Two new games for Wii illustrate the disparity. Super Mario Galaxy got the benefit of Nintendo's top gameplay designers and is appropriately brilliant. But Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast is a confusing mess trying to cash in on its title character's fame.
Super Mario Galaxy
Mario has always represented Nintendo at its innovative best, and Super Mario Galaxy is no exception. Indeed, this is probably the best game Nintendo has put on the Wii yet -- polished, addictive and jam-packed with surprising moments.
If you've ever played a Mario game before, you'll feel right at home with the control scheme as you go running and jumping about, scaling walls and stomping on evil mushrooms. What Galaxy brings to the table is that all the action now takes place on strings of tiny planetoids in deep space.
VIDEO LINK - A small sampling shows the many, varied worlds packed into Super Mario Galaxy.
This accomplishes two things: For one, players no longer have to worry about manually adjusting the "camera" to see (an oft-heard complaint about Mario Sunshine for the GameCube). More importantly, it provides for a wide variety of new gameplay mechanisms involving gravity. You might have to play some planets upside down or figure out how to escape a planet's orbit, jumping far enough to reach its neighbor.
Wii motion controls integrate gently into the experience: You shake the controller to make Mario spin into enemies and stun them. But light shooter elements added to the game prove even more interesting. Pointing the Wiimote at the screen brings up a cursor you can use to collect "star bits" to fire at enemies. You can even have a second player pick up a controller and do this for you while you concentrate on moving Mario around.
But seasoned gamers will likely want to do it all themselves. That's Mario Galaxy's real strength: It's easy enough for anyone to enjoy clearing a few levels, but finishing the game requires some effort. And once you've saved the Princess, many challenges remain that will tax even experts.
I haven't even told you the best parts. Like surfing on a floating river, riding a manta ray. Or scrambling over giant 8-bit pixel art made of disappearing platforms and lava. Or the beautifully orchestrated score that accompanies everything. Galaxy is jam-packed with brilliant ideas at every turn.