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SUPER MARIO GALAXY
Curtis: The reason Super Mario Sunshine was such a disappointment was because it didn't really do anything different than Mario 64, or mainly, it wasn't enough of a new iteration that it upset some fans. Well, Super Mario Galaxy is not Mario 64 V.3, Nintendo decided to once again let Mario show off a new control mechanism and make a new way to play users to experience the Mario universe. N-Philers, I'm here to tell you that Mario will once again set the bar on new a new control scheme.
The graphics, to put it simply, are there. Frankly, I don't see it being much better then Super Mario Sunshine, but Sunshine wasn't a demo, nor was it there to show off a new control scheme. Galaxy is there for that, not graphics. You do have many of the same old moves, the double jump, triple jump, ground pound, wall jump, etc..., but it's the new moves that show the developer's true talent. Mario now moves around worlds via the nuchuku, in an anti-gravitational type environment, while the user is busy with the wiimote, collecting stars and launching Mario all over. Twisting the wiimote over Mario will also cause him to twirl in the air, fists a flying, and swat rocks and other objects casually back at enemies. In fact, many of the enemies in the demo needed to be destroyed this way.
The demo was early enough, but still gave users a great example of what to expect in Mario's latest adventure. Will it dethrone Mario 64 from near the top of the ladder? Doubtful, but as long as Nintendo puts a few more years (at least one more) into development, we are assured a masterpiece.
Jared: Short of the setting, graphics, and gameplay, I didn't really see what everyone was so buzzed about. By which I mean that I think it will be a very good Mario game when it is finally released, especially given the space setting, which looks to be a brilliant semi-new direction for Mario to take. But it doesn't look like nearly the same quantum leap in gaming that we saw from 2D Mario to 3D Mario that Iwata claims it will be. Specifically, the control just isn't really that mind-blowingly unique at all. It's not even very creative.
Mario runs and jumps around exactly as he did in 64 and Sunshine––made slightly more awkward by the nunchuk controller––and the only update was that while controlling Mario you can use the Wiimote to point at objects around him and disrupt them with a tiny shiny star that flies around the screen.
I was elated early on when I began ignoring the Nintendo rep and just fooling around with the controller. I spun the controller in a circle while jumping and Mario performed a Sunshine-style spin jump! Holy crap what a responsive controller! Then as I played further I realized this was the only attack Mario was capable of. And more, the only motion-based action the Wiimote provided at all. To get a better understanding, play this little game I made up, IF YOU DARE:
So while yes, we're probably in for a solid Mario title that stands side-by-side with Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, it's not looking like it'll be anything more than, or different from, that.
Adrian: Although Jared took an N-whiz all over this game, I was totally enamored by what Galaxy had to offer. At its core it seems to be Mario 64 (again), but this time around there aren't any talking waterpacks you want to strangle to death nor island residents you actually wish you could help destroy. No, Mario is all business this time around, with new gameplay and tons of fun.
You begin by navigating around a Mario-looking world and eventually end up in the upper stratosphere (actually I'm not sure if you're in space or not since Mario seems to have an ok time breathing and his skin didn't freeze and crack, leaving him a frozen corpse in the emptiness of the cosmos). By using star-shaped transports, Mario blasts his way to miniature planets where it's his job to avoid enemies like goombas while the player uses the Wii pointer to collect star-like objects.
The real fun begins when the big bosses come to play. One boss I found particularly fun was a giant (robotic?) spider-creature that could only be destroyed by deft handling and quick use of the remote. By guiding Mario to spots in the spiderweb, using the wiimote will allow the player to grab onto our hero and stretch him outward like a webby catapult. Release the button to shoot Mario in the opposite direction you've been tugging in order to knock out your enemy. It sounds easy enough, but aiming Mario the way you wanted him to go can be tricky, but satisfying when you successfully pull it off.
There wasn't a giant amount of innovation to be seen in the demo, but what made up for it was the gorgeous level design and graphical atmosphere of the game. It truly felt like Mario game, which I didn't really feel with Mario Sunshine, and it's one game I'm definitely looking forward to buying the first day.
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