i blame super mario galaxy

for missing a day yesterday. i knew it would happen. but staying up til 2 on the first night i got it, combined with a really long work day, and then more galaxy last night and poof! the window for a post was gone.

but honestly, i can tell you this, that you will not find a better looking, more satisfying wii experience this year than super mario galaxy. i'll let that sink in for a second.

i was not a fan of super mario 64. in fact, i was almost an enemy of the game, constantly crowing about how disappointed i was. i mean, there was some novelty at first (hey, mario in 3d! look, a goomba in 3d! is that...a gigantic bob-bomb...in 3d?) but the level design and poor camera hampered the game experience for me. it was just too difficult, too repetitive and too poor a follow up to the supremely excellent super mario world and super mario rpg on the snes.

but everything that mario 64 did wrong, galaxy has gotten dead on right.

let's do the list, shall we?

easy to pick up controls? check.
moderate learning curve? check.
easy first couple of levels that are still fun to play? yes.
satisfying goals that progress at a quick rate (as in unlocking doesn't take you half a day?) definitely.
great graphics (not just for the wii, in general)? yes.
awesome music, bringing old mario themes back in symphonic renditions? oh, hells yeah.

this is mario back to form. given, i haven't yet finished even the last boss, but this is not the same 3d mario at all. he runs and jumps way better than mario 64, more like the mario in strikers (the running, that is). and the puzzles are fun to do. there is the odd "that was so hard i don't want to do it again" one, but i'm having tons of fun getting somewhere in the game. not to mention the 2 player mode.

anyways, i have to leave some gas for my review next week. although, if you have a wii, and like mario reviews, we're giving away a copy of the game in conjunction with the release of my review...not that you should need any reward for supporting a novice reviewer, but definitely check out our contests, thursday of next week.

surprisingly full of headachy goodness, and now motrin...

JD