This just in: people like Super Mario Galaxy
by JC Fletcher 
{ Oct 15th 2007 at 4:30PM }
"Every hundred years, a comet appears in the skies above Mushroom Kingdom. The comet was so large one year, it filled the skies and sent countless shooting stars raining down. The Toads brought the shooting stars to the castle, where they became a great Power Star. It should have been a very happy time for the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. That was the night of the Star Festival, held once every hundred years to celebrate the comet."
So begins the intro to Super Mario Galaxy, as transcribed by IGN's Matt Casamassina. If he's quoting the game, you know he must have played it recently, and he's not the only one. Impressions are finally coming in from the Nintendo summit held last week, and they're-- gasp-- positive. Chris Kohler said that SMG "Might Save Christmas"; Kotaku's Michael McWhertor said that "Galaxy reinstates faith in Mario platforming where Sunshine disappointed." In short, bloggers and journalists like the game. Since these impressions were all posted simultaneously as the NDA's evaporated, we thought that rather than report on them individually, we'd link to them en masse. So there you go. Plenty of reading on the subject of whether bloggers think Super Mario Galaxy is a good game or not.
We've also embedded a new trailer, which proves that not only do writers enjoy Super Mario Galaxy, but paid actors do as well (as long as they are paid to)!
Read - 1up
Read - Kotaku
Read - Game|Life
Read - IGN
Read - MTV Multiplayer
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
comtar @ Oct 15th 2007 6:53PM
I need some help with this... I thought Mario Sunshine played alot like Super Mario 64, so why is it not seen as a true Mario title? Seemed like it was to me. What exactly am I missing?
Maybe it's cause I haven't played Mario Sunshine in a while... Maybe I forgot things about it. But I remember doing wall jumping and crushing badguys exactly how I did in Mario 64, cept now I could also pummel them with a fire hose on my back.
Abscissa @ Oct 15th 2007 7:07PM
I love the Mario games, and I'm sure I'll love this one, but I do really miss the days when they didn't try to have any more story than "Go rescue the princess." I don't care why Mario's out platforming, I just care that he is out platforming.
"1. I need some help with this... I thought Mario Sunshine played alot like Super Mario 64, so why is it not seen as a true Mario title? Seemed like it was to me. What exactly am I missing?" - comtar
I can't speak for other people, but personally, I don't consider Mario Sunshine or Mario Galaxy to be "true" Mario games simply because I don't consider Mario 64 to be a "true" Mario game. They're all great games, but IMO, they're an offshoot just like Paper Mario or WarioLand. They're all good, but they're not the main series. The "true" Mario games are Mario 1, Japanese Mario 2, Mario 3, Mario World, and New Mario.
Russell Carroll @ Oct 15th 2007 7:33PM
I loved Mario 64.
I liked parts of Sunshine, I hated parts of it.
So I bought Mario 64 on the VC to see if I just had weird memories...I don't think so.
My thoughts:
Sunshine is VERY hard! The FLUDD can make things easier, but the little jump levels after the pack is taken away are horrific! Jumping high is difficult to do as you are forced to change directions then do a backflip. In Mario 64 you could carefully line yourself up, crouch and then backflip with no movement. As well Mario 64 allowed for long jumps with ease, better control on jumps off poles, and less difficult platforming challenges.
I got more stars in Mario 64 in a week than I got in Sunshine in a year.
I happened to have Sunshine on for my kids this weekend and I thought the same thing I always do..."This looks like a lot of fun!" Then I played it and left feeling the same way I always do "This game is NOT fun to play. It's frustrating and difficult due to limitations of the controls."
I know that isn't everyone's opinion, but that's mine.
I reserved Galaxy months ago and look forward to it :). It's really good to hear some of the early posts being so positive, the tone bodes very well for the game.
Jeremy @ Oct 15th 2007 9:02PM
Yes I am looking forward to this game, and yes it is on my must own list.
Now I do have to say that as a Nintendo Fanboy that you must have a place in your heart for Mario. It doesn't really matter how we get our Mario as long as there is plenty of him and his crew on each Nintendo system.
Just look at the Wii. It's not even a year old and we already have three games that are Mario, two on the way by years end, and three already booked for next year.
BluClouds7 @ Oct 16th 2007 12:21AM
How long do you think Nintendo is going to keep up those stupid commercials?
Soiden @ Oct 16th 2007 12:39AM
What I didn't like of Sunshine was the strange controls, extremely hard stages [Some], the almost impossible to get Blue coins, and the somehow bad idea of the FLUDD.
Also, I didn't like the Piantas and.. the other ones xD
Basically, I didn't feel this game like a Mario game. A Mario game has castles, goombas everywhere, castles, power-ups and castles.
Jeff @ Oct 16th 2007 1:56AM
Love the music in this preview...seems to be a nice style Nintendo is pushing for... I think this is the Mario game we've all been waiting for...then again I said the same thing to Sunshine...geez that FLUDD thing ruined the game...more like FUD.
mark richardson @ Oct 16th 2007 4:42AM
im so looking forward to this game, if its half as good as mario 64 they are onto a sure fire winner here.
i also have to say im rather upset as i read a report yesterday saying that the wii will peak once galaxy/metroid/smotsh brothers and batalion wars 2 are out and they system has nothing else to offer. This is absolutely nonsence.
Considering on the gamecube and n64 mario was a launch title smash brothers came later on in its life cycle but not the end for both. And on the cube matroid had 2 releases both were great and both were not at the end of the system the only game there that appeard at the end was BW.
Nintendo are giving us a new mario right away (they prob wanted it closer to the luanch date), metroid was in production for cube and moved to Wii BW2 was started after BW came out and smash brothers was started about the same time as Galaxy. I in no way thing its the height of the system we are about to see, nintendo are not that stupid they must have other ards up their sleaves. New released for old IP's (i.e. pickman, pilotwings, starfox) plus possible some new ones.
and if Galaxey is anything to go by they will all look amazing!
bacon @ Oct 16th 2007 7:08AM
all mario titles are except olmpics and mario vs dk are mario games
Marrvia @ Oct 16th 2007 9:19PM
Personally, I thought Sunshine was great. It wasn't hard at all to me, actually most if it was easy, but I like difficult games. I thought the controls worked perfectly, too. Also, I thought the FLUDD was a cool idea, it added a ton of unique ways of beating the levels, with the hovering and rocket jumping, you can get through levels in a variety of different ways, instead of having to follow set paths most of the time.
The only levels that were somewhat challenging to me were the "secret of", but I find them pretty easy. The only things I didn't like about the game were it had stupid NPCs and I wasn't really much into the "Tropical" environment of the game. I wish it had some better bosses, but all Mario games seem to be lacking when it comes to bosses. The gameplay was perfect though. I'm not saying FLUDD should me a mainstay, but I would like to see it return in a future Mario title.
BennyBot @ Dec 21st 2007 11:03AM
I personally think that super mario sunshinne is a perfect flawless game.
It may have hard to use buttons but you might have weak fingers.
In my opinion it is loads of times better than 64.
Because:
1. It looks pretty and the graphics are great,
2. Gameplay is fantastic,
3. I still play it after getting every single last star.
I completed it within 2 months with all stars but I wasn't on it all day.
So In my opinion sunshine is one of the better 3D mario games.
I might get super mario galaxy because it looks fun and long lasting and hopefully I won't complete it so quick. >_