Pure Bliss 3.0

Before I played Galaxy 2, I only ever really played crappy licensed games on my PS2 for the most part. I was a young kid at the time so I couldn't really gauge if a game was actually good or not, I just got a game based on a show/movie I liked and that was that. That all changed one day when I was scrolling on YouTube and stumbled upon Super Mario Galaxy 2. I can't even remember what I saw since it's been so long, but I remember instantly thinking "I NEED to play this". This was right before we were going on a trip to Ocean City Maryland and I knew my dad's friend who was going on the trip with us, was bringing his Wii. I go to my local movie rental store which also had video games and rented it. The trip lasted a week and while I really should've been having a ton of fun on the beach, I instead couldn't get enough of Galaxy 2. I was addicted. I think I got up to like world 4 before I had to return the game and I had to part ways with the Wii. I also remember getting a gaming magazine that focused on Galaxy 2. I also distinctly remember a game called "Ivy the Kiwi" being a big focus in it too. God, I wish I still had that thing. I lost it ages ago and can't remember the name of the magazine, and I've tried to look it up online many times to no avail. Anyways, after the whole trip, me and my brother got a Wii and I got Galaxy 1 as you know. A bit after that I remember renting the game again and then eventually getting it for Christmas that year (I think).
I eventually did beat it, but not 100%. I never completed the game until the summer of 2015, I don't know why it took me five years but when I finally did it, I was absolutely ecstatic. This game means a whole lot to me as it not only got me into non-licensed games but it really kicked off my love for gaming as a whole.

So let's start with the biggest elephant in the room, this game's story. Yes it's very lame that they retconned the first game and that the story in general is way more lame in general compared to 1. This is my biggest criticism besides the game not being quite as atmospheric/spacey as 1. It is the reason I think I do like 1 more now, but it really isn't a deal breaker to me. I think there's enough fun dialogue throughout the game for it to still have an above average story for a mainline Mario game. Still, not nearly as good as 1's which yeah is a bit of a bummer.

However, I think the game more than makes up for this by being so much fun and more fun than 1. While 1 had plenty of good galaxies, I did think having several samey ones (the beach and bee galaxies) when there's only 15 full length galaxies was a bit of a downside. Galaxy 2 however did something different. Instead of having a mini galaxy here and there, and having your main galaxies be 6 stars, here the full length ones have 3. Now while there is a good reason they did this, this also led to the game having more sized galaxies that are way more plentiful. This along with the fact the level design is way more straight forward and faster paced, makes the game more fun than 1 I think. It's up to preference of course and I still love both games approach to level design.

Another reason this game is a blast to play is the addition of Yoshi. You wouldn't think he'd add so much to the levels but he does. He's in a good amount of the galaxies and also in them are powerups for Yoshi to use. These were also a great addition and just add that extra bit of fun to the game. I like them all but my favorite was definitely the dash pepper just because it's used in the best of ways. Alongside Yoshi and his powerups are new powerups for Mario. The drill and boulder mushroom were both cool but the cloud flower? Absolutely my favorite powerup in any Mario game. It not only just gives Mario a very pleasant design to look at, it let's you create a maximum of three temporary cloud platforms to use which is just so much fun. They clearly knew it was gonna be the fan favorite since it's used in a ton of galaxies.

While I definitely like 1's soundtrack more now, 2's is also still amazing. It's funny, while the game isn't as atmospheric as 1, it may have the most atmospheric song between both games lol. That would of course be Cosmic Cove Galaxy which is hands down my favorite song in the game, which is fitting since it's also my favorite galaxy in the game. Some other songs I love are Sky Station GalaxyYoshi Star GalaxyStarshine Beach Galaxy and Wild Glide Galaxy. The game doesn't have as moody of an ost, it's more upbeat than 1 but it still has some moody tracks and is still amazing like 1. A good example of a moody track actually and a shoutout to this one is Slimy Spring Galaxy. They did not need to give a short galaxy like this such an otherworldly and atmospheric track but they did. I never really appreciated this galaxy when I first played the game but nowadays, I actually really love it. Again, while 2 doesn't have the same level of atmosphere as 1, it really does still have its moments.

I had a bit of an issue with the prankster comets in 1, not being the biggest fan of them since there's only 5 types (and one of the types barely gets used). This game improves on them I think. Instead of appearing randomly like in 1, you have to get a comet medal in each galaxy for them to appear. Once they do, they will never leave so you don't have to worry about getting them to appear again like in 1. There's also a better variety of challenges this time. You still have your speedrun comets, your daredevil comets, your purple coin comets. However, the cosmic Mario races have been replaced with cosmic clone comets. You now have a different type of speedrun where you have to collect clocks that give you 10 seconds each. You have comets where you have to kill a bunch of enemies in a period of time. These changes/additions, plus the comets not being color-coded anymore so you don't know what you're going to get until you go into the galaxy, just make them much more fun than in 1.

Another thing Galaxy 2 did better than 1 is the extra 120 stars. In 1, to get all 242 stars you have to play the exact same stars as Luigi and then your reward is two extra purple coin stars that I just never found good. In 2, you have 120 green stars to find. A lot of people don't like the addition of these and I never understood why. Sure you can say it's filler but they are brand new stars and they're usually placed in fun creative ways. They act as a sort of scavenger hunt for you to find and you can use the sound they make as a sign you're close to one. Sure, they're not quite as fun to get once you replay the game and know their locations. But a bunch of them still require more advanced techniques to get like triple jumps and stuff so I never found it tiresome to get them all even on this replay. And the reward you get is a fun challenging galaxy that blow's Galaxy 1's reward out of the water. Overall, I think it's a very good postgame and well worth doing it just for the Grandmaster Galaxy.

Just a couple of little changes I noticed between both games. The first is one I noticed all the way back in 2010 when I played both games. When you spin into a launch star in 1, there's like a little couple second delay until it activates. 2 fixes this issue and let's you activate it right away which is super nice. Something I noticed on this new playthrough is unlike 1, 2 doesn't let you spam the spin underwater. I don't know why I never notice this until now lol. I also think the automatic saving instead of giving you a prompt asking you to save is a nice addition in 2.

I love both Galaxy 1 and 2 so much, it really is hard to decide which I love more. While at this point, I'm sticking with 1, it really does flipflop back and forth a bunch for me. Chalk it up to me playing 2 before 1 maybe? Idk if I'd feel the same way if I played it way after 1 or something. Either way, I still feel the same way as I did with my 2022 replays. Play 1 for the much better story, better atmosphere and better OST. Play 2 for the better polished, all around more fun experience. The real answer though is to play both as they're both fantastic games.

Also my top 5 Galaxies now are Cosmic Cove Galaxy, Starshine Beach Galaxy, Slipsand Galaxy, Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, and Throwback Galaxy...among many others, there's just too many good ones in this game!

Pure bliss 2.0

In all seriousness, this game is a masterpiece just like the 1st game. Halfway into it I honestly felt the same way with 1 except the opposite, I missed the atmospheric levels, the grand story and the tear-jerking storybook. 2, while missing those elements, exceeds 1 in gameplay and level design. There are new galaxy concepts and mechanics constantly thrown at you. Never a dull moment with the variety of galaxies. The green stars are also super cool too as they act like a sort of treasure hunt. They weren't tedious tbh, they're pretty quick to get and fun at that.

The game also has a nice challenge, definitely more challenging than the first game. Funnily enough, the "hardest" star, the perfect run, only took me 6 attempts. I died to some of the green stars more lol.

Still a blast to play and still my favorite /2nd favorite game ever... sometimes it flip flops between this and galaxy 1 tbh.

Edit: rn I think 1 is my favorite actually.

Play 1 for the better ost, more atmospheric galaxies and better story

Play 2 for the better level design, large variety of level concepts and the more fun experience.

Hard to choose as both are just too good

Also my top 5 galaxies were :Cosmic Cove, Starshine beach, Shiverburn, Fluffy Bluff and maybe Tree Trunk. So many to choose from though but I'd say these are my favorites.

Now, let me tell you a story that ALSO begins with stardust...

If I had a nickel for every time a Nintendo developed game that originally was planned as a mere expansion or remix of a past game but ended up becoming a complete sequel, I'd had two nickels... which it isn't a lot, but this joke is tired and I lack originality and humor.

The discussion around Super Mario Galaxy 2 has always centered around one simple and obvious question: How does it compare to its predecessor? And I mean, it’s pretty clear why that is; never mind the fact that it’s a constant in any given series, including 3D Mario as a whole, but this is the only game to be a direct follow-up to a past game and setting, one of Super Mario Galaxy at that! Tho it’s worth saying that, even back then, a lot of people saw the more simplistic level design of Galaxy as a huge drawback for it, and the more in depth level-design of Galaxy 2 is seen as a blessing, and is the favorite of many out of the two on that reason alone. Still, there’s a great amount of people that keep seeing the first one as the superior game, and the main reason most we will give when explaining why tends to be the same, that being that Galaxy 2 lacks… THE SOUL.

The important thing I wanted to get out of this clusterfuck of ideas is that, personally, rather than asking the aforementioned question regarding Galaxy 2, I have my own question: … what even is this game? That is the query I had stuck in the back on my mind while playing, and to be honest, I don’t think I have a very fulfilling answer. You probably are thinking ‘’Deemon, you absolute mindless ameba, what are you even on about this time, this is a sequel to Galaxy, it has a two on the fucking box and it shares the same gameplay basis, you brain-dead donkey’’ and you’d be technically correct (tho it would be a really mean way to say it :( ), but… is it tho? Galaxy 2 was conceived more as an expansion than anything more, just a bunch of new levels using the pre-existing foundation established by Mario’s first space adventure, and it just so happened that it ended up getting so big that it justified turning into a full-blown game. And yes, Galaxy 2 does very much expect you to have played the previous game, a clear example is how the first boss of the game is both a call back to the first boss in Galaxy 1 and has a ton of parallel to the Bowser fights in those games, and the challenge is considerably higher in certain levels and bosses (even if the overall game is still pretty easy), but at the same time, this game very much seems like a different take on this same idea rather than a continuation. I think the story is a perfect reflection of what I mean by this: it acts as if the first voyage never really happened, the opening is leagues more light-hearted and even a little goofy, and until the very ending, the whole adventure lacks a sense of continuity, and in fact I’m pretty confident saying that this game references directly Super Mario 64 almost as much as it does for the previous game. This might seem unimportant or even petty to complain about, but I really think that is this contradiction what makes this game fail where Galaxy 1 went above and beyond; by wanting to craft an experience that any new player can pick up and enjoy without having even touched the previous adventure, but also wanting to make an experience that expands upon what said game proposed mechanically and making it more focused on gameplay for the older players, you get a pretty confused game that never seems to ever reach the same levels of wonder that it once did.

I mentioned before that some players argue that it lacks THE SOUL, but I don’t really agree with that notion. This game still has a ton of THE SOUL, it has an almost palpable personality, and each of the environments still feels distinct and full of life; the same passion on crafting a beautifully grandiose and silent and fun experience was put into this game, but it seems muffled: the soundtrack, while still fantastic, is a bit weaker and, dare I say it, more repetitive than the original, and I would have preferred it if it had more calm and quiet pieces; the main hub just doesn’t work for me, it’s interesting and pretty goofy, but you don’t get the same feeling of progression you got with the Comet Observatory, things and characters pop up without affecting the ship itself that much, and makes it so that I feel less invested on a space-ship that has the face of the main character plastered onto it; I also found hard to get really invested in some levels, especially when beginning the game, I just felt as if I was going by the motions, and the galaxies just felt like obstacle courses with random sky backgrounds rather than real places, like galaxies like Honeyhive Galaxy felt…

This things that made the original so special just aren’t like they once were anymore, there are attempts to re-capture that same magic, but most fall pretty flat; it’s clear that the game had its priorities and that plus the predicament it put itself in stopped it from re-capturing that magic this world once evoked. So… I’ve been actually surprisingly negative so far, so much in fact I have yet to say one single fully positive thing about Galaxy 2. Nothing of this of course destroys the game or anything like that, but it does move it into the realm of the more average platformer, kinda like the New series or 3D Land do… So like, what thing I have to say about this game that’s completely and utterly positive, if there even is?...







ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING FUCKING ELSE!

When I said that Galaxy 2 tumbled on what Galaxy did the best, I kinda forgot to say that sequel just kinda puts to shame its past iteration where this one kind of didn’t hit the mark; as I said, Galaxy 2 does not hit the same levels of wonder, but it does surpass every sense of fun and excitement in the moment to moment gameplay in a way Galaxy just couldn’t consistently do. Every galaxy, every star, every side challenge it’s just so well designed, so fun to play and go through, the more limited move-set of Mario (at least compared to previous 3D games) thrives in these levels and it’s just so fun to beat them both by normal methods or discovering its secrets and thing outside the box. The power-ups, OH DON’T GET ME STARTED IN THE POWER-UPS. Some, like the Fire Flower and the Bee Mushroom, return from the first game, but the new ones like the Drill, the Rock Mushroom and specially the Cloud Flower are probably the best additions Mario has ever seen to its arsenal; they all used to their fullest potential and every chance you get at using them is a treat; the drill complements the sphere shape of the planets like butter, the rock power-up adds a ton of fun destructive chaos that is highly appreciated, and cloud flower opens up the space of possibilities like never before; even if this may be the most linear out of the full-blown 3D Marios, it sure doesn’t feel like it while you play it. There’s also the side secret moons and the speedy comets, and while they are nothing that will blow your mind, the former are always a fun little distraction to discover while you discover the seemingly never ending waves of creative level-design, and the latter have seen a huge upgrade compared to their last appearance; they are now much more stream-lined and faster to complete, and I actually really wanted to beat as many of them as I could, and plus, the Comet Medals, while mostly easy to get, are a nice thing to grab and a fantastic way to incentivize 100% competition. The bosses are all just bangers; they defy the simplistic nature of the bosses from Galaxy, where they never really strayed off the simple routine of shaking the wii-mote at the right time or pointing at the right stuff, and here begin to introduce power-ups, more complex patterns and really aggressive movement; all of the Bowser Jr. fights are pure gold and a ton of fun, every time the little guy was involved in something, you can be certain a fantastic fight is coming up. Oh, I forgot, we also see Yoshi coming back to 3D and OH MY GOD I LOVE HIM. The funny dino is super fun to play around with, mastering its movement and the brand-new power-ups he can use it’s the most fun I’ve ever had controlling him, and it kinda makes me wish for a fully focused Yoshi 3D platformer, because if it were to be good as this, HOLLY FUCKING HELL.

Every single addition to the gameplay, every single new mechanic, every new idea, it all feels like it could be divided in at least another 2 sequels, but no, it’s all here, and it’s so, so fun. This is still Galaxy, and while I don’t still necessarily consider Galaxy 2 better than its pre-quel, it is a fantastic game on its own merits, ‘cause yes, this game it’s its own thing as much as it is a sequel. It’s impossible to only look it through only one of those lenses, and even tho it’s important to now where thos one faults where Galaxy shined so brightly, is equally as essential to know and remember that what this game has an objective: to be a joy to play, to be surprising, to be constantly a treat.

This is the first 3D platformer I ever played, even before the first game of the series, and even if I never finished, I had an indescribable amount of fun with it, and now, coming back to it so many years later and having experienced almost all of Mario’s 3D catalogue, the fact I felt the same fun and enthusiasm speaks volumes. It’s a tale that also begins with stardust, but the journey it’s so wonderfully different…

Veredito: Divertido pra caralho. Por quê? Porque sim.

Como todo mundo que começou a jogar videogame muito criança, na época eu não ligava pra game design: arquitetura das fases, ritmo do jogo, variedade de inimigos, isso tudo fui aprender já adulto. Eu não tinha necessidade de explicar por que gostava de jogar. Eu gostava porque gostava, oras. Gostava porque me divertia.

Não que seja ruim entender por que um jogo é bom. Eu adoro esse conhecimento, e adoro falar sobre jogos com todos os detalhes. E gosto de outras coisas além de diversão: da história, da dificuldade e sentimento de superação, do envolvimento emocional.

Mas Mario sempre vai ser uma volta à minha infância. Ao sentimento de que estou jogando videogame na sua forma mais pura, na sua essência, que me fisgou quando eu tinha 4 anos. Com Mario eu fico só com a diversão. Fico só com aquela alegria que sentia quando era criança, a alegria pura e simples de jogar um jogo porque... porque sim, oras. Porque ele é gostoso de se jogar e só por isso.

Eu não preciso de outros motivos.

First things first; I love this game. There really isn’t a mainline Mario I don’t have a great amount of affection for. But something’s missing here, compared to its predecessor.

Super Mario Galaxy is amazing. You all know it. Mario’s first adventure through space is universally (get it) adored, so in making a sequel (originally supposed to be dlc basically) there’s some pretty damn big expectations to live up to. Streamlining is the name of the game here, and Galaxy 2 sure does it, with all the good and bad that comes with it. The levels themselves have some of the best linear platforming that’s ever come out of Mario, and that seems to be enough for a lot of people, more power to ‘em. But again, the streamlining got rid of something I hold in high regard in the first game. Compared to the original, it doesn’t feel nearly as gorgeous or epic, in general less atmospheric. Starry Skies skyboxes are much less frequent, replaced with blue skies with white clouds. There are less beautiful orchestral pieces, replaced with… what feels like just plain orchestral Mario music (and sometimes just is, see Hightail Falls, Haunty Halls, the slide theme, etc.). This change in music is strongly reflected on the games title screens, giving off entirely different feelings, Galaxy 1’s being a feeling of drifting in space, looking at the beauty of the twinkling stars around you, while Galaxy 2’s is much more peppy and cheery, and feels more like a more generic “start to a Mario adventure” song. Sure, Galaxy 1 doesn’t keep this up the entire time, for example Toy Time Galaxy is an extremely silly level, but not much in Galaxy 2 compares to the feeling that levels like Space Junk Galaxy’s music and visual atmosphere together create.

Story took a hit as well, although it's not either game’s strong suit. Rosalina’s story book was a genuine surprise for so many, due to being a very emotional look into a character's backstory (pretty damn rare for a mario game, if you somehow didn’t know that). That’s why when Rosalina was basically ignored in Galaxy 2 in favor of Lubba, a character without much depth at all, it feels like something was taken. Speaking of these two support figures, the hub worlds they reside in also reflect what’s missing. I barely need to talk about The Comet Observatory hopefully, its music and scale perfectly describe itself (in addition I just genuinely have no idea how to talk about it because it’s a game location that means tons to me). In contrast, Starship Mario, while serving its function outside of being a gateway to the world map, doesn’t have much to offer outside of discussion with some NPC’s. It’s also simply a floating Mario head, which really just further cements how much more “Mario-like” Galaxy 2 is. (in addition having a mario head that doesn’t ask if it can have my computer is a sin)

This isn’t to say Galaxy 2 doesn’t have its atmospheric moments however, which I feel like really shine through in Cosmic Cove Galaxy (honorable mention to Slimy Spring, which I only didn’t choose because I have less to say about it). Cosmic Cove is my favorite level in Galaxy 2 because of its strong atmosphere, the music has made me tear up even while listening to it while writing this, the beautiful aurora-like sky, it’s gorgeous aquatic environment that even when frozen later I love skating over, and the couple penguins that live there as well making it feel like it has a native population. There are other music tracks as well that show that Galaxy 1 epicness in them as well, take Melty Monster as an example. It's intense, and perfectly builds up to a truly very grand musical climax. These examples and other moments within Galaxy 2 show that if they wanted, they could have kept that epic feel that Galaxy 1 captured so elegantly.

Galaxy 2 took what Galaxy 1 did and streamlined every part of it, the platforming and levels benefitting from it while the atmosphere of the game is harshly damaged. So in the end, is this trade-off worth it? It’s up to you to decide, of course, but personally? I don’t think so.

The best adventure through the stars!

To this day this game remains as my favorite Super Mario game. This game has way more to do with all new challenges. I love that Yoshi can now back us up in this game. Much like the first I absolutely love the setting of going through space. And the graphics look like a brand new modern day game that just released. The story in my opinion wasn’t as interesting as the first though.

While it’s not likely to happen, I hope there’s an SMG3 in the future. As of right now I can only imagine how that would turn out.

One of the best Mario games, easily. This game is fantastic, but just falls short of the original for me. While the levels are still very creative and having Yoshi is great, it doesn't capture the same atmosphere the original had, and also I really don't like the world map. Why are galaxies divided into "Worlds"? Other than those two issues, this game is absolutely fantastic with an amazing OST and levels. One thing I think Galaxy 2 does better than its predecessor, is that the post game is way better in this game. I can understand why many like Galaxy 2 more than Galaxy, but I just can't agree. Both are great though.

In my opinion this is one of the greatest Mario games ever made, from the level design to the soundtrack to the graphics, basically everything about this game is amazing. Its such a unique game and is so different from what Mario games usually are.

It has similarities to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, with you having to get a star in the end, or some other goal like that, so the fundamental gameplay is still there.

This game adds just so much and yet it still feels like a Mario game despite feeling like its another game entirely. The powerups and bosses are also both awesome and are some of my favorite parts of the game.

my favorite game of all time. So fun and playable. Start me on this game and i'll play for hours and hours on end without stop. I never get tired of it. I think it is a massive improvement from the first one, but that could be because im more into linear gameplay rather than exploration. everything here is so smooth and wonderful, i have every galaxy pretty much memorized at this point. ive heard some complain that the green stars are kinda an underwhelming unwarranted extension of the game, but i love them. you have the main game and then this awesome collect a thon that makes you really have to think outside of the box and explore the levels in such odd ways. i really love this game so much, the music and art and gameplay fill me with this sense of joy that is just unmatched.

Super Mario Galaxy 2, you are full fair, 'tis true, but Super Mario Galaxy fairer is than you.

SMG2 is a betrayal of what was dared and greatly done in the masterpiece that is SMG. It is as shallow as it is deceitful. SMG2 takes the heartwarming plot of SMG, the relationships Mario has formed with Rosalina and the Lumas, the rebirth of the universe, tosses it in the toilet and flushes it, because Shigeru Miyamoto foolishly thinks Mario or Zelda games have no need for stories.

Granted, its refined gameplay is an improvement on what SMG created, but it also lacks the love of experimentation and it consequently went the safe way. Super Mario Galaxy 2 got rid off the hub world, levels that had a more explorative and atmospheric theme, Ice Mario and Flying Mario.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a very good game, but Super Mario Galaxy is a thousand times better.

I couldn't quite figure out why Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn't stick out as fondly or as solidly in my brain the way the first Galaxy does. On paper, it feels like it should be better. It's the first direct sequel Nintendo has ever done for a 3D Mario and it improves upon many things from the first Galaxy. Yet despite the improvements, it still doesn't have the same charm or joy that the first game has and ultimately ends up feeling more like DLC that they made into a standalone game.

That said, it's still a really solid 3D Mario that feels great to play and has some fun levels, fantastic visual design, another banging soundtrack, and of course the best feature of all - my beautiful boy, Yoshi.

Nintendo's other magnum opus.

This was the first game I (my parents) ever preordered because I was so insanely excited for this game, watching the trailer every day and getting so excited to play a second Mario Galaxy game, and it paid off. I thought this was the best game ever when it came out. So many fun memories. As a kid I always preferred this over Galaxy 1, but now they’re kind of equal.

Anyway, I never understood the criticisms of this being more of the same as Galaxy 1. This game has a much different tone and wayyyy different level design. There is not a dull moment in this game, every single level has it's own gimmick which is crazy, there are so many fun ideas and variety in Mario Galaxy 2. The music, levels, and bosses are just as great as the first game. This is probably the most consistent and quality sequel ever.

two steps forward but one step back. super mario galaxy 2 is, with gameplay, level design, and overall package execution in mind, definitively better than the first galaxy title.

the sense of progression between worlds is more palpable with the overall difficulty scaling a great deal more justified. comet medals and green stars are interesting collectables that validate galaxy 2's lengthy post-game and road to completion in a way not quite on 64's level, but certainly a much-needed improvement over sunshine and galaxy's. the roster of power-ups is similar to galaxy 1's, but the brilliant and tragically sole introduction of the cloud flower is perhaps one of the series' most genius inventions of the 3d era. the post-final boss galaxies are on average pretty stellar with some true series standouts the closer and closer to completion you get. on some level, this game really does come close to the most refined 3d experience the series may've had to offer.

but it's far from perfect.

motion controls continue to plague the experience and if my return to galaxy 1 served as a wake-up call for how jank the level design and physics of that title could be, galaxy 2 showed me that the yoshi-centric gameplay wasn't nearly as tight as i recall, and frankly, i think a lot of it sucks. it feels like motion controls had an even deeper presence in the sequel than in the original, and never to a point where i thought the game wouldn't work with out them.

the hub world is soulless, vapid and uninspired - and while i can applaud galaxy 2 for at least being consistent in its identity, it doesn't really have much in the way of it. the ambition galaxy 1 pretended to have was plenty more invigorating than anything lubba had to say or do. if galaxy 1 showed me a nintendo too afraid to be risky but still dropping hints of it in the game, galaxy 2 is a nintendo not even attempting but creating something at least consistent with itself.

so that's why my score about equals out between the two, they're both pretty solid 3d platformers with varying amounts of identity - or at least tiny shots at them - and controls that don't exactly match up to those of their n64 predecessor. let alone the magic. still, really quite good games i'd recommend to most people.

A Masterpiece of a game imo, everything is what I look for in the platformer besides the simplistic story & some horrible motion control gameplay present but I couldn't care less.

The challenge is not too hard nor too easy like the original game was imo, levels are fun, fast-paced and filled with new, original and interesting game mechanics through each level while also revisiting a few themes from the original game and making it the definitive version of it through the harder challenge and the presentation is godly, 480p does not make this game more beautiful than it is, the music is amazing and filled with love & passion throughout every track.

Overall this is a peak platformer and one of my favourite games of all time, go play it any way you can even use [REDACTED]

Like the first game, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was something that I played a lot of as a kid, but never actually completed, and so it was one of my most anticipated games to come back to during the summer. After a lot of complications and trial and error involving trying to hack my Wii, I briefly considered buying an entirely new console just to hack that and go back to the games I had saved on a hard drive, but I eventually caved in and decided to run the game on Dolphin (after a bit of button mapping, of course). Right when I first booted the game up a few days ago, the memories came flooding back to me, but even without the nostalgia, I still had an absolute blast with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Ever since this game came out, pretty much everyone has been torn as to whether the first Super Mario Galaxy game was better than the second one, and while I wasn't sure about where I stood on the debate at first (especially considering how much I love both of these games), I think I might prefer the latter game. While the original game had a better hub world and a stronger emotional core thanks to Rosalina's gradually unlocked backstory (along with Rosalina herself being a more interesting companion than Lubba), Super Mario Galaxy 2 was more fun and interesting to play, as everything that made the original game so exciting and new was refined here. Rather than recontexualizing one level through multiple stars, Super Mario Galaxy 2 instead has practically every main star be its own level, with the mechanics and bosses of each one feeling more unique and creative as a result. The powerups were also much more well utilized here, as not only did most of the powerups from the first game return here (with the unfortunate exception of the Ice Flower and the Red Star), but the new ones felt a lot more dynamic to use, with the Cloud Flower being applied in especially fun ways. Bringing Yoshi back for this game was also a great addition thanks to his double jump and tongue abilities working alongside the gravity-defying levels, and his three powerups were especially fun to toy around with. Seeing characters from earlier on in the game show up in different galaxies was also an interesting idea, as completing challenges for the Chimp or different Gearmos was fun in its own right while also giving me a good reason to revisit these levels. Generally speaking, I felt that the level design in Super Mario Galaxy 2 were a bit more challenging than in its predecessor (and that especially applies to the Prankster Comets), but the emphasis on platforming challenges and getting a grip on Mario's movement meant that none of my deaths felt cheap.

Despite how old the Wii's hardware was by this point (even if you don't take the Wii itself basically being an upgraded GameCube into account), I'd say that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was not only one of the best looking games on the system, but also of its year, as the vibrant colors and beautiful artstyle made the game a joy to look at while also breathing tons of life into its eccentric side characters and varied locales. The orchestral score that Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota created for Super Mario Galaxy was arguably the best score of the entire Mario franchise, and while I'm not sure if their work on Super Mario Galaxy 2 exceeded it, I'd definitely put them as equals. If there was one complaint that I had about Super Mario Galaxy 2, it would be the fact that they decided to bring back some of the less fun elements from the first game, as I wasn't a fan of the Spring Mushroom or the dreaded ball level the first time around and I especially didn't like them when they came back. Even with that in mind, though, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was still a superb game that improved on the structure of its predecessor while still retaining its sense of awe and magic, and while neither of them are totally perfect, both of these games still hold a very special place in my heart thanks to how many hours I had spent on them as a kid.

In theory, this should be my favorite Mario game. I've poured in thousands upon thousands of hours over the course of a decade mastering this game, speedrunning it, and exploring its limits. I own six separate copies of this game in various languages and systems. Indeed, the reason why I've spent so much time on this game is that its level design is some of the greatest stuff Nintendo has ever made. Yoshi is such a versatile and broken asset to the game, the platforming is complex and vibrant, and all stars excite me. It really is a perfect add-on to SMG1, as it originally intended to be. The reason why I can't bring myself to give this game a perfect score is that instead of marketing this game as a sort of 'lost levels' or addon to Super Mario Galaxy, they slapped in a lazy story that feels lacking, unfinished and lacks vision. The whole story of this game is filler. Did they do it to boost sales? So they could more comfortably shelve it alongside other mainline Mario games? It feels slightly disingenuous. Either way, it's not a big complaint. This is a sublime game and I've had an outrageous amount of fun with it se a child, a teenager and a young adult. I truly hope they re-release this on the Switch, someday.