Mario Galaxy: Game of the year?

[score]

1UP (http://www.1up.com/) have been spending some time with the import version of Super Mario Galaxy and have a new preview up:


Anyone who's been paying attention lately should know that Super Mario Galaxy is going to be really good. But how good? After some extended time with the import, we think it just might be good enough to be a perfect "10." (Not that 10 actually means perfect on the 1UP review scale, but you know what we mean.) Not that we'd be so irresponsible as to assign a score this early! Still, we can name 10 reasons Galaxy has us totally pumped -- and why it might turn out to be one of the best games this year.

1. It's completely nuts.

Galaxy takes everything you think you know about how platform games work and turns it upside down. Or sideways. By taking the action from the usual flat surfaces and linear worlds, Galaxy makes an aging genre feel fresh again... and forces gamers who have become complacent in the decade since Super Mario 64 defined 3D platform to learn new skills and approach each challenge with an open mind....


Read More (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3164087)

[Karmakin]

From everything I've seen/heard it looks like a real contender. The other candidates in my opinion...BioShock and Orange Box (or just Portal if you want to be precise) can make legitimate claims to it as well, but it wouldn't shock me to see Galaxy pick up a few GotY nods.

[archon]

With the high caliber releases this year, SMG is going to have to be Mario 64-level groundbreaking quality in order to top them. Anything short of that and it'd be too close to call.

[Camel]

The most exciting part of that preview was this line: " Its Wii Remote features aren't annoying or obtrusive." Hooray!

[Sandman]

If SMG can deliver on some of the things mentioned in that preview I might not be selling my Wii after all.

[Gorvi]

I want a Wii for this game. Man, do I love Mario games, and early impressions are point to it being a big improvement over Sunshine.

[Triprotic]

Damn, that preview just made me want to buy it... and I thought that the 360 would be the only console I play for the rest of the year. :)

[card930]

I can't wait to play Galaxy, and this comment really has nothing to do with that game.
The whole concept of "game of the year" is really starting to bother me. I can't think of a more subjective and meaningless praise. if it's the best game you've personally played all year, being the reviewer, well, that's completely based on your experience alone, and someone else who's really into hex based war games would find your choices don't hold a candle to their favorite game.
what's the deciding factor for it? best story? best technical achievement? prettiest graphics? most people playing it online at once?
It just starts to bother me. people will argue about it, and have discussions about it, and in the end it's not based on anything, and doesn't mean or change anything.

[Suave Peanut]

I want a Wii for this game. Man, do I love Mario games, and early impressions are point to it being a big improvement over Sunshine.

My feelings about Sunshine are that if Miyamoto wasn't involved, then it doesn't count as a Mario game. He was credited as a producer on Sunshine, but his involvement was very little. Galaxy however, is Miyamoto's baby and I have high expectations.

[Bydo_Empire]

I played it briefly at Gamestop (didn't want to play too much and 'ruin' it), and it's cool. It definitely doesn't feel like any other platformer I've ever played - the uniqueness of the game with its spherical worlds really stood out. I didn't like shaking the wiimote to "spin" but then, I never liked spin attacks in any platformer (Crash, Voodoo Vince, etc). Very creative, very cool game. Preordered.

[Gorvi]

My feelings about Sunshine are that if Miyamoto wasn't involved, then it doesn't count as a Mario game. He was credited as a producer on Sunshine, but his involvement was very little. Galaxy however, is Miyamoto's baby and I have high expectations.
That actually makes a lot of sense. Cool. :)

[D.D.D.]

I just got it today after work and other than the boring crap (half cut-scenes, half walking etc) for the first 10 minutes of the game, it really gets fun after that! It took me a little while to get used to the camera (or rather the lack of control in it) but now I'm really into it. :D

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

9. It makes Bowser Jr. cool.

Impossible, right? But no -- you will actually look forward to each and every encounter with Nintendo's worst character ever. It helps that the first time you meet him he sics a robot several hundred times your height on you. OK, so maybe Bowser Jr. himself isn't cool... but as a harbinger of awesome boss battles, you can't help but be excited about his next appearance. And any game that makes you excited about Bowser Jr. is doing something right.

That is a very bold claim.

I have high expectations for this game, but if they actually make me like that little turd that will be the most amazing part of the experience.

[Cyndair]

I am so ready to be blown away by this game just like I was by Mario64 the first time I played it. Maybe I'm setting my expectations ridiculously high but it sure sounds like it is going to deliver.

[Deathwave]

I was never into Mario games when I was young, it was all Sonic. So, the Nintendo franchises are fairly new to me. Galaxy is looking incredibly fun, from the videos and previews. I just don't know if I'll have the money to buy the games I want...Fire Emblem is tops on my list.

[Draconis]

Prediction: Gamespot Review 7.5

~Queue mobs of angry Nintenfans and the burning offices of Gamespot~



Stupidity aside, this game is going to sell like mad. If 1UP has such huge praise for it, it has definitely perked my ears so to speak. It just went up on my radar. I am looking forward to this game and it should be a huge blast overall.

The fact that they have orchestral music makes me happy too. Hopefully whenever the next Zelda comes out it will have Orchestral music as well.

[Lima Beans]

I loved Sunshine, and im looking forward to more goodness.

[Kelegacy]

Nice. I haven't had a ton of fun with a Mario-centric game since 64, so hopefully this can recapture the magic for me. New Super Mario Bros. was good, but it didn't grab me as much as 64, SMB3 or World. And I disliked Sunshine quite a bit--the first Mario game to ever disappoint me.

I'll probably end up asking for this for Xmas.

[Roc Ingersol]

It's funny how the wiimote went from being something that enabled intuitive control schemes that allow non-gamers to jump right in -- to being something that needed to be carefully avoided.

[Wedge]

If this game delivers ('delivers' meaning it will equal SM64) it will be the last gem in the Crown that makes this the best year for games pretty much ever. And I had forgotten it is just around the corner. I might have to take a break from CoD4 in order to play this.

[Phanto]

After reading that I have to said that I will only buy this game if score 9.0 or more.
Looking forward to it!.

[roboninja]

This game might get me to buy a Wii. Mario 64 (along with Zelda:Ocarina of Time) made a crappy system a must-have, and if this title captures some of that magic, I want to be a part of it.

[Lutheran]

Was Mario Sunshine really that bad? I never played it because everyone trashed it as being a suck game. And Roc what do you mean that the wiimote is something that needs to be avoided, the wiimote when put to proper use is a fantastic controller..play Zach and Wiki or Metroid and you will see what I mean. I think the review is just stating that the developers didn't use the wiimote in stupid ways just to justify its existence.

[Gorvi]

Was Mario Sunshine really that bad? I never played it because everyone trashed it as being a suck game.
It's not a bad game, just a really disappointing one. It's still worth getting, especially now since you can get it cheap. It's just a pale shadow when compared to the greatness that was Mario 64.

[Camel]

It's funny how the wiimote went from being something that enabled intuitive control schemes that allow non-gamers to jump right in -- to being something that needed to be carefully avoided.
The Wii-mote doesn't need to be avoided, it just needs to be implemented correctly. Very few games have done so thus far. Luth hit on two that really do (Metroid and Z&W).

Also, Mario Sunshine wasn't a bad game at all. I really liked the setting of the game. The biggest problem I had with it was that there were waaay too many parts of the game where after I completed them I thought to myself, "Whew, thank goodness I'll never have to do THAT again!" Not a terrible game by any means though.

[Cyndair]

It's funny how the wiimote went from being something that enabled intuitive control schemes that allow non-gamers to jump right in -- to being something that needed to be carefully avoided.

The problem with the Wii remote is when you try to slap it onto a franchise that has been around a long time or a last gen port. If the game was designed from the ground up for a standard controller then you end up just adding waggle motions to replace button presses. Too many games have gone this route and it has left a lot of people jaded.

Now, when a game is designed from the ground up for the Wii remote (Prime 3, Zack and Wiki, Wii Sports) then you see what it can add to games to really make them better.

[Cyndair]

It's not a bad game, just a really disappointing one. It's still worth getting, especially now since you can get it cheap. It's just a pale shadow when compared to the greatness that was Mario 64.

I think you hit the nail on the head with Sunshine. When Mario 64 came out, it was a revolution. I think everyone expected Sunshine to be the same thing. The bar was set really high and Sunshine came in underneath. It's still really freaking fun though. Except for the blue coins... I hated the blue coins.

[Gorvi]

I think you hit the nail on the head with Sunshine. When Mario 64 came out, it was a revolution. I think everyone expected Sunshine to be the same thing. The bar was set really high and Sunshine came in underneath. It's still really freaking fun though. Except for the blue coins... I hated the blue coins.
The blue coins were one of my biggest problems in the game. The ratio of shines that you got from actual gameplay as opposed to coins was way out of whack. It seemed like there were a a lot of blue coins shines added just to pad that total number up to 120 to try to match M64, and that made it feel like they just didn't finish the game.

[Cyndair]

The blue coins were one of my biggest problems in the game. The ratio of shines that you got from actual gameplay as opposed to coins was way out of whack. It seemed like there were a a lot of blue coins shines added just to pad that total number up to 120 to try to match M64, and that made it feel like they just didn't finish the game.

Yeah, I totally agree. Being able to buy shines with your coins just felt like a total cop out. Plus there were what? 8 shines per level vs M64's 6 stars?

In the game's defense, I absolutely loved the retro - platforming levels. So much fun. The water backpack was a cool idea but I think I almost liked it better when they took it away.

[Gorvi]

Yeah, I totally agree. Being able to buy shines with your coins just felt like a total cop out. Plus there were what? 8 shines per level vs M64's 6 stars?

In the game's defense, I absolutely loved the retro - platforming levels. So much fun. The water backpack was a cool idea but I think I almost liked it better when they took it away.
Oh, hell yeah. Those retro levels were my favorite part of the game. I really liked the challenge. They really, really made me wish they'd just go back and make an old school Mario platformer in 3D with nothing but a fire flower as a powerup.

[TheFlyingOrc]

The blue coins were one of my biggest problems in the game. The ratio of shines that you got from actual gameplay as opposed to coins was way out of whack. It seemed like there were a a lot of blue coins shines added just to pad that total number up to 120 to try to match M64, and that made it feel like they just didn't finish the game.
The biggest problem was that there are exactly 50 shines that are necessary to get - 7 in each level and the one in the opening scene. Other shines only make you open up the early levels slightly faster. The only purpose to the blue coin shines is that they are needed to get everything.

(same with that stupid pachinko level)

[TheKeck]

I won't make any speculations about game of the year; but what I DO know is that this preview makes me want the game more than ever!!!!!

[TheKeck]

I was never into Mario games when I was young, it was all Sonic. So, the Nintendo franchises are fairly new to me. Galaxy is looking incredibly fun, from the videos and previews. I just don't know if I'll have the money to buy the games I want...Fire Emblem is tops on my list.
Really? Not even on the NES? I was a Sega kid too, but what did you do before Sonic existed?

[Cyndair]

The biggest problem was that there are exactly 50 shines that are necessary to get - 7 in each level and the one in the opening scene. Other shines only make you open up the early levels slightly faster. The only purpose to the blue coin shines is that they are needed to get everything.

(same with that stupid pachinko level)

That pachinko level made me want to cry like a little girl. I was also extremely irritated when I got all 120 shines and absolutely nothing happened. No bonus, no acknowledgment. Nothing. Just felt sort of empty after doing all that work. "Oh... uh... huh.... guess that's it then..." *Turn off Gamecube and lower head*

[WAZts]

I'm honestly more excited about this game then any other game this year. I've wanted a new 3D Mario game with that ol' Mario-esque charm for quite sometime. Then again, my copy of Super Mario Sunshine came with a beach towel. That counts for something.

[kababa]

I'm most excited about this game too. Ever.

[boratika]

I'm one of those people who loved Sunshine, so I have a sneaking suspicion I'll have a ball with this.

[boratika]

I'm honestly more excited about this game then any other game this year. I've wanted a new 3D Mario game with that ol' Mario-esque charm for quite sometime. Then again, my copy of Super Mario Sunshine came with a beach towel. That counts for something.

Beach towel?! Mine only came with a Gamecube (And for some reason was more expensive than games usually are.)

[DaXIthR]

Asshats have to turn every Galaxy thread into one about Sunshine....

[Gorvi]

Asshats have to turn every Galaxy thread into one about Sunshine....
Yeah, really, why would anyone want to compare a game to the last game that came out in the series. :rolleyes:

[Zander]

It will be nice to buy a game for my Wii.

[Cyndair]

Asshats have to turn every Galaxy thread into one about Sunshine....

Well seeing as how none of us have actually played Galaxy at this point what else do you want us to talk about? Sunshine was the last main Mario game and despite the fact that it was really good, it had some flaws. If everyone was just on here saying "Wow, this game looks really good" then it wouldn't be much of a discussion, would it? Unless someone thinks Galaxy looks like crap.... there is always someone I suppose....

[Lizard Dude]

That pachinko level made me want to cry like a little girl. I was also extremely irritated when I got all 120 shines and absolutely nothing happened. No bonus, no acknowledgment. Nothing. Just felt sort of empty after doing all that work. "Oh... uh... huh.... guess that's it then..." *Turn off Gamecube and lower head*

There was a new ending screen after the credits for 120 Shines.

Super Mario 64's 120 star reward was similarly small and obscure (Yoshi on the roof).

[Cyndair]

There was a new ending screen after the credits for 120 Shines.

Super Mario 64's 120 star reward was similarly small and obscure (Yoshi on the roof).

Ahhh, didn't know that. I don't think I went and beat Bowser again after getting all 120.

Yeah, that's true about Mario64's ending. At least it was something though. Flying around the castle courtyard with the wing cap was kinda fun.

[oldjadedgamer]

How can this be game of the year if it scores lower then Nintendogs?

[score]

How can this be game of the year if it scores lower then Nintendogs?

I wasn't aware that Nintendogs came out this year :rolleyes:

[oldjadedgamer]

I wasn't aware that Nintendogs came out this year :rolleyes:

Of course I was kidding making a dig at Famitsu scoring.

[ECM]

Was Mario Sunshine really that bad?

No, it was fantastic, actually.

[smashp]

to the guys that are saying theyre more excited about this game than anything else this year, im right there in the same boat with ya, and we're rowing harder and harder to nov 13. the more videos i saw for this game ever since i saw the first, the more excited i got, then i played it and no joke i said "i think im going to break up with my girlfriend and go out with this game" (im sure youre surprised i have a gf after hearing i said that. lol). but yeah, i think the hype is well placed, this game has satisfied me more than other highly hyped games this year such as of course halo 3, and i hope it does much better. it really takes me back to middle school when mario 64 arrived, ESPECIALLY with nights coming a month later. heres hoping its the same way as it was then, back then mario 64 revolutionized, while nights perfected. played galaxy, and its revolutionizing again, hope that nights perfects again as well.

Really? Not even on the NES? I was a Sega kid too, but what did you do before Sonic existed?

i know that wasnt aimed at me, but i didnt like mario on the nes myself. being only 24 years old, i was only 6 when the genesis came out, and had only been playing games for a little while at that time. i got an nes and an atari xe system (lol) around a year before i heard of sonic the hedgehog (which was when it was new in 91). as soon as i saw sonic, i was hooked, and that same day, i played what would become my favorite game series as a kid (and due to nostalgic reasons, still is to this day), streets of rage. anyways, yeah.. basically i wasnt around or playing games enough before sonic came to really have a great history with mario on the nes.

The whole concept of "game of the year" is really starting to bother me. I can't think of a more subjective and meaningless praise. if it's the best game you've personally played all year, being the reviewer, well, that's completely based on your experience alone, and someone else who's really into hex based war games would find your choices don't hold a candle to their favorite game. what's the deciding factor for it? best story? best technical achievement? prettiest graphics? most people playing it online at once? It just starts to bother me. people will argue about it, and have discussions about it, and in the end it's not based on anything, and doesn't mean or change anything.

well.. most GOOD blogs, sites, or whatever usually have a consensus or maybe even readers choice, so if 75% of the ppl say its their favorite game, or 4 out of 7 editors agree, then game of the year makes sense. i mean, i dont thing "game of the year" is designed for people that are really into one genre of games, i think its for overall gamers who want to try all games out. its not like its "hex based war game journal" does "game of the year" and covers mario galaxy. if thats someones thing, then why visit ign, kuz we know ign covers way more than just that one genre. sure, gears of war wasnt my fave game last year, although i own it and think its achieved alot of great things, it just isnt my style as much as other games, but its still good nontheless, and i have a whole lot of friends who really enjoy it.

With the high caliber releases this year, SMG is going to have to be Mario 64-level groundbreaking quality in order to top them. Anything short of that and it'd be too close to call.

its better than mario 64, and mario 64 was the game that got me into mario, i had played mario on nes and snes, but nothing was better than sonic to me in those days (well.. sonic was basically dead on the saturn, nights is the platformer that defined that console, and its a shame too, with the saturns 2d power, it could have created one of the best 2d sonics we'd ever have played).

sorry for the long post guys, i just am super excited about this game, and i get really talkative and nerdy when its talked about. my bad.

[Chainblast]

From everything I've seen/heard it looks like a real contender. The other candidates in my opinion...BioShock and Orange Box (or just Portal if you want to be precise) can make legitimate claims to it as well, but it wouldn't shock me to see Galaxy pick up a few GotY nods.

I don't agree with Bioshock though you're probably right. Portal I can see.

[jspeak32]

It's not a bad game, just a really disappointing one. It's still worth getting, especially now since you can get it cheap. It's just a pale shadow when compared to the greatness that was Mario 64.

The game play wasn't very good, I didn't like the whole water jet pack thing. But what bothered me more than the game play was how forgettable the characters were. I don't think you ever combated any traditional Mario baddies in the game. Goombas and Koopas (and varieties whether new or old) are just as important to me as Bowser and Peach. I finished the game, but I don't even remember who the last boss was...anyone care to remind me?

Those stupid looking fat hula guys were just lame looking, I hope they don't become a permanent stay in the Mario universe...

[listereo]

I've gotten some hands on time with Mario Galaxy and it's really something else. If you've no idea what's going on, it's hard to watch, but playing it just feels great. And the atmosphere of the game retains the surreality a game about a plumber saving the universe from chestnuts, turtles, and a dinosaur should.

What a year it's been. What is this, the fourth game to arrive since August to be hailed as a possible Game of the Year? I'm absolutely loving being a gamer right now.

[Baron Samedi]

Asshats have to turn every Galaxy thread into one about Sunshine....

I hear you. Why can't we talk about 64? Hell, even NSMB?

[donkeydrop]

"Galaxy makes sparing use of the remote"

Huh? If the control isn't re-designed for Wii then what's the point; a conventional gamepad would work better.

"And the soundtrack -- wow. Nintendo doesn't usually go in for orchestrated music, but its use adds such an expansive, majestic feel to the game that we insist on more of this delicious sonic joy in all their future games."

Uhh.. "doesn't go in for orchestrated music", thats all they seem to do. One of Nintendo's biggest problems is that they are still making the equivalent of silent films two generations into the age of talkies. Where's the voice acting?

My expectations are not that high; Mario Sunshine got great previews and lots of 9/10 and 10/10 reviews but it was just living of the reputation of Mario 64. 11 years after Mario 64 I want to see some real innovation; if not, there are plenty of other platformers.

[score]

I finished the game, but I don't even remember who the last boss was...anyone care to remind me?

I'm pretty sure the last boss was Bowser himself, in a bathtub.

[Skyelan]

I'm getting a bit nervous about this, honestly. Not the game itself, but how I haven't seen the game box up on the reserve shelf recently, and I won't have the money till tomorrow or the day after. I rarely reserve so close to release, so there's a chance that I may have missed grabbing it... And in an area where Advance Wars DS will sell out day 1, I don't have much faith that I can grab a copy in the wild.

The thought of having all the magic that comes from a game you've had a near media-blackout about ruined by the internet before you can get it... :(

[Bravado]

"Galaxy makes sparing use of the remote"

Huh? If the control isn't re-designed for Wii then what's the point; a conventional gamepad would work better.

"And the soundtrack -- wow. Nintendo doesn't usually go in for orchestrated music, but its use adds such an expansive, majestic feel to the game that we insist on more of this delicious sonic joy in all their future games."

Uhh.. "doesn't go in for orchestrated music", thats all they seem to do. One of Nintendo's biggest problems is that they are still making the equivalent of silent films two generations into the age of talkies. Where's the voice acting?

My expectations are not that high; Mario Sunshine got great previews and lots of 9/10 and 10/10 reviews but it was just living of the reputation of Mario 64. 11 years after Mario 64 I want to see some real innovation; if not, there are plenty of other platformers.

I would cry myself to sleep if a Mario game ever featured actual voice acting.

This post is so unbelieveably cynical, I find it hard to comprehend.

[DaXIthR]

Well seeing as how none of us have actually played Galaxy at this point what else do you want us to talk about? Sunshine was the last main Mario game and despite the fact that it was really good, it had some flaws. If everyone was just on here saying "Wow, this game looks really good" then it wouldn't be much of a discussion, would it? Unless someone thinks Galaxy looks like crap.... there is always someone I suppose....

Not exactly.

But I don't see every single GH3 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of GH2. I don't see every CoD4 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of CoD3. I don't see every MGS4 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of MGS3.

Ad infinitum.

[Cyndair]

Not exactly.

But I don't see every single GH3 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of GH2. I don't see every CoD4 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of CoD3. I don't see every MGS4 thread revert to a discussion on the merits and demerits of MGS3.

Ad infinitum.

Fair enough. This was the first Mario Galaxy thread that I've read / participated in on EvAv so I'm a bit out of the loop on what has already been discussed. Someone asked about Sunshine so I was just giving my two cents.

Back to Galaxy then. Not sure if this has been posted already in another thread:

http://uk.wii.com/software/interviews/mario_galaxy/vol1/index.html

Great set of interviews with the Galaxy developers. Good read.

[Bravado]

http://uk.wii.com/software/interviews/mario_galaxy/vol3/index.html

The sound part is the best part of the whole article, the orchestra sounds absolutely stellar (pun!).

[jspeak32]

I'm pretty sure the last boss was Bowser himself, in a bathtub.

No he wasn't, but what you said jolted my memory. It was Bowser Jr., his child (didn't he have like 7 of those from Mario 3 and Mario World? Whatever happened to them?).