Sadly, my Wii Remote died three quarters of the way through the game, so I couldn't finish it. I do feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the game though, sufficient to write a decent review.
Super Mario Galaxy was a revolution in the mario world. It was totally different than any other 3D mario game, or any other mario game for that matter. It's focus on atmosphere rather than gameplay made it unique. Revisiting it was a bit of a challenge for me, as I feel the gameplay has aged and isn't the most riveting Mario has been.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 places the focus beck on gameplay. This game is extremely fun, with amazing gimmicks for every level. No level is a chore, the platforming is tight, Yoshi is a great addition and the powerups are creative.
However, I do have to say, this game feels like it lacks personality. It's probably because its predecessor has so much of it, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 really reminded me of Super Mario 3D Land or 3D world in the sense that feels very... safe. The levels are great but don't feel nearly as memorable as the ones from the first game. The music is very good, but feels like Mario Music, and is nowhere near as good as the symphony that is super mario galaxy. Starship Mario is a great hub, its small size is benefitial to it as it makes getting to where you want to be really easy and effortless, but it isn't the comet observatory.
If I had to describe this game, I would say it's Super Mario 3D world with a Super Mario Galaxy skin. This isn't a dig: I loved my time with the game. But I do have to say, I do feel like the 3D World and Galaxy are better games because they are focused : one is an amazing obstacle course type game with very few thrills, the other is an atmospheric mario game with subpar level design (when compared to other mario games of course, it's way above average when you compare it to the broader video game landscape). Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn't achieve the picture-perfect level-design of 3D World or the picture-perfect atmosphere of the original, so, to me, it feels like the worst of the three, as it is competent, even good, in every department, but excells in none.
Super Mario Galaxy was a revolution in the mario world. It was totally different than any other 3D mario game, or any other mario game for that matter. It's focus on atmosphere rather than gameplay made it unique. Revisiting it was a bit of a challenge for me, as I feel the gameplay has aged and isn't the most riveting Mario has been.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 places the focus beck on gameplay. This game is extremely fun, with amazing gimmicks for every level. No level is a chore, the platforming is tight, Yoshi is a great addition and the powerups are creative.
However, I do have to say, this game feels like it lacks personality. It's probably because its predecessor has so much of it, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 really reminded me of Super Mario 3D Land or 3D world in the sense that feels very... safe. The levels are great but don't feel nearly as memorable as the ones from the first game. The music is very good, but feels like Mario Music, and is nowhere near as good as the symphony that is super mario galaxy. Starship Mario is a great hub, its small size is benefitial to it as it makes getting to where you want to be really easy and effortless, but it isn't the comet observatory.
If I had to describe this game, I would say it's Super Mario 3D world with a Super Mario Galaxy skin. This isn't a dig: I loved my time with the game. But I do have to say, I do feel like the 3D World and Galaxy are better games because they are focused : one is an amazing obstacle course type game with very few thrills, the other is an atmospheric mario game with subpar level design (when compared to other mario games of course, it's way above average when you compare it to the broader video game landscape). Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn't achieve the picture-perfect level-design of 3D World or the picture-perfect atmosphere of the original, so, to me, it feels like the worst of the three, as it is competent, even good, in every department, but excells in none.