Game Overview
Crikey, we haven't been this excited about a game since.......errr......never! Halo 3 was exciting, Gears of War was an agonizing wait, but nothing compares to what we have gone through waiting for the release of Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii. It has been over 10 years since the legendary Super Mario 64 was released, the game that turned the gaming world upside down. After that was Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube which was a little bit of a let down, and really didn't have that Mario feel to it at times, but we still played it from start to finish a couple of times because it was Mario. Then we saw Mario 64 re-released on the Nintendo DS which meant that we could now play one of, if not, the greatest games ever made, on our travels.

Now it is time for Mario Galaxy, widely anticipated for a few years now. It has taken it's time, that's for sure, but perfection takes time, as well all know. It has been pushed back a couple of times, there have been rumours flying about left, right and centre and it caused a bunch of hardcore fans to go to London 24 hours before release dressed as their favorite character to get their mitts on a copy early! Mario Galaxy has caused a huge stir in the gaming market and it is easy to see why when you load it up!

It is possibly the hardest game we have had to review, simply because it is so good! How can you describe something that is virtually perfection? It plays superbly, it's addictive, it doesn't have the stupid FLUDD machine (as made famous in Sunshine), it is Mario back to his best and thanks to Nintendo we are going to be the most unsociable people now for the next couple of years as we play it over and over and over again!

It will take you a few minutes to get used to the control system used in Mario Galaxy. Run with the Nunchuck, jump with A on the remote. They are the basics. Then you can point the remote at the screen and pick up "Star Bits" from anywhere on the level (without having to collect them with Mario himself) providing they are visible on screen. These "Star Bits" can then be used to feed other Stars later in the game to unlock new Galaxies. Obviously, to add to the collectable side of things you have the legendary coins which boost your health, oh, and if you shake the controller Mario will spin attack his enemies, this can also be used to gain extra height in jumps.

Here is our one and only gripe with Super Mario Galaxy, when running around a planet and running upside down on different platforms throughout space, you become incredibly disorientated at times which lead you to doing rash things that you wouldn't necessarily do if you weren't so confused with what was going on! There is however a plus side to this, having no gravity and being able to walk upside down means that it opens up the game more than ever before and makes the game twice as big! The possibilities are almost endless and Nintendo have made the most of everything so expect a tricky and brain straining ride!

The hub of the game is called the Comet Observetory, where you'll find 6 different worlds called the Terrace, Fountain, Kitchen, Bedroom, Engine Room, and Garden. Each of these worlds contains Galaxies, combined you are looking at 42 galaxies, each galaxy has between 1 and 7 stars to collect so sometimes you'll need to play a Galaxy a few time to get everything you require (121 Stars in total). At times, comets can circulate a galaxy, this isn't a good thing and will require you to complete a level in a certain time or defeat a boss with only 1 bar of health. You are rewarded with another Star though so it is worthwhile.

You'll find the game is huge, none of this rubbish few levels, all about the multiplayer stuff that a lot of Wii games seem to have done over the last year. Like Zelda, Mario is a single player game that offers a difficult yet enjoyable gaming experience, excellent and bright graphics, a catchy soundtrack (and yes, you will hear some of the classics) and the chance to see Mario once again in all his glory, not to mention a few other surprises along the way!

Our Conclusions
The big question we are asked is, is it better than Super Mario 64? Well, that's too hard to call, it's the best game on the Nintendo Wii by a country mile, so good that we can't see it being caught by any other game ever made on the Wii, but actually better than Mario 64 we would have to say no, but it is definitely as good as it's older brother. You definitely won't be let down by Mario Galaxy, mark our words, this game will still be around and talked about in 10 years time as is Mario 64. This is an absolute must have for all Nintendo Wii owners!

Overall Score: 10/10

Thanks to Nintendo and Toby at Red Consultancy.