Super Mario Galaxy Impressions (Mini Review / Minimal Spoilers)

I’ve played Super Mario Galaxy for about an hour and a half, and collected 6 of the 120 stars so far. Here’s what I have to say about the game so far:

One thing I especially liked about Super Mario Sunshine was the environment. Super Mario Galaxy puts Sunshine’s environment to shame, and, mind you, I haven’t even wandered around a handful of galaxies yet. The planets are amazingly put together – incorporating so many things into one small “level” (for lack of a better word). Each planet is so unique and abstract, it’s unbelievable.

The puzzles on each planet are great, too. They aren’t so difficult where they become nearly impossible to solve, but a lot of them aren’t the most simple puzzles, either. But enough about that; I’m not the first (nor the last) who will tell you how much fun Super Mario Galaxy is.

Surprisingly, Nintendo created one of the most visually beautiful games of this generation in Super Mario Galaxy. A lot of people said that the Wii wouldn’t be able to have a game with amazing graphics, but I’d like for all non-believers to give Galaxy a shot, and then tell me they think the graphics are anything short of astounding.

I can go on and on about these things all night long, but there’s no need to. This game seems to have some intangible factor that makes it so addictive, so fun, so beautiful, and so… fresh. Yes, fresh! A fresh Mario experience. Unlike Sunshine, which seemed a bit too similar to Super Mario 64, or Super Mario 64 DS, which was exactly the same as Super Mario 64, Galaxy feels new. This, above all other things, is why I think this could either be the best Mario game ever made, or at least a close 2nd to Super Mario 64.

Feel free to post comments with your thoughts on the game, or, if you don’t have it yet, what you’re hoping for.