As I recently played (and for the first time) Mario Galaxy 1, it's hard for me to consider it anything other than a kind of 'obese DLC' to a game that particularly amazed me. I can understand that the player of 2010 might have been disappointed to only have 'a sequel'. Its status in 2024 is a bit strange: while we can play the 1st on Switch, the 2nd is 'locked' on Wii. It's important to keep in mind that this game was probably designed around the use of Wii remotes and cannot be 'directly' ported to another console. The Mario Galaxy games are thus victims of the 'motion control' trend of their time. However, I found that the controls in these Mario games were truly exceptional, and going back to more limited controls (I'm currently playing 3D World) was experienced as a regression and simplification.

Mario Galaxy 2 therefore lacks the charm of the first time and is a game that relies on the achievements of the first while adding interesting mechanics. I would rather consider Galaxy 1 and 2 as a single, absolutely beautiful long game. The level design is incredible, the music is incredible, the graphics are incredible.

However, some levels in the 2nd are relatively tough in terms of difficulty. Having recently completed Mario Wonder almost in one go without real hitches, I appreciate that a Mario game offers a certain challenge even in its main missions. I find it unfortunate that a game places difficult levels as a kind of additional content that exists alongside the game. Obviously, this is justified on Nintendo's part, which aims to appeal to a very young and inexperienced audience. We'll never have access to this kind of statistic, but I'm willing to bet that a significant percentage of players at the time never finished Galaxy 2, unlike 3D World or Wonder.

There's no reason to miss out on this platformer. Personally, I bought the Wii (€15) + Galaxy 1 and 2 (€20) + an HDMI converter cable (€25, the most expensive investment) for a total of €60. No need to wait for a disappointing HD reissue.