Metareview: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 8th 2007 at 7:00AM }

Super Mario Galaxy might not be out until next week but all the reviews are pretty much in. It's a hit with the critics! According to almost every review it is the game Wii owners have been waiting for (but please don't forget about Zack and Wiki, if only for the sake of third-party support). Galaxy is apparently the evolution of the platformer and Wii owners will only need to wait a little bit longer -- unless they get lucky.

Game Informer (98/100): "Galaxy also makes great use of the Wii's motion-sensing controls. While Mario's general movement is handled beautifully on the nunchuk's analog stick, many feats require a shake of the remote or a steady pointing hand. If you have a second Wii remote, you can also experience one of the coolest and most inventive non-traditional co-op modes in any game. The second player doesn't control a character, but rather a star. This player can pick up collectible items, and can also freeze enemies or projectiles in their tracks, which can be a great aid."
GameSpot (95/100): "You could probably swap in just about any other characters from practically any other franchise, and this would still be a phenomenally fun game. That it layers all these memorable characters and components on top of that phenomenal design just makes it all the sweeter. If ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it."
1UP (95/100): "Galaxy is one of the most impressive, engrossing games in recent memory -- and quite the contrast to the rest of this year's triple-A gaming crop, which tends toward the dark, the M-rated, and the first-person perspective. Gaming may be growing up (per se), but gamers will always appreciate beautifully polished gameplay and inventive design...even if it's sugarcoated with squeaky baby stars and a goofy cartoon of a hero. Galaxy proves that Mario matters just as much today as he did 25 years ago, and that makes him one of a kind in this medium. But don't play Galaxy simply because Mario is the timeless godfather of gaming. No, play Galaxy because it's fantastic.."

Tags: mario, metareview, super-mario-galaxy, supermariogalaxy, wii

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Sentry Gun (Jesus) @ Nov 8th 2007 7:06AM

gj Mario
we'd always knew you'd come out on top

and buy it at TRU
http://gonintendo.com/?p=28715

gonk @ Nov 8th 2007 10:59AM

it's too bad they removed mr gay

Shig @ Nov 8th 2007 7:29AM

Can't say I was surprised, anyone else?

Skeffington @ Nov 8th 2007 7:33AM

Actually, I am. I knew it would score well, but not that well. Glad to be proven wrong!

Noshino @ Nov 8th 2007 7:48AM

mmm, can't really say, wasn't surprised that it got high ratings, but then again, the game sucks beyond belief, hell, Mario 64 destroys this game, not only the camera angles suck (even tho you can always move the camera around, but the default one is awful), the controls, you might be trying to aim and instead Mario would spin....

The WAS indeed fun for the first 15 mins...

Blah, but like you said, Im not surprised, Reviewers are afraid of giving bad ratings to high profile games (READ: Halo 3)

Clack @ Nov 8th 2007 8:05AM

Noshino, if you weren't such a blatent Wii troller all the time, there might be an ounce of credibility to what you're saying. You're like Shag's padawan.

Jerk Face @ Nov 8th 2007 8:59AM

There are always two with Sith: An apprentice and a master.

samfish @ Nov 8th 2007 9:12AM

YEAH! DRAG those knuckles across the ground like you MEAN IT, Noshino! You make Curmeo and Konny proud when you're such a blatant Sony troll!

Zertoss @ Nov 8th 2007 9:16AM

I'm surprised Gamespot rated it as high as they did. They normally rate games a lot lower, I guess to make them look less biased or something.

Can't wait for the Negareview. I also can't wait to get this game. Maybe Best Buy will have it when I get off work tonight.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 8th 2007 9:34AM

Sorry Noshino but your trolling is horrible. I played SMG at a gamestop kiosk and I was simply blown away. I can confidently say that Mario Galaxy is the first "next-gen" game of this generation. It actually does something new in it's genre instead of just bumping up graphics.

Next-gen doesn't start till Nintendo says so.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 8th 2007 9:41AM

That's sweet that you like it, Vegeta, but I think it's a little hyperbolic to say that it's the first true "next-gen" game. I mean, if we're going strictly based on innovation over the last-gen platforms, I'd have to vote for Dead Rising's zombie-per-screen count over anything else.

Vidikron (FU) @ Nov 8th 2007 9:49AM

@Vegeta

"I can confidently say that Mario Galaxy is the first "next-gen" game of this generation. It actually does something new in it's genre instead of just bumping up graphics."

WTF? First, defining "next-gen" is rather pointless now anyway, but what exactly does Galaxy do that's so new? I like the game and I've played a pretty good chunk of it, but I haven't seen anything that's really new. It plays almost exactly like the previous 3D Marios (including a pretty crappy camera) with the exception the level design is pretty different that the previous two.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 8th 2007 9:53AM

@baby

But how is that innovative? Does it change the way I play the game, no it doesn't. All the game provides is more enemies for me to kill. That's not innovation.

It seems that we've lost the true meaning of the word next gen, thanks to developers using the word to mean a game that has better graphics (because it's a lot better to say Next-Gen then to say same damn game you've been playing for the past 10 years). Next gen is supposed to mean the next step in gaming, something that is providing us with something new and different. With all their advance technology, Microsoft and Sony have yet to provide gamers (no better graphics don't count) with a truly next-gen experience.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 8th 2007 10:03AM

You're so wrong. What about all the behind-the-scenes integration with Live, custom soundtracks, chat, platform-wide achievements, etc. that you can access at anytime, while you're playing ANY game?! You really think that's less of a technological accomplishment than waggle?

Btw, the amount of sprites on the screen drastically changes gameplay by providing a much more intense psychological experience. As much as I like Mario games, they've never pained my psyche so much that I had to turn them off just to catch my breath. That is the very definition of the immersion we're trying to reach this gen (which really should no longer be referred to as "next gen.")

arrrgh @ Nov 8th 2007 10:15AM

@baby

it doesn't DRASITCALLY change much at all. Remember that riot game for ps2? It also broke new ground in terms of the amount of characters on screen. Though dead rising does have more...it's not by that wide a margin. Sure they can be more detailed and all, but ALL OF THAT doesn't change the FUNDAMENTAL gameplay. It means you have to be more wary of the enemies on screen due to their sheer number.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 8th 2007 10:16AM

@vidikron

While the core gameplay stays the same (I mean this is a Mario game) there's enough things that are different that seperate it from the rest. It's a breath of fresh air where every platformer has to have an "edgy" character with a gun.

arrrgh @ Nov 8th 2007 10:18AM

I'm with you vegeta. This game REEKS of polish. They really stepped up to the challenge and managed to make mario feel new again. I got the same feeling I got playing mario64 for the first time @ the store when n64 was making its debut

Vidikron (FU) @ Nov 8th 2007 10:22AM

@Vegeta

OK, but where's the actual innovation? You just claimed it was the first real next-gen game, so I just want to know what you are using to back that up. Claiming it's a breath of fresh air because he's not "edgy character with a gun" isn't really new, that's always been Mario (though, note, you do sort of have a gun since you can shoot enemies with star bits :)). That's just a very bold statement to make and I just don't see anything to back it up.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 8th 2007 10:33AM

@vid

But that's an unfair statement to make. If Nintendo just changed everything about Mario, then it wouldn't be a mario game now would it? And we would have another sunshine on our hands (BLARRGH THIS ISN'T MARIO SO I HATES IT!!!!)

The core gameplay hasn't been changed in order to reasure veterans that this is a Mario game, so you know that it will be good. But there's a lot of things in the game that I've never really seen before, like the level design, usage of gravity, and the wii-mote controls work perfectly. That makes the game pretty damn innovative to me.

Vidikron (FU) @ Nov 8th 2007 11:04AM

@Vegeta

I didn't mean that as slight on Mario, just a statement of fact from the standpoint that it's not new. Some of the level designs are very ingenious, I'll give you that, but where do you cross a line from saying that's an ingenious level design to saying it's innovative? Plenty of games have great level design. And although the fanboys get upset when you say this, the concept of small spherical levels has been done before. Not to the extent that Galaxy uses them, but the concept isn't a new one.

The Wiimote controls work, but there's nothing new and the game still suffers from a 3D camera that is bad at times (resulting death at times :()... just like the previous 3D Marios. What do you really do that is unique? You use the Wiimote as a pointer to pick up and shoot star bits and grab certain stars, but is that innovative? It's just a pointer. You also shake the Wiimote to do a spin attack, but that's exactly like the spin attack in Zelda... they both even have "cool down" periods in between attacks. The only difference is you shake the Wiimote in Mario and the nunchuk in Zelda.

Again, I think it's a very good game, I just don't really see how you can claim it's the first "next gen" game when nothing it does strays too far from what has been done before. The overall package is very nice and I suppose you could argue that taken as a whole it's innovative even if the individual compents aren't new, but I think you could argue that for other games too. I also don't think "innovation" is necessarily the only thing that defines "next gen" anyway. I think it can be part of the equation, no doubt, but so is evolution.

Noshino @ Nov 8th 2007 12:52PM

Clack,

meh, call me whatever you want, troll if you may, since apparently it somehow makes you feel better about yourself and about my opinion of a game.

samfish,

Curmeo and Konny, well, those are blind fools of the same caliber of CaptainAmericaX and of what Fernando used to be (before getting banned,now he has a leash on)
but go to your near by GameStop, play the damn game, I did, I even got to the stupid galaxy with junk....

and samfish, I can complain about a company as much as I want, in a well founded way that is, when I have spent my money on their products.

Vegeta,

like I pointed out, yes, the game does blow you out at first, I mean, you get to play the next installment of the Mario franchise, the controls are also new and somehow its intriguing, but after sometime, you DO GET BORED, believe me, its just as if they had a dded a patch, or may you say, new maps for Mario 64, I mean it, that's how I felt when I played it.

The controllers aren't smooth, that's bs, unless you are playing co-op, which btw helps out a lot, if you are trying to jump (numchucks) and aim with the wiimote, then you are into serious trouble, the controller will understand that you are trying to spin while im mid-air when you actually wanted to just shoot and enemy while in mid-air. Also, the aim (little blue star) disappears for no reason, I don't know if that controller wasnn't calibrated well enough, but we had some problems with it on the surfing level...

graphics are ok, acceptable, altho they could have improved to look more like TLoZ.

Also, altho at time, there is a lot going on on the screen, the difficulty of the game was really low, it was pretty much just "spin-jump" and for the bosses "fly on top-jump" or "run up to the head-make bomb chase you to the star"....it just felt as if I was playing one of those kids game with dora teh explorer or bob the builder.

In conclusion, it doesn't feel like a next gen game, really, it would pretty much be what it was really meant to be, Mario 128, but they waited for the Wii to add the motion controls...

finnith @ Nov 8th 2007 3:49PM

I wasn't

All I can say is this:

I don't care whether the game is "next-gen" or not but rather, is it fun?

Sidepocket @ Nov 10th 2007 1:43AM

@ Vidikron (FU)

Saying "its just a pointer" is like saying back in the 90's "its just 3D! It has been done before! Nothing revolutionary!"

Or to put it more modern since everyone uses this example: "LIVE is just an online service! No biggie!"

Nice way to generalize there fucker.

Oh and one more thing, I have been playing video games since '87. If you are having problems with the camera in a Mario game yet play "teh haloz", kill yourself. I can only imagine how much you suck at the game that 6 year old kids and older people have no problem playing.

Thus I point my finger and laugh at you. XD

GamerG @ Nov 8th 2007 8:24AM

When is the gamecube version coming out?

Koopaknight29 - (Nintendo Loyalist) @ Nov 8th 2007 9:10AM

Right when the DS versions of God of War 2 and Halo 3 do, my friend.

Seriously though, the game would not work on the Gamecube and it was never meant to be on the Gamecube. Too much of the game centers around the controls (which all of the reviewers say are spot on) and what boost in power the Wii does have they used in the game for a smooth 60 FPS, neat effects, and great draw distances.

*sigh* I guess no one can really enjoy a game these days without -someone- bashing it.

James @ Nov 8th 2007 7:37AM

See, Nintendo, this is how you do it. US gets it on Tuesday, we get it 3 days later on Friday.

Can't wait for this. Between this and Orange Box I've never been so excited for a game.
Some folk are saying it's better than Mario 64 too. Which doesn't help.

Lex @ Nov 8th 2007 7:52AM

GG Nintendo the pattern continues. First Zelda Ocarina of Time on the Wii now Mario 64. And praises all around. Mario and Link saving Princesses since 1986.

arrrgh @ Nov 8th 2007 10:38AM

sorry n00b i cant read your comment..it's all grey for some reason ;)

Dread-not-naught @ Nov 8th 2007 8:02AM

Its sucks to own all systems right now and to not really have a lot of money.

Yet, another game scoring in the 90's out of like the 10,000 coming out throughout this season....sigh, why can't more of these AAA's suck....my wallet is crying.

Clack @ Nov 8th 2007 8:06AM

I suggest selling your PS3 for some game cash.

flameofdoom666 @ Nov 8th 2007 8:11AM

Sell that worthless hunk-o-junk! haha joking!

Buy it at Toys-R-US, you get a free 25$ gift card (Tuesday special)

Dread-not-naught @ Nov 8th 2007 5:00PM

Contrary to what is popular, I like having my PS3. Ratchet and Clank, Heavenly Sword, Folklore and Warhawk have all been pretty fun in my book. Plus, I'll keep on waiting for God of War 3, Final Fantasy XIII, and MGS4, but yeah if Sony loses those (With the exception of GOW3) then I'll probably sell it.

flameofdoom666 @ Nov 8th 2007 8:09AM

IGN game it a 9.7, put that up there instead of that 9.5!

Shig @ Nov 8th 2007 8:14AM

Screw IGN.

flameofdoom666 @ Nov 8th 2007 8:15AM

Why? They are such HARSH raters, that when a game scores well- thats when it counts most!

Shig @ Nov 8th 2007 8:23AM

They also tend to be IDIOTIC reviewers.

HectorTheValiant @ Nov 8th 2007 8:31AM

IGN is harsh but they're also retarded.

They just LOVE to hype up a game and then destroy it when it comes time to "review" the game...

F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Nov 8th 2007 9:17AM

Well... gametrailers give 9.8... put that too.

=)

Game of the Year

bender @ Nov 8th 2007 8:14AM

One review said that this was Nintendo's best game this decade. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Balla360 @ Nov 8th 2007 8:15AM

Bring on the Nega-Review!

Jerk Face @ Nov 8th 2007 9:01AM

Nega Review:

This game is teh ghey.

Love, Joystiq

baby sea tuna @ Nov 8th 2007 9:45AM

That's MR. GHEY to you, buddy!

Cinder @ Nov 8th 2007 8:17AM

Sigh, 10 comments in and already potential flamebait.
Isn't everyone tired of this? I've been a gamer for 15 years, and this holiday line up is possibly the best I've ever seen, for ALL consoles, yet it's this season where I've noticed the most criticism.

Now this isn't a problem if people validate their points with reasonable arguments, but all we get are the same idiots posting silly straw-man theories...

I know I sound like a broken old record, as my comments have been echoed by others, but let's show a little bit of maturity. If you don't enjoy a certain game, go back to the ones you DO and let others do the same.

Personally, I think it rocks.