Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Hes back, and he has some new moves. You should all know the plumber in red, who go out of his way to save the Princess. This time his latest rescue mission leads him into the cold reaches of space.

Story:
The story is what many has came to expect from Mario. Princess Peach gets captured by bowser, and Mario goes off to save her. Mario is given a Luma which allows him to spin and breath in space. You will be taken from planet to planet in hopes of collecting the power stars.

Controls:
The controls for the game is pretty good. You use the Nunchuk/remote combo. The analog stick moves Mario, while the A button lets him jump. You also use the B button to shoot starbits (small crystals which you collect), Z to duck, and a quick side swipe of the remote to spin. I'm not going to lie, it takes some getting used to, but they are very easy to learn.

Music:
Do you remember Super Mario 3? If you do then prepare for a huge flood of memories in each level. The music in this game is pretty much redone SMB3 music. Everything from the Battle ship theme, to the Swimming music is here. It brings the levels together nicely.

Gameplay:
Your main goal is to retrieve the power stars, and the mighty grand stars from Koopa and several other creatures. The game is divided into galaxies. Don't let that word fool you, each level is pretty small. In each galaxy there are around 5-6 stars there. There are a total of 120 stars in the game for Mario to collect. During your travels in these galaxies, you will need to make great use of your jumping powers. Of course only jumping won't save you. You must learn to make use of your starbits, using them to stun, and to gain lives. Also on occasion you shall find a special suit, which allows Mario to do several different things.

Bee Mario - able to climb Honeycomb walls, and fly. Unable to do special jumps.
Boo Mario - able to float, and go through grates and other things.
Fire Mario -able to shoot fire balls for a limited time.
Ice Mario - Able to freeze water, allowing for easier travel.


Overall:
I liked the game, although I can't help but feel it is a bit overrated. The music is a nice touch, but there is a lot lacking from the levels. The levels feel linear and too small. They are not as open as the levels in both Sunshine and 64.

Overall I would rate this game 7/10. Fun, but the linear gameplay gets tiresome.