Super Mario Galaxy

Mario's back and literally better than ever.

	Version Wii	Developer Nintendo EAD Tokyo	Publisher Nintendo	Genre Platformer

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Some of the galaxies go beyond the norm, tapping in to some of the new powers Mario can wield. My favourite are the bee stages, where Mario dons his new bee suit and buzzes around giant flower patches. There are others too, including a suit that allows you to walk on water - a fitting metaphor if ever there was one. But it's not just the suits and their super powers that are enthralling. At the start of the game Mario is entrusted with a Luma, a star-like creature that gives him the power to perform a spin attack. This is the most used and useful skill in the game, doing for Galaxy what the FLUDD water pack was to Sunshine, only executed much better. The spin attack is precise and easy to pull off, requiring a mere flick of the wrist. It also takes some time to recharge, so there's a strategic element to its use too.

Mario games live and die by the level design and Nintendo has surpassed all expectations. The visual flair of each of the galaxies is only matched by their impeccable layout, little treats luring you to all the crucial spots just as easily as the hints lead you to the hidden areas with their bonus rewards. If exploration is your thing, Galaxy is a dream and the curious mind will be rewarded at every turn. Learning each of the levels has its rewards too, as sometimes you'll need to pick out a level you've played based on nothing but a taunting snapshot. That's all part of one of the best secrets in the game, something I wouldn't think of spoiling for you here.

It's a long road to Bowser, a path paved with 120 stars (though you only need half that to actually finish the game) and many boss encounters and sub-bosses along the way. Some you'll recognize, some you'll think you recognize, and they're all perfectly designed to test how well you've learned the skills you pick up along the way.

Because, when you boil it right down, that's what makes Super Mario Galaxy such an enormous joy to play. This is a game that's all about the journey. How you get to your ultimate goal is mostly up to you, with the design of the galaxy clusters made in such a way that you can make the game as hard or as simple as you want. It's been a decade since Shigeru Miyamoto gave us Super Mario 64, and many fans have been waiting for a game that could equal the Nintendo 64 game's well-deserved status. This is not that game.

Mario fans, say Hello to your new best game of all time.

Super Mario Galaxy is the sort of game that makes you want to call up your friends and ask them what they thought of this and that stage, but since uncovering it all is such a large part of the fun, it would be selfish to ruin it here. Instead, I'll end off by saying that I came into this game looking for Nintendo to show me that it still knows how to make games for gamers, and I walked away feeling satisfied that they've done that and much, much more.

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