Like the first game, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was something that I played a lot of as a kid, but never actually completed, and so it was one of my most anticipated games to come back to during the summer. After a lot of complications and trial and error involving trying to hack my Wii, I briefly considered buying an entirely new console just to hack that and go back to the games I had saved on a hard drive, but I eventually caved in and decided to run the game on Dolphin (after a bit of button mapping, of course). Right when I first booted the game up a few days ago, the memories came flooding back to me, but even without the nostalgia, I still had an absolute blast with Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Ever since this game came out, pretty much everyone has been torn as to whether the first Super Mario Galaxy game was better than the second one, and while I wasn't sure about where I stood on the debate at first (especially considering how much I love both of these games), I think I might prefer the latter game. While the original game had a better hub world and a stronger emotional core thanks to Rosalina's gradually unlocked backstory (along with Rosalina herself being a more interesting companion than Lubba), Super Mario Galaxy 2 was more fun and interesting to play, as everything that made the original game so exciting and new was refined here. Rather than recontexualizing one level through multiple stars, Super Mario Galaxy 2 instead has practically every main star be its own level, with the mechanics and bosses of each one feeling more unique and creative as a result. The powerups were also much more well utilized here, as not only did most of the powerups from the first game return here (with the unfortunate exception of the Ice Flower and the Red Star), but the new ones felt a lot more dynamic to use, with the Cloud Flower being applied in especially fun ways. Bringing Yoshi back for this game was also a great addition thanks to his double jump and tongue abilities working alongside the gravity-defying levels, and his three powerups were especially fun to toy around with. Seeing characters from earlier on in the game show up in different galaxies was also an interesting idea, as completing challenges for the Chimp or different Gearmos was fun in its own right while also giving me a good reason to revisit these levels. Generally speaking, I felt that the level design in Super Mario Galaxy 2 were a bit more challenging than in its predecessor (and that especially applies to the Prankster Comets), but the emphasis on platforming challenges and getting a grip on Mario's movement meant that none of my deaths felt cheap.
Despite how old the Wii's hardware was by this point (even if you don't take the Wii itself basically being an upgraded GameCube into account), I'd say that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was not only one of the best looking games on the system, but also of its year, as the vibrant colors and beautiful artstyle made the game a joy to look at while also breathing tons of life into its eccentric side characters and varied locales. The orchestral score that Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota created for Super Mario Galaxy was arguably the best score of the entire Mario franchise, and while I'm not sure if their work on Super Mario Galaxy 2 exceeded it, I'd definitely put them as equals. If there was one complaint that I had about Super Mario Galaxy 2, it would be the fact that they decided to bring back some of the less fun elements from the first game, as I wasn't a fan of the Spring Mushroom or the dreaded ball level the first time around and I especially didn't like them when they came back. Even with that in mind, though, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was still a superb game that improved on the structure of its predecessor while still retaining its sense of awe and magic, and while neither of them are totally perfect, both of these games still hold a very special place in my heart thanks to how many hours I had spent on them as a kid.
Ever since this game came out, pretty much everyone has been torn as to whether the first Super Mario Galaxy game was better than the second one, and while I wasn't sure about where I stood on the debate at first (especially considering how much I love both of these games), I think I might prefer the latter game. While the original game had a better hub world and a stronger emotional core thanks to Rosalina's gradually unlocked backstory (along with Rosalina herself being a more interesting companion than Lubba), Super Mario Galaxy 2 was more fun and interesting to play, as everything that made the original game so exciting and new was refined here. Rather than recontexualizing one level through multiple stars, Super Mario Galaxy 2 instead has practically every main star be its own level, with the mechanics and bosses of each one feeling more unique and creative as a result. The powerups were also much more well utilized here, as not only did most of the powerups from the first game return here (with the unfortunate exception of the Ice Flower and the Red Star), but the new ones felt a lot more dynamic to use, with the Cloud Flower being applied in especially fun ways. Bringing Yoshi back for this game was also a great addition thanks to his double jump and tongue abilities working alongside the gravity-defying levels, and his three powerups were especially fun to toy around with. Seeing characters from earlier on in the game show up in different galaxies was also an interesting idea, as completing challenges for the Chimp or different Gearmos was fun in its own right while also giving me a good reason to revisit these levels. Generally speaking, I felt that the level design in Super Mario Galaxy 2 were a bit more challenging than in its predecessor (and that especially applies to the Prankster Comets), but the emphasis on platforming challenges and getting a grip on Mario's movement meant that none of my deaths felt cheap.
Despite how old the Wii's hardware was by this point (even if you don't take the Wii itself basically being an upgraded GameCube into account), I'd say that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was not only one of the best looking games on the system, but also of its year, as the vibrant colors and beautiful artstyle made the game a joy to look at while also breathing tons of life into its eccentric side characters and varied locales. The orchestral score that Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota created for Super Mario Galaxy was arguably the best score of the entire Mario franchise, and while I'm not sure if their work on Super Mario Galaxy 2 exceeded it, I'd definitely put them as equals. If there was one complaint that I had about Super Mario Galaxy 2, it would be the fact that they decided to bring back some of the less fun elements from the first game, as I wasn't a fan of the Spring Mushroom or the dreaded ball level the first time around and I especially didn't like them when they came back. Even with that in mind, though, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was still a superb game that improved on the structure of its predecessor while still retaining its sense of awe and magic, and while neither of them are totally perfect, both of these games still hold a very special place in my heart thanks to how many hours I had spent on them as a kid.