Nintendo doesn’t make straight sequels.
That’s the received wisdom, anyway. Kyoto's premier game designers need a really good reason—a jump in technology, or a novel new control input, for example—to warrant revisiting a franchise. They're apparently not interested in churning out more of the same for mere profit. The company line is to "provide products and services that surprise and delight consumers", and if they can't think of a way to do that with a sequel, they don't make one. That's why fans still have to crack out their GameCubes to play the latest F-Zero, we guess. This approach to innovation is a good long-term business strategy which stops franchises going stale by bringing something fresh with each new instalment.
However, look through Nintendo's back catalogue and you'll find many sequels that essentially pick up where the previous game left off. Super Mario Bros. 2 might have been a different kettle of fish to its predecessor in the West (famously a retooled version of Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic from the Famicom Disk System), but the original Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 was a straight up continuation of Super Mario Bros., to the extent that it was rebranded 'The Lost Levels' when it eventually saw the light of day outside Japan.
There are plenty more examples. Majora's Mask might have switched things up with its three-day cycle, but it was explicitly built on Ocarina of Time's foundation. Pikmin 3 looked lovely in HD, but did it really switch up the gameplay from its brilliant predecessor in any meaningful way? More recently, was the 'jump' to Splatoon 2 from the original game enough to warrant its existence?
Putting aside commercial explanations for straight sequels, the real question they ask themselves in Nintendo HQ is whether they've exhausted the potential of a given world or mechanic. Much like The Lost Levels, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a continuation of the previous game's mechanics and ideas. According to the game's producer Yoshiaki Koizumi, while developers in Nintendo's EAD Tokyo office were sketching out plans for the 3D Mario game to follow the impeccable Super Mario Galaxy, Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto asked "why not just make Super Mario Galaxy 1.5?".
Before release, you'd have been forgiven for thinking Galaxy 2 was Nintendo playing for time while they worked out what the hell to do next. After years of adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom, the blank canvas of the cosmos was surely Mario's last refuge, and Nintendo's last resort. Where else could they take the plumber after he'd visited ‘the final frontier’? They're just doing another one? Where's the 'surprise' in that? How very dull.
while sketching out plans for the 3D Mario game to follow Super Mario Galaxy, Shigeru Miyamoto asked "why not just make Super Mario Galaxy 1.5?"
In an Iwata Asks interview, the developers themselves admitted to being spent after wrapping the first game. "To be honest…I'd pretty much used up everything I had on the first one," said designer Kento Motokura. "Me, too. I was completely dried up" replied level designer Koichi Hayashida. However, the impetus from Miyamoto to dig deep into Galaxy's planetoids and mine further gameplay potential led to an abundance of new ideas. These days they would likely have been pushed into a DLC pack, but not a decade ago on Wii.
Remarkably, Galaxy 2 is far more than an assortment of leftover space junk and detritus orbiting its predecessor. The game is tight, lean and coherent in the most joyfully wacky way, brimming with freshness that belies its 'straight sequel' status, distilling every facet of Mario's history to that point in time and making the first game seem vanilla by comparison. It's simultaneously 'More Super Mario Galaxy' but also its own perfectly-rounded celestial body.
Galaxy 2 is an oxymoron: a machine-tooled, finely-tuned, focused dose of utter superfluity; a full-fat experience with zero fat on it — no filler whatsoever. It just barrels you from one joyous level to the next, never getting old, never giving you time to get bored, never letting up. The first game was just Nintendo EAD cracking its knuckles in preparation; the orchestra tuning up before the real symphony.
It's an oxymoron: a machine-tooled, finely-tuned, focused dose of utter superfluity
None of this is to disparage the first Galaxy. It's only by comparison to this that the first game feels a little bland, a little 'safe'. Once you've ridden Yoshi or grabbed the Cloud Mario power-up or boarded Starship Mario and zipped around the map screen, Rosalina's Comet Observatory feels static and staid. You have to play both, of course, but the original feels like a Van Gogh sketch, a study for the glorious, three-dimensional, explosive technicolor of the sequel.
Ten years on, and Galaxy 2 still plays on our minds from time to time. It topped Metacritic's poll for the best games of the previous decade, and P.J. wrote about it in our staff Games of the Decade roundup earlier this year. With rumours that Nintendo has special plans for Mario's 35th anniversary, we're hoping it will make the leap from Wii to Switch some day soon.
For all its majesty, Switch's own 3D Mario is inherently less coherent; more Jackson Pollock than Van Gogh. Super Mario Odyssey's haphazard multiverse of styles and designs is held together only by sheer mechanical genius. Galaxy 2 remains the purest of the 3D Marios, a crazy cosmic playground of ideas wrapped up in a cogent, considered package — a straight sequel with more of Nintendo's 'surprise and delight' than any other. We love them both. Don't say we can only pick one.
Comments 141
I’d be more than happy to have a “Deluxe” port of Mario Galaxy 2
@WesEds forget the ports, let´s not keep our feet on the past. All we need is a sequel!
Meh. The sequel utterly lacks the melancholy, atmosphere, and the great level design of the original, which struck more of a balance between linearity and openness. Starship Mario sucks in comparison to the observatory, too.
In comparison to the original, it lacks an identity. It feels like it would have been premium DLC had it released a generation later.
I decided to play through galaxy 1 & 2 again earlier this year before the remaster rumours. Hadn't played them for over 5 years and I'd forgotten just how good they were.
If the rumours do turn out to be true part of me wishes I'd held off playing them again as I would have waited for the new shinier version
My only experience with Galaxy 2 was watching my ex girlfriend play it. From what I remember it looked really really good and I had intention of giving it a go myself. Never ended up doing that so I feel like now I may have missed out on that series. I absolutely LOVED Odyssey so yeah if they release a Switch version of the Galaxy(s) I'll most likely finally play through them.
Personally I enjoyed the sequel even more than the original. It brought back Yoshi and my fave enemy Lakitu. Hoping both of these return - properly - in the next instalment!!!
I have finished Super Mario Galaxy several weeks ago.
But, it took 4 years to be finished since i have bought on April 2016. 😅
I rarely played my Super Mario Galaxy due to frustrating gameplay on some stages for casual gamer like me.
Still haven't bought Super Mario Galaxy 2 due to out of stock on playasia and still expensive price on Ebay due to its rarity. 😣
In contrary, i motivated a lot by Ratchet & Clank PS3 games since i bought on early 2020.
From my impression so far, R&C PS3 games were more interesting than 3D Mario games due to futuristic concept and the exotic scenery on each planets. Some R&C games have Sphere worlds like Super Mario Galaxy and they looked better in gameplay. Mario games are oftenly about Damsel in Distress, Princess Peach being kidnapped all the time, kinda boring. Not really bad for Mario games but i felt from every Platformer Mario games, i didn't think i want to revisit the same level again once i have finished the level. Some levels were so frustrating so once i have finished the Stage, it was enough for me and i didn't want to revisit again. It felt punishing.
Honestly if i gave comparison between Super Mario Galaxy games and R&C PS3 games, SMG1 & 2 = 70, R&C A Crack in Time = 80
Galaxy 2 is my most favorite 3D Mario game.
1 was fine, but I honestly didn't like the cutesy story attached to it, and unlike 64 and Sunshine the observatory was boring to explore and it felt like it just got in the way of the gameplay.
I think 1 just shades it as it has a bit more atmosphere and an aura to it that 2 discards. There’s pretty much nothing in it though, magnificent games. Really hope the Remaster rumours are true, playing them without the waggle would be great.
Was a great game, but it just didn’t have that same wow factor of firing up the first galaxy. Many cool additions, but the difficulty was soooo tilted, and motion controls felt worse to me
Would people rather have Super Mario Galaxy 2 Deluxe or Super Mario Galaxy 3 on the Switch?
@Nookingtons me too! Yep this is a truly awesome fun game, it’s got the magic x the wait for remasters continues xx
One of my absolute top favourite games, among the best of the best. Needless to say Yoshi's inclusion was one of my favourite inclusions but even beyond that I loved every single thing about this game, and I would certainly love to experience it all over again on Switch.
Personally the best MARIO games ever. Both games are master pieces of game design. Reboots on switch or a full blown sequel would be amazing.
Never played it. Never owned a Wii because i don't like (forced) motion controls. But i would love a remake / remaster on switch one day..
I never played this, I was kind of poor in the Wii days.
I'm really hoping for the remastered versions (I didn't play Sunshine either, so if they are really doing SM64, Sunshine and both Galaxy games, I would be so pleased and grateful to Nintendo... really hoping that rumor turns out to be true).
Both are masterpiece's in my view, but for the same reason's as others have said, the first just edges it for me.
Also, the second was partly just more of the same with some idea's expanded but it seemed just more of a continuing of the same game...
Regardless, a remaster of these 2 would go down a treat as a double pack released on the Switch!!
10 years already!? I remember this came out on the first day of the summer holidays, spent way too much time replaying the levels.
...I prefer the original though
Just bring a sequel build from the ground up
Just focus on a new mario 3D adventure game, theres so many possibilities, they can take inspiration from super mario brothers 2 king warts dream world, or sarasaland in mario land. Their just not trying hard enough
I've yet to play any of the Galaxies, but they're already the games that gave the Marioverse Rosalina. That alone is a lot in my eyes.
It’s a great game from a technical and gameplay standpoint but it just doesn’t have the same atmosphere. The original is quietly beautiful whereas this one goes for pomp and bombast. Not a bad thing per se, just personally not what I was looking for.
@Anti-Matter you're entitled to your opinion....even if it's wrong 😉
Galaxy 2 is by far my favorite 3D Mario game. I loved the original, and would have been happy with “more of the same” but it blew me away and expanded on so much of what I loved from the first. I think this feature nails it though when it mentions hive trim and streamlined Galaxy 2 is. There’s nothing bloated about it. For me, it was the first, maybe only, game I’ve ever played where I felt there wasn’t a single wasted frame of animation.
Galaxy 2 had better level design in my opinion, and that's all the reason I need to prefer it over the original. The story of the first is the best 3D Mario had ever been until Odyssey, but it's still very basic. Galaxy 1 and 2 are both up there for best games of all time for me, right next to Link to the Past.
I'd like to see the Galaxy games ported over to the Switch because I never got to play the originals. To me, they'd be like new games.
In the world of PC gaming, the past is more readily available. You can still download Deus Ex on Steam and will be able to for some time. And if you buy a new PC, you'll still be able to get it. With consoles, unfortunately, software is tethered to hardware, so unless you own every console in existence, re-releases and ports are essential, not simply a matter of nostalgia or dwelling on the past.
"For all its majesty, Switch's own 3D Mario is inherently less coherent; more Jackson Pollock than Van Gogh. Super Mario Odyssey's haphazard multiverse of styles and designs is held together only by sheer mechanical genius. Galaxy 2 remains the purest of the 3D Marios, a crazy cosmic playground of ideas wrapped up in a cogent, considered package."
Wholly agree.
Greatest game ever made! This is pure joy in gaming form!
Ten years! Man, I feel like it hasn't been that long since SMG2's launch. I remember picking up my preordered copy at GameStop - this was the first Mario platformer that I had preordered. Of course, I loved every second of it. I think I'll replay it today
I think the success of this game changed nintendo in a way I didn’t like : since then, thier sequels have been more styled after “super Mario bros 2 (japan)” instead of being more inventive like “super mario bros 3”
Personally playing this game was stressful cause of its linear and questionable level design. I thought it was absolute torture just to get to the mario 64 remake level. I prefer more of a traditional 3d platformer like mario 64 and sunshine
@Marios-love-child Even with all the rumors, I’m still considering playing Galaxy 2, haha. I played the original at launch, but never got to the sequel for various reasons...
Hmm... the authentic Wii experience with IR aiming, or a shiny new HD version... maybe both for me! Haha.
(Nah, chances are an HD version will come out before I get around to playing the Wii version, so I’ll end up playing the new one... but who knows!? Might get a strong and sudden Mario hankering that cannot wait!
Loved this game. I feel that is not over yet... remaster of a new part? It is welcome. But it is special when such a game gets a new part in the series
Galaxy 2 had better level design and platforming. Galaxy 1 had better story and overall atmosphere. While Odyssey was certainly fantastic, I personally still prefer both Galaxies to it for those reasons.
My absolute favorite 3D Mario. Really hope it’s in the rumored new collection.
@BlubberWhale
Either way you won't be disappointed. It's arguably one of the finest games ever made.
I remember when it first released I was away on holiday in Spain so I had to wait till I got home to play it.
Probably the first and only time I've ever wanted to get home from a holiday in the sun haha
Never played Galaxy 1 or 2 so hoping both get released on Switch in HD. It will take something special to top 3D world as my favorite 3D Mario game though!
I didn’t enjoy the Wii so I wasn’t thrilled when I played it. Couldn’t finish more than half the game which is seriously odd. Come Wii U and I’d knocked out both Mario games numerous times. If you don’t like the hardware it can affect game enjoyment, that’s a truth.
I remember Galaxy 2, the game that wowed me so much more than the sequel for improvements in many ways over the first game for me, including level design, soundtrack, challenge, content, etc. The story and characters take a step back, though, but the good outweighs the bad.
Still my all time favorite video game. And I’m a gamer from the Atari days. It’s just so damn fun and satisfying to play. Galaxy 1 is great, but I enjoyed 2 a whole lot more.
Please gimme a Switch remaster of Galaxy 1+2!
@Anti-Matter You can get Galaxy 2 on Ebay for $10-15. That’s not expensive at all. And it’s not rare. There are a ton listed on there right now.
"So much more than Wii DLC"
It was just a level-pack. And even if it had some very cool ideas (and difficult stuff) I still prefer the original.
@Ralizah I felt the same way. When I played the sequel five months after the first part, I felt that I was wandering around without any goal, even though some levels were great.
Worst mainline 3D Mario title, very clearly the scrapped worlds and ideas that were cut from Galaxy. Deserves to be forgotten, and I don't say that lightly.
I’m busy playing through it at the moment 😃
I've always preferred Mario Sunshine to the Galaxy games, but that may ne nostalgia more than anything else, and I prefer the original Galaxy to the sequel, but I find the 3 games so close in enjoyability that I could happily say they all deserve a 99/100.
@Anti-Matter Ratchet & Clank better than Mario Galaxy, good one mate 😂 top trolling
@arnoldlayne83 The rumour is a new Mario All-Stars but with the 3D Mario games, including the 2 Galaxy's.
Meh, personally I always found the Mario Galaxy games to be really overrated. They seem to be favored by the type of people who prefer the obstacle course layout for 3D Mario games.
The best thing about Galaxy 2 for me was that it made me believe Nintendo could still make new games that would utterly blow me away. I’d sort of resigned myself to thinking nothing would ever be as good as Mario World or Mario 64 and then Galaxy 2 happened!
Suddenly there was a brand new Mario game that was every bit as fun and inventive as those older games. I’m pleased to say Nintendo’s still got it as Odyssey also blew me away and it’s far and away my most played game on the Switch.
I still don’t get the complaints of Odyssey being a hotch potch when Galaxy 2 was literally a completely random set of planets with every level, and I love that about both of them!
A Galaxy 1 + 2 remaster double pack would be sweet. Wouldn't take much. An HD upgrade and a new lick of paint. Nintendo could knock that out in a couple of months and it would be a guaranteed million seller. Even at £50 a go.
I swear, Nintendo are (usually) a very profitable company, but sometimes they seem to go out of their way NOT to make money!
Loved this game, but I HATED playing it with the Wiimote. Port it to Switch and let me play it with a pro controller.
@BabyYoshi65
Both, well actually all three please...
My favourite game of all time. Imagine if Nintendo do a Galaxy 1 & 2 remastered HD. Please.
I remember beating this game in a single afternoon and being very disappointed with how linear it was. It took nearly a decade but Odyssey ended up being the game I was looking for.
"More recently, was the 'jump' to Splatoon 2 from the original game enough to warrant its existence?"
Seriously?! Splatoon 2 is so different from the first game, which makes this question utterly ridiculous.
Anyway... Galaxy 2 was what Galaxy 1 should've been from the start.
Galaxy 2 raised the difficulty on a proper level (Galaxy 1 was too easy), it added the green bonus stars, which were even more difficult to find, and most importantly, it expanded on the 1.5-player co-op concept in a way that made it a sensible addition.
Playing Galaxy 1 in co-op was absolutely boring and superflous, but playing Galaxy 2 in co-op was absolutely necessary and delightful.
I will always regard Galaxy 2 as the true Mario Galaxy game, whereas Galaxy 1 is more like a failed prototype.
I prefer we get HD port of Donkey Kong Country Returns
I just completed my 4th full playthrough of this game. Fantastic game... and significantly better level design and bosses compared to the first Galaxy.
After odyssey I've discovered that I don't really like Mario games anymore. They're ok for nostalgia, but eh.
Easily THE finest game I've ever played. Like, it's so funny how this game is so good, even somehow more than Galaxy 1, which was already perfect.
Absolute pinnacle of game design, in all honesty. Hopefully the rumored Galaxy remakes are in the works so that I can have an excuse to play this masterpiece again.
@ISoleilI Yes, I personally would be more hyped for a Galaxy 3 over an Odyssey 2. I'm probably the minority on this one, but I had a much more fun time with Galaxy 2 over Odyssey.
64 and Sunshine represent the pinnacle of 3D Marios for me, with the Galaxy games slotted right behind them. I clamor for a 3D Mario as difficult as Sunshine; we really haven't had any 3D Mario of comparable difficulty since.
I adored 64 for its isolation, and Sunshine for its sheer difficulty. I always felt that getting a star or shine and getting booted back out of a level felt more satisfying than any moon in Odyssey. Odyssey felt like more of a methodical Zelda title if anything, with an assortment of puzzles and easter eggs everywhere. Whereas 64, Sunshine, and the Galaxy games focused on platforming prowess.
By far my all time favorite 3D Mario game. Still plays great, looks great, and has just more awesome levels that smg1, and Yoshi. prob my a time favorite platformer game. Smg1 is great too, just not quite as great.
I’d say odyssey is my next fav followed by sm64.
Fantastic games both super Mario Galaxy and 2 but 2 more but both good but 3 would be great as well.
More a reimagination than a sequel. You can see how Miyamoto was pissed off that the "dirty peaseants" prefered classic 2D Mario than his 3D experiments and made this "sequel" more linear and 2D than its predecessor.
Of course it sold even less than Galaxy and didn't even reach the heights of NSMB. xD
@Ralizah I agree, but the gameplay and level design is superb, and that soundtrack is amazing!
Imagine if they reveal Galaxy 3 along with remasters of 1 and 2. For me, that would be the reveal to beat all reveals, nothing could top it. The original is one of my all time favourites and the last game to ever truly blow me away. I remember thinking at the time, I'm playing the greatest game I've ever played. I didn’t get to play the sequel until 2012 and while I loved it, I had a lot of other stuff going on in my life at the time, so it never had the same impact on me. I'd love to go through it again though in HD.
I'm playing through Odyssey again just now, and enjoying it more than I did the first time. Same happened with SM3DW on Wii U, enjoyed it the first time, absolutely loved it the 2nd time
For me,when Mario is at his best, nothing can touch him. His best games are the pinnacle of gaming.
Quite possibly my favorite 3D Mario. I can't believe it's already been a decade.
@Goat_FromBOTW Both Galaxy games have amazing soundtracks. Nintendo outdid themselves with the sound in these games.
@eaglesfly76
You forgot if i live in Indonesia.
I have checked from Ebay, majority i found was Super Mario Galaxy 2 PAL version. My Wii is USA version and I found a few USA version over there, even the USA version wasn't cheap (price tag + delivery fee + import tax) added with weaken exchange rate from USD to Indonesia Rupiah right now. And i still have a lot of games that i want to buy first before considering Super Mario Galaxy 2. Other games priority were more important for me as they were must bought quickly.
@Linnybhoy
I wasn't trolling about comparing between Ratchet & Clank games with Super Mario Galaxy.
If i compared my playing experience with those two different franchise, i played SMG1 long time (Around year 2010) when my Wii was still modded and with pirated disc but i have never finished until i bought the Original disc on April 2016. But it took very long time to finish as i found the gameplay was good but really punishing. Some levels were really hard and it made me stopped for playing SMG1 for long time. After i gained my mood to play SMG1 again, eventually i have finished the game several weeks ago (But still i felt really upset for keep failing during beating the Bowser).
Meanwhile for Ratchet & Clank games, my first experience was from PS4 on February 2017. I tried R&C PS4 for the first time and i stopped playing after 2 hours by accumulation due to really hard to aim the target with weapons. I sold the game on April 2017, exchanged with other PS4 game. I stopped thinking about R&C games for long time until on December 2019, before i was thinking to reconsider about purchasing PS3 games, i tried to watch the gameplay of R&C PS3 games from Youtube as i wasn't familiar with that franchise and surprisingly i have registered All 7 R&C PS3 games on my shopping list right after several days i watched their games from Youtube. I got R&C A Crack in Time for the first time on 14 December 2019 and started to play on 29 December 2019 after i purchased PS3 machine. My impression after playing R&C A Crack in Time for two weeks was really good, compared with 3D Mario games that still felt punishing on some levels. I got R&C Trilogy PS3 last week and my R&C PS3 games collection was complete. I have finished R&C 2 from Trilogy PS3 just only 1 week after i got the game, it was very fast compared with 3D Mario games that took very long time to finish due to my mood when playing Mario games. The fastest 3D Mario game i have finished was Super Mario Odyssey, just only 2 weeks. It made me think the new 3D Mario game wasn't really punishing (No more multiply Marios, no more Game Over screen) and felt easier than old 3D Mario games. That's why i finished Super Mario Odyssey very quickly on January 2018.
Back to R&C games, i felt R&C games were easier a little bit (No multiply of Ratchets, No Game Over screen) than old 3D Mario games but still there were some tough challenges during the storyline and it was harder than Mario games.
If i judged both of two franchises, i felt R&C games were more appealing than SMG games due to the different penalties when your character died. I felt SMG1 was more punishing by given very few of multiple Marios (It always got resetted back to 4 Marios everytime you load the game) and some levels were really hard and i oftenly lost of multiple Marios quickly due to a lot of Failed attempts. It made me want to stop playing SMG1 with that penalty.
Super Mario Galaxy 1 was a good game but it wasn't feel like a 97 from 100 game. For me, it felt like a 70 from 100 game due to some difficult places to clear and with very strict penalty. Meanwhile for R&C games, the best was A Crack in Time that i gave 80 from 100 due to more appetizing gameplay than Super Mario Galaxy games (But the challenge to get All Golden Bolts was very tough)
Phew....
That was a long explanation from me about comparison between 3D Mario games and R&C games. 😅
Can't get pass motion controls, hope the remasters are true and Nintendo don't mess it ups by forcing them into it.
@Anti-Matter Fair enough my man, I respect your opinion, enjoy your Saturday night Bro ✌️
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is truly an excellent game, one of the best 3D platformers out there. It built upon the first game's foundation and had a ton of content.
That said, I ever so slightly prefer the first Super Mario Galaxy. I liked the story introduced here, I preferred exploring the Comet Observatory - it felt more epic compared to Starship Mario, which is also decent - and it introduced one of my favorite Mario characters, Rosalina. As far as princesses go, I feel that she's a stronger character than Peach.
Both games are very much worth anyone's time. Released ten years in the future, however, and I think Galaxy 2 would have been treated as a huge chunk of DLC.
Galaxy 2 was kind of like Galaxy NSMB edition. The game was good though prefer the original as the things that made Galaxy special were removed in Galaxy 2 (Sunshine is better than both though).
A perfect game. Finishes off with the perfect run.
Galaxy 1 is probably my favourite Mario game of all time. Galaxy 2 was fantastic too. I'd love to see them do a 3rd rather than port them
@Ralizah I played 2 first then the original. Galaxy 1 had more of a dark, spacey, story heavy atmosphere. Galaxy 2 was straight lighthearted gameplay which is actually why I like it better. The Comet Observatory is the better hub but the Starship was more convenient to navigate.
To me the level design seemed more polished in 2 likely following their experience designing for the original game, but I suppose that's personal preference. Also preferred the green starts to replaying the whole game as Luigi.
@EriXz I wish they would give us a choice like SMO, motion controls for nostalgia players, but regular OG controls for new players.
Mario Galaxy 2 and Mario 3 are my FAVE Mario games.
@estaate like one game of all DKC games for switch? That would be awesome dude 👏🏻
@Kirby_Girl I’m probably in the minority, but SMB3 is better than SMW. SMB3 was original, SMW just piggy-backed off of it.
@Apportal_SMM2 Hey. I agree!
I completely skipped the Wii. If they come out on the Switch, I will be very interested in trying out the Galaxy games.
I really wish I could like Galaxy 2, but I found it to have completely lost sight of what made the first game feel grand and exciting.
I stopped playing after the first two worlds and never picked it up again.
Sadly I missed this one when it came out.
@Paddle1 @Apportal_SMM2 Don't worry. I totally get why someone might prefer Galaxy 2 over the original. I just wanted to offer a different perspective, briefly, from someone who considers the original Super Mario Galaxy to be one of the best games Nintendo ever developed, and who was more than a little disappointed with Galaxy 2. It's not a bad game, but even putting aside the loss of atmosphere, story, the space theme, etc. I didn't really care for a lot of its level gimmicks and new transformations (aside from Cloud Mario, which is fun), and controlling Yoshi, IMO, was a nuisance.
@NinChocolate Same here. I held off buying a Wii for years and when I got it I just didn't enjoy it. The controllers really turned me off. So when we got SMG, it was an amazing game for a short time but no one in the household ever finished it. Never bought 2, either.
I would definitely buy either one on the Switch, though.
My favourite Mario games of all time. They are both masterpieces, and among the best games I've ever played. I would love nothing more than to play them again on the switch without the motion controls.
@RustedHero You didn't miss out on the series. If the remaster isn't true then it will always be an option to track down a copy, and I can't recommend it enough.
I always felt like the sequel lacked the charm of the first one. I got that it was more Mario Galaxy, which wasn't bad, but it really feels like one of Nintendo's sort of remix sequels.
I ultimately thought it was a little too difficult and relied too much on side-scrolling sections.
Ah, yes, the first time I ever got into a video game hype cycle! What a fun time that was
3D Mario games are one of the major reasons I still play videogames. Both Galaxy games were absolutely brilliant. If I were forced to pick a favorite, it would be the first one. It just felt more cohesive. I hope the rumors of a collection are true. I could always use more 3D Mario games on Switch.
@Ralizah it's just so much more fun than the original though. The lack of originality is more than made up by creativity and unbelievably inventive level design
“More recently, was the 'jump' to Splatoon 2 from the original game enough to warrant its existence?”
Absolutely, unequivocally, yes. Even at launch, when Splatoon 2 was half the game it in now, the assertion that it was just a ‘deluxe port’ was flimsy at best.
Now it’s just absurd. I don’t see how anyone could look back at the original game and think it’s basically the same package.
Sure, there are a handful of things people miss from the original; certain maps and maybe a particular special weapon they were fond of. But the reason they can miss them at all is that they were completely replaced or revised in the sequel, precisely because it is a sequel and not a glorified port.
Splatoon 2 added countless new weapons, specials, subs, maps, a hefty new fleshed out story mode, a beefy and imaginative DLC expansion, an excellent co-op mode, a crazy amount more gear and customisation options, refined mechanics, a new world bursting with new characters, an overhaul of the competitive online scene with rank X and monthly leaderboards, and... well, just an awful, awful lot of stuff.
And yet somehow it’s being called into question whether this is enough to “warrant its existence”, when CoD and other shooters can churn out the same old framework year after year. We’re now on Call of Duty 16. Sixteen. And yet when Splatoon 2 - Two - enters the picture and massively expands upon a sub-genre of shooter games that it’s predecessor literally invented, its very existence gets called into question for not trying to depart further from a formula which didn’t even exist previously.
I really don’t know what sort of a ‘leap’ people were expecting outside completely replacing the game with a squid petting zoo or a tentacular dating simulator. Really.
@DK-Fan
Yep remember the DVD guide they packed with it in Japan? Also it having a lot of crazier stuff people wanted to see return to 2D Mario like giant world along with higher production values.
@Maxz yeah, but it took out the squid jump minigame
@Pod the game WAS unoriginal, but that didn’t mean it was bad either. It had clever, inventive puzzles and many new ideas to being that made it beautiful.
@MouseMaze I found the side-scrolling sections what made the game so fun. It was a nice break from the 3D aspect of it. It sure didn’t have the same charm of the first galaxy game, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun either. It was still a pretty charming game.
@Jslade I wish t could SMO controls, where you could use motion controls, but could also play normally for new players. 😊
@Joeyjoejoejr Preach, brother! 😂
@Anti-Matter Good point, if you live in Indonesia then yes it may be much more expensive. But the game is so damn incredible you should buy it anyway. Seriously, it’s that fantastic.
I think a big factor in which Galaxy game you prefer depends on which one you played FIRST.
Give me Twilight Princess HD and Wind Waker HD over this game anyday.
Still my favorite 3D platformer of all-time and gives Super Mario World a run for title of best platformer, period. Really hope the rumors of a remaster for Switch turn out to be true.
I want all the 3D Mario games on the Switch!
We desperately need SMG I and II HD to hit the Switch! Loved these games immensely and would love to share them with my daughter.
These months where everyone was stuck in their homes would have been the best time for Nintendo to release all of those Mario games they are supposed to release this year. I hope they won't use those games to bolster their holiday season offerings at the end of the year.
Possibly my favorite game of all time. I'll never forget the day I got it and started playing.
@Roam85 Haha, true. When you look at it that way, 2 was a massive downgrade.
@Apportal_SMM2
I can't say it isn't a well designed or sometimes beautiful game.
I just couldn't manage to stay engaged. Perhaps it felt a bit too jumbled and conceptually thin.
Some visual assets and game elements started feeling incoherently overused to me. Like the thematic glue that would tie gameplay bits together as levels, and levels together as worlds, was missing. I lost sight of what to expect, and stopped looking forward to being surprised.
Mario games have an allowance of comical nonsense and rhythmic repetition, but this game overspent.
Right up until odyssey, this game casted a shadow so big I compared the Wii u 3d world to it and couldn't enjoy it,
Galaxy 2 was for me and in my opinion, the greatest videogame achievement yet, was the only mario release after it that impressed me
@Pod to each his own! 😀
@eaglesfly76 I completely agree, people who played SMG1 first most likely didn’t like the 2nd. And people who played the 2nd most likely though it was better than the 1st.
@Souflee I found 3D world pretty enjoyable, but playing the whole game as separate characters, not twice like SMG1, but FIVE times. Pretty big boom there 😂 I bet it will be released alongside a new mode like “bowsers fury” or something like that. Probably coming out in a Mario direct or something.
@Apportal_SMM2 yeah, that would be cool
I'll pick. Let's be honest: Mario Odyssey has about 200-300 moons that involve doing something that could be called interesting in any way and many of those repeat the same idea without variation. They almost never build on or combine ideas. The platforming levels are largely incredibly simplistic, usually focused on a transformation. Only a few come to mind as exceptions and they largely borrow from Mario Galaxy. Mario Odyssey has the best Mario controls and does the least with them. It's fun in the way a mobile game is fun: you're always doing something, but it's usually nothing. Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are superior games in every way except controls because of their level design.
@JasmineDragon oh for sure, me too
@Nookingtons nope. All just bored lockdown speculation until we see something official.
@Anti-Matter Are there no Lynels you may slay for more rupiah? Are there no shrines with hidden chests?
@COVIDberry
Rupiah is Indonesian currency.
Not Rupee from Zelda games.
I was talking about my currency.
Right now US$ 1.00 = Rp 14,672
@Ralizah wrong
@Grumblevolcano 🤣🤣
I'm really hoping for a remaster of galaxy 1&2 (2 in particular). Galaxy 2 really is the best mario game in my heart.
Probably most people have thought of this, but I’d like to see a “remastered” (either HD, or completely reworked graphics) Mario 64 and Sunshine sold together, And an HD Galaxy 1+2 together... even an 60 bucks a piece, I’d snap those up without a second thought.
3D World Deluxe can, and probably will be released on its own.
With that said, I’d take individual (and physical) releases. Only problem is timing. They probably wouldn’t release them nearly fast enough. We’d get like one each year at best. I want them all, but a shiny new Mario 64 full remake, with the original (but HD/60fps) graphics as an option... would be my main request. Sunshine/Galaxy 1+2 would be fine with a bump to 1080p, and high res textures, and performance fix for Sunshine... maybe a few quality of life changes/additions.
@Anti-Matter I know. A joke. My humour doesn't translate well enough, evidently.
I just think it is really cool how widespread the "rupee" is, at least around the Indian Ocean.
@Marios-love-child Welp, oddly enough, about a week ago I got Galaxy 2 for free! Totally unexpected! (Work related.)
So now I may just have to play it before rumored remasters, but I must confess I haven't finished Odyssey yet... That game is on its own tier, and I try to wait until everything feels right and I'm not too busy... so of course I end up only occasionally play it. (Though I just played half the day today. That was fun!)
So... may not get to Galaxy 2 before the remasters, BUT at least if we don't get them, playing it on Wii will help ease the pain a little. I don't know, after Odyssey, I'll probably take a break from Mario to finish some other games before getting back to Galaxy 2.
Point is, I just wanted to mention how weird it is that I randomly got Galaxy 2, unplanned.
Definitely prefer the first one. It’s magical
Oh come on. Of all the 3D Mario games Galaxy 2 is by far the most forgettable.
I don't mind people enjoying it, but calling it "Nintendo's greatest sequel" is a Grand Canon-sized stretch when we also have the Mario Bros series, the Metroid series, Majora's Mask, etc.
I love both of them. So I'm not irked like some by other people's opinions on it as the 'greatest sequel ever' or 'boring no soul sequel'. lol. they are companion pieces to me.
@Ralizah Honestly think that it’s the other way around. Galaxy’s observatory feels lifeless and empty. It’s also quite annoying with how big it is and especially near the end where it takes so long to get to the top. Eventually you get the shortcut, but it’s still annoying. The star ship Mario is small, but there are a lot of little secrets. One thing that I do prefer over galaxy 2 is that the levels are more open in 1, but there is no reason to explore in that game. Nothing interesting to find. Galaxy 2 was genius with the comet medals because it game a reason to explore and the felt satisfying to get and the few open levels in galaxy 2 are amazing.
I've never played the second one but am really tempted to pick it up on Wii.
The Mario Galaxy series is my favourite Mario games expecially Galaxy 2
I preordered it back in the day, and I never regretted it. My favorite Mario game of all time. Im still a little bit sad it didn't came in 3D All Stars... But I would definitively buy an HD version of it as a paid dlc!!
Super Mario Galaxy 2 on a Switch cart, please.
@BongoBongo123 Its a must!!
ten years...
TEN YEARS
😨
Galaxy 2 is my favourite video game of all time. I prefer it to Galaxy 1 (my 2nd fav)
The first game was better due to Rosalina's story and the general atmosphere backing it up. Galaxy 2 is more like a bunch of levels (albeit good ones) stacked without any meaningful story.
Coming soon as Switch DLC!
Back when I played it, I said to myself "this is the best game I've ever played" and I don't often feel that way. It's since been taken over by BotW. So yes, it is better than the first one because it expands upon it without feeling too similar or rehashed.
It also has Yoshi, so that automatically makes it better.
I preferred Super Mario Galaxy a little more but still think Galaxy 2 is amazing. We've got to be getting Galaxy 2 on Switch in 2021, the Switch version of the first game was so pretty.
Pikmin 2 would be the better example of straight sequel... more so than Pikmin 3.
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