Giant chore from start to finish. Whenever I wasn't thoroughly underwhelmed by the total lack of atmosphere, I was actively mad at the infuriating gameplay. The worst part of this game by far is the camera/dual screen implementation. Not only is there a huge gap between the two screens where you can't see anything, there is also screen crunch for some reason...on a game that was specifically made for the DS. I don't think I've ever been hit by something flying in unreactably from off screen in any other game this much. It is maddening. Sometimes it seems very intentional too, like the fake flower in the insanely long cave level (fucking terrible idea btw). Additionally, the visuals and particularly the soundtrack are really bad. Pretty much the only good looking assets in this game are ripped straight from Yoshi's Island on the SNES. The rest ranges from ehh to horrible (the "kangaroo", Bowser, the bull enemies). The music is bland and utterly unfitting. Just compare the cave or castle themes to those of SNES Yoshi's Island and you'll get exactly what I mean. So yeah...I'm just glad it's finally over.

The map is a bit small and it gets kinda monotonous after a while but I'd say this is a good learning tool for beginners. Especially features like the collocations you can find by flipping cards in your album are awesome. That being said, I've been learning Japanese for almost 5 months now, and there weren't really a lot of words I didn't already know. Also, the game only teaches you nouns, and only those broadly applicable in a city setting in Japan. I'd say play this after about one month of learning and you'll get the most out of it. Finally, apart from the educational aspect, the atmosphere is really cozy and I love the implementation of irasutoya art.

I adore the aesthetic and I think some parts of this game are really really creative and fun but as for the game itself...I just couldn't completely get into it. First of all, I don't really like how Yoshi feels all that much. It's a little slippery. Secondly, a lot of the level design was really frustrating and stressful, not being helped by the weird checkpoint placement. Enemies also sometimes fly straight in your face from off screen, which is quite annoying. Speaking of, getting hit in this game is insanely annoying. Not only does Baby Mario immediately start shouting the most ear-destroying horrible cry known to man (yes it IS as bad as everyone says), he also seems to always fly straight up to a point where Yoshi can't physically reach him. Unless there is an even more annoying spot (like immediately above lava or spikes), in which case he will of course make a beeline there instead. Maybe I'll like it more on an eventual replay, but for now, since giving it an average score would feel weird, I'll rate it "I liked it".

I don't really play Rashid so what I'm rating here is how fun the character seems from the combo trials, as well as the short arcade story. Rashid is extremely fun from what I've seen. His combos are tricky and technical, but feel very satisfying and natural. I love that you can just attach a Super Rashid Kick after some super long air juggle combos. The arcade story, however, is about as basic as it gets. He just kinda fights some people and streams it. Even the artwork is repetitive. It's almost entirely made up of Rashid staring directly at you. Compared to AKI's arcade, it feels almost cheap.

Had to write this for Uni so I might as well post it here:

Super Mario Galaxy is an action platform game developed and published by Nintendo on November 21st 2007 for the Nintendo Wii. As the third 3D entry in the long-running Super Mario franchise, the game was met with high expectations from the start. In the end, however, it turned out both a major commercial and critical success.

Galaxy’s main gameplay mechanics are gravity, and the unique ways Mario can interact with it. As the game is primarily set in space, much of its runtime is spent navigating around planetoids of various shapes and sizes. Not only does this result in interesting gameplay scenarios, some of which would be completely impossible in regular circumstances, it also makes players think outside the box about how to traverse the game’s world. Mario’s move set, which could otherwise be considered rather weak compared to previous games, is augmented by the new spin ability, allowing players to both attack and adjust their trajectory while in midair by simply shaking the controller. Super Mario Galaxy makes use of the Wii’s various unique gameplay capabilities, such as pointer- and motion controls. While some of the instances in which this occurs feel natural and unintrusive, others are gimmicky at best and annoying at worst. Luckily, none of these are mandatory and, as such, do not detract from the game’s other aspects, such as the story. Galaxy’s story follows the standard Mario formula. Princess Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser and Mario must save her. This time, however, he receives help from Rosalina, a mysterious woman with magical powers and a giant spaceship which also functions as the game’s hub world. Additionally, she is key to an optional area in which players can experience her back story in a visual-novel-esque form, a feature, which, during development, was famously snuck past Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who largely considers story in Mario games unnecessary, by the game’s director, Yoshiaki Koizumi. As for presentation, the game is rendered in roughly the same cartoonish, plasticky style as most Super Mario 3D renders even to this day, though some of the environments have a tinge of realism to them. Additionally, the music is fully orchestrated, majorly contributing to Galaxy’s grandiose atmosphere.

Having played Super Mario Galaxy’s original Wii version and its recent incarnation on the Nintendo Switch more times than I can count, I can confidently say that it is not only one of the best 3D platformers, but one of the best games I have ever experienced in my life. Few others have impacted me on such a fundamental level through a combination of gameplay and atmosphere, hence why I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

It doesn't have Z1's huge lives issue anymore and that goes a long way but man...this level design is horrendous. Half the time it's like they forgot what screen size they're working with. This game has SO many blind jumps. The train level is atrocious and absolutely unfun. It's just a straight line filled with enemies that just appear too fast to reasonably react to littered throughout. That being said, movement and combat are still fun. Overall it's not a big enough improvement to validate a higher score than the first game.