Jump to content

Super Mario Galaxy: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox VG
{{Infobox VG
|title=Super Mario Galaxy, the great beyond
|title=Super Mario Galaxy
|image=[[Image:Smgboxartwii.jpg|256px]]
|image=[[Image:Smgboxartwii.jpg|256px]]
|developer=[[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development|Nintendo EAD Tokyo]]
|developer=[[Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development|Nintendo EAD Tokyo]]

Revision as of 01:37, 18 December 2007

Super Mario Galaxy
File:Smgboxartwii.jpg
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Takao Shimizu
Yoshiaki Koizumi
SeriesSuper Mario series
Platform(s)Wii
Release



Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D action-platform game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer in the series after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. The game follows Mario on his quest through space to save Princess Peach from his arch-nemesis Bowser. Levels take the form of galaxies filled with planetoids, while gameplay is updated with a variety of gravity effects and new power-ups.

The game was first shown at E3 in 2006 and enjoyed a high level of pre-release awareness. The game has received extremely positive reviews from the gaming press.

Gameplay

File:Mg planetoid.jpg
Mario running around a spherical planetoid

Most of the game is set in outer space along a vast chain of planetoids and other space matter, though many levels such as the Beach Bowl Galaxy and Honeyhive Galaxy consist of larger areas to explore.

Mario is capable of jumping or launching from planet to planet in order to gather items and defeat enemies. Each planet has a gravitational force, which allows the player to circumnavigate rounded objects, walking sideways or upside down. Mario can transform into Fire Mario, Ice Mario, Bee Mario, Boo Mario, Spring Mario, Flying Mario, and Rainbow Mario. Like previous 3D Mario games, the main objective is to collect Stars, which are awarded by completing tasks or defeating enemies. The game's central hub is the Comet Observatory, which is divided into six themed areas: the Terrace, Fountain, Kitchen, Bedroom, Engine Room, and Garden. Distributed among these six worlds are 70galaxies, or levels, with 1 to 7 stars each.[1] Obtaining these stars allows the player to unlock more in each themed galaxy. Completing the game with 120 stars unlocks Luigi as a playable character. He can jump higher than Mario but has less traction and uses up air when spinning underwater. There are a total of 363 stars in the game, with the 121st star only available after collecting 120 with Mario and Luigi.After, wario is unlocked, and you can beat it with him.

File:Supermariogalaxydemo1.JPG
Mario traveling from one planetoid to another

Mario has a range of jumping abilities, including his trademark triple jump and wall kick, and moves that were absent in Super Mario Sunshine, like the long jump. He can also perform flips by immediately turning and jumping, and do a ground-pound move to smash breakable objects or enemies below. Mario's melee move is a spin, executed by shaking the Wii Remote or Nunchuk, which allows him to stun enemies, break objects, generate a burst of speed while swimming, add additional height to the peak of a jump, throw shells, and activate Launch Stars and Sling Stars that shoot him through open space. The Wii Remote's motion sensing is used to 'steer' a manta ray and balance on a rolling ball. The pointer allows the player to direct wind when riding a bubble, activate Pull Stars that pull Mario to planets, and collect, aim, and fire Star Bits.

As in every 3D Mario game, Mario's health consists of a power meter, which can be restored by collecting coins, but when it reaches zero, Mario loses a life. Mario begins with a power meter made of three sections, but when players collect a Super Mushroom, his meter is expanded by three to a maximum of six health bars. However, this power-up is not permanent, since causing it to drop to 3 will revert the maximum to 3. Mario also has a second and separate health meter that designates his air supply when swimming underwater; if it is empty Mario will quickly lose parts of his power meter. The bottomless pits featured in previous Mario games that cost Mario a life when fallen in have been replaced by black holes, which are stationed beneath the surfaces of certain planets and spread throughout space (though sometimes when Mario is outside of the gravitational pull of a planet, he will fall in traditional fashion).

Environmental mechanics

New gameplay mechanics include Gravity Arrows, which make Mario gravitate in the direction that these arrows point, and Star Bits, which can be grabbed simply by moving the cursor over them.[2] For every 50 Star Bits he collects, Mario will be rewarded with an extra life, similar to how collecting 100 coins resulted in an extra life in the other games. Notably, the number of coins needed to gain an extra life is reduced to 50, as opposed to previous games. Mario can fire Star Bits to stun enemies or spawn coins from some places or objects like sprouts, which bloom when struck with Star Bits. The Star Bits, which resemble the Japanese confection konpeito, can be used to feed Hungry Lumas that appear within the observatory and galaxies.[3] When they are full, they form a new planet or galaxy in which an additional star can be found.

While the game is mostly in 3D and all graphics are 3D, there are points in the game where the gameplay is 2D. In certain parts of certain levels, Mario's movements are restricted to a two-dimensional plane or axis, reminiscent of the 2D Mario platformers.

There are five types of Prankster Comets that appear periodically (The Speedy, Daredevil, Cosmic, Fast-Foe, and Purple comets); when one of them comes into contact with a level, a special challenge is initiated that leads to a Power Star.[4]

File:Supermariogalaxymovespowerup.JPG
Mario using the Bee Mushroom, a new power-up for the game.

Super Mario Galaxy features the most power-ups and transformations of any 3D Mario game to date.[5] Mario has the ability to transform into a bee and a Boo using different types of mushrooms. The Boo mushroom allows him to become invisible and capable of moving through solid surfaces by shaking the Wiimote, and the bee mushroom allows him to fly and hover for a short time. Flowers are also present; fire flowers work the same as in 2D games (apart from a 20-second time limit) and ice flowers let Mario freeze water and lava to walk or skate on it. The Spring mushroom lets Mario jump very high. The Red Star allows Mario to fly around freely for a short time, similar to the Wing Cap from Super Mario 64. The Rainbow Star makes him invincible.

The game offers six save files and the option of using Miis from the Mii Channel as save data icons, along with traditional Mario characters.[6]

Multiplayer

Super Mario Galaxy has a co-operative two-player option called "Co-Star Mode", in which one player controls Mario and a star pointer while the other controls another pointer on-screen to gather Star Bits and shoot them at enemies.[7] While the first player can normally do this except during certain events, the second player can shoot stars without restriction. The second player also is more efficient in manipulating the environment, such as halting object and enemy movement (even holding Mario in place if the player so wishes). Some obstacles, when halted by the second player, are automatically destroyed. Additionally, the height of Mario's jump can be increased if the first and second player press the A button at the same moment. Because of these added abilities, especially the ability to stun enemies, Co-Star Mode is less difficult than single-player mode.

Plot

The game opens with Mario receiving an invitation from Princess Peach to attend a festival in the Mushroom Kingdom celebrating the passing of a comet overhead. While Mario is making his way to the castle, a series of ships led by Bowser suddenly appear. As Bowser summons a massive spaceship to rip Princess Peach's castle out of the ground, Mario manages to grab on to the castle but is then flung into space by a Kamek.

Mario awakens on a small planet with Lumas, small star-shaped creatures that float in the air, and is taken to meet a woman named Rosalina. She explains to Mario that she is a watcher of the stars, traveling the universe in her observatory, which takes the form of the comet that passes over the Mushroom Kingdom once every hundred years. She tells him that Bowser has taken the Power Stars and Grand Stars needed to fuel her ship, which means they cannot follow him until more are collected. Granting him the use of a Luma, which allows him to spin and use star portals, she tells him to collect the stars needed to power the ship and rescue Peach.

As Mario collects stars, he gains the ability to travel to more outlying galaxies. When Bowser is defeated the second time, a number appears in the Observatory's main room that decreases with each star collected. After sixty stars are collected, the countdown reaches zero and Rosalina offers the option of pursuing Bowser and rescuing Princess Peach. If the option is selected, the observatory transforms into a comet that takes Mario to the final level. Bowser then tells Mario that he took the stars in order to start a new galaxy, which he intends to reign over with Peach at his side, eventually taking over the rest of the Universe as well. Upon his defeat, Bowser's Sun collapses in on itself, creating a super massive black hole that starts consuming the entire Universe. In order to try to stop the Black Hole, all the Luma's gather inside the Black Hole, including the Luma who traveled with Mario.

File:Smg powerstar.jpg
Mario obtains a Power Star in the Good Egg Galaxy.

After the Black Hole is destroyed, Rosalina appears to Mario again. She tells him that stars never die when they become stardust, they regather into Lumas and are reborn, which is what happened to the Luma's who stopped the Black Hole. She continues that all the newborn stars will grow up to become Galaxies one day. The scene then cuts to Mario, Peach, and Bowser waking up back in the Mushroom Kingdom during a fireworks display. The game ends with Mario looking up and saying, "Welcome, welcome new Galaxy!" - implying that a new Galaxy was also created by the stardust from the Lumas who gathered in the Black Hole.

A second story is told discontinuously as levels are finished, which unlocks picture book chapters. The story is of Rosalina as a child, who finds a lost Luma in a spaceship who wants to find its mother. She also hopes to find her own mother, who once told her that she would be going away on a journey but would become a star and watch over her, and she accompanies it into space on its journey and later agrees to be its mother. After settling on a far-away planet, other Lumas appear and also call her "mother". She becomes homesick though and wishes she could return to be with her mother, finally realizing that what her mother was trying to tell her was that she was dying. One of the Lumas transforms into a comet and they make a new home on it, traveling the universe and returning home once every hundred years to the blue planet where her mother is buried.

If the player completes the game with 120 or 121 stars, an additional cutscene is shown at the conclusion of the staff credits. Rosalina revisits her home in Gateway Galaxy, thanking Mario and assuring that she will watch over him. She then departs, although the Luma who traveled with Mario is shown to be alive, as he is hiding in one of the Toads Spaceships.

Development

In a roundtable discussion at E3 2007, it was made clear that Super Mario Galaxy was not Super Mario 128 after Miyamoto stated that production only began after the team finished making Donkey Kong Jungle Beat,[8] (early 2005) and Mario 128 has been in production and development since at least 2001 (when the first trailer was shown at E3). In an after-hours press event at E3 2006 in May, Miyamoto stated, "I don't want to promise anything yet. But if it's not a launch title it will definitely be there within the first six months."[9] Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime later stated in a November 27 2006 interview with cable TV network MTV that the game is expected to release sometime up to Christmas of 2007.[10] On January 4 2007, Nintendo of Europe issued a press release indicating a 2007 European release.[citation needed] Near the end of Miyamoto's keynote presentation at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in March, he stated, "You'll be able to play Super Mario Galaxy this year."[11][12] At Nintendo's E3 2007 Conference, it was confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy would be released in North America on November 12 2007 and four days later in Europe. In North America, certain retailers had given out a free limited edition coin for pre-ordering the game. Some retailers had delayed it until November 13 2007, such as GameStop in North America, and some retailers had delayed the release until November 14, 2007.[13] Equally, certain UK retailers shipping the game a day earlier than the EU release date, Virgin megastores and Game being two such examples.

It was first hinted by Takashi Tezuka, Nintendo's analysis and development's general manager, that multiplayer was going to be co-op in an interview with gaming site IGN.[14] Two-player functionality was later confirmed, along with reports of the team experimenting with new ways to use the Wii Remote so that one player can control Mario while the other aids him, backed up by suggestions by Shigeru Miyamoto that the second player could have the ability to affect Mario's progress. It was later revealed at Nintendo's E3 2007 that the co-op mode was permanently implemented into the game and could be accessed anytime.

Audio

During development, Mahito Yokota, who was in charge of the composition of music, originally wanted Galaxy to have a Latin style of music and even had 28 tracks completed for the game.[15] The reason for this was in previous Mario games, Latin percussion instruments were used, such as steelpans, Bongo drums, and congas.[16] For Galaxy's theme, Yokota used Latin instruments and a synthesizer to create sci-fi sounds. The song was approved by Yoshiaki Koizumi, the game's designer, but he presented it to Koji Kondo, Kondo told him that his song was no good.[16] According to Yokota, he always had an image that Mario was for kids, causing him to create cute music that would appeal to children.[16]

Three months later, Yokota presented three different styles of music to Shigeru Miyamoto. One piece had an orchestral sound, one was a mix of orchestral music and pop music, and the last was pop music.[17] Miyamoto chose the orchestral piece, which was written by Koji Kondo. From then on, Galaxy's soundtrack would be composed for a symphony.[17]

Kondo often would ask the orchestra to play at strange tempos in order to perfectly synch with the rest of Mario's movement and also stated that even the sound effects fit into the musical score if you listen carefully.[15]

Some levels in Galaxy have new scores as well as incorporating older ones such as songs from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario 64. Other older snippets of classic Mario themes were blended in by use of magic music notes.

Reception and sales

Publication Review Score
IGN 9.7/10[18]
EGM 9.5/10, 10/10, 10/10 [19]
GameSpot 9.5/10
Famitsu 38/40
Nintendo Power 9.5/10
GamePro 5/5[20]
GameTrailers 9.8/10
ONM 97%
1UP.com 9.5/10[21]
Eurogamer 10/10[2]
Edge 10/10[22]
X-Play 5/5
Aggregate Scores
Game Rankings 97.4%[23]
Metacritic 97%[24]

The game has enjoyed extreme critical acclaim. GamePro stated that the title "raises the bar in terms of what can be achieved on the Wii."[20] IGN called Super Mario Galaxy "Wii's best game, and an absolute must-own experience," as well as "one of the greatest platformers I have ever played."[18] GameSpot praised its gameplay and level design stating, "If ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it."[25]

Reviewers have noted some flaws with the game. GameSpot found "a couple of Mario's special suits can be frustrating to use"[25] and IGN referred to one story-related aspect of the game as "an unnecessary side-tale [that] contrasts with a traditional story."[18]

Super Mario Galaxy sold 250,585 copies in Japan for the week ending November 4, 2007.[26] Although first-week sales in the United States were the highest of any Wii game or Mario title to date with over 500,000 copies sold,[27] initial sales have been lower than expected, with first-week sales performance described as a "borderline failure" in the United States for a game of its stature by research analyst Michael Comeau,[28] "shockingly low" in Japan by Matt Peckham for PC World,[29] and a "relatively slow start" in the United Kingdom by Greg Howson of Guardian Unlimited.[30] As of November 30 2007, Super Mario Galaxy has sold 1.12 million copies in the US,[31] and 476,000 in Japan.[32]

Super Mario Galaxy won Edge magazine's 2007 Game of the Year and Audio Design awards.[33] At the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards, Super Mario Galaxy won best action and best Wii game.[34] Next Generation Online put Super Mario Galaxy at number one on its "Best 30 Games of 2007" list. [35]

References

  1. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Central - Galaxy Information". Super Mario Galaxy Central. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  2. ^ a b Robertson, Margaret (2007-11-07). "Super Mario Galaxy Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2007-11-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Wong, Erick (2007-11-20). "Mario returns, and he's out of this world. Well, sort of". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Central - Prankster Comets". Super Mario Galaxy Central. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  5. ^ "女性スタッフのメモから生まれた" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  6. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Menu Revealed!". 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Nintendo E3 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy". Nintendo. 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (2007-07-13). "E3 '07: Miyamoto shows off Super Mario Galaxy". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-10). "Mario to Miss Launch". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Totilo, Stephen (2006-11-28). "Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console". MTV. Retrieved 2007-03-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Crecente, Brian (2007-03-08). "GDC07: Super Mario Galaxy Confirmed for 07". Kotaku. Retrieved 2007-03-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Miyamoto, Shigeru (2007-03-08). Shigeru Miyamoto: "A Creative Vision" - Keynote at GDC 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-29. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Clearing up the Gamestop release date confusion". Go Nintendo. 2007-11-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessedate= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-11). "Mario Multiplayer Details". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b "Why Use an Orchestra?". Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  16. ^ a b c "A Sound That Defines Mario". Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  17. ^ a b "Making it Sound like Space". Nintendo. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  18. ^ a b c Casamassina, Matt (2007-11-07). "Super Mario Galaxy Review: The greatest Nintendo platformer ever made?". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Jeremy Parish, Dan Hsu, Shane Bettenhausen (January 2008). "Super Mario Galaxy". Electronic Gaming Monthly (224): 64–86.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ a b Shaw, Patrick (2007-11-06). "Review: GamePro Loves Super Mario Galaxy!!!". GamePro. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2007-11-02). "Reviews: Super Mario Galaxy". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-11-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8063&Itemid=51
  23. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  24. ^ "Super Mario Galaxy". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  25. ^ a b Navarro, Alex (2007-11-07). "Super Mario Galaxy Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  26. ^ Berghammer, Billy (2007-11-09). "Xbox 360 Outsells PS3 In Japan". Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-11-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Critics and Consumers Agree: Super Mario Galaxy is Out of This World" (Press release). Nintendo. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ Comeau, Michael (research analyst); Umar, Brittany (staff reporter). Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy Can't Find the Magic Mushroom (Flash Video). TheStreet.com. Event occurs at 00:00:40. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
  29. ^ Peckham, Matt (2007-11-21). "Is 500,000 for Super Mario Galaxy's First Week Good Enough?". PCWorld.com. PC World Communications. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  30. ^ Howson, Greg (2007-11-21). "Mario Galaxy sales less than super?". Guardian Unlimited. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  31. ^ Patrick Klepek (2007-12-13). "November NPDs: Everyone's Making Trucks of Money". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  32. ^ Josh Freund (2007-12-12). "News - Japan: Weekly software sales for 12/3 - 12/9 - Lost Odyssey". GamesAreFun. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
  33. ^ Edge Staff (January 2008). "The Edge Awards 2007". Edge (184): 68–75.
  34. ^ "Bioshock scoops game of the year". BBC. 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  35. ^ "NEXT-GEN'S BEST 30 GAMES OF 2007". Next Generation. 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Super_Mario_Galaxy&oldid=178626907"