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Super Mario Galaxy

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Super Mario Galaxy
File:Smgboxartwii.jpg
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Takao Shimizu
Yoshiaki Koizumi
SeriesSuper Mario series
Platform(s)Wii
Release
[1]


Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D action-platformer game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer in the series after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The game follows Mario on his quest through space to save Princess Peach from his nemesis Bowser. Levels take the form of galaxies filled with spherical planetoids, while gameplay is updated with a variety of gravity effects and new power-ups.

The game was first shown at E3 in 2006 and enjoyed a high level of pre-release awareness. The game has received extremely positive reviews from the gaming press.

Gameplay

Most of the game is set in outer space along a vast chain of miniature planetoids and other space matter, though many levels consist of larger areas to explore such as the Beach Bowl Galaxy and Honeyhive Galaxy.

File:Mg planetoid.jpg
Mario running around a spherical planetoid.

Mario is capable of jumping or launching from planet to planet in order to gather items and defeat enemies. Each planet has a gravitational force, which allows the player to circumambulate rounded objects, walking sideways or upside down. The varying degrees of gravity also have an effect on Mario's ability to jump as he jumps higher in low gravity, which is similar to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and is used to pull Mario towards certain planetoids while in mid-flight.[2] Like previous 3D Mario games, the main objective is to collect Stars, which are awarded by completing tasks or defeating enemies. The game's central hub is the Comet Observatory, which is divided into six themed areas: the Terrace, Fountain, Kitchen, Bedroom, Engine Room, and Garden. Distributed among these six worlds are 42 "galaxies", or levels, with 1 to 7 stars each.[3] Obtaining these stars allows the player to unlock more in each themed galaxy. There are a total of 121 stars in the game, with the 121st star only available after collecting the first 120 with both Mario and then Luigi.

As in every 3D Mario game, Mario's health consists of a power meter, which can be restored by collecting coins, but when it reaches zero, Mario loses a life. Mario begins with a power meter made of three sections, though as players collect red mushrooms, he meter is expanded by threes. Mario also has a second and separate health meter that designates his air supply when swimming underwater; if it is empty Mario will quickly lose parts of his power meter. The bottomless pits featured in previous Mario games that cost Mario a life when fallen in have been replaced by black holes, which are stationed beneath the surfaces of certain planets and spread throughout space (though sometimes when Mario is outide of the gravitational pull of a planet, he will fall in traditional fashion).

File:Supermariogalaxydemo1.JPG
Mario traveling from one planetoid to another.

Like recent 3D Super Mario games, Mario has a range of jumping abilities, such as his trademark triple jump and his wall kick ability. He can also perform flips by immediately turning the other way and jumping, and do a ground-pound move to smash breakable objects or enemies below. Some of the moves that were absent in Super Mario Sunshine have returned for this installment, such as the long jump. Mario's melee move is a spin, executed by shaking the Wii Remote or Nunchuk, which allows him to attack enemies, break objects and activate Launch Stars and Sling Stars that shoot him across the galaxy. The Wii Remote's motion sensing is used to 'steer' a manta ray, direct wind when riding a bubble, balance on top of a rolling ball, activate Pull Stars that pull Mario between planets, and collect, aim, and fire Star Bits.

Environmental mechanics

New gameplay mechanics include Gravity Arrows, which make Mario gravitate in the direction that these arrows point, and Star Bits, which can be grabbed simply by moving the cursor over them.[4] For every 50 Star Bits he collects, Mario will be rewarded with an extra life, similar to how collecting 100 coins resulted in an extra life in the other games. He can fire Star Bits to stun enemies or spawn coins from some places or objects like sprouts, which bloom when struck with Star Bits. The Star Bits, which resemble the Japanese confection konpeito, can be used to feed Hungry Lumas that appear within the observatory and galaxies.[5] When they are full, they form a new planet or galaxy in which an additional star can be found.

Musical notes usually come in chains of 25 when activated and often play classic Mario themes when they are hit.[6] When all are collected, an item, such as a Power Star or a 1-Up Mushroom appears. However, there normally is a time limit or some other challenge in collecting them. They are sometimes activated by The Question Mark Coin, a new feature that activates many events in the game, such as the appearance of items, coins or Star Bits.

There are five types of Prankster Comets that appear randomly; when one of them comes into contact with a level, a special challenge is initiated which leads to a Power Star.[7]

File:Supermariogalaxymovespowerup.JPG
Mario in the Bee Suit, a new power-up for the game.

Super Mario Galaxy features the most power-ups and transformations of any 3D Mario game to date.[8] He has the ability to transform into a bee and a Boo using different suits. The Boo suit allows him to become invisible and the bee suit allows him to fly and hover for a short time. Also, ice and fire flowers are present. Fire flowers work the same as in 2-D games (apart from a 20-second time limit) and ice flowers let Mario freeze water and lava to walk or skate on it. The Spring Shroom lets Mario jump very high. The Red Star allows Mario to fly around freely, similar to the Wing cap from Super Mario 64.

The game offers up to six save files and has the (optional) ability to transfer Miis from the Mii Channel for aesthetic purposes.[9]

Multiplayer

Super Mario Galaxy has a co-operative two-player option called "Co-Star Mode", where one player controls Mario and a star pointer, while the other uses a second Wii Remote and controls another pointer on-screen to gather Star Bits and shoot them at enemies.[10] While the first player can normally do this except during certain events, the second player can shoot stars without restriction. The second player also is more efficient in manipulating the environment, such as halting object and enemy movement. Some obstacles, when halted by the second player, are automatically destroyed. Additionally, the the height of Mario's jump can be increased if the first and second player press the A button at the same moment.[11] Because of these added abilities, especially the ability to stunning enemies, Co-Star Mode is less difficult than single-player mode.

Plot

File:Mgopening storyboard.jpg
Storyboard from the opening of the game.

The game opens with Mario receiving an invitation from Princess Peach to attend a festival in the Mushroom Kingdom celebrating the passing of a comet overhead. While Mario is making his way to the castle, a series of ships led by Bowser suddenly appear. As Bowser summons a massive spaceship to rip Princess Peach's castle out of the ground, Mario manages to grab on to the castle as it is flung into space by a magikoopa.

Mario awakens on a small planet with Lumas, small star-shaped creatures that float in the air, and is taken to meet a woman named Rosalina ("Rosetta" (ロゼッタ) in the Japanese version).[12] She explains to Mario that she is a watcher of the stars, traveling the universe in her spaceship, which takes the form of the comet that passes over the Mushroom Kingdom once every hundred years. She tells him that Bowser has taken the Power Stars and Grand Stars needed to fuel her ship, which means they cannot follow him until more are collected. Granting him the use of a Luma, which allows him to spin and use star portals, she tells him to collect the stars needed to power the ship and rescue Peach.

As Mario collects more stars, he gains the ability to travel to further and further galaxies. When Bowser is defeated for the second time, a number appears in the Observatory's main room, counting down every time Mario gets a star. After sixty stars are collected, the countdown reaches zero and Rosalina offers the option of pursuing Bowser and rescuing Princess Peach. If the player selects this option, the spaceship transforms into a comet that takes Mario to the final level. When confronted, Bowser tells Mario that he took the stars in order to start a new galaxy in the center of the Universe, which he intends to reign over with Peach at his side, eventually taking over the rest of the Universe as well. Upon his defeat, Bowser's Sun collapses in on itself, creating a super massive black hole that sucks the entire Universe into it. Just before he is sucked into the storm, Mario's Luma appears, waves goodbye, and vanishes. The Black hole eventually consumes the entire Universe into a singularity and results in a Big Bang.

File:Smg powerstar.jpg
Mario obtains a Power Star.

After being sucked into the galactic storm, Rosalina appears to Mario again. She tells him that stars never die because when they become stardust, they gather into Lumas and are then reborn as stars, galaxies, and planets, and she hopes this will be true for him as well. The scene then cuts to Mario, Peach, and Bowser waking up back in the Mushroom Kingdom while fireworks go off overhead. The game ends with Mario greeting the new galaxy up above - implying that the Lumas created a new Universe after the old one vanished into the black hole.

A second story is told through picture book chapters, which are unlocked as the player completes new levels. The story is of a girl, understood to be Rosalina, who comes across a broken spaceship that contains a Luma that has become lost and wants to find its mother. She also hopes to find her own mother, who once told her that she would be going away on a journey but would become a star in the sky and watch over her, and agrees to accompany it into space on its journey and later agrees to be its mother. Soon after settling on a far-away planet, other Luma appear and call her "Mother" as well. Eventually though, she becomes homesick, wishing she could go back and be with her mother, finally realizing that what she actually meant when she said that she was "going away" was that she was dying. One of the Lumas transforms into a comet and they make a new home on it, traveling the universe and returning home once every hundred years to the blue planet where her mother is buried.

History

In a roundtable discussion at E3 2007, it was made clear that Super Mario Galaxy was not Super Mario 128 after Miyamoto stated that production only began after the team finished making Donkey Kong Jungle Beat,[13] (early 2005) and Mario 128 has been in production and development since at least 2001 (when the first trailer was shown at E3). In an after-hours press event at E3 2006 in May, Miyamoto stated, "I don't want to promise anything yet. But if it's not a launch title it will definitely be there within the first six months."[14] Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime later stated in a November 27 2006 interview with cable TV network MTV that the game is expected to release sometime up to Holiday of 2007.[15] On January 4 2007, Nintendo of Europe issued a press release indicating a 2007 European release.[16] Near the end of Miyamoto's keynote presentation at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in March, he stated, "You'll be able to play Super Mario Galaxy this year."[17][18] At Nintendo's E3 2007 Conference, it was confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy would be released in North America on November 12 2007 and four days later in Europe. In North America, certain retailers had given out a free limited edition coin for pre-ordering the game. Some retailers had delayed it until November 13, like GameStop in North America, and some retailers had delayed the release until November 14, 2007.[19]

It was first hinted by Takashi Tezuka, Nintendo's analysis and development's general manager, that multiplayer was going to be co-op in an interview with gaming site IGN.[20] Two-player functionality was later confirmed, along with reports of the team experimenting with new ways to use the Wii Remote so that one player can control Mario while the other aids him, backed up by suggestions by Shigeru Miyamoto that the second player could have the ability to affect Mario's progress. It was later revealed at Nintendo's E3 2007 that the co-op mode was permanently implemented into the game and could be accessed anytime.

Pre-release

Critics and fans reacted positively to the demo version.[21] When the game was first revealed at E3 2006, it was one of the most played and enjoyed games of the show floor. Matt Casamassina, the editor of IGN Wii, loved it so much that he went on to say that the game was practically perfect.[22] Matt Wales agreed that it was everything Super Mario Sunshine was not.[23] Giancarlo Varanini, of 1UP.com, wrote that it was the best example of how the Wii Remote can be used.[24] Russ Fisher appreciated the game, because it was "fresh", and compared it to the Metroid Prime series which transformed the Metroid franchise into 3D and was very successful.[25][26]

Reception and sales

Reviews
Publication Score
IGN 9.7/10[27]
Famitsu 38/40
Nintendo Power 9.5/10
GameSpot 9.5/10[28]
Official Nintendo Magazine 97%[29]
GamePro 5/5[30]
1UP.com 9.5/10[31]
GameTrailers 9.8/10[32]
Eurogamer 10/10[33]
Game Informer 9.75/10[34]
GameSpy 5/5[35]
Play 10/10[36]
X-Play 5/5[37]
Edge 10/10
Aggregate Scores
Metacritic 97%[38]
Game Rankings 97.5%[39]

The game has enjoyed extremely positive reviews. GamePro stated that the title "raises the bar in terms of what can be achieved on the Wii".[30] IGN called Super Mario Galaxy "Wii's best game, and an absolute must-own experience," as well as "one of the greatest platformers I have ever played."[27] GameSpot praised its gameplay and level design stating, "If ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it."[28]

Reviewers have noted some flaws with the game. GameSpot found "a couple of Mario's special suits can be frustrating to use"[28] and IGN referred to one story-related aspect of the game as "an unnecessary side-tale [that] contrasts with a traditional story."[27]

Super Mario Galaxy is currently the best-reviewed game of the seventh generation,[40] and has become the second best-reviewed game of all-time on review aggregate site Game Rankings.[41]

Super Mario Galaxy sold 250,585 copies in Japan for the week ending November 4, 2007,[42] and over 500,000 copies in the US as of November 20, 2007.[43] The game sold more copies in its first week than any other game for Wii and any other Mario title in the history of the franchise.[40]

References

  1. ^ "Release Calendar" (in Japanese). Nintendo.
  2. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Central - Mario's Moves". Super Mario Galaxy Central. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-11-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Central - Galaxy Information". Super Mario Galaxy Central. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  4. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Review". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  5. ^ Wong, Erick (2007-11-20). "Mario returns, and he's out of this world. Well, sort of". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff. "E3 06: Super Mario Galaxy Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  7. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Central - Prankster Comets". Super Mario Galaxy Central. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  8. ^ "Vol.2". Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  9. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Menu Revealed!". 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Nintendo E3 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy". Nintendo. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy".
  12. ^ "New Damsel In Distress in Super Mario Galaxy?". Filefront. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2007-11-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Nintendo E3 2007, Nintendo E3 2007 (2007-07-13). "Mario Galaxy production started in 2005 [5:42]". Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-10). "Mario to Miss Launch". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Totilo, Stephen (2006-11-28). "Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console". MTV. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "The Big 2007 Preview". Nintendo. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "GDC07: Super Mario Galaxy Confirmed for 07". Kotaku. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-03-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Shigeru Miyamoto (2007). Shigeru Miyamoto: "A Creative Vision" - Keynote at GDC 2007. Event occurs at 1:09:08.
  19. ^ "Clearing up the Gamestop release date confusion". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessedate= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-11). "Mario Multiplayer Details". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy (working title) - WII". GameRankings. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  22. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-09-14). "Hands-on Super Mario Galaxy". Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "publisher=IGN" ignored (help)
  23. ^ Wales, William (2006-05-17). "Super Mario Galaxy Preview". computerandvideogames.com. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (2006-05-10). "Super Mario Galaxy Preview". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Fischer, Russ (2006-05-31). "Super Mario Galaxy preview for Wii". gamerevolution.com. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Zlotnick, David (2006-05-09). "Super Mario Galaxy Announced". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ a b c Casamassina, Matt (2007-11-07). "Super Mario Galaxy Review: The greatest Nintendo platformer ever made?". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b c Navarro, Alex (2007-11-07). "Super Mario Galaxy Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Review". Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  30. ^ a b Shaw, Patrick (2007-11-06). "Review: GamePro Loves Super Mario Galaxy!!!". GamePro. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Parish, Jeremy (= 2007-11-02). "Super Mario Galaxy: We review Mario at his best--even the sky's not the limit in this one". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  32. ^ "Review: Super Mario Galaxy". GameTrailers. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Robertson, Margaret (2007-11-05). "Super Mario Galaxy review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Reiner, Andrew. "Super Mario Galaxy: Re-imagining the Platformer". Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  35. ^ Williams, Bryn (2007-11-08). "Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Halverson, Dave. "Super Mario Galaxy". Play. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  37. ^ Sessler, Adam. "Review: Super Mario Galaxy" (Adobe Flash video). G4tv.com. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  38. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  39. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  40. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (2007-11-21). "Galaxy Sells 500,000 in First Week". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "All-Time Top 10". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  42. ^ Berghammer, Billy (2007-11-09). "Xbox 360 Outsells PS3 In Japan". GameInformer.com. Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-11-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ "CRITICS AND CONSUMERS AGREE: SUPER MARIO GALAXY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD". 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "publisher-Nintendo of America" ignored (help)
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