Here at Joystiq, we like to have some fun with our Nega-reviews. When the critical apparatus tells us almost unanimously that a game is undeniably good, we like to pick apart their words and find out what small negatives can be found in the overwhelmingly positive whole. This was a bit tough for Super Mario Galaxy, a game that got high praise all around. It wouldn't have been nearly as tough if we'd had access to Variety's review of the game, which went up on Monday.

While the Variety review praises the game's original level design and gravity-based gameplay, the majority of the writing picks apart the game's weak story, limited two-player mode and awkward camera controls. What's more, a large portion of the review seems targeted at the Wii itself, from blanket condemnation of the two-handed controller ("Holding the nunchuk, ... and the Wii-mote ... in separate hands, is an awkward arrangement") to criticism of the system's graphical prowess ("Fans may claim that the graphics are good 'for the Wii,' ... but given the vastly superior quality of the graphics in a game like Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction ... Galaxy looks old fashioned and lifeless.")

While we can't say we agree with all the criticisms, it's always interesting to see a major outlet going against the tide of positive opinion to create a negative review. You know, a real one.

Previously:
Variety praises writing in The Simpsons Game
Variety takes flak for negative Metroid Prime 3 review