Super Mario Galaxy = God

[Petoe]

I'm up to 95 stars right now. Anyone who says this game is easy obviously hasn't tried to get all the stars. Most of the comet levels in particular can be a bitch (1HP boss battles are fun ) and if you get get the three green stars, those new levels you unlock are crazy challenging (except the bubble one, I thought that was decently easy)

This is oh so true.
I see people moaning and whining everywhere how this game is way too easy. Well those people obviously haven't tried to get all 120 stars.

[Warlock]

I think it's actually good what Nintendo did - they didn't make the game rediculously hard, so the casual crowd can still beat it without a huge amount of trouble. But then they have optional difficult levels for the more hardcore crowd so the game is not a joke either.

I think one thing also that I've liked about it is that each star really feels like its own level. There are some cases where you revisit the same parts of the level, but it seems like in most cases each star takes you to a completely different area. So honestly, it makes it feel fresh. I mean, look at the first world in Mario 64 for example. All the stars were in that same exact area. It was really boring trudging through that 6 different times. Sunshine was sort of the same way as well, but they sort of "blocked off" the other areas of the level in some cases.

I'd even say some of the comet challenges which resemble some of the more tedious stars in previous games (purple coins = red coins, cosmic mario chase = shadow mario chase) are done way better. All the purple coin stages are really varied - some timed, some not - and very, very challenging (except for a handful.. Good Egg Galaxy's is rediculously easy). The Cosmic Mario chase is usually at least a somewhat different path through the level. I think one of my favorites was when I had to do an ice-skating race against him across several icy block platforms. That was cool :) I also like that most levels have a hidden star... some of them are easy to find (i.e. hungry luma) but others require some thought and a little venturing off the beaten path which is cool.

I will say though, the camera has really pissed me off at times. IGN is full of crap if they think it's better than Sunshine's. If anything, it's worse. There have been so many situations where the camera is not pointing at a good location it's not even funny. Particularly there are some points where you can go underneath platforms and the camera will not follow you. Which basically leaves you completely blind as to where you are going. Other times I've had blocks and trees and crap blocking my view. And the camera is REDICULOUSLY stubbern about when you can center your view, and when you can't. I mean, it doesn't even make sense. The 2d-ish parts, yes, I get that. But you should be able to center your view any other time. But it's really picky about when you can do that. And the free-look is worthless due to the short radius you can turn (seriously, why can't I turn 360 degrees? You're telling me Mario can't turn around while he's looking up? He has to first look down, turn around, then look up again?)

But the camera gripes are only minor I guess. The game is still pretty great :)

[DarkDragoonX]

Yeah, the camera controls really aggravated me. The vast majority of the time, you have no control of the camera at all. It's retarded, and there's no reason for it.

[Cloral]

I was thinking about how they could've made the camera controls better, and I think the best way to handle it on the Wii would be to make it so holding down C you can use the analog stick to control the camera. Sure you have to stop to do this, but you have to stop to move your thumb up to the DPad anyway. It's not an optimal solution (which would be to have a second analog stick like on the GCN controller), but it would certainly be a whole lot better than what they put in there.

[Warlock]

If they allowed you to re-center the camera anytime (except during the 2d parts, I understand that), and if the freelook was 360 degrees, that alone would help a ton.

Edit: Up to 111 stars! Almost there! I just have to do the Garden - I have everything else 100% complete. Yay

I wonder if there is a pattern to getting the comets to show up though. I'd hate to complete all the normal stars only to need the comets and not have them show. But then again, maybe if all you need is comets it will give you comets.

Oh yeah, and Toy Time purple coin level can GO TO HELL. Ugg. I'm glad I beat that. It only took maybe.. I dunno, 5 or 6 tries, but still.. yuck.

[Warlock]

BTW, regarding sales:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3164524

At least in the US, it's the fastest selling Mario game. So screw Japan

[DarkDragoonX]

The thing about Japan is... it's Japan. They're crazy over there. Japan is the country that invented game shows involving being hit in the junk.

[vegeta1215]

Oh yeah, and Toy Time purple coin level can GO TO HELL. Ugg. I'm glad I beat that. It only took maybe.. I dunno, 5 or 6 tries, but still.. yuck.

You mean this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECfQmBbzvcc

Makes you sick, doesn't it? I still haven't beaten that level yet - I'll get it though. I'm up to like 92 stars right now. The levels are getting harder, like you said, but still not as hard as the FLUDD-less levels in Super Mario Sunshine. Those levels were tough.

[Warlock]

Why on earth would that guy bother getting every purple coin in that level?

[DarkDragoonX]

...but still not as hard as the FLUDD-less levels in Super Mario Sunshine. Those levels were tough.

On a related note, FUCK that godforsaken pachinko level.