Princess Peach's castle. Mario, lucky dog that he is, gets a special invite from Peach. As he's making his way to the castle grounds, the place gets attacked by an armada of Bowser's airships. Taking a cue from Paper Mario, Bowser kidnaps Peach along with her castle. Before Mario can reach the Princess, he's flicked away like an ant and left behind. Shortly after, he meets up with Roslina, the guardian of the universe and she entrusts him with the task of recovering their lost Power Stars because doing so will not only save Peach, but also the galaxy.

It may be a 3D game, but there are still some 2D sections as well. This area in particular can be pretty nasty.

Super Mario Galaxy manges to be not only a unique Mario game, but it stands out from all of the other 3D offerings in the current generation of gaming, with the exception being the sequel. Mario explores the usual ice, fire, haunted house, grassy and water environments that we've seen in every other run and jump game, but most of the action takes place in space. Many of the planets that you explore have their own force of gravity and can be circled in a matter of seconds. Stomping Goombas on a house-sized planet may seem a bit complex, but it's as simple as jumping on enemies in any other Mario game and undeniably just as fun.

See that 8-bit Mario in the background? I'll bet you're thinking "Whoa, an 8-bit Mario! Cool!" You're going to hate that thing, or to be more precise, you're going to hate the Luigi side of it.

Whether you're leaping from one planet to another by foot or transversing to a far off galaxy via Launch Star, everything you do in Super Mario Galaxy feels very natural thanks to the easy controls. A slight wag of the Wii Remote makes Mario spin, which can be used to defeat most enemies and keep Mario in the air for a few more seconds. A few missions also have you using more involved motion controls such as Ray Surfing, which has you pointing the Wii Remote at your TV screen in order to properly steer Mario and keep him on track. Some of the motion control events may take some getting used to, but a little practice and you'll be good to go.

Some of the best visuals splendors from Super Mario Galaxy come from just gazing out into space.

Thankfully Mario still retains all of his incredible acrobatic jumps that became standard for him in Super Mario 64. So you can Double and Triple Jump your heart out. Even the Long Jump returns after being absent in Super Mario Sunshine. The Long Jump may very well be your most used jump because there are so many uses for it. Where the Wall Jump and Triple Jump help you ascend to higher platforms, the Long Jump is useful for evading enemies attacks and taking short cuts. Even better the Long Jump can be steered slightly.

Gusty Garden, one of the most memorable Green Hill style zones of any video game thanks to the excellent design and superb music.

In a manner similar to previous 3D Mario titles, your overall goal in a mission is to collect a Power Star. The requirement to obtaining your prize can range from scaling a mountain, racing against a clone, or collecting 100 purple coins before time runs out. Seems like pretty routine stuff and most of the Power Stars are easy to get. Those that seek out to get all 120 Power Stars, however, had better be prepared. Super Mario Galaxy has often been criticized for being too easy but most of the game's later challenges are enough to make even the calmest of gamers want to shatter their Wii Remote against a wall. It gets to a point where you realize the developers knew certain sections would be brutally hard so they placed one-up Mushrooms for the player to keep grabbing so they can try again. Luigi's Purple Coins, one the the toughest missions in the game has you collecting coins on an 8-bit Luigi from Super Mario Bros. and it is the bane of many player's existence. There are videos on YouTube that make it look easy. It's not. Some missions have you go back to get a Power Star you already grabbed but under much stricter conditions like a time limit, or making you a one-hit-wonder. Fighting Bouldergeist, an enemy that has so many methods of attacking you while being only allowed one hit before you kick the bucket is the definition of frustration.

Miyamato really loves those Chomps, doesn't he?

It wouldn't be a Mario game without power-ups and Super Mario Galaxy features a host of newcomers. New power-ups include the Bee Mushroom, which gives Mario a bee-like appearance and the ability to fly for short periods of time and climb honeycomb walls. The Boo Mushroom also lets Mario fly as well as become intangible to move through solid objects. Picking up the Ice Mushroom allows Mario to turn water as well as lave into ice and creates a path for him to skate on. The Rainbow Mushroom has effects similar to a Starman, except Mario's speed increases as he runs. Mario can jump the highest he's ever jumped with the Spring Mushroom but because of the way it functions, it's not very fun to use. Red Stars give Mario the most free flight he's ever had and it's a real shame that this power hardly ever gets used in the game. The only old power-up to return is the Fire Flower.

Coins can of course be used to refill Mario's health but more important than coins are Star Bits, little stars littered throughout each course. Star Bits are often out of Mario's reach and the best way to collect them is to point at them with the Wii Remote. That's right, Mario doesn't even have to touch Star Bits to collect them. As long as they can be seen on the screen, all you have to do is point at them and they come zipping over to our hero. In a genre that has become saturated with collecting things, I find being able to grab something with a point of the Wii Remote very welcome. Star Bits are often used to feed hungry Lumas, which can open up new galaxies for you to explore. Star Bits can also be used offensively to break canon balls or stun enemies. Just point at your target and fire away.

Mario is so awesome he can breathe in space! OK so he has some help from Luma. 

No matter whether you're swimming in the ocean or evading Boos in a Ghost House, Super Mario Galaxy looks stunning, even today. Flying away on a Launch Star usually shows off just how pretty the game looks. Two of the most memorable scenes of visual power appear in Melty Molten Galaxy. In the first, Mario blasts out of a volcano seconds before it erupts. Mario stretches his arms as he flies away with the volcano bursting with lava and smoke behind him. After this, Mario flies over the planet as shooting balls of lave jump back and forth. It's just an incredible sight to behold and never ceases to amaze you no matter how many times you see it.

This picture doesn't even begin to describe how awesome this moment in the game truly is.

Super Mario Galaxy features a fully orchestral soundtrack with familiar arrangements of Koji Kondo's classic compositions from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3 and even one from Super Mario 64. The orchestrated version of the Airship music along with the theme of Battle Rock Galaxy, one of the many new songs, makes it feel like Mario is involved in a real war with Bowser and his mooks. The new material is sure to rank up there with the best of Mario music. The upbeat Super Mario Brothers theme gets another update in a child-like tone in Toy Time Galaxy and it's every bit as catchy as the original piece. Space Junk Galaxy has a very soothing melody that's perfect for looking out into the vastness of space. Gusty Garden is video game music bliss, nay, one of the most heart-gripping pieces of music ever written. Koji Kondo composed a few of the game's tunes, but the bulk of Super Mario Galaxy's music was done by Mahito Yokota and he's done remarkable job, on par with Kondo's best works.

Pushing the envelope with games is important but more important than anything in gaming is having fun. The planet based gameplay in Super Mario Galaxy is new to the Super Mario series for sure, but when you get down to it, Mario's galaxy hoping adventure is all about having a good time. In many ways, Mario embodies the essence of fun and that remains true for Super Mario Galaxy. Yes, it can be punishingly hard at times, but Super Mario Galaxy is still enjoyable and may very well be up there with the greatest games of all-time. Before you leave this world, make sure you play this game.

7 Things About Old-School Gaming I Don't Miss

Old-school gamers often remiss about the good old days in gaming. I love the warm and fuzzy feelings that comes with old-school gaming as much as the next guy but not all of it was sunshine and roses. Just as we do now, gamers still had to contend with a number of annoyances. Here are the ones I don't miss one bit.

1. Higher Priced Games

The saying goes "You get what you pay for" and it holds meaning. However, the standard price for most games was set at $50. But every now and then, a game would come along that would cost almost twice that amount. Phantasy Star II, amazing game that it was, set the buyer back a whopping $90. Can you believe that? Final Fantasy III (VI as it's now called) sold for $80. Even for a gamer with an allowance, $80-$90 is a lot for a game. Heck, that's a lot for a game today, and depending on the title, you may pay that amount or more for a used game. Even worse, if you weren't a working gamer or had no allowance, you had to rely on mom and dad to get the game for you. One look at a price like that it became much easier for your parents to deny you what you wanted. Today you'll pay around $90 or so for the special edition of a game and it comes with some extra stuff like an arcade stick, an art book, figurines, or soundtrack CD. Back then? The game was all you got for that price!

2. Mascots with Attitudes

As much as I love Sonic the Hedgehog, he was responsible for creating one of the worst crazes to ever sweep the face of gaming. When other companies saw how successful Sonic was doing on the Genesis, they scrambled to shove their breed of talking animals down our throats. These developers must have missed that little detail about Sonic having a good game underneath all the foot-taping, smirking and finger wagging. Instead of a quality product, publishers put out the annoying Bubsy, the obnoxious Awesome Pawsome, and a slew of other rejects that escape me. To make matters worse, some of these animal critters did not know when to shut up, which was what made you want to kick them in the face while wearing golf shoes. Now not every mascot character with 'tude had a bad game. Actually, the first Gex was a good platformer, but he was one of those types that had clearly never heard of quiet time.

3. Crappy Licensed Games 

Granted this problem still exists to this day, it isn't near as bad as it was 30 years ago. With a few notable exceptions like Konami and Capcom, many licensed titles were even bigger crap than that pile that Jeff Goldblum mentioned in Jurassic Park. Gamers had no idea E.T, Total Recall, Back to the Future and Friday the 13th were expensive coasters until they played them. I also fell victim to this when I rented Batman Forever, which was basically Mortal Kombat as a beat 'em up. I would have been more angry had I bought that game but as it stands, it was still a waste of $4.26 and more importantly, my time.

4. Bigger than Life Consoles

Lots of video game consoles of the past were bulky but some were big enough to have their own zip code. The Atari 5200 is notorious for being one of the largest systems out there. Panasonic's 3DO was also pretty beefy. Microsoft's first system the Xbox was as heavy as it was big. They got with the program with the 360, a much smaller, sleeker console.

5. AC Adapters

The Atari 5200 was not only a giant, so was the AC adapter you used to plug the system in. The NES, SNES and even the Genesis, while not as large as the 5200's AC adapter were still guilty of being outlet hogs.

6. Long CD Cases

With the coming of the 32-bit gaming era, gamers were treated to even more CD-ROM based games. NEC's Turbo Duo used slim CD cases for it's games, which saved on shelf space. Sega of America was still using the bulky, unattractive long CD cases from the Sega CD with Saturn games, cases that cracked very easily. Sony also had long boxes butt hey were a little bit slimmer and not made of plastic glass. Eventually, Sony wised up and went with standard jewel cases. Sega of America didn't start doing this until the Dreamcast.

7. Ridiculously Long Passwords 

You just finished a tough level, or you lost all your lives. Time to get that password so you can save your game. Annnnnnd here comes the insanely long character password system. Metroid, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Kid Icarus, River City Ransom; some of the most fondly remembered classics are not void of the cumbersome string of passwords that plague older games. It gets worse when you realize that some of the inputs on those passwords aren't all that clear on what's what. If you wrote down the wrong character, you were screwed.

Multiple Copies of the Same Game

Some gamers are fine with just one copy of a game and pass on compilation and digital releases. That's their choice and it's perfectly fine. However, there's no harm in owning more than one version of the same game and in some cases it can really come in handy.

I own Super Mario Bros. on the NES, the Super Mario All-Stars remake on the SNES, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color, the Virtual Console release and the Wii re-release of Super Mario All-Stars. That's five versions of Super Mario Bros. If I feel like screwing around with my NES (often times I don't) to play SMB on the original hardware, I'll play it on the NES, but the Wii's Virtual Console is a much better option. SMB Deluxe lets me swap between Mario and Luigi and use the brothers different play styles. If I want to play SMB with 16-bit graphics and sounds, two versions of Super Mario All-Stars is available to me and these days, it's usually the Wii version.

Being a huge Mega Man fan, I own all original releases of Mega Man 1-8 on the NES, SNES and PlayStaion. I also own the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, which contains all the aforementioned titles on a single disc. On top of that, I own Virtual Console versions of Mega Man 2-4. I'll get around to buying the original Mega Man and I hope Capcom releases 5-7. Rockman X is getting a Virtual Console release in Japan, so heres hoping the the game comes to the Virtual Console in the states.

Despite owning all the original copies of Mega Man X1-6, I was still stoked to hear that Capcom would release a Mega Man X Collection and had no problem parting with $30 for it when it hit the shelves. Considering that Mega Man X1-3 aren't easy to find and X3 tends to be pretty pricey, the MMX Collection is a much cheaper alternative. The version of X3 here is actually the PlayStation version and features arranged tracks, which many fans aren't too fond of, myself included. Still, I'll admit that the PlayStation version of X3 is nice to have but I'm hoping we can get the whole X SNES trilogy on the Virtual Console.

Ever play Legend of the Mystical Ninja on the SNES? I bought a copy from a forum member on Digital Press some years ago. It's a wonderful game. My main gripe with it? An insanely long character password system! Sadly not every SNES game used a battery pack backup save feature and Legend of the Mystical Ninja was one of them. Luckily, the game got a Virtual Console release it since it auto saves for you, no more stupidly long passwords for Goemon!

Maybe for whatever reason you don't have access to all of your systems, so you don't have access to all of your games. This is another area where owning more than one copy of a game comes in handy. I'm living with my family now and my N64 is down stairs for my nieces to play but I do most of my gaming in my own room. If I want to play some Pokemon Puzzle League, the Virtual Console has me covered.

I love me some Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games but the Genesis isn't hooked up right now. The PS2 is and Sonic Mega Collection Plus is a great way for me to get my Sonic fix. Or if I feel like having Sonic on the go, I've got the Sonic Classic Collection on the DS and of course, there's the Virtual Console.

As arcade perfect as Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting is on the Capcom Classics Collection, I still love the SNES version. Sure it doesn't have all the frames of fighter animations but it still looks and plays great. Plus, it uses the awesome SNES sound chip. I'm still quite fond of the SNES music in SFII. In fact I think the best version of Sagat's theme can be found in SFII before it went Super Street Fighter II.

Having more than one version of the same game may seem like overkill but I've personally found that this type of flexibility has helped me out a lot.

Latest Game Purchases 3

Last week I picked up what may very well be my last batch of games for a while. Considering what I found, I'd say I made a nice haul.

I wanted to get the PS2 version of Okami but I wasn't able to find it, even when I lived in Ohio. After doing some reading on the Wii version, I decided to opt for it and fye once again came through with a good price of only $15.99 used and complete. It's one of those cover versions that sports the infamous IGN watermark. Not that I'm really stressing over it. I'm just happy to have the game.

I must have checked out nearly every store in Virginia Beach that sells games to find a copy of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. A GameStop had one copy left that they were selling new for $29.99. I remember hearing of this game back in 2008 and thought it would never come out in America and when it finally did, it arrived with two new characters for both the Capcom and Tatsunoko sides. I've been playing this game all week and I'm really digging it. Despite the fact that I only recognized Ken the Eagle from Gatchaman, that really didn't detract from the game one bit. In fact, I adore the Tatsunoko Side just as much as the Capcom side. The Tatsunoko anime license may have a ton of old-school characters but I'd gladly throw down with them any day of the week. Some may say that Tatsunoko vs Capcom is now old hat since Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is out but TvC is still a fine fighting game. Besides, does MvC3 have Frank West throwing shopping carts at opponents or dawning a Mega Man costume and shouting "REAL MEGA BUSTER!!!"? I think not.

I'm really wishing I'd picked up the Metroid Prime Trilogy on the Wii before I moved, but getting all three games individually won't be hard since I'm now 2/3 of the way finished. Scoring a complete copy of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was pretty nice but I was surprised that it was only $9.99. Being one of the best titles for the GameCube, I figured it would go for at least $20 or so.

Mario Superstar Baseball is a game I've been wanting since it released in 2005. I mean, what took Nintendo so long to fuse Mario with baseball? That should have happened on the SNES but better late than never. Haven't tried it out yet but if I can put other games down, I can probably play a few quick games.

Game Art #3: Mega Man Showcase

M is for Mega Man by Steve Lambey

If this were a real book, not only would I read it to my nieces and nephew, I'd personally see to it that this book was mandatory reading for children all across the universe.

Can't Beat Airman by KurkoBoltsi

Yes, the meme is old, played out, but this picture is still amazing and portrays Airman as a serious threat.

Little Mega Man by CytosisX

This one has been a favorite of mine for nearly 2 years. Say it with me now, "Awwwwwwwwwwww."

The Mega Man 3 Posse by CyberMoonStudios

Mega Man 3 is one of my favorite Mega Man games. Needless to say, I love how this picture illustrates the weakness of the robot masters.

Green Devil by AndrewDickman

Run! It's... the Green Devil? Oh well, he's not so bad. Actually, since I recently took down the first Yellow Devil, none of them seem all that bad anymore.

Go Mega by MegaDaniel

Makes me wish Capcom would continue the with more Mega Man Powered Up remakes.

King of the Underworld by AndrewDickman

Stuff is about to get sooo freakin' real!

X Shinkuu Hadouken by suzuran

This pic makes for some epic wallpaper.

Rockman 10 Uchu kara no Kyoi by Cessa

Roll is sick and rest of the world is going to robot hell in a hand basket. Nice rendition of MM10's plot.

The Yellow Devil by Tirgerfog

If you're wondering why the robot masters are giving Mega Man a hand in this picture, check out Hiroshi Ariga's Mega Man Mega Mix manga, where the first six robot masters regularly help the Blue Bomber.

200X Rocks Man by wandger

Sweet rendition of Mega Man 4's awesome intro. I'm hoping this piece makes it into Udon's Mega Man Tribute book.

Controller Cords

Picture from flickr.com by CadDad

Having owned a Wii for a year truly has spoiled me. Not only is the Wii Remote a fantastic controller, it's wireless, so I don't have to worry about ever tripping over attachments. Sure, it uses batteries, but hey, you got make some sacrifices. I recently hooked up my Saturn, Nintendo 64, SNES and was faced with the rather harsh realization that comes with gaming on older consoles: you've got to deal with controller cords.

I'm used to only seeing a cord mess every time I look behind my systems. In the past where controller cords were the norm, I didn't mind it all that much, but as I said, the Wii really made me appreciate wireless controls. It's just about impossible to keep controller cords from crossing over into other cords and getting tangled up. Everytime I go to play something on the the N64, I've got to untangle some cords (which is a great reason for me to download more N64 games on the Wii's Virtual Console).

Oh and then there's always the possiblity of tripping over a cord. Generally, I'm pretty good about avoiding it, but it does still happen and I get irked whenever it does. At least cord controls don't use batteries and I know it sounds like I'm hating on cord controls, but I'm not. Some of the greatest controllers ever made use cords, such as the SNES controller and Sony's Dual Shock, which was so awesome a control that the company has used it for three console generations.

The best way to cut down on a cord fiasco is to either keep only a single control plugged into a port at a time, or unplug the controls when you aren't playing the system. Most gamers tend to wrap the cord around the controller when it isn't in use, but I've heard this isn't the best method as it just leads to tangels and it some cases, can result in shortages in the wiring. Do you remember how your controller came packaged when you originally got your system? The cords were bound with what looked like a smaller brand of trash bag ties or rubber bands in some cases. This seems to be the best way to store cord controllers since they unwind much easier over time. Controls with cords may be a hassle sometimes but I still like to take good care of them.

Nintendo 3DS Quickie Impressions

While looking around in Best Buy, I got a chance to play the handheld that everyone is going ga-ga over, the Nintendo 3DS. As far as outward design goes, the 3DS is based off of the DS Lite mode and having done my DS gaming on the original, bulky model (or the DS Phat is it is often referred to on the Shizz message boards), I wasn't use to playing on a smaller model. The main issue for me was the thumb pad. It isn't bad per-say, but I can already tell it's gonna take me some time to adjust to it. Maybe because I've used analog and control pads for so long the idea of a thumb pad just seems so foreign to me. But if I was able to adjust to analog sticks then I can surely get used to the 3DS thumb pad.

The game I got to play was Pilotwings Resort. I'm sure some gamers would much rather have seen Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition on display but I think Pilotwings Resort was a much better choice. Graphically, the game looked gorgeous! Pilotwings Resort is by far one of the most visually stunning games the 3DS has to offer at launch and a great showpiece for anyone looking to see what kinda eye candy the system can dish out. Sadly, I couldn't spend a few hours playing the game, so I choose a speedy round of Free Flight in the plane. Controlling the plane was almost as simple as taking a walk, even though I wasn't used to the thumb pad. I flew around the island checking out the sights and just enjoyed being in the sky. Free Flight was short but fun.

I know Pilotwings Resort may not be getting stellar reviews, but I'd personally buy the game. I've been a Pilotwings fan since playing Pilotwings 64 and was more than happy to pick up a cheap copy of the original Pilotwings on the SNES years ago. One of my favorite things to do in Pilotwings 64 was to fly around and take in the scenery and I could easily see myself doing the same in Pilotwings Resort. Of course, getting a good rating was fun, too, if often times frustrating.

I can't get a 3DS anytime soon but by the time I'm able to, I'm sure there will be a broader selection of games, and probably a newer 3DS model that takes care of whatever problems crop up with the original. When I do buy a 3DS, Pilotwings Resort will be one of the first times I own. Now if you'll excuse me, all this talk about Nintendo's flight simulator has got me itching to play the SNES original.