PixlBit

The time has come.

Ever since I started this game, I knew that it would be awesome, but I never knew that it would be one of the most amazing experiences I ever had in gaming. It brought countless hours of fun, brought some of the best gameplay of all time, it was epic all the way from begining to end, the soundtrack would also become my favorite, it was beautiful to look at and to simply put it, a milestone in gaming and one that showed what the Wii was capable off (even more so than Twilight Princess). The game is:

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Sonic and the Secret Rings:

Don't let the average scores deceive you. This game is a masterpiece and the highest peak in not only for the Sonic series, but gaming as a whole. Better than any other Sonic game in the series, why would you need a conviniently fast gameplay of that shitty Colors game or the so-called 2D glory of those crappy old Genesis games when you have deep RPG elements, streamlined levels, absolutely the best controls of any game and the chance to have fun with minigames that are definitly not similar to Mario Party. It represents the best of gaming and..... and .... and.... pffft.

HeheheHeHeHEHeHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Gotcha!!!!

I wish I would have kept my farce longer than NSonic79 did with his number one choice for his Top 11 Halloween Games for 2013, but I just couldn't continue because Sonic and the Secret Rings is a game that has infuriated me ever since I kept playing it and decided to call it quits. Those things, described? Pure BS. The RPG elements are overly complicated, though the levels aren't bad, they get ruined because of the messy and disjointed controls and my god are those Mario Party-like minigames bland as hell.

However, the first paragraph is entirely true for the next game, wait, scratch that, actually two games. What are these games you are talking about?

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Okay, i'll stop the tension and present to you:

Super Mario Galaxy by captainsponge.

SUUUUUUUUUUUPEEEEEER MAAAARIOOOOOO GAAAALAAAAXY!! (1 and 2):

First music:

I love, Love, LOVE this games.

I remember seeing for the first time footage of the gameplay of Super Mario Galaxy back in 2007 before the game was released and being completaly excited to play it.

I didn't have a Wii until December 2008, but as I mentioned in my last blog, I played a lot with the Wii of my friend and fortunately, he had the game, though I didn't start it right away until later (I played a bit of one of Bowser's boss battles with him though). When I finally created a new profile on his copy, I was in for a ride. I really liked how calmed was the introductory segment at the Star Carnival and how you get to know the basic movements of Mario right away. However, as per Mario tradition, the serenity breaks once Bowser attacked and it wasn't a normal attack either, because he sends big freaking flying battleships to blast anything on sight. Chaos ensues and Mario has to run quickly to Peach's castle, but just when he arrives, an UFO appears in the sky and uses giant claws to pull out the castle off the ground and into space. Mario fortunately reaches the castle on time, but the Kamek arrives and sends a spell that blasts Mario out of the castle, sending cries of desperation from Peach. Oh and I forgot to mention it, but Peach was also holding a mysterious thing in her arms that had the shape of a star and had eyes on it (it also seemed like it didn't move). Just when Mario blasts off, the thing Peach was holding then comes to live and goes to the direction Mario was sent off.

Then Mario awakes in a planet and finds the mysterious star-shaped creature, which is called a Luma. Just after we meet some of his companions and played with them in their bunny forms, they tell us to visit her mama. We then get to meet their mama, Rosalina (pictured above), guardian of the galaxy, mother of the Lumas and one of my favorite characters from the Mario saga. She tells Mario that they are at the "gateway to the starry sky" and and also tells him that the galaxy is at great peril from Bowser and has Peach kidnapped at the center of the universe. She ask us to save the galaxy and of course, I accepted. After that, I embarked in a extraordinary and epic journey to save space.

I loved to play and continue Super Mario Galaxy everytime I reunited with my friend, and we even played the co-op in many occasions, though I didn't managed to get to the end on my run with my friend's Wii. However, once I had my Wii, Super Mario Galaxy became an obligatory buy and got it shortly after.

I still loved it and I was so inmersed and adicted in the game that I even got the stars much earlier than anticipated and went inmediately to the center of the galaxy.

To say that I was in love would be putting it slightly.

More music:

Of course, when Super Mario Galaxy 2 was announced, I went gaga with excitement. My favorite game returning! And with Yoshi! and Luigi being avaiable from early levels! and new power ups! I knew which game to buy in 2010 and got my joy when I Super Mario Galaxy 2 at the palm of my hands.

Though I needed time to get used to it, once I started advancing through the game I realized how not only is a great sequel, but how they manage to make it as equaly incredible as the first game. Sure, it didn't have much story unlike the first game, but despite that, I still loved everything about the second game and showed that the 3D Plataformer was far from gone.

Because I feel both games are equaly amazing, I should talk about them in the same way, only showing some differences between each game.

The gameplay is magnificent in both games. Mario moves great, has very fluid animations and a variety of moves, and the spinning attack feels great everytime you swing the control. I think they did a perfect job with the Wiimote and Nunchuk controls, as no buttom feelt wasted and they work with precision and with no problems. Motion controls still have an use in the game, where you can shake the control to attack and use it to go to other planets, and use the pointer to shoot and pick star bits, manipulate the sticky sling pods and use the pull stars, and they get a more relevant role in the minigames, where motion controls are the only thing needed, but also work great. Of course, it wouldn't be Mario without Power-Ups, and not only we see the classic Fire Flower and Rainbow Star, but we are introduced to new Power-Ups that include between the two games the Bee Mushroom, the Boo Mushroom, the Ice Flower, the Red Star, the Spring Mushroom, the Cloud Flower, the Spin Drill and the Rock Mushroom, all with varied functions, and the return of Yoshi in the second game, complete with three new abilities from him, make the abilities very fun to use. Oh, and Luigi is also great and even gets a more expanded role on the second game.

Levels (or as they are called here, Galaxies) are fantastic, greatly designed and with many varied enviroments that go from the usual Mario scenarios like beaches, deserts, lava, snow, among others, but also have very creative galaxies like a giant toy box, honeyhives, massive battlefields, giant gardens, among others, and those who love Super Mario 64 will be delighted by a galaxy on the second game that I won't mention the name just to keep as a surprise. One of the things that also holds the levels together is the gravity mechanics that also affect the gameplay. The gravity creates some very interesting plataforming and also takes part in some form of Gimmick in certain galaxies, like directional gravity that allows for Mario to walk on the walls or ceiling. It wouldn't also be Mario without the traditional bosses and not only the games doesn't dissapoint in that department, but excells with boss fights that are varied, epic and fun to do.

The Wii, much like the Nintendo 64, isn't known as a powerhouse, but despite the limitations, the developers managed to create not only the best graphics in the Wii, but also some of the best of all time. Graphics and sceneries not only are detailed enough to make them look great on the Wii, but they are colorful and beautiful to look at, and the variety of levels just add a big amount of scenery porn, that EVEN gets better with the second game. They put the Wii graphics to their limits and IT SHOWS! At first, I always said that the soundtrack for both games were among my favorites, but now I change that statement: both soundtracks are my favorites of all time. Ever since I heard the music for the first time, I feel in love with it. It's bombastic, catchy and gives a sence of adventure, and isn't even short on slow beautiful ballads and funny songs either. If there's a pantheon for gaming composers out there, but Koji Kondo isn't included there with other legends like Martin O' Donnel and Nobuo Uematso, then I might as well lose hope for humanity.

One thing that I liked about the first Super Mario Galaxy is that it actually had a story going on. Sure, it's the normal Mario plot of rescuing the princess and save the day (only turned in epic proportions), but that's the simple side of the story. Much of the story actually comes from Rosalina, where we learn about her responsablities as a guardian of the universe and how important is to stop Bowser (especialy when we return to the place we started the game) and once we unlock the library, we can go from time to time to learn a story that is pretty much her origin.

Though I wasn't bothered that there weren't some of those bits of story in the second game since Mario isn't know for storylines when it comes to the main games, I was still a bit dissapointed we only got an Excuse Plot, since I thought those bits of story were a nice addition.

That said, the ending of both games are fantastic. The first game on how it was actually daring even for Nintendo and it's in retrospect very sad, and the second game for ending on a happy note to contrast the first game and also see a familiar missing face (of course, SPOILERS!!!!).

I can't say enough how much I love these games. They are the epitome of Plataforming glory, they showed the Wii what it was capable of, they are milestones in modern gaming and most of all, they are fun, innovative, inmersive, gorgeous and overall, fantastic games that I think anyone should experience once in their life. They probably convinced me that the Wii is a system worth owning and oficialy made Mario my favorite Nintendo franchise. I do hope to play again the games someday, to be back again on a epic journey through the universe and actually for once get all the stars and unlock the things I had missed.

Thanks you Nintendo, thanks you for this two wonderfull games.