The Game That Made Me Love The Mushroom Kingdom Again...
Whether you know it or not, I was a big fan of Mario way back. (Super Mario Bros 3 is still one of my 5 favorites of all time) But then again, who wasn't? Which is why I was so disheartened the past two generations with Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, while good games, they never really clicked with me and I ended up not finishing either of them. There was something missing from them, something unexplainable. A feeling that just wasn't there. New Super Mario Bros tried to return it, but the game was simply way too easy. (I should never have 60+lives on my first run through!)
Then came the Wii, and Super Mario Galaxy. While I expected another good 3-D Mario outing that I wouldn't move my way to the finish of, I got something entirely different. The feeling that I had almost completely forgotten about...had returned. The head stomping, twitch jumping Mario with an incredibly creative sense of adventure that I knew and loved so well in the past was back!
For the first time in over a decade, my girl Peach was kidnapped and I absolutely couldn't wait to take to Bowser's castle to rescue her. But to do that, I would need to learn to control my re-found friend. And boy does he control like dream. This is the first Wii game I've played that finds fun, creative and practical ways to use the Wii-Mote. You'll be an expert inside of 10 minutes and forget your even using the remote just as quickly. You'll be spin attacking Goomba's in no time.
Needless to say, the game is beautiful. I've heard some people say it looks exactly like Super Mario Sunshine. Only to the untrained eye. Eagle eyed players will notice little details on Mario's overalls but more importantly in the lush planets he'll explore. Everything is bright and colorful and flying through space at high speed is a visual treat.
Speaking of which, the stages themselves are designed exceptionally well. I never felt lost or confused as to what needed to be accomplished. The game was a little easier then say, the Mario games of old but thats not to say its too easy. It always had a way of keeping me on my toes. Tricky jumps, sometimes many in a row from a freaky new perspective is a great deal of fun to tackle. A few new powerups and the triumphant return of the fire-flower add to the fun.
I played this game like a drug for two weeks until I finished it, neglecting all else for it. Its not very often that any game does that to me, and a Mario game hasn't done that since I was still in Elementary school. This one is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
