• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 |OT| with >NEW< hat!

P

Peff

Member
JRW said:
From what I understand
after you beat the game an additional 120 "green" stars become available, They're all in new locations in the existing levels which often times requires higher difficulty than usual (platforming etc.) to reach them.
Click to expand...

Mostly correct.
The levels are exactly the same, it's just that green stars appear and you need leaps of faith or creative jumping to reach them, it's not a hard mode like some seem to think.
 
M

mr.beers

Member
Galaxy 1 had little faults in my mind but the first improvement I will point out is when I go to the game channel it doesn't scream "SUPER MARIO GALAXY WOO HOO."

I'm only a dozen stars in and the level design seems way beyond Galaxy 1 and that is one hellava feat, also loving the music.
 
A

AceBandage

Banned
Y2Kev said:
http://i46.tinypic.com/n30kgl.jpg

looks like a platypus
Click to expand...


Perry_the_platypus_by_Bahamut_Eternal.jpg
 
S

Seraphis Cain

bad gameplay lol
JRW said:
From what I understand
first I think you have to beat the game with 120 stars found, then an additional 120 "Green" stars become available, They're all in new locations in the existing levels which often times requires higher difficulty than usual (platforming etc.) to reach them.
Click to expand...

:O
 
P

pakkit

Banned
evilromero said:
I wasn't impressed with Galaxy at all. From what it sounds like Galaxy 2 addresses a lot of my criticisms fro the first one. My only concern is the game still centers around tiny linear levels. To me that's what really hurt Galaxy.
Click to expand...
The levels are generally pretty short. But they are also concentrated gaming bliss, with a much tighter focus than Galaxy 1. Galaxy 1 was content to wow you with it's novel idea, Galaxy 2 recognizes it no longer has this strength and instead uses plain old level design to blow your socks off. I agree that the level length was a concern in the first game, but, even with some stars clocking in at around 5 minutes, the brevity/linearity hasn't been a problem.

Also, the levels seem to have been consciously designed/playtested for both novice and expert gamers. There is generally an easier/more meticulous route, and then there's deviously placed gaps or heights that just taunt the more advanced gamers to take the plunge.

Finally, I'm happening upon a lot of hidden/secondary stars this time, less by accident and more naturally. It's nice to just run into them instead of having to seek them out or get annoyed by them. They're never placed too deeply in a level either, so retracking for the next star is hardly tedious.


Holy crap I used the / symbol a load in this post.
 
B

BowieZ

Banned
I'd be interested seeing how people feel this compares to New Super Mario Bros. Wii in terms of its improvements over their direct predecessors.
 
M

MidnightScott

Banned
I'm thinking of going to the store and buying it anyway. I ordered it on Amazon but I don't want to wait. So is it perfectly safe for me to take it back to Best Buy when it arrives from Amazon?

|OT| = Official Thread btw
 
J

Jasoco

Banned
6 stars in and I have one thing to say. Burning crates is soooo much easier than blowing up trash. God damn. Thank you, Nintendo! For fixing everything wrong with Galaxy and making it 20x better.

Well, back to playing.

Shame. Can't believe Nintendo forgot to put in Yoshi's butt stomp. I thought that had become a major part of the canon. Ever since Island when Yoshi got the stomp and the flutter. The flutter's there, but the stomp is missing. Wow.. if there's one thing Nintendo screwed up with SMG2, let's hope it's just that. The rest is amazing.

Also, I missed it, but what the fuck does |OT| mean? It just makes all the thread titles on the forum list look ugly.
 
G

GWX

Member
AceBandage said:
*perry the platypus pic*
Click to expand...

Well, it's better than a brick.

17 stars in, and this game is fuck awesome. The level design is amazing and incredibly varied, and the game flows way better, without the hub and with automatic saves. Also, even buying a life mushroom from a Luma is faster now!

Best 3D Mario ever, just because is feels like a 2D Mario game in a 3D world. Just unlocked World 3, will play more soon!
 
Shizzlee

Shizzlee

Member
Oh yes, my Walmart came through for me. This game rocks :D I only got 10 stars but I'm loving it. It is now my favorite 3D Mario game. Also, damn this one is way harder than the first, but I like that. Maybe it seems harder because I didn't get any sleep, but that boss with the top kept putting me on my ass.
 
R

rhino4evr

Member
I played galaxy 1 all morning...game is still great. Did I read they took out the save game question after every star? Thank god, there is no reason someone should have to choose to save the game every 5 minutes...I'm glad it works automatically. Also going back the hub world is a bit annoying, especialy when you want to go to the secret garden.
 
D

Dartastic

Member
othersteve said:
To be perfectly honest, if you aren't at least remotely captivated by the relentless variety and creativity of a game like Galaxy (and, to an even greater extent, Galaxy 2), then much of the brilliance of the game is going to be lost on you. It's a game that is designed with the explicit intent of evoking that sort of magical feeling in all types of gamers, young or old. If it is impossible somehow for you to let go of your inhibitions and enjoy the game like you were a kid again, just for a few short hours, then you will never fully experience the intended majesty.

Sure, I'm a "game critic", and a hardcore gamer at that, but in the end I struggle to see how even many casual gamers wouldn't be smitten by this approach. The so-called "magic in a bottle" to which you refer is more palpable in Galaxy than in any other series if you ask me, and that is honestly a portion of what makes it great.

It isn't some intangible aspect of the game that all critics somehow volley between themselves when writing their reviews; it's the product of a meticulous balance of everything familiar, foreign, creative, and mind-blowing that produces this magical sensation. It's rocketing into a galaxy and taking your first steps onto the soil, simply playing Mario, and yet being whisked uncontrollably through some of the most insane and seemingly impossible environments and concepts ever present in a videogame of this quality, all set to the enchanting score of a 37-piece orchestra. It's constant FUN-first design with all of the decorations, something which the industry seems to so often ignore these days.

To fully enjoy Mario Galaxy, you must be able to be a kid again.

[/$.02]
Click to expand...

Quoting this because well, it's exactly how I felt about the first game, and that's why it stands as one of my favorite games of all time. I feel the same way about the sequel. Fucking Nintendo. :D

My only problem with this game so far is that it has now made me irritated that Nintendo didn't use full orchestras for a lot of their past games, because this soundtrack is absolutely mind blowingly good. :lol
 
T

The Blue Jihad

Member
othersteve said:
To be perfectly honest, if you aren't at least remotely captivated by the relentless variety and creativity of a game like Galaxy (and, to an even greater extent, Galaxy 2), then much of the brilliance of the game is going to be lost on you. It's a game that is designed with the explicit intent of evoking that sort of magical feeling in all types of gamers, young or old. If it is impossible somehow for you to let go of your inhibitions and enjoy the game like you were a kid again, just for a few short hours, then you will never fully experience the intended majesty.

Sure, I'm a "game critic", and a hardcore gamer at that, but in the end I struggle to see how even many casual gamers wouldn't be smitten by this approach. The so-called "magic in a bottle" to which you refer is more palpable in Galaxy than in any other series if you ask me, and that is honestly a portion of what makes it great.

It isn't some intangible aspect of the game that all critics somehow volley between themselves when writing their reviews; it's the product of a meticulous balance of everything familiar, foreign, creative, and mind-blowing that produces this magical sensation. It's rocketing into a galaxy and taking your first steps onto the soil, simply playing Mario, and yet being whisked uncontrollably through some of the most insane and seemingly impossible environments and concepts ever present in a videogame of this quality, all set to the enchanting score of a 37-piece orchestra. It's constant FUN-first design with all of the decorations, something which the industry seems to so often ignore these days.

To fully enjoy Mario Galaxy, you must be able to be a kid again.

[/$.02]
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest, your...attitude (for lack of a better word) is precisely why you see the pushback against SMG1...and why you'll see an eventual pushback against SMG2. The first game was fun, sure. But it wasn't perfect. And it sure as hell wasn't meticulously balanced.

It had some immense highpoints to be fair. The music. First time you long-jump orbited around a planetoid. First time you heard the remixed SMB3 theme. The 2D gravity portions. All of those were exceptionally well-done to the point where I was convinced Nintendo had to have sold their souls to Kotick himself (hah see what I did there?).

But it also had immense lowpoints, as well. Some of the levels are uninspired. Some are just mirror images of previous, mediocre stages. There were times where the camera's behavior left me scratching my head...like why would it position itself like this, and not like that. The upside down camera never really worked, either, because Mario's movement was constantly based on where he was in relation to the camera, so when the camera position changed, so did Mario's spatial relationship to the environment.

SMG1 was a fun game. But it wasn't perfect. So I really take issue with a blanket statement like this:

To fully enjoy Mario Galaxy, you must be able to be a kid again.
Click to expand...

"Must be able to be a kid again" is absolute nonsense, because even as children, we played a lot of shit games that we couldn't realize were shit because we didn't know any better (Metroid 1 is borderline unplayable today). And we played a lot of great games we couldn't realize were great because we didn't know any better (like Zelda II).

Frankly, I find your sentiment just a little bit insulting, too. I don't know about anyone else here, but I greatly, greatly, greatly prefer gaming as an adult. Being able to understand a game's mechanics goes a loooooong way in improving the experience.

Perfect example is Zelda II. When I was younger, I hated the game because I couldn't understand it. Now, however, with another two decades of gaming under my belt, I get it. And once Zelda II clicked with me, it became my second favorite Zelda of all time. Once I understood how Zelda II worked, I felt like I was finally in control.

Being a kid has absolutely nothing to do with enjoyment. If anything, being a kid artificially increases how much you enjoy a game...because you don't know any better.

Is SMG1 good? Yes. Some of its gameplay is brilliantly conceived and executed. Is SMG1 deserving of praise? Yes. Is it a victim of its own hype? Yes. Is it a game that remains without a blemish all the way through? Hell no. Being "remotely captivated by the relentless variety and creativity of a game like Galaxy" doesn't mean we can't point out or recognize issues with the camera, or pacing, or controls. Hell, even Nintendo themselves recognize those issues and they built the damn game. lol

So let's try to avoid short-stroking it here. :p
 
D

Dartastic

Member
The Blue Jihad said:
"Must be able to be a kid again" is absolute nonsense, because even as children, we played a lot of shit games that we couldn't realize were shit because we didn't know any better (Metroid 1 is borderline unplayable today). And we played a lot of great games we couldn't realize were great because we didn't know any better (like Zelda II).
Click to expand...

I think what he actually meant was that Mario Galaxy 2 makes you feel like a kid again. That's how it makes me feel, at least. So many games make me feel "meh" when I compare them to that shit eating grin I get on my face when I go into a galaxy for the first time, or when I complete a star that I was having a hard time on.
 
R

ratcliffja

Member
The Blue Jihad said:
To be perfectly honest, your...attitude (for lack of a better word) is precisely why you see the pushback against SMG1...and why you'll see an eventual pushback against SMG2. The first game was fun, sure. But it wasn't perfect. And it sure as hell wasn't meticulously balanced.

It had some immense highpoints to be fair. The music. First time you long-jump orbited around a planetoid. First time you heard the remixed SMB3 theme. The 2D gravity portions. All of those were exceptionally well-done to the point where I was convinced Nintendo had to have sold their souls to Kotick himself (hah see what I did there?).

But it also had immense lowpoints, as well. Some of the levels are uninspired. Some are just mirror images of previous, mediocre stages. There were times where the camera's behavior left me scratching my head...like why would it position itself like this, and not like that. The upside down camera never really worked, either, because Mario's movement was constantly based on where he was in relation to the camera, so when the camera position changed, so did Mario's spatial relationship to the environment.

SMG1 was a fun game. But it wasn't perfect. So I really take issue with a blanket statement like this:



"Must be able to be a kid again" is absolute nonsense, because even as children, we played a lot of shit games that we couldn't realize were shit because we didn't know any better (Metroid 1 is borderline unplayable today). And we played a lot of great games we couldn't realize were great because we didn't know any better (like Zelda II).

Frankly, I find your sentiment just a little bit insulting, too. I don't know about anyone else here, but I greatly, greatly, greatly prefer gaming as an adult. Being able to understand a game's mechanics goes a loooooong way in improving the experience.

Perfect example is Zelda II. When I was younger, I hated the game because I couldn't understand it. Now, however, with another two decades of gaming under my belt, I get it. And once Zelda II clicked with me, it became my second favorite Zelda of all time. Once I understood how Zelda II worked, I felt like I was finally in control.

Being a kid has absolutely nothing to do with enjoyment. If anything, being a kid artificially increases how much you enjoy a game...because you don't know any better.

Is SMG1 good? Yes. Some of its gameplay is brilliantly conceived and executed. Is SMG1 deserving of praise? Yes. Is it a victim of its own hype? Yes. Is it a game that remains without a blemish all the way through? Hell no. Being "remotely captivated by the relentless variety and creativity of a game like Galaxy" doesn't mean we can't point out or recognize issues with the camera, or pacing, or controls. Hell, even Nintendo themselves recognize those issues and they built the damn game. lol

So let's try to avoid short-stroking it here. :p
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, I find in retrospect that Metroid 1 is a much better game than Zelda 2.
 
F

fernoca

Member
The first Bowser area...with the whole song that was already posted...the choir of that same song..then on your way through the stage, seeing an enemy for the first time (I think) on a 3D Mario game....gave me watery eyes... :lol :lol

This game makes me so happy. :D
 
B

Brannon

Member
Fluffy Bluff. Damn. It's basically the game's way of telling you to get ready to be the Jumpman you need to be.

Also, does the featured power-up there seem to make your long jumps longer? It felt like it.
 
K

Kard8p3

Member
seems in the comet version of the grandmaster galaxy the original version of Gusty Garden plays. I have to say hearing yoshi's drum beat go along with the gusty garden theme is pretty awesome.
 
S

Shadowlink

Member
fernoca said:
The first Bowser area...with the whole song that was already posted...the choir of that same song..then on your way through the stage, seeing an enemy for the first time (I think) on a 3D Mario game....gave me watery eyes... :lol :lol

This game makes me so happy. :D
Click to expand...
I hope I'm not the only one who thought the music from the first Bowser area reminded me of Disney
and it was awesome.
:D
 
F

fireside

Member
Brannon said:
Fluffy Bluff. Damn. It's basically the game's way of telling you to get ready to be the Jumpman you need to be.

Also, does the featured power-up there seem to make your long jumps longer? It felt like it.
Click to expand...
I think it makes you fall slower.
 
O

othersteve

Member
The Blue Jihad,

I appreciate your counterpoint, but I really do think you misunderstand what I mean. No game is perfect, but you have to wonder if you're in the minority in your sentiment when nearly every critic out there has sung the praises of this magnificent game. I personally stand by Galaxy being a 10 in 2007, for many of the same reasons Galaxy 2 is a 10 in 2010. And trust me, if you think I had planned for two subsequent games in the same series to receive a 10, quite the opposite is true!

It is no mistake that both of these games are topping the all-time greatest charts. Not every critic is criminally insane; you might be surprised that most of us are just regular gamers like yourself. :)

Honestly, it just comes down to this: Galaxy 2 transformed me into a kid again, just for a short while. I know I'm not the only one, and I'm not afraid to say so in my review.

At the risk of suffocating everyone with my review text (for those of you who have already read it), quoting once more my overall comment:

All of us have wondered at some point about the creative future of the gaming; has innovation given way to mere evolution? Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of those exceedingly rare games that will restore your faith in the creative forces of the videogame industry. This is no mere sequel… it is everything Galaxy was and more, a vast menagerie of the most outlandish ideas the creative minds at Nintendo could apply to a Mario game, twisting and contorting the template at every opportunity, all in the name of relentlessly entertaining gameplay. Even the harshest critics will struggle to find fault in its symphony of imagination, execution, and polish, while fans will cherish its brilliance for years to come as one of the very best games in history. Quite simply put, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the reason I still play videogames. And for that, it deserves the highest praise I can possibly bestow.
Click to expand...
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
I have one question. Are the horrible tracks that played during Comet Stars gone? Because they were annoying as fuck in SMG1, except for the purple coin Gusty Garden remix, that was fantastic.
 
S

spidye

Member
othersteve said:
All of us have wondered at some point about the creative future of the gaming; has innovation given way to mere evolution? Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of those exceedingly rare games that will restore your faith in the creative forces of the videogame industry. This is no mere sequel… it is everything Galaxy was and more, a vast menagerie of the most outlandish ideas the creative minds at Nintendo could apply to a Mario game, twisting and contorting the template at every opportunity, all in the name of relentlessly entertaining gameplay. Even the harshest critics will struggle to find fault in its symphony of imagination, execution, and polish, while fans will cherish its brilliance for years to come as one of the very best games in history. Quite simply put, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the reason I still play videogames. And for that, it deserves the highest praise I can possibly bestow.
Click to expand...
I was reading this while listening to the guile theme.
gave me goosebumps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The History of Super Mario Sunshine | VideoGameDocs
Opinion Analysis Trailer
49
1K
Holammer replied
Super Mario Party Jamboree | Review Thread
Analysis Review
37
2K
EverydayBeast replied
Nintendo Q2 FY 24/25 Earnings Release: Hardware 2.62m LTD 146.04m. Zelda:EOW 2.58m
Sales-Age 2 3
137
5K
Hookshot replied
Nintendo subsidiary isn't laying off employees, despite rumours to the contrary
News
7
499
Musashipan replied
Mario & Luigi: Brothership | Review Thread
Analysis Review 2
80
5K
PendekarRajawali replied
Top Bottom