Between the releases of "Assassin's Creed" (multi-platform) and "Crysis" (PC) and the introduction of the Check Mii Out channel to Wii gamers, this has been a busy week in the gaming world. It was hard to choose the focus for this week's column, but the release of "Super Mario Galaxy" for the Wii ultimately came out on top. "Assassin's Creed" looks absolutely amazing, but "Super Mario Galaxy" is just, naturally, in a stratosphere all its own.
"Super Mario Galaxy" embodies everything a Wii gamer is looking for. It is accessible and appropriate for all ages, and contains enough challenges to hold up over time. This is not the kind of game that you pick up for a week and then never play again. It has variety and presents a beautifully charming world that looks fun to interact with. This is reminiscent of the classic Mario games that could be played over and over again without getting old. Recent Mario titles have lacked this charm, which makes "Galaxy" all the more appealing.
Part of the world's appeal is in the graphical presentation. Based on appearances alone, "Super Mario Galaxy" exceeds everything put out on the Wii thus far, including "Metroid Prime 3." Everything looks crisp, clear and colorful, and while the Wii is not known for its graphical attributes, this game seems to push the system's capabilities to their absolute limit, with beautiful results. The graphics are probably still not as good as those of the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, but I am not sure why they would ever need to be. Part of Mario's charm is in the cartoonish presentation, and I doubt that anyone wants to see a realistic, hairy, Italian plumber as the hero.
The stunning graphics make an excellent first impression, but the game continues to impress with its solid gameplay. As I mentioned earlier, there is an inherent charm that makes the stages fun to explore even when you are not trying to accomplish any particular goal. Games like "Grand Theft Auto" (and I suspect the same will be true of "Assassin's Creed") have a similar feel, and when a game has this inherent fun factor, it typically stands the test of time.
What makes the gameplay of "Super Mario Galaxy" so appealing is the way in which it brings something new not only to the Mario universe, but to video games as a whole. "Super Mario Sunshine" for the Gamecube tried to accomplish this by adding a water-pack, but it did not feel right. "Galaxy" goes back to what Mario does best—running and jumping—but places him in a whole new environment: outer space. While the graphics push the Wii to its limit, the physics of the game are what really show the talent of the developers.
"Galaxy" is made up of many galaxies, each with a collection of planetoids that Mario can traverse. Each of these has its own gravitational attraction, meaning that each planet plays a bit differently from the others. These planets are also complete spheres; you can see that you are on a tiny spherical mass, rather than the usual flat landscape. Sometimes, when Mario jumps in the air on one planet, the gravitational pull of another planet will attract him to it. Quite simply, this is an insanely ingenious gameplay dynamic that makes for an extraordinary experience.
Perhaps, above all else, what makes "Super Mario Galaxy" so awesome is that it hearkens back to Mario's roots. The music sounds like it belongs in a Mario game, the world is filled with Mushroom Kingdom creatures, and most importantly, the famous "suits" power-ups from the classic games make their return. Remember when Mario used to turn into a raccoon or a frog? In "Galaxy," he can power-up into a bee or a ghost, and, for the first time in a 3D Mario game, he has fire power. Thus, the game perfectly combines the classic with the innovative, providing both nostalgia and awe-inspiring moments for all gamers to enjoy.
In conclusion, this is the definitive game for Wii, and perhaps the Game of the Year for any system. It is the best Mario game in over a decade; you have to go back to at least "Super Mario 64" (1996), and you may even look back further to "Super Mario World" (1991) or "SMB 3" (1990) in order to find a Mario game this good. It currently has a 97.4 percent rating on "gamerankings.com," and until "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" comes out in February, "Super Mario Galaxy" will definitely remain the best Wii title. So, with apologies to "Assassin's Creed," this week belongs to the mustachioed mushroom muncher, Mario.