Review by: Danielle Riendeau

The finest (and certainly the most fiendish), platformer-designing minds on this humble planet belong to Nintendo. The A-Team at the big N has pulled out the stops in creating their latest major release, Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to what was one of the very best and most innovative action games around. The humble “hop and bop” style of gameplay is elevated to a high art in the gravity defying Galaxy series, and this installment brings the bustling creativity a step further, with astoundingly well-crafted worlds, funky new power-ups, and a dramatically increased challenge level.

If you played the first of Mario’s space operas, you’ll feel at home right away. After a little bit of story nonsense (Bowser kidnapped the princess again, what else is new), you’re given free reign over Mario on his hilariously shaped “Starship Mario” and allowed to plunge into the galaxies. Once you’re in, you’ll guide the nimble plumber through bizarre “galaxies” of obstacles – you’ll run, jump, collect coins, stomp on bad guys, leap from platform to platform, fly, swim and beat up massive bosses, all across a truly impressive variety of territory.

Each galaxy (level) has its own look and feel. Far from copying the usual “ice world, water world, desert world” formula, many of the areas mix familiar elements in funky ways – and plenty of old-school Mario series homage’s are packed in as well. You’ll be humming familiar tunes and just about squealing with fanboy/fangirl delight when you first get to hop on Yoshi and tear up the tracks, Mario World-style.

That’s right – everyone’s favorite inexplicably adorable dinosaur is present, and he’s a real trip. Even better, he has his very own power-ups, which his stages are expertly designed around. There’s a spicy pepper that turns your pal into a speeding green blur, a light bulb fruit that helps you navigate darkened passages, and a blimp fruit that turns your dino into a temporary hot air balloon.

Even better are Mario’s new ‘shrooms, which turn the plumber into a ball of rolling death and destruction (Rock Mario), a fireball-hurling menace (the fire flower), an adorable cloud-creator (Cloud Mario), a spring-loaded jumper (Spring Mario), and a ghastly apparition (Ghost Mario mushrooms are rare, but they allows you to float through certain platforms/walls). Bee Mario returns, as does the rainbow invincibility star of yore.

The biggest departure from Galaxy is in the stage progression and difficulty level. Throwing out the first title’s more free-form approach to exploring and selecting the next world to jump into, you’re now given a New Super Mario Bros. Wii-style map on which to navigate. The stricter progression requirements and fewer immediate choices make for a more linear game overall.