Super Mario Galaxy

I watched nearly every video of Super Mario Galaxy's demonstration at this year's E3 event and became extremely worried by the amount of people that really looked like they had no clue whatsoever as to how the game should be played. Now, it was either a case of them being completely inept at videogames, or something was fundamentally wrong with the control system for what was most probably my most anticipated Wii game. It only took a few seconds to realise that sadly, for the people seen in those videos, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Mario Galaxy in the slightest! I felt like I was back in the control of the podgy N64 Mario, back in 1996, dancing a merry trot across lush grass, jumping and flipping around to land on pesky Goombas and having a rip-roaring time with the integrated Wii controls.

 

As, like I said, I had become quite familiar with the locations people had visited during the E3 demo, and analysed their faults as well, I ran around, pointing the Wii controller at the little bells and shaking it slightly from side-to-side, making them all ring. Once done, twenty colourful music notes appeared in a line, with each one giving off a higher pitched sound as they were collected. This brought Mario round the first main bend to a tree stump where a 1-UP Mushroom appeared once all were collected. Then the chase was on to catch it! The wily bugger...Here it was taught how shaking the Wii controller on its own, without pointing, causes Mario to do a spin attack, which comes in very handy when dispatching enemies, smashing boxes, or launching projectiles into the distance.

Here there was a circle of stones on the ground that others seemed to just bypass

 

And then it was off to another rock in space. Just for those that are wondering

 

But, with a timely double-jump and then trademark backwards flip, Mario traversed them with ease and lo-and-behold the final transport awaited me atop the main deck of the ship. Time for the final encounter and by now I am in full Mario flow. Seriously, if the rest of the game is as accessible and fun as this then I am indeed a happy chappy. So, running around this final area I discover some gorgeous lava bubbling away and an octopus-type character with a big snout and crown bobbing up and down in it. Huge flaming rocks come flying at me; time to dodge. But wait, what is this? He shot out a piece of fruit! Time to play tennis with this monster. Shake the Wii controller at the fruit and he simply bats it back to you, repeat this and he does the same, albeit with the fruit now travelling much faster. Manage a third whack / rally and it smacks him on the nose, knocking his crown off. Time to rinse and repeat, methinks, but faster this time (in true Mario style). And, with the seconds literally counting down on the clock, he was finished off, and a star left in his wake. You got a star! "Thank you so much for playing my game" says Mario as the demo ends. It was my pleasure...