There isn't another game generating more hype for Nintendo's new console than Super Mario Galaxy. The turtle-hopping plumber makes his return on Wii after an excruciating five-year hiatus, but it may end up being worth the wait. Getting hands-on time with Super Mario Galaxy in Nintendo's suite during E3, it easy to get excited about the game’s potential.
Super Mario Galaxy has you guiding Mario through the expanse of the galaxy to track down special stars, much like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Collecting stars involves tackling all kinds of intricate platform challenges and beating back a host of alien enemies. The core gameplay remains identical to past Mario games, with new features specifically taking advantage of the Wii Remote.
In the few minutes we had to play, it was remarkably easy to control Mario using both the Wii Remote and nunchuk. Movement is handled with the control stick, while jumping is done with the A button. Running and then jamming on the A button three times in succession triggers a triple jump. When near a vertical surface, Mario can wall jump by pressing A and tilting the control stick in the direction of the wall.
Controlling Mario is simple enough, but figuring out how to approach platform challenges and combat enemies on spherical planets can be tricky. You don't have to worry about falling off into space since gravity keeps Mario rooted to each planet's surface, but you will have to contend with being upside-down and sideways during the game. Super Mario Galaxy will be challenging in this respect. It was hard to navigate through a level due to the shifting perspective. Timing jumps while Mario is standing sideways on a planet's surface feels a bit awkward and is definitely going to require a bit of practice.
Combat will play a large role in Super Mario Galaxy, as it has in previous installments. Basic enemies can be taken out by hopping on their heads, while boss battles will require a bit more work. Wiggling the Wii Remote causes Mario to execute a spin attack, which is useful against enemies and breaking objects. You can also fire off mini-stars by pressing the B button and positioning a cursor on-screen via the Remote. Mini-stars won't kill enemies, they only stun them, and so you can quickly rush in and finish them. Interestingly enough, a second player can join in and actually control Mario's stock of mini-stars to stun enemies. While it isn't the same as having Luigi suit up for full cooperative play, at least it's something.
The level demoed at the show involved traveling to several planets in order to track down a star. The first part of the level involved locating little space bunnies hidden on the first planet. Once the game of hide-and-seek was over, Mario was catapulted to a second planet in order to collect pieces of a star ring. Star rings enable you to blast from planet-to-planet, essentially connecting multiple planets into entire levels. In some cases, you can bypass star rings and hook onto grapple points using the Wii Remote to move between planets.
Our time with Super Mario Galaxy was entirely too short. There wasn’t quite enough time to adjust to the planet-hopping gameplay; moreover, we didn't get to try out Mario's new bee costume that grants the ability to fly, as well as land on flowers not accessible while playing in his normal form. After exploring one level though, it’s easy to get excited by the mix of classic platform mechanics and new combat techniques utilizing the Wii Remote. Look for Super Mario Galaxy this November.
