Super Mario Galaxy

Being a dye-in-the-wool Nintendo fan, I have always enjoyed the new Mario titles that seem to be the stalwart of the franchise. I spent way too many hours of my life playing the original Super Mario Bros. (plus sequels), as well as Super Mario World for the SNES. Then, as with most people, Super Mario '64 absolutely blew me away with its 3-D graphic interface. However, I was disappointed in the Gamecube effort Super Mario Sunshine, which just didn't seem to have the right "Mario feel" to it. Super Mario Galaxy, however, brought me back into the Mario "universe" (excuse the pun) big time!

The controls and premise of this game hearkens back to the revolutionary Mario '64, in which players must collect stars (or, in this case, star creatures) in a variety of different ways. The graphics are pristine, the cut scenes are fun, and the controls are easy to pick up and play.

Though panned as being a "kids game", Mario Galaxy offers something for both the beginning and advanced gamers. By collecting 70 of the 120 total stars (a task that is by no means impossible), Bowser can be defeated and effectively "end" the game. However, more advanced games can shoot for the full 120 stars and see the "true" ending.

Overall, this game is another success in the long line of the Mario franchise. After mixed reviews for Mario Sunshine, Nintendo went back to the basics in this game and created a masterpiece. I'm looking forward to the next installment (rumored to be a sequel to this game?!)