Super Mario Galaxy 2 - initial thoughts

So I picked up Super Mario Galaxy 2 - day 1 purchase. I couldn't find any deals, so paid full price for it.... $59.99 + GST + PST... came out to like $67.00-something..... ouch. At least I had a gift card, so I only paid about $3.00-something of my own $$$... but still, I almost paid more for Super Mario Galaxy 2 than about the *last 4 Wii games* I bought...... hmmm....






Tornado Outbreak (ugh.. sucked) - $10.00
Marble Saga Kororinpa (awesome!) - $10.00
No More Heroes 2 (pretty good) - $20.00
House of the Dead: Overkill (disappointing, but may get better with repeated plays) - $15.00

But I really loved the first SMG, so it's probably worth it. UPDATE: it wasn't.

However... I do have to say..... the reviews for Super Mario Galaxy 2 are WAY TOO HIGH.

They keep saying how this is NOT more of the same, that it's better than the original Super Mario Galaxy, etc.

I've only just started playing about an hour or so into it, so maybe I'm not far enough in? And while yes, it is cool & fun as the first game, and there are new suits like the Cloud Suit... reviewers are flat-out LYING when they say it's not more of the same. IT IS MORE OF THE SAME. I'm not saying there aren't a few new twists like Yoshi. There are, and they're nice.

But there are a lot of little things that are not as cool & "Wow!" as the first Super Mario Galaxy. They streamlined the galaxy select menu to make it a path just like the other Mario games like New Super Mario Bros (Wii & DS). Also, space seems less... space, and more like sky. As seen in the screenshot at the top corner of this posting, that is Starship Mario (cool idea) and it's supposed to be floating in "space", but it looks like sky, right? I really miss the cosmic feel of the original game, it felt big & epic. These changes kinda restrain the game feel even though they may make it easier to select levels to play.

Also the music. I was really blown away by some of the music of the first Super Mario Galaxy, but so far, in Super Mario Galaxy 2, not so much. It's not bad, mind you, but again, not an epic, cosmic feel.

The camera is NOT improved, it is exactly the same as before, with all the flaws of the old fixed camera system. Reviews that say otherwise are lying.

Most of these issues may seem like nit-picking-- maybe they are. The actual gameplay is pretty much what it was in the first game, and while that was great, if you have the same as the previous entry, but some of the minor issues are LESS good than the previous, that means that the second game is NOT as good as the first, right? How can it be if at best it equals the first game, but other parts aren't as good?

Both IGN & Gamespot, I think they gave Super Mario Galaxy 2 a perfect 10 out of 10. That just seems too high if it is slightly not as good as the first game.

And while you don't have to have played the first game to enjoy the second, you really should play the first before playing Super Mario Galaxy 2. It does show you the basic moves but the game right from the outset assumes you have played & know the moves & have fought the previous bosses.

It isn't a bad game at all, but please don't swallow all the hype blindly. I don't know what's gotten into these reviewers.


later
don