Universal Appeal

I have a secret. It's a dark one, and it will draw crooked glances from nearly anybody who considers themselves a video game aficionado.

I don't like Super Mario 64.

There. I said it. No matter how many times I go back to that game, it bores me to tears. Doesn't matter that it's often regarded as the "best game ever." Doesn't matter that it ushered in the 3-D platform era. None of this matters to me, because running around the same few levels over and over again, accomplishing repetitive and arbitrary tasks isn't fun.

So when reviews started comparing Galaxy to Mario 64, I began to worry. I don't want to play the "spiritual sequel" to an overrated (however revolutionary) N64 game. I want to play the "spiritual sequel" to the staggeringly brilliant Mario games that I grew up with. I don't want to play hide-and-seek with red coins. I want to lose ten lives trying to navigate an impossible series of moving platforms while Bullet Bills whiz overhead and Goombas get in my way.

No, Super Mario Galaxy is not the sequel to Mario 64. It is, in every way, the first 3-D game to fully capture the spirit of classics like SMB3 and Super Mario World. It is a game which lays to rest any question of whether or not video games can be art. It is a game that can appeal to newcomers as it challenges veterans. It is a game that bravely ignores the grim imagery and violence that dominate the medium, and can swell the heart and broaden the smile of anyone who plays it.

If Pixar made video games, they would have made Super Mario Galaxy. And despite a year full of remarkable video games across all consoles (Bioshock, God of War 2, Halo 3...), Galaxy earns game-of-the-year without breaking a sweat.

Controls:

There is no question that Galaxy borrows the most basic elements from Super Mario 64. The controls are effectively identical, and the physics that govern Mario's movements will instantly feel second-nature. Running and jumping are handled with the standard analog stick and A-button combination. The Z-trigger lets you duck. The spin attack and jump are now handled with a flick of the remote, which works flawlessly and feels right. As with the classics, a few minutes of practice is all you should need before the controller vanishes between you and the game.

While you navigate Mario's world with the standard controls, you'll be using the Wii-mote's pointer function for various purposes. Most of the time, you're simply moving a pointer around the screen to help you pick up "star bits," which are used to earn extra lives and to help unlock new levels later on. But the pointer becomes important in other clever ways as well. You'll use it to grab on to "pull stars" that tug you through space. You'll use it to slingshot Mario from plants, to clear snow from underfoot, and to shoot projectiles from the air with your accumulated star bits. What's key here is that it never feels like a gimmick, and it introduces elements that truly couldn't be included without the Wii's unique hardware.

A few levels use the Wii-mote's motion sensor to help steer, or balance on top of a ball. But these levels are set off as mini-games, and aren't part of the central set of controls.

The original Super Mario Bros. was remarkable for it's shockingly excellent controls. Galaxy continues the tradition.

The Hub:

Galaxy also borrows the "hub world" idea that kicked off in Mario 64, but does it with far greater style and efficiency. It was easy to get confused in Mario 64's castle, which was full of identical-seeming hallways and doors. But the open layout and distinct design of Galaxy's whimsical space station prevent any such confusion.

Rather than having to access each level through a single unmarked door (as in 64), you'll be able to choose from a variety of clearly designated galaxies from a simple point-and-click interface. It's clean and quick, and much preferable.

Although the hub is pretty to look at, it's not much designed for exploration. It holds a few secrets, including a library that will slowly reveal plot elements as the game progresses, but it is effectively just an elaborate menu system.

Each time you finish a level, you earn a Power Star. New levels only become available after you've earned some requisite number of stars, allowing a great deal of freedom in which levels you play at any given time. Like Mario 64, most levels will require that you visit them several times, each time pursuing a different Power Star by accomplishing a new task.

Gameplay and Level Design:

The level design in Galaxy is like nothing you've ever seen before. The new outer-space setting is not just window dressing... it has allowed the designers to run completely wild, and to create fascinating stages which have Mario using his tried-and-true abilities in bizarre new ways.

The game's greatest conceit is its liberal manipulation of gravity. Many of the galaxies you visit contain clusters of very small planets, each of which has its own gravitational pull. Some planets are typically round, but others have wild shapes that provide unique platform challenges. Despite the disregard for Earthly physics, levels are presented in such a way that you'll never be confused about how gravity is currently operating. I can't really describe how, but you'll always know whether walking over the edge will send you to your doom, or simply flip you onto the other side of your planet.

Other levels make use of shifting gravity generators which will have you walking on ceilings and walls, with the rules often changing mid-course. Some of the Bowser levels, in particular, are wonderfully devious. While the fundamentals of Mario's movement haven't really changed since the old days, this new style of level design makes it feel brand new again.

As you travel deeper into the game, the levels become increasingly difficult, asking you to simultaneously juggle unusual gravitational conditions and various enemy attacks. But despite the challenge, it rarely becomes daunting or annoying, and you'll find yourself happily diving back in to correct your errors.

If the new space-age theme has you worried about a generic sci-fi environment, let me allay your fears. Super Mario Galaxy is simply the most imaginative collection of stages in video game history.

Sure, it's outer space... but it's outer space in the Mushroom Kingdom, and all bets are off. These planets have all the charm of Mario's world, but have gone intergalactically loopy. The great trick is that Mario's universe knows how to be silly, and then pushes it exactly one notch further. It's not funny enough that a standard-issue turtle shell doubles as an underwater speedboat complete with whirring engines and high-beams... but it also flashes brake lights when you slow down. I dare you not to smile. While every other game on the market is striving to emulate reality, Super Mario Galaxy delights in being completely unfettered by it.

Your first run through the game (because I guarantee you'll play through more than once) feels like a romp through a treasure trove. Just when you think you've seen it all, another wonderful surprise pops up. I don't often describe myself as "delighted," but that's exactly how this game left me. Repeatedly. I'd love to babble on about each brilliant moment, but it would be the equivalent of telling you all your Christmas presents. Trust me... you'll like everything you get.

Power-Ups have been lacking in the most recent Mario games, but are back in a big way for Galaxy. While still falling short of the obscene number of "suits" available in SMB3, the new selection beats the tar out of everything from Super Mario World on. You've probably seen the uber-adorable bee costume in previews, but Mario will take numerous forms before the end of his journey, and I dare not spoil the surprises here.

It's worth mentioning that, although you need to revisit galaxies to complete various tasks, they are nowhere near as repetitive as those seen in Mario 64. Rather than padding each stage with coin-collection goals, the designers have come up with unique little missions and objectives. In fact, the search for each new Power Star often leads you to previously unseen areas of the same galaxy, so it feels like an entirely new level regardless of the shared environment.

Later on in the game, galaxies will be marked by "prankster comets" which exert some unique effect on the level. You'll be asked to defeat the boss without taking a hit, or to race a shadowy Mario clone to the end. Fair is fair -- some comets will send you on a hunt for 100 purple coins, but these levels are not part of the game proper, and are only there for the go-getters who want an additional challenge after Bowser has been defeated.

Like the Mario games of old, this experience should appeal to gamers of all ability levels. The Power Star system allows you to unlock new levels in a freeform manner, so less skilled players don't have to agonize over that one level they can't survive. The game can be completed without obtaining half the available Power Stars, meaning novice players can enjoy a fully fleshed out experience without undue frustration, but advanced players can tackle the more challenging galaxies that appear only after many more Power Stars have been collected. This sort of balance is much preferable to the artificial "easy/medium/hard" modes seen in many other games, allowing players of all skill levels to enjoy an identical experience, with additional depth available for those so inclined or able.

Graphics and Sound:

With competition from Zelda and Metroid, I never expected Mario to produce the Wii's most staggering visuals. But the graphic designers spared no expense in producing the most lavish environments you've ever seen. I cannot imagine this running on a GameCube, and that's the very first time I've said that about a Wii game. While videofiles will bemoan the lack of HD, that's like complaining that my microwave can't chop wood. It's not supposed to. The Wii does what it does, for better or for worse, and no game makes better use of the hardware than this one.

Mario's universe is overflowing with bright, cartoony life. Everything is bathed in a gorgeous etherial light. No Nintendo game in history has been painted with such deep textures... you can just about feel the surface of each planet. Objects have mass and depth, and everything seems so unusually real. Planets burst through the darkness with their impossibly unique ecosystems. Goombas and Koopas are rendered beautifully, and Bowser is the most intimidating cartoon you've ever witnessed. It's all just so dazzling, I don't know where to start (or finish).

While I'd happily do without Mario's incessant yipping and hooing (I miss the old jumping noise...), it's hard to knock the sound design overall. The music is universally remarkable, and is the first time that Nintendo has filled a disc with orchestrated music instead of MIDI tunes. The newer tracks are sweeping, and almost sound like they wandered over from a Zelda game. Unfortunately (as is common with orchestrated soundtracks), the new music focuses more on overall sound than memorable melodies, and the soundtrack's highlights come when the stronger classic melodies are brought to life.

Problems?

No game is flawless, and Galaxy has a small share of minor blemishes.

The camera is excellent 95% of the time, but occasionally annoys with awkward angles. Problems are very rare, however, and it's one of the better "smart-cams" I've seen in a platform game. In most cases, the weird angles are by design, as the game challenges you to keep your bearings while walking on the walls and ceiling. But it's harder to make that argument when the lens is snagged on a tree.

Although the Power-Up selection has broadened considerably, you are extremely restricted in when you're allowed to use them. Most are only offered when context calls for it, and limited to a timer. In this sense, they are very similar to the weird vehicular transformations used in Yoshi's Island way back when. When SMB3 first presented players with a gajillion different Power-Ups, it also granted the option to use them any time you wanted (via a menu on the map screen). This allowed for amusing experiments... can I defeat Bowser in my frog suit? Can I make it through the airship without losing my Hammer Brother costume? I would love to see this style of play in a future Mario game, but for now, I'm just thrilled to see so many Power-Ups in one game again.

The two-player mode feels like an afterthought, with your friend reduced to moving a pointer around the screen to collect more star bits. The second pointer can also be used to hinder enemies, which is amusing, but still weak. Granted, the Mario games have never been known for two-player, but the old ones at least allowed alternate turns. This Galaxy belongs to Mario alone...

And this may be a matter of personal taste, but I'd love to see a return to the Little Mario/Super Mario dynamic of the original games. It seems odd that the central conceit of the original series (which even provided the name of the game!) has gone absent since Mario went 3-D. I'm fine with the life meter (SMB2 had one), but having Mario turn small when he's down to one bar would not only be nostalgic, but would serve as a visual reminder of impending doom and obviate the need for that annoying buzzer when your health dwindles.

The game also seems conflicted in how to handle extra lives. Those green mushrooms used to be worth their weight in gold back in the old days, but the modern era of save states and infinite continues have rendered them less impressive. No matter how many you collect, they go back down to three each time you restart the system. Weirder, the princess mails you five more at the start of every game. Why not just start out with eight rather than force me to talk to the mailtoad each time? For that matter, why have lives at all? I don't know.

And was there really no way to get Yoshi in?

Needless to say, all of these things amount to pointing out the hairline paint scratch on a new Porche. Who are we kidding? This thing is a masterpiece.

Summary:

There has been much debate about the place of video games as art.

The knee-jerk reaction has been to point to epics like Final Fantasy, or plot-heavy adventures like Bioshock. But these games only find art by aping other forms of it... Final Fantasy pelts you with movies, and Bioshock serves up intriguing dialogue and literary awareness. I don't mean to disparage such games, many of which I've enjoyed a great deal, but they aren't defined as art by their gameplay so much as the extra trappings surrounding it. In fact, I think they could stand successfully if they were completely converted to movies or books.

But Super Mario Galaxy acheives art through sheer play, and could not exist in any other form. Each level will engage your mind and your reflexes, all while charming you so deeply and honestly that the biggest Grinch in the world would be forced to smile. I can't imagine experiencing something so purely and profoundly joyous, just to turn around and insist it isn't art.

Super Mario Galaxy is the best video game released this year, by no shallow margin. Taken along with Twilight Princess, the Wii is now home to two of the best video games ever crafted (with Galaxy taking the nod). Forget notions of "if you own a Wii, there is no reason not to own this game." There is just no reason not to own this game, period. If there isn't a Wii in your home, this is the reason there should be. I love this game. I love it the way I loved SMB3 back in my childhood, and I know that I will still love it four hardware generations from now.

And if the birth of a timeless classic isn't reason enough to get 10 million people to grab a copy, I just don't know what is.