Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a delight. Having played the first game, I must say the first game is probably better. However, this sequel is extremely good as well. It seems as though all the good ideas that got cut from the original made it into the sequel. Actually, there are so many good ideas in Galaxy 2 that you might think there are still good ideas that could go into a third game.
Jumping is a little floaty (not as precise as 64), but level design is top notch. Secret stars are rewarding to find, though really, each star is it’s own reward. Compared to the first Super Mario Galaxy, it’s a bit harder to try to collect all 120 stars in the game. I ended up with about 71.
In the complaint department, the levels are short lived. Some levels (or “Galaxies”, as they’re called) only have one or two stars before it’s on to the next level. It would have been nice to see each galaxy have a bigger collection of stars, similar to Super Mario 64. Another complaint is that there are some segments that you’re going to be playing over and over, likely getting a Game Over screen. But those segments are fairly infrequent.
Despite these minor quibbles, it’s one of those games that you can’t put down until it’s over. Five stars, easily.
5/5
Blimps Go 180 