Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii – review

The Wii’s best game ever? That’s what reviewers have said about Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii. After playing it, I would say they are quite possibly 1oo% right! Though it’s been out for a while now, Super Mario Brothers Galaxy 2 still is generally considered to be one of the Top Ten Games so far made for the Wii. I’ll get into some of the reasons why in this review, and also include a few cheats and reasons why this game has maintained its popularity. What do you think about Super Mario Brothers Galaxy 2 for the Wii? Please leave your comments below, using the Comment form!

One aspect about Mario in the game that’s definitely cool is his ability to transform and gain various powers. In Super Mario Brothers Galaxy 2, unlike in the original, Mario isn’t able to transform himself into Ice Mario and Flying Mario, but he can transform himself into all of the other types of Mario that he could in the first game, and he gets some new power-ups and items. For example, he has the Spin Drill power, which he can use to burrow through planets and emerge out the other side! Also, he can use his power as Rock Mario to smash through obstacles, such as boulders and enemies. Perhaps his coolest power of all is when he’s Cloud Mario and can create temporary platforms in midair.

Another awesome aspect about the game is that Yoshi’s in it! Mario is able to ride him in certain levels. Your blue Star Pointer is replaced by a red dot, which allows you to point at various objects and manipulate them with Yoshi’s tongue. The dinosaur’s tongue can be used for other things, as well, like to swing across gaps, pull levers, and swallow enemies and spit them back out to kill other enemies like bullets.

Yoshi also has available to him three different power-up fruits. When he eats them, he is granted various temporary abilities:  the Dash Pepper, the Blimp Fruit, and the Bulb Berry. After eating the Dash Pepper, Yoshi can run quickly, and it gives him the ability to walk up walls and walk on water. The Blimp Fruit is pretty neat, becaue it allows Yoshi to float into the air. Also, the Bulb Berry is extremely useful because eating it allows Yoshi to reveal secret pathways.

If you’re new to the game or inexperienced or get frustrated at dying all the time, one other useful feature that the original game doesn’t have that this one does is the Cosmic Guide. The Cosmic Guide appears if the player has failed during a particular level a certain number of times. It allows the player to give computer control over Mario in order to complete the level if necessary. However, if you choose to use the Cosmic Guide option, the highest star you’ll be awarded for defeating the level would be a Bronze Star. Then, if you wanted to earn a Golden Power Star, you’d have to play the level and defeat it on your own.

There’s also good news if you like playing multiplayer games with a friend, because that option has been improved over the original Super Mario Galaxy. Before, another player could use a second Wii Remote to control a second Star Pointer and help Mario by grabbing onto enemies or collecting and shooting Star Bits. With Super Mario Galaxy 2, your friend can now control an orange Luma, who retains all the original abilities, and can also physically attack enemies and collect items and power-ups!

If you’re unfamiliar with Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, the gameplay of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is similar to that of the first Super Mario Galaxy. They’re both platform games, with 3D planets (referred to collectively as galaxies) with varying themes, sizes, and landscapes, and you have to do a wide variety of things on the planets to successfully move on to the next one. The player controls Mario or, later in the game, his brother Luigi. As with the original game, you’re supposed to travel to the various galaxies and collect Power Stars, which are awarded by completing levels and accomplishing tasks and are used to access later levels. Like the original game, you can use the blue Star Pointer that allows the player to pick up Star Bits and shoot them at enemies, and there are levels that restrict movement to a 2D plane, balance ball levels, and ones that have gravity-reversing background arrows that can be tricky to deal with.

There are forty-nine galaxies in the game allotted among seven different regions in the universe (called “worlds”), with the general difficulty level increasing in each world. The first six worlds end with a boss level against Bowser or Bowser Jr. When they are conquered, they allow the player to access the next world. When the player collects all 120 Power Stars, 120 Green Star levels are unlocked. These levels contain Green Stars that are hidden or are placed in hard-to-reach areas, focusing on heavy exploration and precision that could result in instant death if the player fails. Acquiring all 120 Green Stars awards the player with the final, forty-ninth galaxy, with two new challenges that are considered exceptionally difficult. There are 242 unique Power Stars to collect overall in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

I won’t get into too much more information about the game, because it’s fun to play it and experience all of its awesomeness on your own! But I did like that the Prankster Comets, which were featured in the original game and cause variation and tougher challenges in levels, no longer appear randomly in visited galaxies but instead require the collection of a Comet Medal in that galaxy in order to appear. Also, Prankster Comets in Super Mario Galaxy 2 sometimes offer challenges that mix or overlap, such as destroying all the enemies, collecting 100 Purple Coins, and completing the level within a time limit or while avoiding Cosmic Clones (doubles of Mario that pursue and imitate his actions).

Now, I don’t generally include tons of tips and tricks, or cheats, in the reviews I do, both because they are easily found elsewhere, and because it’s fun to try to beat the game without using them, if you can. But, I will include five that I think are particularly cool and enhance the fun you’ll have playing the game:

1. Deposit star bits to change the Banker Toad’s clothing and gear. For instance, the Scuba Suit will cost you 6000 star bits; for the Explorer Outfit, 8000 star bits; for him to wear Glasses, you’ll have to fork over 1000 star bits; for him to have the Pickaxe, it’ll cost you 4000 star bits; and, for Banker Toad to have a Spear and Shield, it costs 2000 star bits.

2. Infinite Lives:

Want to get you 99 lives easily? You can always return for more! Go to the Supermassive Galaxy in World 4 and choose the first Star challenge. Play through the level until you get to the hockey puck-shaped planet with three supermassive Koopa turtles patrolling it. DO NOT grab the Spin Drill — you’ll have to get hit to lose it if you do! Run up behind a Koopa and long-jump (press Z while running and then press JUMP) onto its back. You need to long-jump from about a turtle-shell-length behind it to catch the “sweet spot.” Continue to hold the analog stick to the RIGHT and hold JUMP to continually bounce off the Koopa’s shell. If you fall off or hit the head, try again. If you hold these buttons you should be able to maintain momentum while constantly bouncing on the shell. After a few bounces you’ll rack up 1-Ups for each hit.

3. Luigi Ghosts:

To unlock all the Luigi Ghosts at once, all you have to do is collect 9,999 coins. Easy as pie, right?

4. “The Perfect Run”

Near the level list signpost on the main platform of Starship Mario is a Toad Banker who will store your star bits so other save profiles can use them. If you deposit 9999 star bits into the Toad Bank you’ll unlock the Grandmaster Galaxy (Daredevil) Comet, “The Perfect Run.” You will NOT be notified or shown the Comet arriving at the galaxy. Just go there and play it!

5. Unlocking Luigi:

Get 30 Stars to unlock Luigi for play on certain levels. You can talk to Luigi at the start of a level to control him. Beat the level, and you’ll unlock a time trial “ghost.”
If you beat the game, a door will open on Spaceship Mario’s forehead, right under the main platform. Enter this door to transform into Luigi and play any level as the clumsier bro.

BONUS TIP:

Orion Infinite Starbits
Go to Chompworks galaxy and pick the first Star. Go to the second planet. You know that Chomp that runs into the robot? He produces starbits! If he stops, just enter and exit the pipe.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is definitely well worth the price of the game, and will provide you with hours and hours of fun! It’s definitely one of the all-time best Wii games ever made, and I’d highly recommend it to everyone who has a Wii and is a fan of Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi.