Super Mario Galaxy 2

[Saint Nathan]

Puzzle Plank Galaxy the best song in any video game ever, I have determined this with my facts.

Best original one on there, hell fucking yes.

the remix of whomps fortress and the slide music... and well any remixed anything in the game is just about on the same level.

Also did I mention Tree Trunk's Slide yet? Or the Purple Coin star on it?

DID I MENTION THAT THEY ARE FUCKING EPIC AND ARE WONDERFUL AND IT SHOOTS A PUPPY OUT OF THE WII FOR EVER FIVE SECONDS YOU PLAY IT BECAUSE IT DOES.

[Gamerguy21]

I've finally got every single star today. It took me exactly a week.

But I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed that you don't really get much for beating the game 100%. All you get is Rosalina aboard your ship (who only says one line), a picture of all the stars sent to your Wii message board, and sparkles and a platinum crown added to your file. The game was still great, but I wish the 100% reward was a bit better.

[Toby]

The reward was inside you all along.

[speedfreak]

Just got the final star last night. Wow, that last one was murder!

I can't decide if I like Mario Galaxy 1 or 2 better though. I don't really think one towers over the other. They each have different things that keep me from being able to choose which one I prefer.

[Vic Boss]

Personally I can't wait to get my hands on this game. At last a distraction that will keep me from hunting the Black Organization for a while. I have every intention of going for all 242 stars and I'm expecting the best Wii Mario game thus far.

[Saint Nathan]

Beat the main story. Of course I has 65 stars by World 5 so I skipped most of it.

Also, final boss was SLIGHTLY disappointing only because there are six worlds. On the other hand, it's fucking epic as shit and it makes up for it all the way.

also lol seekret world. at least it has a trippy background.

[Diogenes]

Just got the final star last night. Wow, that last one was murder!

You aren't kidding...I think I died almost as much on that one as I did the rest of the game combined (minus when I was grinding star bits...stupidest unlocking method ever).

Amazing game, better than the first in almost every way, and the first was a damn good game to start with. I imagine the second half of the game will drag a bit if I ever go for it again, tho'...

[SuperStingray]

Amazing game, better than the first in almost every way, and the first was a damn good game to start with. I imagine the second half of the game will drag a bit if I ever go for it again, tho'...

You mean the green stars? Yeah, I'm fine with a scavenger hunt, but 121 targets is a lot.

[Nepenthe]

So, Galaxy 2....

I enjoyed the first one immensely, so in response to the sequel I went on a pretty decent media blackout. The critical scores, of course, got me really excited. So I picked up this game yesterday; I'm only about 40-something stars in and just made it to World 4. Now with all of that said, would I be destroyed if I admitted I'm not understanding the whole, "significantly better than the first" vibe? Perhaps this was a fault of my own, but I was expecting gameplay and atmospheric jumps a little more akin to Sunshine to Galaxy from the way people have been talking about this little number. What this is feeling like thus far is just Galaxy 1 with extra stuff. It's not a bad thing; I'm certainly not complaining about more Galaxy for my neglected Wii. I'm having tons of fun. But I've not experienced anything that's made me say, "Yep, this is extremely better than the first one." I've heard people saying that doubters like me simply need to keep playing and experience the awesomeness that lies ahead. Considering my progress thus far, is that really so, or are a lot of people just exaggerating simply because it's Super Mario Galaxy 2? xP

Edited June 4, 2010 by Nepenthe

[Agent York]

I'm with you Nepenthe. Don't get me wrong, I like the game, and it does get better in some parts. However, I don't think it's nearly as good or revolutionary as lots of people pin it. Had a lot of fun with it, not saying it's not fun, but second best game of all time, significantly better than the first? I'm not seeing it, there are somethings I thought were better and others worse than the first Galaxy.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Dusk the Alan Wake Keeper

[Saint Nathan]

All of you who think this isn't millions of times better than the first Galaxy can eat a dick. This game is the fucking messiah of Mario.

well okay except for the chimp he's a fuckhead.

[Shaddix Leto Croft]

Morgan Webb thinks Super Mario Galaxy 2 is too cartoony, continues to bash the game(GoNintendo)

Super Mario Galaxy 2 too cartoony no fucking shit bitch game aimed at bloody kids (and Hardcore Mario fans XD) This bitch bitched about Mario Galaxy 2 like no other person yet also it's coming out next Friday yays can't wait to get it =D

Edited June 4, 2010 by Crash

[Nepenthe]

Why is it that people are not allowed to dislike a Mario game because it has a cartoony or kiddy style, but it's okay to bash games that are remotely realistic or dark; "Wah, Halo's too brown and dull!" and all of that good stuff?

You can't have your cake and eat it too; Stylistic preferences are stylistic preferences, and not having a hard-on for Galaxy's artistic style is a valid viewpoint. I mean, she didn't even bash the gameplay or anything. The only thing Webb is really guilty of, as this edited video displays, is being unable to express this viewpoint clearly, (What does "more 3D" mean anyways? I guess more textured and detailed or something?) Why are some people so insecure about the Mario franchises of all franchises, the biggest kid on the block in terms of quality control, sales, and notability, that they need for every single person on Earth to like everything about it or else they will resort to insults? =/

Edited June 4, 2010 by Nepenthe

[SuperLink]

I get the whole "not allowed to bash Mario for some reason" thing, I completely agree, but her statement is pretty stupid. Who exactly does she think the game is aimed at? Mature gamers such as herself? Mario is a game for children, millions of people love that graphical style, doesn't the word demographic mean anything to her? Isn't she meant to work in this industry?

If you ask me she's not criticising Mario for any good reason, she's doing it for the sake of it, which is doing it wrong. Of all the things I could use to criticise SMG, graphics (and music) would be the absolute last things on my mind.

Yeah not liking the visuals is a valid opinion, but not liking something and bashing them are two different things.

Also Halo's not brown or dull at all compared to a lot of FPS >>

Edited June 4, 2010 by SuperLink

[Nepenthe]

The franchise having a demographic is irrelevant to the validity of that opinion, (and citing the number of people who like it is just ad populem); Just because something is aimed at kids in aesthetics doesn't mean those aesthetics are completely immune from criticism or disapproval. Heck, Sonic Heroes gets flak for being kiddy in general all the time even though kids are his demographic too, yet the ill-sentiments are more accepted simply because Sonic is a worse franchise; It's expected for everyone to take the shit out of him to any degree. FPS franchises have demographics too and the genre as a whole is now the in-thing, but again this does nothing to stop the "brown" complaints from rearing up all the time and being par for the course.

Also, I don't think she actually bashed the game; All she said was that it was kiddy, which it is in many respects. But beyond that, that was her only complaint. She even said the gameplay was great, and Galaxy's quality was reaffirmed by multiple members of the podcast. I guess I'm even bothering to defend this because, in a indirect way, I agree. While I don't dislike the Galaxy games' artistic style at all, at the same time I'm not particularly moved by it or the nostalgia anymore. I play the Galaxy games because the gameplay is excellent and I'm a platformer freak in general, not because I want to receive a transcendental artistic experience. Mario as a whole is distinctly Mario; Everyone can spot a Mario game from miles away. So over the years I've found myself more apathetic to the series' general motifs and style as I will every long-standing artistic tradition.

[SuperLink]

I'm not affected by the nostalgia in the slightest, I like the visuals because they're good, especially for a Wii game, and that's all.

I really don't understand how anyone even the slightest bit "professional" can look at a kid's game and say "IT'S TOO KIDDY!", and expect people to respect it as a valid criticism. It's like saying THIS KETCHUP IS RED or THE OCEAN IS TOO BLUE (GREY IF YOU LIVE IN BRITAIN)

It's a personal niggle/complaint, not a "criticism". Any professional who sticks that in a review loses credibility imo. Yes it's valid, but it's not bash or even rant material.

[Nepenthe]

That's a false equivalence. We're not talking about a tangible object's local qualities; We're talking about an art style. Art is a highly subjective entity, and all of the movements humanity's been privy to since have their strengths and weaknesses as a result of simply being what they are. When art is criticized, the artist does not say, "It's meant to be like that!" He tries to establish the style's validity as art instead. Of course, this doesn't mean that such an establishment will still give a style complete immunity from criticism, but regardless, all art is judged and criticized exactly for being what it is. Ex. Even though the point of mannerism is specifically about gracefulness to the point of artificiality or fantasy, I hate that shit exactly because of that; It's personally unappealing to me, and I get sick looking at the paintings. Childish works of art, no matter how beloved some may be, should not be so holy as to be immune from that reaction.

Regardless though, is Webb even toting this as a criticism to that degree, with the intent to degrade the game and attack it on its merits as a whole, (again, a game she admitted was good anyways), or is she simply trying to get across her feelings about the franchise in an informal podcast? Really, if you ask me, it sounds like she's simply tired of the aesthetic and nostalgia and wouldn't mind seeing the main Mario games branch out a little bit more. She even said that the Mario RPGs were awesome too and would like to see a main Mario game with that tone instead of the usual; What exactly is wrong with that? Also, the video only lasts three minutes, and considering how long podcasts can actually be, I hardly doubt she was ranting either.

Ironically, you said that she said all of this just because she's an attention whore; One could easily say the exact same thing about this video.

[SuperLink]

I just can't see a review breakdown going like this:

Pros:

- Amazing game!

- Really good!

- Great music!

Cons:

- Graphics are too kiddy for this kids game.

It would read about as ridiculously as IGN's Unleashed review. Like I said before, I respect that she doesn't like the graphics, but saying the graphics are actually bad because they're childish is entirely different.

If you ask me she's just trying to get her feelings across, maybe everyone else just overreacted about it (I'll admit it, didn't watch the video, I just read the GoNintendo report saying she was "bashing" it and assume they were telling the truth)

I agree about Mario needing a different graphical style, but not really for 3D games, mostly the 2D games. They look so boring

[SykoTech]

I don't think cartoony was the right word Morgan was looking for. She praises the Ratchet & Clank games like crazy, and they're cartoony as can be. Judging by her distaste for the story and the way she called out the storybook opening being lame, I think childish would have been more appropriate. Of course, saying that would have probably stirred the pot even more.

Well, I attempted to buy the game yesterday. I was going to wait until Fall or later, but the hype made me cave. However, it was sold out at all 3 places in the mall and at the GameStop around the corner. Oh well, guess I waiting afterall.

Got Batman though. Whoo!

[Noir]

Just started the Green Star Challenge yesterday. Man they were not kidding when they said this game would be hard some of the Prankster Comets were nightmarish!

[Toby]

As if I would ever take the opinion of a woman who looks like a GOOMBA seriously!!

[Phos]

Why is it that people are not allowed to dislike a Mario game because it has a cartoony or kiddy style, but it's okay to bash games that are remotely realistic or dark; "Wah, Halo's too brown and dull!" and all of that good stuff?

You can't have your cake and eat it too; Stylistic preferences are stylistic preferences, and not having a hard-on for Galaxy's artistic style is a valid viewpoint. I mean, she didn't even bash the gameplay or anything. The only thing Webb is really guilty of, as this edited video displays, is being unable to express this viewpoint clearly, (What does "more 3D" mean anyways? I guess more textured and detailed or something?) Why are some people so insecure about the Mario franchises of all franchises, the biggest kid on the block in terms of quality control, sales, and notability, that they need for every single person on Earth to like everything about it or else they will resort to insults? =/

Funny story about the "too brown" sentiment, when me and my brother where playing through Gears of War in co op, we would frequently try to gun down Baird (one of the ally NPC's) because we frequently couldn't tell him apart from the locust (bad guys). It probably didn't help that the particular Samsung TV we were playing on forces DNle to be activated, which increases contrast at the expense of dynamics.

But as for Mario, there's the matter of of ridiculous this would all look if it were more realistic or mature visually.

The thing that really stirs up the nostalgia for me are the sounds so many things make, those check points in particular. What I like about the visuals is how much personality everything has, the way the ice freezes and has these little ripples in the surface, how angry the little drills guys look, how filled with rage the thwomps are (and those big flat guys that I don't know the name of), it's all so amusing. Then there are the non nostalgic sounds. One of my favorite ones are the sounds that those little crabs make is one of my favorites. Also of note, the way you get a drum line SFX right before landing on a giant drum that catapults you upward.

[EuroMIX]

I've pre-ordered the game from Amazon as they are by far the cheapest I've seen at about £32. Looking forward to the 11th.

Honestly I actually prefer most 3D Mario's to the newer 2D ones; NSMBW's controls feel too "floaty" for me at times which leads to some rather unfair deaths. I never had a moment in Galaxy that felt like my death was the game's fault.

[Nepenthe]

Funny story about the "too brown" sentiment, when me and my brother where playing through Gears of War in co op, we would frequently try to gun down Baird (one of the ally NPC's) because we frequently couldn't tell him apart from the locust (bad guys). It probably didn't help that the particular Samsung TV we were playing on forces DNle to be activated, which increases contrast at the expense of dynamics.

But as for Mario, there's the matter of of ridiculous this would all look if it were more realistic or mature visually.

The thing that really stirs up the nostalgia for me are the sounds so many things make, those check points in particular. What I like about the visuals is how much personality everything has, the way the ice freezes and has these little ripples in the surface, how angry the little drills guys look, how filled with rage the thwomps are (and those big flat guys that I don't know the name of), it's all so amusing. Then there are the non nostalgic sounds. One of my favorite ones are the sounds that those little crabs make is one of my favorites. Also of note, the way you get a drum line SFX right before landing on a giant drum that catapults you upward.

I've played both Gears games myself, mostly co-op, and I don't think I had any significant trouble telling my teammates apart from the Locusts. I will admit to a few slip-ups, though, but those mostly amounted to merely aiming and screaming at the wrong guy than actually shooting him.

As for Mario updating his look, I'm not really asking for it. But even so, while I nor even Webb through her own admission would ask for something akin to an Act Zero, if the Mario RPGs are anything to go by, the main series would not be harming anything if it had a more "mature" or simply just a different style for once. Miyamoto and his development team are more than talented enough to handle that instead of reserving that talent for nothing but repetition.

In regards to nostalgia, it affects me the most when I haven't experienced something old in awhile. I have more positive responses to the nostalgic throwbacks in the Sonic series because it doesn't stick as closely to its classic themes anymore, whereas I would argue whether or not the stuff in Mario you consider nostalgic could even be called as such because it's always been there. The sound effects, the enemies, the plot, the designs; Are these "nostalgic throwbacks," or are they merely series staples now? In the same way that loops, rings, springs, and checkerboarded landscapes in Sonic games are absolutely nothing to really gawk over anymore, neither is the general "Mario style" altogether. This is why I outright prefer the more unorthodox settings in Galaxy 2 such as the Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy, which still bothers me for being reserved for that ball-balancing mechanic instead of being adapted for a more full-fledged platforming experience; It was almost like a subliminal response to my sentiments above. -.-;;

[Agent York]

I think the games biggest flaw is how little it builds on concepts.

One could argue this helps the game stay fresh, but so often there were mechanics, enemies, ideas, that were used once or twice then never used again.

The biggest one is Boo Mario, he only appears in one single stage for a rather simple section and then you never get to play as him again. Why even bring back Boo Mario if that's all that's going to be done with him?

In fact, the game is full of things like this. Certain enemies only appear for a stage or two, like the Bloopers in Starshine Beach or the Moles in Battle Belt. Sometimes I found myself creeping with the feeling that this was just an expansion of Mario Galaxy, they brought back some stuff only for a single mission or section from the original then never expanded on potentials. Certain new mechanics that seemed to be so full of potential were used so sparingly that you feel there should of been more done with them. Like the Drill Power-Up, the time switches, the water freeze switch, and so many more that appear all through the game.

Once again, what the game lacks on building off ideas it makes up in the mere number of concepts, but there's just too many good ideas that feel like they never got to live to their potential. I love the game, I enjoyed it immensely, just the biggest flaw I couldn't shake at times was that there were some things that should of been explore into deeper instead of once or twice then over with it.

Making any sense?