I’ve done my fair share of bashing on the Wii, but I’ll also be the first to admit when something great comes along. So without further ado, here is my comprehensive fully-deserved love-fest over Nintendo’s newest addition to the Mario series.

Here’s all you need to know: SUPER MARIO GALAXY IS THE BEST PLATFORMER EVER! Hands down, without a doubt, no arguments possible. This game is even better than Mario 64. That’s right, I said it. If you own a Wii, then you had better be dusting it off and popping this game in on Tuesday or else you are going to be missing out on the best single-player game that will ever be released on the console.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of the game 10 days before it releases here in the states (no you can’t borrow it) and I’ve been playing the crap out of it the whole time. I don’t know what it is about Shigeru Miyamoto, but that man, without a doubt, was born to create video games. We might as well start calling him Midas, because everything he touches is pure gold.

I’ve had several people ask me what I think of the game during the past week that I’ve been playing through it and surprisingly I’ve had a really hard time describing it, but eventually I was able to narrow it down to two simple words: Fun and Unique.

Let me explain after the jump.

Fun – This word would seem to need no explanation, but it really does because I feel that the gaming community has lost their sense of fun while playing video games today. Don’t understand what I’m talking about? Hop onto Halo 3 multiplayer for 10 minutes and listen to everybody screaming into their mics because they feel they shouldn’t have died or because somebody stole their kill. It’s this predominantly FPS era that we’re living in right now that has sucked a lot of the fun out of today’s gaming experiences. Super Mario Galaxy is so chalked full of that good ol’ fashioned platforming fun that people with heart conditions should be careful when playing it. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely multiple times in the game where it would take me several attempts to clear an area, but what makes this game so great is that I never got so frustrated that I wanted to throw down my controller and walk away. It actually had the exact opposite effect on me. Every time I failed, it made me want to try harder because I knew I could do it and I was having fun playing.

Unique – This one word is what best describes Super Mario Galaxy and sets it head and shoulders above every other platformer to date. There is no other game like this one. The implementation of spherical worlds and constantly changing gravitational pulls is just mind-blowing. I have no idea who thought this up or how they did, but whoever it was, they deserve the game designer of the year award. The flawless implementation of these ideas is what makes Mario Galaxy better than Mario 64. Every single time you start a new level, you have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. This is what makes the game so darn addictive. It gets to a point where you can’t put the controller down because you’re dying to know what amazingly cool and unique level they’re going to throw at you next. Unique, unique, unique…I can’t say it enough about this game. Think about how the uniqueness in Portal made it so much fun and then multiply that by 10 and it will give you an idea of why uniqueness makes Super Mario Galaxy so great.

Now that I’ve explained, in general, what makes this game so amazing, let me get a little more detailed (don’t worry, no big spoilers included).

The Formula – Super Mario Galaxy’s overall formula is very similar to that of Mario 64, which as we all know is not a bad thing. Instead of “paintings,” we now have “galaxies.” Just like in Mario 64, each galaxy has its own unique design (water, lava, sand, etc.). Also just like in Mario 64, every time you enter a galaxy, you are given a choice of which star to go after. What differentiates the worlds in Mario Galaxy from the worlds in Mario 64 is that each of the different stars will have you exploring a completely new part of the galaxy, unlike in Mario 64 where you would be mostly going through areas that you’ve already been through several times before while collecting the previous stars. This change is both good and bad. It’s good for the obvious fact that there is practically no backtracking or going through an area you’ve already been through. It’s bad because it makes the game somewhat too linear. Overall I feel that the lack of backtracking more than makes up for the linearity though.

The Controls – I was very skeptical about the controls mainly because of having to use the Wiimote and nunchuck as a controller. I was afraid that using the motion controls of the Wiimote would start to feel very gimmicky after awhile like it did in Zelda. Those fears were quickly laid to rest the very first time I jumped into a star launcher and had to shake the Wiimote to send Mario flying through the galaxy. Not only does it not feel gimmicky, it’s actually a lot of fun and becomes second nature halfway through the game. There are even occasional galaxies that have you use the controls in a completely different manner which throws a nice twist into the game play.

The Game Play – The game play is AMAZING! I’m not even gonna bother saying anything else, because I would ruin the experience for a lot of people by expounding upon it. All you need to know is that every single level will offer a new and unique experience and you won’t be able to quit playing because it is so darn addictive. I will say that the game took me about 20 hours to get almost all of the 120 stars, so that should help you guys decide that are torn between buying or renting. Personally, I would suggest buying it, because I definitely see myself going back and playing through this game again a year or so from now.

The Power-Ups – When I first read about the power-ups, I was worried because they sounded really dumb. I mean come on, a bee suit?! But after using them, I have to admit that they become quite fun to use and the best part of all is that they are not overused. The power-ups are located in very few levels and those levels are few and far between so they don’t get old.

The Graphics/Sound – Don’t expect to be wowed by the visuals unless you only own a Wii. This is, without a doubt, the best looking game on the Wii, but it doesn’t look nearly as good when compared to titles like Ratchet & Clank for the PS3 or Kameo for the 360. There are moments, however, where the visuals of the game are just breathtaking. This usually happens when you’re blasting between planets. There were several occasions where I was zooming through space and was so busy admiring how amazing it looked that I completely forgot I was supposed to be playing. The sound is very Mario-ish, which is a great thing. The tracks fit the mood of their respective levels perfectly and there are even some updated classic tracks thrown in that are very well done and just bring a smile to your face when you hear them.

The Final Verdict – I think by now you can tell that I absolutely love this game. I love it so much that I’m not even going to bother putting a score to it. All I’m going to say is that if you own a Wii, you had better be picking this game up on Tuesday. I don’t care if you have to rake the leaves in all of your neighbors’ yards to get enough money to buy/rent it, it is completely worth every single penny.

Thank you for redeeming your reputation, Nintendo.

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