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Thursday 21 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay continued to be fun into the second hour. The game keeps things fresh by introducing mini games such as manta surfing. It also brings back the concept of giving Mario multiple costumes, similar to those that were in Super Mario Bros. 3. These make for a nice change in pace.
Controls in the game are well tuned. It is easy enough to execute any of Mario’s jumps. Actions controlled by the accelerometer are responsive, and make the game standout a bit more from the competition.
One thing that did disappoint me slightly in Super Mario Galaxy, is that there are fewer methods of attacking enemies than in Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. No longer does Mario have a three hit combo or a sliding kick. He now only has a spinning attack triggered by a shake of the controller. This isn’t a big deal as combat isn’t the focus of the game, but it did add some variety.
DESIGN
Super Mario Galaxy does a great job of utilizing the Wii’s relatively limited horsepower. The levels are very vibrant, with lots of primary colors. The level designs are clever in many cases. One of the nicest things in the game is that few objects look blocky as levels in Mario 64 might. I haven’t come across any problems regarding my color blindness either. The games enemies are mostly recycled from previous Mario games, but they are nicely animated, and in several cases are given updated looks reflecting the space setting of the game.
The game’s music is also a strong point of the game. It sets a strong lighthearted tone for the game. It was also nice to hear many of my favorite tunes from the series reinterpreted in higher quality. The original compositions are of similar quality. Some of the sound effects utilized by the game are really nice as well. I remember in particular the sound effects during a boss battle with a giant robot were cool.
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