Super Mario Galaxy sitting pretty as the #1 ranked game

by Candace Savino { Nov 18th 2007 at 3:00PM }

Remember the days when The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the top ranked game ever? Well, those days are over, and now Super Mario Galaxy reigns as the champion over at Game Rankings with its average score of 97.9%. That's right, it just barely squeaked by Ocarina by a 0.3% margin. Let it be known, however, that Ocarina is still first on Metacritic.

Are you happy or sad to see Link trumped by Mario? We tend to not put enough stock in these combined rankings ourselves to care either way, but hey, maybe that's just us.

[Thanks, Andres!]

Tags: game-rankings, Legend-of-zelda, Ocarina-of-Time, rankings, smg, super-mario-galaxy

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mr Khan @ Nov 18th 2007 3:18PM

It certainly puts a serious hole in the prominent Wii-basher argument of "look at those piss-poor metacritic rankings"

Granted, it is only one game, but what a game...

gevenstaines @ Nov 18th 2007 3:53PM

it's nowhere near on par with Oot. music, story, and gameplay are not even close IMO. i give Oot 9.5 and SMG a 7. i don't like being babied in games and that's what SMG felt like. plus the level design was painfully linear, short, and repetitive. i wish nintendo would stop condescending the hardcore mario gamers. SMB3, mario 64, and NSMB are all better games hands down.

Maddles @ Nov 18th 2007 5:56PM

Haven't played it yet but I count OOT as one of the best ever. SMG must be great then!

Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 18th 2007 4:58PM

@Geven

I bet you're no more then ten stars in. The game stops 'babying' you the moment you reach the Fountain, and starts the shift from moderate to hard beginning at the Kitchen. Not only that, but the majority of the stages arent quite as short as you claim they are. And the gameplay? OoT had amazing gameplay, but it was an action RPG, so it really can't be compared to SMG in the gameplay department. Compared to other platformers, though, SMG has some of the best gameplay I've ever seen. And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, Mario Galaxie's music TRUMPS OoTs.OoT's score might have been good for its time, but damn if this isn't one of the best I've ever heard.

Oh, and, I can't believe you complained about 'being babied' and then cited NSMB as a better game, seeing as how its not hard to have 99 lives before you even reach the eighth world.

streettrash @ Dec 18th 2007 7:32AM

It doesnt stop babying you until the credits.Way too linear,easy,and not the diamond everyone claims.

Dan K @ Nov 18th 2007 5:30PM

OoT will always (always!) be the best game ever made. SMG is awesome, but not even close to OoT.
OoT has a better villian, better story, more weapons/strategy and better music. SMG may be the best game in its class (platformer/pick-up-and-play), but overall OoT is a much better game imo.

camtouchesboys @ Nov 18th 2007 6:17PM

oct was an amazinggame but if you ask me the twighlight princess already over took it, the temples in oct dragged on too much and were boring, though the adventuring was top quality. but super mario galaxy takes the biscuit, the use of motion controls is nothing short of spectacular. now if we got a zelda game built for the wii from the ground up rather than a gamecube port.. then mario might have a run for his money!

Jay @ Nov 18th 2007 6:18PM

I've played both and I'm leaning toward SMG. Just an amazing game play experience, although not as heavy on the story, the very act of PLAYING it is fun. So it's kinda hard to compare the two as they are vastly different approaches to games.

camtouchesboys @ Nov 18th 2007 6:22PM

oh and i fail to see how anyone (number 2) could be so foolish as to use the words super mario galaxy and linear gameplay in the same sentence. cough(tosser!)

Takayoshi Sugawara @ Nov 18th 2007 7:11PM

I'm apathetic as to whether or not Galaxy is superior to Ocarina of Time, and it seems particularly irrelevant when it is mere tenths of a point. Whether a game eschews the hardcore crowd also seems besides the point when you consider most people being casual players.

Haven't played SMG yet, but if this is any indication (being a big OoT fan), I can't wait to play it! It's definitely blissful to see my favorite franchises -- Mario, Zelda, Metroid -- sweep the top 3 spots.

BananaBoat @ Nov 18th 2007 6:28PM

We just had this debate on Joystiq yesterday. Ocarina of Time is a far superior game, and Mario 64 is also superior to SMG.

Look at the list of the top 10 games. 3 of them are Half-Life 2 (2 are Orange Box, 1 is HL2 by itself) 1 is Tekken 3, 1 is Soul Calibur for the DREAMCAST , and it's generally just not a very good list. Debating based off it would be pretty pointless, although we already did it once, and I'm sure it's about to happen again.

Let me list the games off the top of my head that are better: Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Mario Bros 3, etc.

SMG has a bad camera, a bum story, and while it's a blast to play...so was rayman raving rabbids. Think about that for awhile...

Dopple Boppler @ Nov 18th 2007 6:36PM

Galaxy babies people and New Super Mario Bros. doesn't? Um...ok?

KirbyMeister @ Nov 18th 2007 6:38PM

What's with all the Super Mario Galaxy-hating trolls today on NWF? Are we being spammed by Sony?

Alexisonfire @ Nov 18th 2007 7:06PM

In my opinion, Gamerankings credibility is highly disputable. Gamestats/Metacritic have always seemed to be more accurate to me.

As whether Galaxy should have the title, definately not. It is great and all, but doesn't live up to hype that is swarming it. It is still outdone by earlier (although not Sunshine) entries in the series and even the entire genre. It's the Mario version of Twilight Princess, essentially.

JC Fletcher @ Nov 18th 2007 7:12PM

Review scores aren't meant to compare games to each other, so ranking them by review scores is silly. But as a Wii blogger, go SMG and all that.

BananaBoat @ Nov 18th 2007 7:13PM

@kirbymeister

So far on this thread, people have said SMG isn't the best, and then they've stated that various other Nintendo games were the best (which they possibly are).

A Sony fanboy would probably claim Metal Gear Solid was the best game ever, or Final Fantasy 7, or something along those lines.

A Sony fanboy wouldn't point towards Ocarina of Time's score of 99/100 on metacritic, and claim that it's the best game ever, undoubtedly, without question. Although...Mario Bros 3 was a masterpiece too..just saying. There is NO doubt that Mario Galaxy isn't the best game ever, and anyone that would claim it is, need to take a step back and breathe. We know it's exciting for a real Mario (that isn't paper) to hit the Wii, but that excitement you are feeling doesn't = Best game ever.

Just like how the excitement PS3 owners have over getting an exclusive (Drake's Fortune) doesn't make it a very good game (it's mediocre at best)

gevenstaines @ Nov 18th 2007 7:25PM

i'm 90 stars in (not 10) and so far, a majority of the stages were 100% linear. planet A to planet B to planet C to star... and #3, who cares about how many lives you can get in mario games? you just get three more after a game over. the only reason i don't have 99 in SMg is cuz one loses them when one powers off. think about it: a couple thousand star bits plus a couple hundred coins plus several dozen green mushrooms = lots of extra lives. at least in NSMB you had to do things like leave the stage to find a blue shell or tiny mushroom, and come back to access a secret exit or golden coin... why are we comparing to Oot anyways? a link to the past is at least as good IMO.

DonWii @ Nov 18th 2007 7:31PM

In the end, though, Nintendo's Mario, Zelda and Metroid games are the highest rated games.

Nuff said.

James @ Nov 18th 2007 7:32PM

@2, I agree you must not be far in. Some of the late-game stars can take 15+ lives to finish. Sure, lives are a dime a dozen, but I've spent half an hour or more on a single star and still not gotten it (granted, only twice at this point) -- and I'm *not* a platformer newb. I don't think SMG should beat OoT either (frankly, if OoT isn't a 10, you're either an idiot or your idea of "10" doesn't exist), but it certainly deserves to be at the top of the Wii list so far.

James @ Nov 18th 2007 7:39PM

And in reply to #15, I don't think other platforms have games with the level of polish you see in Nintendo's AAA games. It's not to say that there aren't good games on other platforms, or from other developers, but I don't consider myself *too* partisan, and I still think the very-top-of-the-top (if one were to rank every game ever) would still be occupied by Nintendo titles. Maybe some of that is nostalgia, but I think I could make an objective defense.

gevenstaines @ Nov 18th 2007 7:47PM

i seriously doubt the last 30 stars will be as hard as you describe, but i'm hoping! it might partially make up for that star in beach bowl that takes 15 seconds to acquire.

my idea of a '10' game does not exist, that would be perfection, and cannot be improved, which does not exist in video games. now if i didn't have to hear navi or that dumb owl drone on forever, and i could save and continue playing after defeating the final boss, and it had multiplayer functionality, i would be much more inclined to rate Oot a 9.9.

so if you plan to rate any game a 10, i hope your dial goes up to 11 like spinal tap!

troy @ Nov 18th 2007 8:53PM

I too don't care if it 'beats' OOT, and there is no way for this game being the third 3d generation is going to seem nearly as fresh despite all the completely unseen before things in it. All I can say is my non-gamer girlfriend claims Galaxy is 'utterly unlike any game' she has ever seen before: and I love playing it. Working 12 hour days, the only games I am hours into are DS games ha ha cuz i can play them the first half of work. But I know I love it, and I know that i have NO complaints. I mean these games are made by teams of human beings: and they've done an amazing job.

shawn piazza @ Nov 18th 2007 9:05PM

OoT beats Galaxy hands down. Not only that, but there are games that were released this month that beat it. It's the best game on the Wii, but I wouldn't go much farther than that.

Haohmaru @ Nov 18th 2007 9:51PM

Hehe. I love how people come stating their opinion as fact.

troy @ Nov 18th 2007 9:52PM

Better games came out this month? Ha ha. It's the best game on the wii, but that's not saying much? ha ha. I wouldn't go farther than this in terms of acting like what you just said makes rational sense, shawn. You are in the wrong place for that kind of statement. Maybe you need to 'release' this month to get that shistey-ness out of your system!

Ren @ Nov 18th 2007 9:53PM

Both games

Soiden @ Nov 18th 2007 11:24PM

I haven't played Galaxy yet, but IMO Ocarina Of Time is not the best game ever. I love OOT, don't get me wrong, but I think it's just a little slighty bit overrated. Well, it's my opinion, but I consider other games better [Not by far, though].

JJ @ Nov 18th 2007 11:38PM

@15
I dont know if i'd called Drakes Fortune a mediocre at best game, I happen to think its a very good game in almost all respects (Story, presentation, graphics, gameplay), i'd even go so far as to say its probably one of my favorite games to play at the moment that has come out this month (because there HAS been a lot of good games across the board this month)

In any case, i think SMG is a great game, best game ever? Well i dont think ANY game can be the "Best game ever" simply because of the fact that all peoples tastes are different and not to mention the fact that there's many..many ways to gauge what games are good.

I mean simply because a game is reviewed well doesnt always mean it will sell well, just like even if i game is reveiwed terribly doesnt ALWAYS mean it wont sell well.

I think there's many different criteria to a game being the best ever more than just lists or review scores by gaming sites. As with anything, a good game is ultimately up to the person playing it.

As good as OOT and SMG have scored... my fiancee hates both games... to her SIMS is a better game *shrug* no accounting for taste i guess.

ipsum @ Nov 18th 2007 11:41PM

Say whatever you will about SMG or OoT (both excellent games), but anyone that says OoT has better music is just fishing for arguments. The music in OoT is great, absolutely, but the music in SMG is brilliant, and fully orchestrated to boot. Some aspects of OoT were better, but not all, and music is definitely not one of them.

xbob @ Nov 19th 2007 12:02AM

Nintendo is on a roll in my house. SMG is nothing short of amazing and truly creative. One of the best game experiences I've had in a long time. Then there's Zelda Phantom Hourglass getting all the DS action from my son and I. (plus still playing Bioshock on that 'other system') What an amazing year this has been for great games!

JJ @ Nov 19th 2007 12:20AM

@28
Well of course NOW SMG will have better music, OOT was on a cart... they could only put SO much information on those things back when OOT originally came out.

I would expect any major release now to have better music comparatively speaking. But for its time OoT was damn near perfect in terms of its music.

Sonic_13 @ Nov 19th 2007 12:37AM

I was shocked to see that Metroid Prime is the #3 all-time game on Game Rankings.

I think Metroid definitely deserves it, but I was just shocked to see that!

Kris @ Nov 19th 2007 1:30AM

I'll probably get yelled at for this, or whatever, but why does everyone hate Super Mario Sunshine? I didn't find it that bad and I enjoyed that it actually had a storyline (for the most part) and i thought that Shadow Mario was quite intriguing (and the tie-over to Luigi's Mansion was also enjoyable) why do so many people dislike it?
Anyways, i don't find OoT that amazing, it was great and all but hmm i like Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess better (do people hate MM?) I think it might be overrated because of the fact that it was the first Zelda game to go in 3d and all and people put it on this pedestal, but i still like it, sure.
As for SMG being the best game ever, i just got it today havent done much (20+ Stars) but i think it is amazing. But for a game to be the best game ever i think it would need to have amazing story, gameplay, art direction, etc. and SMG just doesnt have that compelling of a story (except i am intruiged by Rosalina, at what point does the Library open and you get to read her story?)
Either way, i think it is silly to get so angry about this, they're all amazing games, shouldnt that be enough?

Almadi @ Nov 19th 2007 2:34AM

Ok, you may recall from a previous comment that I don’t like Mario games. I played Mario Galaxy last night and I must say that I love the game. And I believe that it will most definitely be the pack-in game for the Wii once sales start to decrease.

mark richardson @ Nov 19th 2007 7:51AM

I got my copy os SMG last week (i live in the uk so i shoudl of got it friday) but by chance it was dispached to me on the tue and i had it by the wed night and have been playing ever since.

Now im a nintendo fan and a mario fan (but im not a complete fanboy as lots of people seem to assosiate withg you when you say those things). Now i completed mario 64 loved it and think its one of the best platform games ever. I read so many revies of this game and i was just so worried about it (mainly due to the new elemetns and controll method. But i have to say after 10 minutes and getting my head around running round little planets i was hooked.

It is in my opinion one of the best games in the last few years (this year has been such a good year for games too) but this is the greatest platform game ever. I know not much has changed since his n64 outing but then how much can you really change. Enough though has been changed to help make it look and feel new and exciting again. Nintendo has definately pulled a trumph card out of its sleeve with mario and for the people who were complaining that there was no need to own a wii mario has made them silenced very quickly. With mario/metroid/wii sports and next year batallion wars 2/mario cart/zack and wiki and smash brothers all out and very soon after the begnining of the year the wii def has a catalogue to make any games console look attractive!

SMG gets 10 out of 10 and i def think its one of the best contenders for game of the year!

mark richardson @ Nov 19th 2007 7:53AM

oh and i forgot to say.

I was readng on a respected website that they were talking abotu do graphics make a game or a system. They took some of the ps3's nicest looking games and got an overall score for each of them and pitted them against some fo the wii's best games. What do you think was the result???

well actually averagly wii games score higher than other ps3 games that are touted as having amazing realistic visuals and keep getting talked about as ground breaking!

just an interesting article i thought, with some interesting points! lol

Smithdown @ Nov 19th 2007 10:28AM

I've loved Mario since that very first level back in 80-something or other, when his adventure came packaged with Duck Hunt on the same cart. I've followed his changes and improvements, through the bad times (SMB2) and the good (Super Mario World). There has never been a game I didn't enjoy. And I am glad to say that Galaxy is the top of the tree and deservedly so! I don't think its a 10 (come on, it is a bit easy - my friends and I got from 0 to 36 stars in about 4 hours), but my god it is one of the most enjoyable games EVER! There are very few moments of frustrating tedoum, which OoT had in droves. It too was an awesome game and a highlight of the 90s for me, but when you got stuck you got STUCK! Mario just brings back the joy and the love of gaming without all the hanging around waiting for stuff to happen. So in short, yeah, I prefer Galaxy, but it still ain't perfect. On an aside - who else wishes there was a 1st person view in SMG??? xx

Antonio @ Nov 19th 2007 11:18AM

I was thinking of writing an entry on my blog about Super Mario Galaxy being possibly the best game ever, and definitely my top choice for best Mario game. I'm 98 stars and have loved every second. The game is far harder than Mario 64 or Mario 3 ever were. Some of the stages rival the "Special" world in SMW. Some people say nothing will ever be better than SMB3 or SMW, but that's just shuts down all discussion before it even begins.

I love the fact that almost every star presents a new puzzle, a new challenge, and some new ingenious design. Unlike Mario 64 and Sunshine, you don't always have to retread familiar territory in a stage. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of that, but not nearly as much as in the past.

I love the mesmerizing energy of blasting off from one planet and flying towards another, with beautiful visuals flying by. That never gets old. I love grabbing star bits along the way, and the manic way I try to snag every single one.

I love the music, which completely stomps OoT's soundtrack. I know I'll lose some of you on this point, but I never thought OoT's music was all that great. Definitely good, but the limitations of the N64 hardware held it back. The orchestrated stuff in SMG is fantastic and I can't wait to buy the CD.

Is the game perfect? Nope. The camera does frustrate me a few places (I hate trying to control Mario at weird, upside-down angles). Some of the cinematics can't be skipped. Boss battles (even the final one) are entirely too easy. The story isn't that -- honestly, who gives a crap. Storylines have never been a strong suit for Mario and I doubt that'll ever change.

I'm loving this game right now and only tear myself away to indulge distractions like work and friends. Five years from now will I be playing it with the same nostalgia I experienced with Mario 3 a few weeks ago? Maybe.

Devine @ Nov 19th 2007 12:41PM

Complaints about linearity...in a Mario game? What were SMB3 and SMW if not linear? At least within a given stage. I find that criticism really stupid. You might as well complain about backtracking in a Metroid game. It's a staple of the franchise.

I love it. Not best game ever, but I have no problem immediately slotting it into top 10 platformers ever, top 30 games ever. It outshines Mario 64 without question, IMO.

niyohn @ Nov 19th 2007 1:47PM

I got SMG last week, and it is one of the best games on Wii right now I am at 80 stars and it is getting harder. But apart from SMG is there anything else the Wii has to ffer? When you look at upcoming titles, I feel like there is a big void for the Wii. What is there to look forward to?? Smash brothers? Geometry wars? And what else? Look at how Xbox is doing now, having 3 great games that have crazy online multiplayer, (Halo3, COD4, Mass Effect, Assasins Creed), I have been waiting for Wii to pick up for a long time... I have high hopes for Wii ware.

Larz @ Nov 19th 2007 1:52PM

I bought it last week, returning it this week. Getting Geometry Wars instead.

I'm disappointed in SMB Galaxy. It just didn't grab me. I forced myself to play it for several hours just hoping it would click and I'd fall in love. Oh well, maybe I'm just too mature for Mario these days...

Larz @ Nov 19th 2007 1:52PM

"Are we being spammed by Sony?"

You mean Microsoft. They're the 100 billion dollar giant with questionable business practices... and the next biggest competitor to Nintendo.

Larz @ Nov 19th 2007 1:52PM

"it's a blast to play...so was rayman raving rabbids. Think about that for awhile..."

I don't get it. RRR is an awesome party game, SMG is an alright single-player game.

Devine @ Nov 19th 2007 6:13PM

I can't let the last comment on this board refer to Mario as "alright". It's BRILLIANT! I have been having such a good time the past week or so. Like I said, it's not perfection in a box, but I think it's pretty damn close. I'm just filled with delight every time Mario flies between planets, arms spread wide. The "challenge" stars have a lot of bite sometimes. I think people are overselling how easy it is (particularly to get all 120 stars), and anyone who's "too mature" for Mario is too mature for fun.

aaron @ Nov 30th 2007 1:43AM

Ratchet and Clank gives SMG a serious run for its money. I've not played the more recent entryes in RaC but the first two titles alone were increadible.

oh and i'm 67 stars in on smg (and lovin it)