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Ever since the release of the N64, it was home to arguably the best 3D platformer, a place that Super Mario 64 has held for 11 years and has not been matched. With the release of Super Mario Galaxy, many expected that the time for a new king of platformers has come. Sadly, that is not the case.

Super Mario 64 in space

Although the Gamecube had its fair share of good games, Mario fans had to wait 11 years for a classical Super Mario 3D platformer game. The N64 game set up high standards, and Nintendo knew that when they were creating Super Mario Galaxy. Gone are all the mistakes they did with Super Mario Sunshine. No more tedious stain cleaning and boring nozzle hovering. It's back to the good old platform jumping, Goomba stomping and power up collecting that we all know and have come accustomed to.  It is quite obvious from the very start of the game that Miyamoto wanted to go back to the roots of the franchise.

Right off the bat it is obvious that the gameplay is much different due to the amazing gravity engine Nintendo has come up with. And by different I mean awesome. Super Mario Galaxy is clearly one of the most amazing gaming experiences to date. The Galaxies that Mario visits range from beaches to icebergs; and they all have the trademark Super Mario feel to them.  As usual the story follows the basic Mario formula but just like in the previous installments, the focus is on the gameplay rather than the story. Mario's moves haven't changed much since Super Mario Sunshine but this time Mario has the ability to transform via different suits, much like in Super Mario Bros. 3. It is also worth mentioning that this is the fire flower's first appearance in a 3D Mario game.

To top it off Mr. Mario has added sections to the game where the camera is fixated to the side and the gameplay changes to the old 2D Mario style, right down to the bottomless pits and warp pipes. Most of the traditional Mario enemies from the old games are back too, with some new additions.  All of that is tied together into the basic out-of-the-box-Mario story that has become the norm of Peach being kidnapped by Bowser and Mario venturing on a quest to save her.  The objectives in the levels are always fun and fresh, ranging from racing and obstacle courses to bunny chasing and boss fighting.

The bosses themselves are extremely well designed and just as fun as the levels. It is worth noting that although the game could be labeled as a "kid game", the difficulty level of the game is quite formidable.  More experienced players won't need more than 2-3 tries to master most of the gameplay, but for newer players the difficulty can sometimes pump up quite a bit, although it's never overwhelming and the learning curve seems to be just right. Add to all of that some support for 2 player semi co-operative play, and you have got an experience to remember.

Mario looks better than ever

The Nintendo Wii might be technically the weakest among the new generation consoles but one would not guess by looking at Mario Galaxy. It is without doubt the most stunning game on the system in terms of visuals and it's one of the rare games where the visuals actually go hand in hand with the gameplay to form an awesome gaming experience instead of just showing off the consoles graphic muscles.

The game designers stop at nothing to illustrate a very optimistic feel throughout the game and one cannot help but feel comfy and warm inside when roaming around the observatory or by reading the storybook, something that gives a sense of joy that rings from the game itself. Some of the sights when flying through space are jaw dropping and the shader effects leave nothing to wish for, as everything you could wish for in the game is already there. All of that runs smoothly without any hang-ups even during the most complex scenes. It is truly a work of art for the Nintendo Wii that not only breaks the standards for the console but also raises the bar.

And sounds like that too!

The soundtrack of Mario Galaxy is just another on the long list of things that elevate the title to being the best title on the Wii to date. Composed by the musical genius Koji Kondo, the orchestral tunes will adjust to the events on screen, speeding up as the tension increases and even adjusting to Mario's tempo during the gameplay. Famous old tunes are back, but there are a lot of new ones as well. The soundtrack of the game received numerous awards and is considered one of the best game soundtracks in 2007. However, like usual, there is no voice acting in the game, only the classical "aahh" and "Ooh" sounds that you get with most Nintendo games, and in particular, Mario games themselves. Whether or not that is a bad thing is questionable to the player and depends solely on personal preference and imagination.

Just like in Super Mario 64, players will be able to collect 120 stars throughout the game. With 6 colorful worlds to explore and loads of bonus levels, the fun is sure to last for quite some time. It would take over 30 hours to collect every single star and probably only half the time for completing the main quest. Add multiplayer to that and you have something to look forward to during the vacation.

But not everything is so shiny in Super Mario Galaxy. It is impossible to talk about this game without comparing it to the previous grand iteration, Super Mario 64, as the influence is more than obvious. While Super Mario 64 gave you huge levels to freely explore and look for your star objective, Mario Galaxy gives you linear levels with a straightforward path leading you to the star which you're looking for. The game even goes as far as changing the level structure and starting Mario at different spots within the level. However, the end result is pretty much the same - although the levels are vast and very much alive, it's pretty much a journey from point A to point B in order to get whatever star is required for the current level. Another issue is that the camera sometimes refuses to obey the player, and instead of being helpful, it rather shows an extremely bad overview of the situation - but this is so rare that it doesn't really fall into the weight.

When all is said and done, Super Mario Galaxy is a phenomenal platformer but despite all the effort, it simply can't top roaming through the gigantic castle and its courtyard, while exploring its secrets that were given in Super Mario 64. But it must be noted that it is extremely hard to compare these 2 games without bias simply because Super Mario 64 was the first true 3D platformer; it set standards, it was fresh, it was amazing and it had all the benefits of its headstart. Thus it is hard to do an objective comparison between the two titles. But none of that matters since Super Mario Galaxy is in the current generation and is a must play game for everyone who owns a Wii or has ever played any Mario game in the past. A definite must-buy.