Super Mario Galaxy

The game's main hub is the Comet Observatory, which contains six themed domes that provide access to the forty-two galaxies available in the game. When the player first begins the game, the player only has access to a limited number of galaxies. However, as more Power Stars are collected, more galaxies become available for the player to access. Some galaxies are accessed through special means, for example, the star-shaped creatures called "Hungry Lumas" will transform into new galaxies once they are fed enough Star Bits. When 120 Power Stars are collected, the player has the ability to play through again as Luigi and collect a final 121st star. Gameplay is slightly different while playing as Luigi, and some obstacles can be harder or easier to overcome, depending on the character in use.

There are five "Prankster Comets" that appear periodically. When one of them comes into orbit with a galaxy, a special challenge is initiated that leads to a Power Star.

Controls

The player's character is controlled via the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. While most of Mario's abilities are directly from Super Mario 64, such as the long jump, wall jumps, and a variety of somersaults, Mario is given new moves that take advantage of the Wii Remote's pointer and motion sensing. The most basic control scheme is the Star Pointer, which appears on-screen for the entire game. First and foremost, the Star Pointer is used to pick up special konpeito-shaped objects called "Star Bits", which are then shot to stun enemies, manipulate obstacles, or feed Hungry Lumas. Secondly, the pointer can latch onto objects called "Pull Stars" that gradually pull Mario through space. Lastly, if the player becomes encased in a floating bubble, the Star Pointer is used to blow air at it in order to influence the direction and speed it moves.

The player gains a new ability early in the game, known as the "Spin" technique. The Spin is primarily used for melee, as it can stun enemies and shatter objects, and is used to trigger special propellers called "Sling Stars" or "Launch Stars" that launch Mario across large distances through space. The Spin is also used for climbing vines, ice-skating, and for activating several power-ups. Other Wii Remote functions are available for smaller quests, such as surfing aboard a manta ray or balancing atop a large ball and rolling it through an obstacle course.

Power-ups and lives

Super Mario Galaxy features the most power-ups and transformations of all 3D Mario games to date. Eight power-ups supply Mario with a special costume that grants him new abilities. For example, special Mushrooms bestow the player with a Bee or Boo Suit; the former allows the player to hover through the air, and the latter allows the player to become transparent and move through obstacles.

Mario's health consists of a three-piece power meter, which can be depleted from contact with enemies and hazards. When swimming, Mario has a secondary power meter that designates his air supply, which will lead to quick depletion of his main power meter if it runs out. Mario's health can be restored via collecting coins, while his air supply can be restored by collecting coins, touching bubbles or reaching the surface. When the power meter becomes empty, the player loses a life. The power meter can be temporarily expanded to six units through the use of a Life Mushroom. Instant death can occur by being swallowed by quicksand or dark matter, falling into bottomless pits, which either consist of black holes or leaving a planet's gravitational pull and falling into space, losing a race against a non-player character, or other special challenges. The player can obtain extra lives by collecting 1-Up Mushrooms, 50 Star Bits, or 50 coins while on a single level.

Multiplayer

Super Mario Galaxy has a co-operative two-player option called "Co-Star Mode", in which one player controls Mario and a Star Pointer while the other controls another pointer on-screen to gather Star Bits and shoot them at enemies. While the first player can normally do this except during certain events, the second player can shoot star bits without restriction. Additionally, the second player can make Mario jump, or the height of Mario's jump can be increased if the first and second player press the A button at the same moment. The second player's pointer star can also be aimed at some enemies to stop them by holding the A button, which prevents them from moving.

Plot

Shortly after Mario is invited to the centennial Star Festival that celebrates the comet that passes overhead, Bowser invades the Mushroom Kingdom with a surprise attack in a fleet of airships. Summoning a giant UFO, he rips Princess Peach's entire castle from its foundations and lifts it into outer space. After an unsuccessful rescue attempt, Mario is catapulted across the cosmos and awakens on a small planet. On the planet he meets a mysterious woman called Rosalina and her companion stars, the Lumas. Rosalina is a watcher of the stars, who uses her mobile Observatory to travel across the universe. However, the Power Stars that act as the Observatory's power source have all been stolen by Bowser, rendering it immobile. Bestowed with the power to travel through space, Mario sets off on an intergalactic adventure across the universe to reclaim the Power Stars and restore power to Rosalina's observatory.

Upon collecting enough Power Stars, Rosalina's Observatory has enough power to transform into a comet and fly to the center of the universe, where the princess is being held captive. Confronting Bowser, Mario learns that Bowser's plan is to rule the entire universe with Princess Peach at his side, using a newly constructed sun of his own via the power of the Grand Stars. Mario manages to defeat Bowser and free the princess. but Bowser's sun collapses onto itself, becoming a supermassive black hole and consuming the universe. All of Rosalina's Lumas recreate the destroyed matter of the universe to destroy the black hole, but sacrifice themselves in the process. Rosalina appears to Mario, stating that stars never die, but are later reborn as new stars. Mario awakens in the restored Mushroom Kingdom alongside the princess and Bowser, welcoming the new galaxy that has emerged in the skies.

Development and sequel

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Shigeru Miyamoto stated that production began after the team finished making Donkey Kong Jungle Beat in late 2004. Super Mario 128 has been in production and development since at least August 2000 when the first trailer was shown at Nintendo Space World. In an after-hours press event at E3 2006 in May, Miyamoto stated: "I don't want to promise anything yet. But if it's not a launch title it will definitely be there within the first six months." Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime later stated in a November 27, 2006 interview with cable TV network MTV that the game is expected to be released sometime up to Christmas of 2007. Near the end of Miyamoto's keynote presentation at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in March, he stated: "You'll be able to play Super Mario Galaxy this year." At Nintendo's E3 2007 conference, it was confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy would be released in North America on November 12, 2007 and four days later in Europe. In North America, certain retailers had given out a free limited edition coin for pre-ordering the game. Some retailers had delayed it until November 13, 2007, such as GameStop in North America, and some retailers had delayed the release until November 14, 2007. Equally, certain UK retailers shipped the game a day earlier than the European release date, for example Virgin megastores and Game.

It was first hinted by Takashi Tezuka, Nintendo's analysis and development's general manager, that multiplayer was going to be co-op in an interview with gaming site IGN. Two-player functionality was later confirmed, along with reports of the team experimenting with new ways to use the Wii Remote so that one player can control Mario while the other aids him, backed up by suggestions by Miyamoto that the second player could have the ability to affect Mario's progress. It was later revealed at Nintendo's E3 2007 that the co-op mode was permanently implemented into the game and could be accessed anytime. In the 1000th issue of Famitsu, Miyamoto stated his interest in making a sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. Producer Koizumi said in a GameSpot interview that there is a "really high chance" several powerups and suits that did not make it into Super Mario Galaxy would be used in the sequel.

Music

Super Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo, performed by the Mario Galaxy Orchestra
Released	January 24, 2008 (2008-01-24) (Japan)
Genre	Video game soundtrack
Length	67:05 (Original Edition) 129:54 (Platinum Edition)
Label	Club Nintendo

During development, Mahito Yokota, who was in charge of the composition of music, originally wanted Super Mario Galaxy to have a Latin style of music and even had 28 tracks completed for the game. The reason for this was that Latin percussion instruments had been used in previous Mario games, such as steelpans, bongo drums, and congas. For Super Mario Galaxy's theme, Yokota used Latin instruments and a synthesizer to create sci-fi sounds. The song was approved by Yoshiaki Koizumi, the game's designer, but when he presented it to Koji Kondo, he told him that his song was no good. According to Yokota, he always had an image that Mario was for kids, causing him to create cute music that would appeal to children. Three months later, Yokota presented three different styles of music to Shigeru Miyamoto. One piece had an orchestral sound, one was a mix of orchestral music and pop music, and the last was pop music. Miyamoto chose the orchestral piece, which was written by Koji Kondo. From then on, the game's soundtrack would be composed for a symphony. Kondo often would ask the orchestra to play at strange tempos in order to perfectly synch with the rest of Mario's movement and also stated that even the sound effects fit into the musical score if you listen carefully. Some levels in Super Mario Galaxy have new scores as well as incorporating older ones such as songs from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64. Other older snippets of classic Mario themes were blended in by use of magic music notes. Some of the music, such as the Bowser boss fight music, is more interactive than music from other games in the Mario franchise. For instance, at various tension and action points in the game, the Wii is able to adjust the tempo of the streamed audio to match the action on screen. During boss fights the game dynamically shifts between different orchestrations of the same piece - for example during Bowser fights a choral piece is used when Bowser is toppled and during the Kingfin battle, the music speeds up and becomes dramatic as you get closer to the boss. The official soundtrack was released on January 24, 2008. It was an exclusive to Club Nintendo subscribers in Japan. The soundtrack was released in two versions: the Original Soundtrack, which only contains 28 songs from the game, and the Platinum Edition, which contains all 81 songs from the game on two discs. The soundtrack has won numerous critic awards, such as "Best Design in Audio" from Edge Magazine.

Track listing

Reception

Super Mario Galaxy has gained a wide commercial and critical success. As of March 31, 2008, Galaxy has sold 6.1 million copies worldwide (0.93 million in Japan, and 5.17 in other regions), making it the best-selling unbundled Wii game and the third best-selling Nintendo-published game for the Wii. The two games that outsold it, Wii Sports and Wii Play, were bundled with the console or a Wii Remote. According to the NPD Group, since the launch of the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy has become the third best-selling video game in Canada as of April 1, 2008.

Critical response

NTSC-uk said that Super Mario Galaxy "will influence gaming perceptions, sure to replenish any lost passion". GamePro stated that the title "raises the bar in terms of what can be achieved on the Wii." IGN called Super Mario Galaxy "Wii's best game, and an absolute must-own experience", and "one of the greatest platformers ever played." GameSpot praised its gameplay and level design stating: "if ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it." Game Revolution noted the variety of gameplay, reliable camera angles and easy to use controls.

Reviewers have expressed minor complaints with certain aspects of the game. GameSpot found "a couple of Mario's special suits can be frustrating to use". Editors of IGN remarked that "the quest to 60 stars isn't nearly as challenging as we'd have liked", also referring to one story-related aspect of the game as "an unnecessary side-tale contrasts with a traditional story."

Towards the end of 2007, Super Mario Galaxy won numerous awards such as Game of the Year from IGN, GameSpot, Nintendo Power, GameTrailers, Edge, and Yahoo! Games. On February 7, 2008, the game received the "Adventure Game of the Year" award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences at the Interactive Achievement Awards.

References

External links

• Official website
• Super Mario Galaxy at wii.com