May 23rd is already shaping up to be one of the best nerd days of 2010. Not only will the warm, long, lazy days of summer slowly begin to ease their way into our lives, but May 23rd, at least in my house, will be spent preparing for the Lost series finale (with endless margaritas, naturally) and, I don’t know, maybe playing a little something called SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2! OMG BEST DAY EVER!
That’s right, in about one month’s time, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released into the anxious hands of happy Wii owners everywhere.
And I couldn’t be more excited.
In celebration of the highly anticipated sequel’s release, I plan on releasing the Kraken a series of features over the next month focusing on all things Mario. Great Mario levels, great Mario characters, great Mario moments. You get the idea. And what better way to start than with a love letter to my favorite videogame of this current generation of consoles: the original Super Mario Galaxy!
“My favorite videogame of this current generation of consoles.” Saying it out loud is very liberating. When I asked myself what my favorite game of the last several years was, at first it was much harder to answer. Do I say Valkyria Chronicles? Metal Gear Solid 4? While I adore (ADORE!) those games, once Super Mario Galaxy entered my mind I had no other thoughts. The answer was easy!
But what is it about Super Mario Galaxy that makes it so gosh darned great? Why does it hold such a special place in my heart? Hit the jump for my reasons why Super Mario Galaxy is the best videogame of this current generation.
FUN! FUN! FUN!
In today’s crowded market of various types of videogames, sometimes harmless, smile-inducing fun can be forgotten. As much as I admire Heavy Rain, can I ever really say I had fun playing it? Not really. (If anything, that game just depressed me with its non-stop thunderstorms and gloomy attitude.) Same with the Modern Warfares and even the God of Wars of the world. Love the games. Entertaining, sure. But fun? That descriptor should be reserved for the games that make you squeal with glee. The ones that make you feel like a kid again.
Even if someone managed to convince me there was a better videogame in the last five years, I would still never, ever change my opinion that Super Mario Galaxy is the most entertaining, flat-out fun videogame I have played this generation. No question.
Playing Super Mario Galaxy for the first time reminded me of why I love to play videogames in the first place: mainly to experience something that transports me to a new, exciting world with a giant smile plastered on my face. And that’s exactly what Super Mario Galaxy did — and still does!
The game is an absolute blast to play. From start to finish.
Pinpointing exactly why the game is so entertaining would involve a ridiculous amount of paragraphs in all capital letters, so I will spare you that and summarize by saying it all comes down to the strength of the game’s design. Design so strong, yet so deceptively simple, that its level of genius is almost unrecognizable. The experience of playing Super Mario Galaxy feels so natural and fluid that you almost fail to realize the absolutely mind-boggling level of intricate game design that surrounds you.
So, let’s get to that incredible design, shall we?
Amazing level design!
Instead of just saying “OMG THE LEVEL DESIGN IN SUPER MARIO GALAXY IS AMAZING!” let me offer some examples of why, well, THE LEVEL DESIGN IN SUPER MARIO GALAXY IS AMAZING! And, actually, these examples are great representations of what I love about level design in general:
1. Nothing ever feels empty in Super Mario Galaxy
Throughout the massive, universe-spanning adventure, Super Mario Galaxy is constantly throwing new things at you. There is never a section of the game that doesn’t include some form of creative obstacle or enemy. But, in a brilliant, not-as-easy-as-it-sounds move, nothing ever feels overstuffed as in something like Banjo-Tooie. While Super Mario Galaxy may be full, it never feels overwhelming. Each gameplay section smoothly flows into the next, never once feeling repetitive or boring. Take this sequence for example:
The level is full of so much variety, but it all just fits together perfectly. What starts as a simple stomp on enemies/dodge the fire level turns into an epic gravity-defying journey through the heavens. And it all exists in the same full, rich world without ever feeling overly chaotic. Blasting away from the exploding volcano is one of my favorite gaming moments ever. Brilliant!
2. Creativity!
It goes without saying that good game design needs to be injected with a high level of creativity. But the amount of creativity in Super Mario Galaxy is out of control. Just think about some of the sections of the game: Think about the battle with the giant spider on its web. Think about the giant floating capsules that, once entered, seamlessly transition the game into a 2D platformer. Hell, think about EVERYTHING in the game. The game oozes the genius of Miyamoto. It may be his best work to date!
Here is the boss battle with the giant spider again as a reminder: (Note the extraordinary creativity — from the character design to the unique gameplay throughout the entire level.)
3. The “organic flow” of good game design
There is a certain “flow” to good game design that Nintendo (in particular Miyamoto) has mastered over the years. It’s hard to explain exactly what I mean by this “organic flow”, but think about a few of Nintendo’s biggest successes and you will start to see a pattern.
In the best Zelda and Mario games, the levels organically lead you from one place to the next without holding your hand or offering any exposition whatsoever. The levels just work together, fitting multiple, complicated pieces together into a perfect package. When you conquer one obstacle you are automatically led into the next, most of the time having to use your previous learned skills to take on a slightly more challenging section.
The best Nintendo levels perfect this “organic flow.” In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario flips, flies, and leaps around these enormous maps with such ease and with no need for guidance at all. Again, it all just works. It’s truly a Nintendo thing that other game designers have tried to mimic since the original Super Mario Bros.
Watch this level from early in Super Mario Galaxy to get a good idea of what I am talking about:
Absolutely perfect design.
Bee Mario!
Really, need I say more? Anyone that (correctly?) argues that the Bee Mario power-up in Super Mario Galaxy is one of Mario’s lesser power-ups obviously doesn’t have eyes.
LOOK AT HOW CUTE MARIO LOOKS IN A BEE COSTUME! LOOK! WITH YOUR EYES!
I knew you would agree with me.
Ice Mario!
Okay, looking past how cute Mario looks as a bee (SO CUTE!), let’s talk about one of my favorite specific moments from Super Mario Galaxy. Mario is running on an elevated platform high in the Beach Bowl Galaxy. In front of him stands a small lake surrounded by two enormous, towering waterfalls.
The goal is for Mario to make it to the top of the waterfalls.
But how to do it?
Easy. Mario grabs the new Ice Flower power-up, jumps on the surface of the lake, and turns all the water under his feet to ice. While he quickly skates around (yup, he actually skates), there are times when he jumps and — brace yourself — does triple axels.
It’s adorable.
But, again, trying to ignore how adorable Mario looks in his power-ups (focus, Chad!), the Ice Flower is super handy. After Mario grabs the Ice Flower he turns all the water he touches to ice. With this, he can actually use his new power to wall jump up the two waterfalls that pour into the lake and reach his destination.
It’s a marvelously creative touch and another wonderful example of the game’s superb, entertaining level design.
Great Wii controls
Super Mario Galaxy came out about a year after the Wii had debuted. Up until that point, many developers other than Nintendo had tried — and failed — to implement an appropriate amount of motion control into their games. In a similar timeline to games on the Nintendo DS finally coming into their own, Super Mario Galaxy was a perfect mixture of “traditional” control with just enough Wii-specific features to feel fresh and unique.
Even playing the game all these years later, everything still controls beautifully. Running around with the nunchuk and jumping with the perfectly placed “A” button feels just right for a Mario game. And when the specialized Wii controls kick in they are never too overwhelming of cumbersome. Shake the nunchuk to have Mario do a spin; tilt the Wiimote to control Mario on a giant ball; point the cursor on the screen to collect star pieces or interact with “pull stars” (definitely my favorite thing to do!).
Add all this to the brilliant, addictive gravity-mechanic that makes a healthy, very welcome appearance throughout most of the charming adventure and you have a game that is as much a joy to control as it is to play.
Old-school multiplayer … with a twist!
Let me set the scenario: I went to spend Thanksgiving 2007 with my family in North Carolina. I hadn’t completed Super Mario Galaxy yet so I brought my Wii along. Luckily, the airline did not destroy it in transit (whew!), so for a couple hours before the massive annual feast, I got to enjoy the game with the luscious scents of cooking turkey and stuffing filling the air.
At one point my father decided to watch me play Super Mario Galaxy for a spell. (Keep in mind this is a man who never plays videogames.) A few minutes later he had a Wiimote in his hand and had inexplicably jumped in as my 2P, a giant smile plastered on his face.
He was having the time of his life.
It almost brought a tear to my eye.
Sure, the multiplayer in Super Mario Galaxy is a little basic — player two controls a star on screen that can stun enemies or help change the environment — but it’s old-school, multiplayer gaming at its best. Sitting in the same room with a friend — or a father! — and laughing and smiling your way through hours of fun gameplay is a wonderful, nostalgic, wholly satisfying experience.
A perfect package
There are only a few videogames that have been released this generation that I would describe as perfect. Super Mario Galaxy is one of them.
I can’t think of anything in the game I would change. I can’t think of anything I would add; I can’t think of anything I would take away.
It’s not often you play a perfect game. But when you do, you know it. And every second of the experience is enjoyable.
Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece — arguably the best Mario game ever made. But what makes it a masterpiece isn’t its perfect level design, gameplay, or colorful graphics. More than any other game this current generation, Super Mario Galaxy made me feel like an eight-year old again, holding my original NES controller for the first time.
And that is a one-of-a-kind experience I wouldn’t trade for the world.
What do you think? What are your thoughts on Super Mario Galaxy all these years later? Do you love it as much as I do? Are you going to replay it to prepare for the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2? Or do you still have yet to play it for the first time? (If that’s the case, stop reading immediately and GO! GO! GO!)
And, the big question, what is your favorite videogame on this current generation of consoles? It’s a pretty tough question to answer. Well, unless your answer rhymes with Buper Bario Balaxy. Then the answer is easy.
