|
 |
|
| | Title:
Super Mario Galaxy
..............................................
System:
Nintendo Wii
..............................................
Genre:
Platform
..............................................
Publisher:
Nintendo
..............................................
Developer:
Nintendo EAD Tokyo
..............................................
Release:
TBA, 2006
..............................................
Online:
No
..............................................
ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
..............................................
 |
So what new capabilities does the Wii remote bring to the table? First off, there is Mario’s spin attack: By shaking the remote back and forth, Mario will twirl around in a circle defeating any enemies unfortunate to get close to his powerful fists. One example where this attack was used was on Bullet Bills. As the cannon continuously fired Bills at Mario, Mario twirled just as a Bill was about to collide with him and sent the enemy flailing in the other direction. Satisfying? Oh yes. The twirl attack can also be used to “charge up” the star pads and launch Mario to another planet.
It is here another function for the Wii remote comes into play, the pointer. At all times on the screen there is a little star which represents exactly where the Wii remote is pointing. This allows for a lot of interaction with the world Mario is in. One of the coolest examples of this is when Mario is launched to another planet. Assuming the planet is far enough away, when Mario is launched he flies across the screen with lightning speed. As he flies though, little Star Shards are in his path. Player’s can collect these Star Shards with the pointer by simply pointing at them. The process is really fun and adds a great amount of the “wow this is just so cool and polished,” feeling Mario is famous for. Another time when the Wii pointer was needed was when Mario ran into the blue star orbs. By pointing at these orbs and clicking the appropriate button the blue orbs would suck Mario towards them. Players would then have to quickly send Mario across an open chasm where only reflexes would get him across. Again, it was a blast to play.
Mario Galaxy is also going to have its fair share of boss encounters. One of the favorites shown so far is the fight against the giant mechanized monster. Players are charged with not only dodging a plethora of Bullet Bills, but must also avoid the mech’s giant feet as they stomp across the planet, and then climb up the mech’s leg and finally lead Bullet Bills twice into hitting the glowing alarm which rests on top of the mech’s head. All in all like everything else in the game so far; it was a lot of fun to play.
Overall, Mario Galaxy is so far shaping up to be a downright worthy sequel for the Mario franchise. Finally, we are being allowed to explore a location besides the Mushroom Kingdom. Galaxy is combining all the old elements (collecting coins, circular life bar) with the new (Wii remote functionality) features to create a truly awesome experience. The only bad note in Mario Galaxy’s tune is that it won’t be a launch title. Nintendo has promised though that it will release in the first few months of the Wii being out. Here’s hoping it comes sooner rather than later.
Pages
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
