I don't really understand why you two don't at least like Super Mario Galaxy 2. The reason why Galaxy 2 is so great is why Origins is so great (creative level design, tight responsive controls, great gameplay, awesome visuals, nicely challenging). From a level design & creativity POV it's basically to Galaxy type more linear 3D platformers what Origins is for 2D ones. Such imagination, super-tight controls & absolutely breathtaking visuals (can't believe they pulled that off on Wii). I think Galaxy 1 was a big disappointment because you could basically just run through most of the game without any effort. But Galaxy 2 fixes that and adds a fuckton of variety & more interesting stuff.
And I've just got to say lol @ Rayman 2 being better than even the worst of 3D Marios (it's better than the incredibly mediocre NSMB DS). It's simpler, has worse level design and doesn't do nearly as much with platforming as Marios do (Marios moveset in combination with the level designs allows for so much more freedom & skillful play). I like the kind of eery, yet often beautiful & relaxing fantasy atmosphere of Rayman 2, but from an actual platformer gameplay POV, it just loses to every 3D Mario. It has way less emphasis on creative platforming challenges and it's more about just exploring some nicely cartoony dark worlds, while having to do some simple platforming on the side.
The FLUDDless levels in Sunshine alone defeat anything Rayman 2 (& 3) have to offer to the platforming genre, they are platforming bliss, and FLUDD with the better levels of Sunshine are some of the best platforming money can buy as well. And I do like the 3D Rayman games, but for completely different reasons (not because they are some awe-inspiring platformers, they do an adequate job "only" on that front, but offer a distinctive atmosphere & "good enough" gameplay instead), there's just no way it has any say against even controversial Marios like Sunshine, or at least the best sides of it. FLUDD is fuckawesome apart from the cleaning aspect (the stuff that it adds to the platforming when you really dwelwe into its uses are superb) and the FLUDDless stuff is superb as well
That said, I do agree that Rayman Origins is better than most recent Mario games (though I'd put Galaxy 2 on par, if comparing 2d & 3d platformers is allowed
). It's great for exactly the same reasons that Mario games like Galaxy 2, Sunshine & 3D Land are (though, I'll add that Sunshine isn't perfect, but the highest highs that it reaches with some of the FLUDD stuff & all of the FLUDDless levels are some of the highest highs of the platforming genre).
