An absolutely stunning game that all should enjoy.
I grew up with Mario. I played all the greats, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World 1/2, and of course, Super Mario 64. I also played the somewhat of a letdown, Super Mario Sunshine. I'm happy and proud to announce that Mario is back as the king of platformers and is a huge step up from Super Mario Sunshine.
The graphics certainly draw some attention with their high amounts of shine. It really is about as realistic as you could go without it loosing that Mario charm. Everything looks fantastic, almost as if you're living in a beautiful dream world. In fact, you kind of are. All of the environments I came across were great, and it helps a lot that there are so many different kinds to keep things looking fresh.
The thing about this game that really stood out to me was the amazing music. The whole thing was done with an amazing professional orchestra and it sounds fantastic. They've remade you're favorite old Mario songs and thrown in some new ones that are certainly welcome. The music is calm and relaxing at times, goofy and nostalgic at others, and epic when it needs to be. The soundtrack really adds to the experience.
The fantastic Mario game play remains intact here, and works surprisingly well with the Wiimote. The developers made a smart move in not pushing the Wiimote on the game, but at the same time I'd say the parts they did integrate it, like combat and gathering and shooting star bits, are still great. The platforming is top notch and is probably the best I've seen in a long time. Its difficult enough to pose a challenge, but not to the point where you get truly frustrated. Not until the end anyway, it did start to get tough in the last terrace. Some seriously cool stuff happens in this game, one minute you're in the sky traveling on a giant worm from apple to apple, the next you're in an ice world, using your Ice Mario powers to freeze water so you can use it a step. That's the other thing that is so great, there are a bunch of new cool suits, and all of them have their uses in finishing the level.
So I hope you enjoyed the review, and I hope it has prompted you to at least go out and try this amazing game. It really did give me the feeling of falling in love with video games all over again.
