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Friday 25 January, 2008
ENTRY #2
GAMEPLAY
My second time playing Super Mario Galaxy was more enticing than the first. I was able to collect Star Bits at a faster rate and do them automatically. Playing the game is a lot of fun: there are numerous obstacles that Mario has to overcome, such as beating bosses in order to receive a star. The bosses are beaten when Mario adapts a new characteristic to help him reach his goal (ie: he is given the ability to put on a bee suit and fly around).
During my second 45-min period of playtime, I noticed that the game was getting more and more difficult by each level and would need me to think outside of the box in order to defeat the enemy. Mario’s new skills such as wall-jumping and power stomping increased my engagement in the game.
DESIGN
I really enjoyed the fact that Super Mario Galaxy was the first single player game of the Mario series to be released on the Wii. It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “interactive play.” Controlling Mario with the nunchuck attachment to the Wiimote was reminiscent of the old N64 console. The new aspect of the game was being able to wave the Wiimote around collect Star Bits by just touching them with the cursor shaped like a star. I also liked how Nintendo switched the controls: for example, the Z button is hit with the left hand instead of the right, etc. This didn’t really have a negative effect on the gameplay of this game, if anything, the newer controls made it more interesting to play.
The design elements in the game were very impressive; the astronomical “universe” aspect of it took into account the “planets” and “meteoroids” in the game. The graphics in this game are almost near perfect for a Mario game. They consist of bright colors and the characters are very modernized. Color is also used as a depiction of space in the gameworld. The vast black sky gives the impression of more exploration being needed in order to find out what lies beyond the galaxy you are in. As for the space that Mario can physically move in, it is virtually unlimited (within the galaxy, of course). Mario is able to jump on whatever he wants, swing on branches and climb up trees and vines. Of course, he is limited by the aspects of gravity and timers (such as the one for the bee suit).
One thing I would change though would be the rate that Mario moves. Sometimes on the meteoroids, I would not be able to move fast enough out of the way and I would end up getting hit and losing a life. It just seemed that at some points Mario moved a little bit slower than in other parts (both were non-water areas). I guess that’s just a factor that I’ll have to live with, but it still does not change the fact that I would continue to play the game. Overall, I really cannot say anything bad about the game Super Mario Galaxy as a whole. It seems as if Nintendo gave much attention to it to make sure that it would be a game that would have a high appeal to the general audience of gamers, and they were able to achieve that goal.
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