Following on from our reader-voted Top 50 Games of the Decade, Nintendo Life staff members will be picking their personal favourite Nintendo games between the years 2010-2019. Today, PJ takes us right back to the start of the decade...
Being asked to choose your favourite game of the decade should, in theory, be a pretty tough thing to do – especially if, like me, you’ve played an absolutely ridiculous number of games over the past ten years. And so it was something of a surprise that, when asked to do just that, one game suddenly leapt out of the jumbled mass of gaming memories that make up the majority of my brain, blasting up and out of the carnage, launching into clear space and crystallising itself in my mind’s eye as the clear and obvious winner. That game is, of course, Super Mario Galaxy 2.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, really. I’ve said it often enough over the years; it’s quite possibly my favourite of all time, but these things get confused when you sit and think for too long or listen to external voices or try too hard to force it. How can I push something so obviously important as Dark Souls to one side? What about the majesty of Nier: Automata, Minecraft and Breath of the Wild? But really, going with my (considerable) gut, thinking with as clear a head as I’m now capable and spitting out the first thing I think of, it’s an easy choice.
Where 1985’s Super Mario Bros. laid the still-recognisable foundations of 2D platforming as we know it and 1996’s Super Mario 64 made the first properly successful jump for the genre into three dimensions, Super Mario Galaxy 2, for me, feels like a destiny fulfilled. Promises made and then kept in the most spectacular of fashions. It’s the ultimate representation of everything Mario that’s gone before it; pure unadulterated genius pouring out of the minds of Nintendo EAD.
We all know how it was meant to be Super Mario Galaxy More, a semi-sequel with just a year scheduled to get out the door, and we all know how those amazing minds at Nintendo – with the game’s engine and any teething problems firmly behind them with the 2007 original – were fully unleashed now, coming up with so many amazing ideas for levels that that 1.5 became a big fat 2. This is a sequel that does away with any pretence of narrative – even more so than most Mario games – with no intention of adhering to what was popular at the time (2010 was a big year for big open world, story-driven games); this is platforming in its purest form, and for me, this is Nintendo revealing the true potential of the genre, with countless possibilities for its potential future all laid out at once.
Every galaxy you blast your way into here – with a delightful shake of the Wiimote – is built around a concept so delightful that an entirely new platforming IP could be forged around it, and then it’s jettisoned out into blackness, never to be seen again in most cases. Super Mario Galaxy 2 gives you just enough of a taste to get you comfortable, just a little nibble of something delicious and then it whips your plate away and resets the table.
I distinctly remember being sat in my gaming chair – yes, I am a terrible, terrible person – and thinking back in 2010 that this was it for Mario; surely they could never top something this good. And, to be honest, they still haven’t. Odyssey comes close, a beautiful thing in its own right, but it’s not as pure a representation; there are distractions there. It allows for that open-world roaming, it’s got the collectables, knick-knacks, those bloody Broodals and far more of a story to break things up a bit. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is, in comparison, an undiluted stream of ferocious gaming perfection. It’s perfect for newcomers, easing them in gently and helping them where needed through Rosalina’s Cosmic Guide, but it’s also got plenty in store for smart-arsed veterans.
For a title released in the same year as Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 and Fallout: New Vegas – all beautiful games, and games that let the player make a thousand controller inputs that do nothing in the vastness of their worlds – here’s a game where every single button press is connected to something immediate. Every single interaction with Super Mario Galaxy 2’s levels is important. Whether you’re buzzing around dressed as a bee in the Honey Hop Galaxy, timing your jumps to the music in the Beat Block Galaxy, drilling through a planet to kill a boss, taking Fluzzard on his first flight or stringing together some tricky tongue grabs with your old pal Yoshi, nary a button press is wasted.
Ten years is a hell of a long time – especially in gaming – and yet returning, as I so often do, to this game it never fails to amaze me just how little, if at all, it’s aged. It feels perfect, it looks beautiful, makes perfect use of the Wii as a platform and that soaring, triumphant orchestral score – the Mario Galaxy Orchestra with a magical mix of old and new compositions – it genuinely feels like one of a handful of truly timeless video games.
It’s fitting also that it released right at the very onset of this mad, mad decade and has stood up to everything that’s come after, emerging victorious in my mind and – judging by its Metascore – many others, as the best thing that happened in gaming in the past ten years. I doubt there’ll ever be another Mario Galaxy; I mean, what on earth would they do to best this one? But I’m forever grateful that so many amazing minds got together and gave us this one so that me and my sons can sit in my little gaming room together and laugh and marvel and pass the old Wiimote and Nunchuk between each other as we enjoy this beautiful thing together.
It’s special. It’s spectacular. It’s-a Mario.
Comments 65
That's actually one of the few mario games I never played. I played the first one and loved it. The second one I just never got a chance to play.
The game. The music. Everything.
This is my game of the decade.
The lead up to the bowser final battle is just so magic. This is a must play for Mario fans.
Cloud Mario. Yoshi. The perfect run.
THIS right here is my personal pick for Game of the Decade, and also my favorite 3D Mario game. The game took everything great about Mario Galaxy 1 and just did even more with it. I had a smile on my face the whole damn time I played this. Amazing.
Game of the century is Life of Black Tiger
I did love this game but part of me preferred the way Galaxy 1 handled planets. Putting them into a course map kinda took the magic out of it. Still, there were some brilliant maps in 2 and Starship Mario is the strangest hub world of a game I’ve played.
I'd happily replay the first one again, this one, not so much.
Well if you want a solid 3D Platformer then this and Mario Galaxy 1 are both sage picks, they don't get much better than this I'd say.
I can get behind this pick. Easily one of my favorites. Love this game.
Easily my favorite Mario game
Wow perfect game. I love Mario galaxy 1 again it is a perfect game, so to follow this with Mario galaxy 2 which is perfect plus one is an incredible feat in itself. That is what impressed me the most. The way anything totally unnecessary is carved out. This is sculpted to a masterpiece. I thought that 3D world was awesome also not quite up to the level of mg2 but still. Need a switch port for all these games x x x x even today odyssey hasn’t clicked with me, I have completed it but I do agree with the reviewer, it adds too much and takes away from the purity, also the level design of the various worlds just doesn’t sit right with me. I’m not a cappy fan, I feel it peaked becoming the T. rex and that was like the first world.x x x x x x I just love the feeling when you play a game and within the first five minutes you know you are playing something special. Mario g 1 and 2 do just that x x x x x x x x x x
Probably the closest to pure perfection gaming. Just the right difficulty, great level design, brilliant controls. It's better then the first one for 2 reasons;
1. Mid level check points
2. No standard 100 coin collecting stars which are really boring especially in sunshine.
Just not sure I love spring mario
@nessisonett wholeheartedly agree. The course map was a step backwards but it's only a small detail considering the actual game is when you're in a world. I love the SMG games and I'm glad they had enough ideas to do a second, I bet there's plenty of room for a third.
My kids just got Mario Galaxy 1 for Christmas from their cousin (playing on Wii U) and it was so fun watching them pick it up for the first time (mine too). My 4 year old was wall jumping + back flipping about the hub level after about 5 minutes - they both loved it!
I've not played either (missed most of the last decades games) so I have a lot of catching up to do - which should be fun by the sound of it!
My pick is Breath of the Wild - One of the only recent games I've played but boy is it amazing - lots of chat around the dinner table about that one!
I just got Galaxy 2. Galaxy 1 is a masterpiece. Cant argue with this one.
So funny to read this right now, over the past month I’ve been playing through this with my 6yr old. She wanted to know more about rosalina (she knows from kart) so I started playing Galaxy 2 finally (I bought it used about a year ago) Even though there’s no where near as much Rosalina here as part one she loves watching me play through this and she’s a legit help using the second wiimote. The gameplay is awesome in this one and incredible how the controls follow the gravity of the planets, it’s far too complex for my daughter but everything they let player two help with is great for her skill level.
Definitely one of my favorite Mario games of all time, but I think I still put Mario 3 and 64 ahead of it.
Excellent choice. Definitely in my top 3 Mario games of all-time with Odyssey and Mario World.
A lot of people say Galaxy 2 is the best, but my preference has always been Galaxy 1. I found the levels a little more frustrating on Galaxy 2.
Best of the lot is probably 3D World though - such a fun game, and packed full of ideas. So much better than 3D Land which I was underwhelmed with.
@ilh It’s such a small complaint given how brilliant the game is, I feel like I’m definitely nitpicking!
I’d put Odyssey ahead of this one cause as Galaxy 2 lacked the degree of novelty that the first Galaxy had. But Galaxy 2 is a well-oiled machine.
If they do a Galaxy 3, which I hope they do, they’ll need to make it much more original...
As it happens, this game sprung to mind this morning, not sure why. In any case I booted up the Mario Galaxy Suite on youtube for some nodtalgia. Just how good can a soundtrack get when you get all soft and squishy upon hearing the bit from gusty garden. And this has been played countless times bur I still get instant goosebumps. Fantastic game.
Brilliant game. Absolutely brilliant. I’d love a Switch version without waggle controls.
Pls bring both to the switch as I hated the Wiimote and nunchuck control
This game and the original made me happy... pure joy
It’s a great game, but it’s very much a departure from 3D platformers such as 64. Preferring Course Clear over exploration. Galaxy 1 on the other hand is a course clear game at times yet in other instances It’s an exploration game. The ambiguity alongside other narrative and thematic frills gives the first the edge in my opinion. Galaxy 2 is a better platformer though, as seen in Clockwork Ruins, Boo Moon Galaxy, and Honeybloom Galaxy. The first is no slouch though, with the likes of the Toy Galaxy.
Much better than Odyssey. Galaxy 2 feels like a coherent whole.
I would happily buy both entries on Switch.
@Gwynbleidd Grab a used Wii U, that way you get can get Super Mario 3D World too. Not as good as either Galaxy, but still tremendous fun. And there's Wonderful 101 etc too.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was my first Mario game and the reason I fell in love with Nintendo, this is my second favorite game of all time, behind botw. We need a switch port...
I still haven't bought Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Still haven't finished Super Mario Galaxy 1. 😅
I strongly disagree. I never liked this method of motion controls or Mario's voice in almost every game since Super Mario 64 or Mario's Game Gallery.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is definitely up there with my games of the decade. However, I ever so slightly prefer the first game thanks to the story elements. It also introduced Rosalina, who I much prefer over Peach.
That said, this game is a joy to play and is definitely a fitting sequel.
I haven’t played this game since 2010, I really need to revisit it sometime. I don’t think I even got all of the green stars. It’s a lovely game though, however the Galaxy games don’t even compare to Odyssey in my mind.
I think my 2 favorite Nintendo games of the decade were Pikmin 3 and Mario Galaxy 2.
I've enjoyed a lot, but in retrospect, those 2 really stand out for me.
In this game there is a certain planetoid where you could jump into orbit around it and stay in orbit forever. 10/10 just for that.
Seriously, this is one of my all time favorites. Please port to Switch. While you're add it - what you did here to Galaxy 1, please do to Odyssey.
@Franklin That's interesting. I love both games myself, although I do prefer Galaxy 1/2 slightly. But why does Odyssey seem like less of a coherent whole?
Ah damn, this game missed me by. I remember playing some of the first and absolutely loving it. I can't remember what distracted me away but it was probably something nowhere near as good to be honest. I will go back and play this title, but I really wish Nintendo would just re-release both games for the Switch.
Disagree, the motion controls killed it.
Man, I love this game. Although I prefer the first Galaxy game, this is a close second to my favorite Mario game. I should revisit it again because I still haven’t beaten that Perfect Run level...
If this doesn't get announced as a remaster in the next direct( not anticipating it, just saying), I'll grab it on Wii u. I barely played the first one too so maybe I'll grab both or at least one of them
Galaxy 2 almost just seems like a huge dlc pack to galaxy 1. I pretty much consider them 1 game. They are both the best 3d Mario games. I think I like how the first one is laid out just a little better, but gameplay wise they are both top of the line. I would put 3d World close behind them, and then Odyssey.
@wollywoo
Felt to me like a fairly disparate group of (admittedly good) ideas thrown together.
Really comes across as Nintendo responding to fan suggestions.
'I want Mario in the real world!'
'Oh, throw in a dinosaur!'
'Hats, I like hats!'
'Evil rabbits!
'Everybody likes lunch, right?'
'Bowser should live in imperial china!'
Whereas I felt playing Super Mario World, 64, or the Galaxies that I was interacting with a more cohesive, and charming world.
Love this game. Remember it being such a WOW moment in my gaming life. Nintendo at its best.
@Franklin Hmm, I get that complaint about Odyssey, but to me it felt like the same complaint could be made about Galaxy 1 & 2, maybe more so. The levels there are literally different planets with nothing to do with each other. To me that's part of the appeal - in playing those games I had no clue what crazy thing was coming next. It felt like the designers made the game based on a series of anything-goes brainstorming, and I love it. The only 3D Mario game with a single coherent world was Sunshine, and everybody complained about the sameness of the theming (although I loved that one also.)
@wollywoo
Certainly in the galaxy games you might find a giant bee in one world, and a penguin the next, I like variety of worlds, but there is a general consistency of style. Odyssey is realistic dinosaur or human one minute, and cartoon lion or rabbit the next.
To be fair though after the Galaxy games I don't think they had much else to go.
@Franklin oh I see what you mean now. Yes, Odyssey mixed up the art styles in a really strange, clashing way. I personally didn't mind, though. The weirder the better!
One of my shameful, gaming confessions: I have not played one second of SMG2. SMG is one of my favorite games of all time. Mario is one of my all-time favorite franchises. I think what happened, at the time, was that I was a bit weary it was more of the same and just figured I'd wait and get to it eventually. Almost 10 years later and I have yet to do so. But it's forever on my backlog, lol 😂
Excellent game, but I prefer the first game vastly. The levels, soundtrack, and ambience were better I felt...and the first game had a very simple, understated, yet touching story. The second sort of lost that.
I gotta say, I really hope Nintendo ports this to Switch along with Galaxy 1 and 3D World.
@SpicyBurrito16 That perfect run level is WAY more manageable with a co-op partner. That's how I did it. Got my brother to help me.
I never played Galaxy 2, and have been vainly counting on Nintendo to let me experience it on the Switch. Really want this game.
@Gwynbleidd yeah, I've wondered the same darn thing. Am i going to have to play it on the dinosaurric Wii. I loath the UI because, you can only launch a game with a wii remote nunchuck. I was given a Wii, but don't use it for that reason. Only play Simpsons Hit & Run on it.
Somewhat surprised these never saw Wii U HD remasters or a proper 3rd act. Porting them now may be tricky unless they can make the motion control aspects optional
SMG2 is perfect.
First one was good, second one cut down on story, but some pretty interesting ideas
Mario Galaxy 2 is a fantastic encyclopedia of game design ideas. If you're a game designer who lacks ideas, pick any level of Mario Galaxy 2 and you can make an entire game out of it.
Both Galaxy games really need to be switch bound. I have them already but the amount of people it would open it up to. I once got into a heated debate with a member of CEX because the ad they had for hiring staff said something along the lines of if you think the Wii is for gamers please don't apply. The Galaxy Games and multiple other titles were my proof of otherwise. The Wii had a solid collection of games for hardcore gamers they just needed to be bothered to look!
Never played it properly, hated the control scheme. Would love to see a port to Switch with normal controls.
@Dragonslacker1 I feel exactly the same about odyssey. I dont understand what all the fuss is about.
Finally a pick I see that I play. Great game.
@kidfunkadelic83 I hope the next big Mario is that rumoured port of 3D world rather than an odyssey 2!
I didnt like 3D world either. No mario game since galaxy 2 has felt good to me but my favourite was Mario 64. I dont like the small bite size levels in 3D world. The next mario game needs to really evolve the formula for me to buy in to it. A mario with a completely open world like Breath of the wild would be the next step imo.
I love this game and am happy knowing I got every star a you could get. All the green ones aswell. Them secret world stars were bloody hard though. Please release for switch nintendo. Saying that still got oddessy to finish 😂
Yes!!!! Perhaps my favorite Mario game ever. Its my favorite 3D one anyway
@nessisonett I feel the same, much preferred the hub in Galaxy 1. The course map made me feel like completing levels was more of a tick box exercise so I slightly prefer Galaxy over Galaxy 2. They are both awesome games though.
That game was so fun how can it not be good ITS SO GOOD!!
It's an awesome game but... I don't think it would be anywhere near my pick.
Maybe it's just because I prefer Galaxy 1 or 64 or, yes, Odyssey.
This is the game that got me back into gaming after years of not playing anything and will forever be one of the best games I’ve ever played, if not THE best. I also played this before I played the first Mario Galaxy, so I prefer Galaxy 2. I do think it depends on which game you played first as to which one you prefer, but they are both great games in their own right. This is truly a masterpiece and one that could easily be best of the decade.
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