Gaming Super Mario Galaxy

[Tim S]

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2007/...mario_galaxy/1

It's not just a brave new world out there - it's a whole new galaxy. Luckily, just as the galaxy falls into peril once more, a plucky Italian plumber arrives on the scene to save us all! How does he fare in his attempt? Find out in our review!

[outlawaol]

I have this game on my Christmas list.

Bring on the nauseum!

[Fod]

few things:
proof read your reviews, dog-gonnit!! (too many typos to mention)
you can hold A to speed up the dialog. doesn't skip it, but it makes it last a lot less time
no mention of the St. Exupery-esque substory in the library?! FOR SHAME! this was one of the most charmingly told and at times downright heartbreaking little stories ever. and the illustrations were awesome.

i also disagree that Galaxy recycles gameplay from SM64. let's be honest here - the core, that there's a hub world and open exploration, stays the same, yes. but you yourself state that the gameplay changes utterly wildly from galaxy to galaxy - you're pretty much never doing the same thing. and the number of new elements introduced is way too big to be counted on hands and toes.

to me, this is game of the year no two ways about it. the utterly joyous soundtrack (so good to finally get a full orchestra), the graphical design of each and every planet, the totally intuitive control system, and the camera which never put a foot wrong in my entire gametime (and that is a hardcore mean feat trust me) - and all the little miyamoto touches (bill, phil, and jill board, i'll miss you) added up to a game that had me laughing, shouting and just _enjoying myself_ so much more than any game i've played in the last, oh, god, i don't know how many years.
that bioshock got a 10 and this a 9 is a crime! but hey, that's my subjective opinion (yes i played both)

[outlawaol]

Originally Posted by Fod

few things:
proof read your reviews, dog-gonnit!! (too many typos to mention)
you can hold A to speed up the dialog. doesn't skip it, but it makes it last a lot less time
no mention of the St. Exupery-esque substory in the library?! FOR SHAME! this was one of the most charmingly told and at times downright heartbreaking little stories ever. and the illustrations were awesome.

i also disagree that Galaxy recycles gameplay from SM64. let's be honest here - the core, that there's a hub world and open exploration, stays the same, yes. but you yourself state that the gameplay changes utterly wildly from galaxy to galaxy - you're pretty much never doing the same thing. and the number of new elements introduced is way too big to be counted on hands and toes.

to me, this is game of the year no two ways about it. the utterly joyous soundtrack (so good to finally get a full orchestra), the graphical design of each and every planet, the totally intuitive control system, and the camera which never put a foot wrong in my entire gametime (and that is a hardcore mean feat trust me) - and all the little miyamoto touches (bill, phil, and jill board, i'll miss you) added up to a game that had me laughing, shouting and just _enjoying myself_ so much more than any game i've played in the last, oh, god, i don't know how many years.
that bioshock got a 10 and this a 9 is a crime! but hey, that's my subjective opinion (yes i played both)

haha!

I think bittech is a bit biased sometimes due to its large PC user base. Heck, Im amazed they review what they do (and in such quantity).

Needless to say, though, the Wii is coming into its light.

[Tim S]

Originally Posted by Fod

proof read your reviews, dog-gonnit!! (too many typos to mention)

I'll freely admit that this is my fault. I obviously wasn't awake enough when I read this last night after getting back from a long day on the road... I'm going back through it again and spotting/correcting mistakes. Thanks.

[DarkLord7854]

I found the graphics to be fairly awesome for the fact that it's only a souped up Gamecube, was kinda unhappy it only does 480p and can't take advantage of the 1080p my TV is capable of
Multiplayer woulda been cool if when you find Luigi, a second player can control him

I don't really like the end, the way it resumes the whole thing is a rather jarring experience, there's no explanation of how, I was kinda confused, but maybe that's just me

[Gizmo1990]

An interesting review and one which I'm glad to say I''ll completely ignore. From what I've played thus far it is without doubt a masterclass of game design and graphics with Nintendo literally reaching for the stars. *sic*

As has been mentioned already, the very fact that this got a 9 and Bioshock a 10 should tell most gameplayers all they need to know.

Shoe-in for goty.

[CardJoe]

Don't get me wrong - I think it's an awesome game and very much a contender for GOTY, but that doesn't mean it has to be a 10/10 "OMG perfect" score. There are a few things that are missing to me - like luigi as a 2nd playable character - which prevent it getting a ten, but it's still an awesome game in every way, hence the 9.

Biased for PC? Puh-leeze. Let's disregard the fact that my BioShock review was based on the Xbox 360 version and not the PC version, why not? I do prefer PC as a platform for gaming because of the ability to mod games, but to me it's all about the game and not the platform. A good game on PS3 is the same as a good game on PC to me in all the important ways and, while Mario is a damn good game, I put BioShock ahead by a nose because it's obvious that more effort and time went into designing the story and gameplay and making it - hence the 4-6 year development cycle for BioShock.

That said, I've also stated elsewhere that in retrospect BioShock would probably get a 9.5 if I could alter the score now, based solely on the endings and lack of replayability. I don't think I'd raise SMG though.

And spelling mistakes are my fault, sorry!

[DarkLord7854]

What gets to me is the horrible jaggyness that happens when you still still

[jezmck]

It's the game I've played most on our Wii, and I've only had it since my birthday (mid November) and we've had the Wii for ages.

I'm about a quarter of the way though the game, and I'd like to complete it (I rarely complete games, which really irks a colleague of mine), so I think that's a big compliment to Nintendo et al.

[DXR_13KE]

i am waiting for the zero punctuation review of this game...

edit: i wish the wii had more 3rd party games.......

[Gizmo1990]

Originally Posted by CardJoe

I put BioShock ahead by a nose because it's obvious that more effort and time went into designing the story and gameplay and making it - hence the 4-6 year development cycle for BioShock.

I'm sorry but imo you are completely wrong. Mario has been in development since Sunshine and in more ways than one Mario64 itself. And you consider the fact that because Mario doesn't have a 'proper' story as minus point!? Who the hell has ever played (or marked) a Mario game on its story!?

Blimey what a sorry state of affairs. Shameful.

[dogdude16]

@Gizmo, you talked about who played a game for its story or what game was marketed by its story: well Halo 3 and Bioshock were/

[CardJoe]

I don't think that Mario doesn't have a proper story, if you'll excuse the double negative. What I do think though is that the story is essentially recycled and that I'm a little weary of it, as I know a number of other people are weary of Nintendo reusing essentially the same plots for Zelda and so on. I also think that BioShock has a story which is interesting, innovative and mature.

I agree, not everybody plays Mario for the story - I know I sure as hell don't and I know that the two aren't actually even comparable. One is a third person adventure/platformer with a hub design, cartoony graphics and a child-friendly focus and the other is a game which is a RPG/Action hybrid with a sprawling city level design, very mature and moral-reflecting themes and a story which is critical to understanding the game. Normally I wouldn't even compare the two. I don't think they even should be compared. However, this conversation has put me in a position where I have to discuss my opinions on how the two can be compared. In that debate, I see that BioShock does a lot of the stuff that Mario does right - good levels, design, sound and interface, bosses and a linear progression of events with various side areas to give players a certain amount of freedom in a restricted place.

However, at the same time, BioShock has an immensely appealing story which the gameplay is then designed around. Mario has a story which is less developed and is which is instead slotted around the gameplay. By that reasoning, I say that BioShock moves ahead by a nose because it uses every tool at its disposal, whereas Mario doesn't. It's not a criticism of Mario by any means - I love the game and was playing it earlier today - but it the fact as I see it when, moving all favourites aside, I have to look at them both.

It's also worth bearing in mind that BioShock can draw more flak because it's older than Mario at this point.

There are Mario games which have interesting and good stories, ones which deserve to factor into how a game is scored (though scoring is something I have complex feelings on) - games like Partners in Time. However, to suggest that the game should not be marked on story when other games obviously are is to bias the scale in favor of Mario.

Mario may well have been in development as long as you say, in which case I retract what I said before, but I feel that my point still stands as a matter of sensible opinion. The story and handling of narrative in BioShock is the extra pip which hits the post, for me putting it ahead of BioShock.

As it is, they are both very, very strong contenders for our GOTY. That's something we'll be looking at in more depth in the next few weeks when we finally hand out the award.

[GoodBytes]

I can't agree more with Fod.
Moreover the graphics are pretty good, not the best, but not bad as the review says.
That's the style of graphics for Mario games, imagine Mario with Metroid or Halo type of graphics... errr...

Moreover I see you didn't play the game much, as they are many things that were left out.
For one the upgrades which are back, the mushroom that used to make Mario bigger (in this case double your energy), the ability to grab and trow certain similar object from the classic 2D Mario games, and crazy levels.

Moreover you have 2 path, finish the game quick and easy with only 60 stars, or play the hard way with about double the stars. I don't know if they are different endings, I did not get there.

[Fod]

btw luigi is unlockable as a 2nd character!

bringing partners in time into this is a bit unfair as that was an RPG made by Squenix, and not in any way a traditional mario platformer.

your point about story in games in an interesting one, joe.

if you ask me, stories in games really haven't reached a level of maturity enough to judge a game on the merits of its story, or lack thereof. Bioshock may have had a good story for a game, but it still pales in comparison to the plot and complexity of a good movie.

Mario never has been about the story, though. you are given a goal, to rescue the princess, and that's sure as hell going to happen. it's a little strange to criticise a game about its weak story when, well, there was never an intention to tell one in the first place - the story really is that with the player tells through their own adventures. the game does add some great humour in places, especially with what the Toads get up to all through the game at different levels, and that adds a lot of charm.

[DXR_13KE]

this looks like a long game......

[CardJoe]

Originally Posted by GoodBytes

Moreover I see you didn't play the game much, as they are many things that were left out.
For one the upgrades which are back, the mushroom that used to make Mario bigger (in this case double your energy), the ability to grab and trow certain similar object from the classic 2D Mario games, and crazy levels.

I played the game plenty, I just don't didn't want to mention absolutely everything - Rainbow Mario, the sliding levels, the ball levels etc are all not explicitly mentioned as I try not to give too much away with spoilers. The crazy levels, mind-bending levels with directional gravity etc are mentioned. Other aspects, such as pipes and coins and red mushrooms are pretty established as elements of Mario games.

Though, I will admit, I didn't know Luigi was unlockable

[Krikkit]

I can see both sides to the argument for both joe and fod - Mario's story is a very similar thing throughout the series, and (imho) the gameplay hasn't changed that much since its inception.

On the other hand, I thought Bioshock was lacking in a few places - the story was absolutely first-class, but the combat left a lot to be desired (imho).

[Fophillips]

I got it today for my birthday, and it is unbelievably fantastic in every way. The graphics may not be super-dee-****ing-dooper high resolution with minute detail only apparent when pausing and staring, instead the character and level design is exquisite with vibrant (some may say “childish”) colours and textures which is far superior IMHO. I can’t wait to play it on my upcoming projector...