Super Mario Galaxy 2

[Parshias]

as long as there isn't too much (read: any) spring mario, I'm happy.

fucking hate spring mario. worst powerup ever. it's more of a powerdown really, makes the game harder to play than regular controls do.

Spring Mario is a little motherfucker. Although I think tricks have been discovered to the point where you can get all the stars as Luigi without ever using the Spring power-up. But only with Luigi, as you need his better triple jump in order to pull off the wall-jump shenanigans.

[Insanecyclone]

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/02/25/ha...ario-galaxy-2/

It's been a little more than three years now since we picked the original Super Mario Galaxy as one of our top 10 games of 2007. Which, of course, meant we liked it. A lot, in fact. So a sequel to the game was welcome news, even if it didn't really look all that different. Truth be told, after playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 today at Nintendo's Q1 Media Summit, I can say it isn't that different. But sometimes that's a good thing -- especially when you're talking about the video game equivalent of comfort food.

I specifically played two worlds during my demo today with the intent of focusing on two of the new game mechanics in SMG2. The first being the drill bit power-up, which quickly wowed me with the nifty new level designs it has inspired. The other, Mario's lizard pal Yoshi, really is a space-faring plumber's best friend.

It was off to the aptly named Spin-Dig galaxy to take the drill for a ... spin. (Hear that? It was me ducking.) Using this device, Mario can drill straight through the game's spherical worlds (and even some flat ones), a mechanic best demonstrated when I used it to reach a Launch Star perched atop an otherwise unreachable summit. To get to it, I had to drill in just the right spot, which sent me spiraling up through a tower of sand on the flip-side of the world. Once there, a few steps to the right and another use of the drill took me back through the world and up to my destination. Tricky, but very satisfying.

At the end of this stage, I went up against a two-legged robot straddling a wheel-shaped circular world. It launched drill robots at me, which I stomped, but there was no getting past its legs ... or was there? It soon gave up how I could beat it: By waiting for its glass-domed, star-containing head to rotate around, allowing me to line up and drill all the way through the planetoid, popping out the other side and cracking the glass with my drill bit.

Hopping over to another galaxy -- this one featuring "2D" gameplay akin to that found in the first SMG -- I whacked a familiar green-spotted egg to free Yoshi. Hopping on his back added a subtle (yet hallmark) bongo beat to the soundtrack and I quickly made with using his tongue to pull in enemies and power-ups. Controlling him worked really well; like with Mario, moving around is accomplished via the Nunchuk's analog stick. The Wiimote pointer is used to "aim" his tongue, with B making it dart out. I had him eat a fruit that made him blow up like a balloon, floating upwards by means of air escaping his mouth. Pressing A made him hold his breath, though the air meter still depleted (albeit more slowly). In this level, strategic swallowing of said fruit was a necessity -- as one wore off, I had to snap up another in mid-air to keep from plummeting to the ground.

A boss fight here let me use Yoshi's penchant for pitting back what he's swallowed to my advantage. Another metal monstrosity, this thing launched Bullet Bills at me, which I promptly had Yoshi gobble up and spit right back at it. I kind of regret not trying the same trick on the Hammer Bros. earlier, to see if I could perform a "return to sender" on their menacing mallets.

All in all, the Super Mario Galaxy 2 I played today felt, looked and sounded just like the original game -- it'd just learned some neat new tricks. I don't know about you, but that's just fine by me.

[Kaisha]

As long as it's harder than the first SMG I'm grabbin' this.

Enjoyed SMG greatly, aside from it being too easy and a bit on the short side. I'm surprised it's been three years already though since it came out.

[BRP]

But sometimes that's a good thing -- especially when you're talking about the video game equivalent of comfort food.

No ides what this means lol. All games are comfort food.

[Qalbert]

No ides what this means lol. All games are comfort food.

To a degree yes, but I would say games like Heavy Rain and other story centric games aren't as much 'comfort food' as games that lend themselves to a more pick up and play for fun kind of game. I mean which is more comforting, jumping around in Mario for a bit, or trying to find a killer before he kills again?

[BRP]

To a degree yes, but I would say games like Heavy Rain and other story centric games aren't as much 'comfort food' as games that lend themselves to a more pick up and play for fun kind of game. I mean which is more comforting, jumping around in Mario for a bit, or trying to find a killer before he kills again?

lol... it depends on how deep the is plot is in this edition of Mario's universe! What is there to say Bowser hasn't killed before? What is there to say he WON'T KILL AGAIN?

I think you are way off, only making it more confusing. Comfort food analogy is probably just saying "you've played this before" in a way that isn't offensive to the game. The thing is what isn't comfort food? Obscure Japanese arcade-only mame-denied games? An anesthetic dart to the neck?

[Correction]

BRP, protecting video game writing from metaphors since 2005.

[Qalbert]

lol... it depends on how deep the is plot is in this edition of Mario's universe! What is there to say Bowser hasn't killed before? What is there to say he WON'T KILL AGAIN?

I think you are way off, only making it more confusing. Comfort food analogy is probably just saying "you've played this before" in a way that isn't offensive to the game. The thing is what isn't comfort food? Obscure Japanese arcade-only mame-denied games? An anesthetic dart to the neck?

I was trying to agree with you that games are comfort food, just that some are more comfortable than others

[miokomioko]

BRP, just arguing to argue since the dawn of time.

[BRP]

Nothing to argue about. Just laugh.

[Scythiroth]

I can't believe this is already coming out, wasn't expecting it until like Christmas. >.> Might pick this up, but the first one was way too easy and I'm hoping this one is longer or possibly more difficult.

[Kyo]

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Prod...loc=homeflash1

$20 credit when you pre order online.

[Scythiroth]

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Prod...loc=homeflash1

$20 credit when you pre order online.

Thank you. Just preordered because of this. >.>

[Towowo]

I can't believe this is already coming out, wasn't expecting it until like Christmas. >.> Might pick this up, but the first one was way too easy and I'm hoping this one is longer or possibly more difficult.

If I recall Miyamoto said something about Galaxy 2 being harder than the first.

[Yuri-G]

I thought the first one got difficult enough if you tried to get all the stars. you could beat the game pretty easily but beating it 100% requires some pretty tight platforming skills.

that said, I'm not sure if I'll pick this up. probably eventually. and it's tempting to go for that online deal and get it for $30. but man, I have enough games to play already, and as cliche as it is, the moment I got a PS3 my Wii started collecting dust.

[Tekoa]

the moment I got a system worth having my Wii started collecting dust.

fixed that for ya

BS aside, I will be picking this up. Had way too much fun playing the first.

[samalis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_W2z70ADw

Just saw this and can't wait until this comes out now. Wonder if they'll have more SM64 stages.

[Corrderio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_W2z70ADw

Just saw this and can't wait until this comes out now.

Holy crap... did they seriously remake part of SM64 in this?

[Kaylia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_W2z70ADw

Just saw this and can't wait until this comes out now.

I was about to post "I wish there would be more open stage like mario 64", then clicked on this video.

Awesome.



I really hope you can cheese your way through the stage again (shoot yourself in the cage with the canon, cut straigth to the elevator...etc)

[AoE]

Gimme that one snow stage that you can slide through or the SM64 ghost stage. The rest of the stage can stay in SM64.