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Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a 2010 video game released for the Wii and is the direct sequel to the first game in 2007. The game was released in North America on May 23, 2010, May 27, 2010 in Japan, June 11 in Europe, and was released in Australia on July 1, the rest of Asia on December 4, 2010, and in South Korea on January 20, 2011.

The game sees Mario traveling through space once again to save Princess Peach from Bowser, who has stolen the Grand Stars to restart building his galactic empire.

Gameplay[]

The most notable feature in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is Yoshi, whom Mario can ride on. Yoshi can gain new powers by grabbing special items, such as the Dash Pepper, which lets him run up steep slopes, the Blimp Fruit, which causes him to float, and the Bulb Berry, which allows him to find hidden platforms. New items include a drill head, used to perforate planets. Also found are two new suits called Rock Mario and Cloud Mario; the former turns Mario into a rock ball that rolls around hitting enemies, and the latter lets Mario make clouds to climb. There is also a switch that slows/stops time, a rotating item block similar to a die that Mario can use his spin attack on—gaining whatever is rolled on the block, winged Question Blocks and more. Miyamoto stated that most of what didn't make it into Super Mario Galaxy would appear in Super Mario Galaxy 2. It is like Super Mario World and also has some Super Mario World themes.

Star Bits, as well as suits such as the Bee Mushroom and other mechanics of Super Mario Galaxy reappeared in the game. However, the Comet Observatory has been eliminated as Mario's means of accessing the galaxies. The new method of traveling through space is the Starship Mario, built by Lubba. It is a planetoid in the shape of Mario's head which uses a map screen, with a word scheme similar to the ones in previous Mario games: Super Mario Bros. 3 and New Super Mario Bros. Bowser returns as a villain for this sequel. There are several other bosses, including one that resembles a smaller version of Megaleg, a snowman head called Sorbetti, and a giant armadillo named Rollodillo.

Luigi is also playable in the game, unlocked after Mario gets 3 Power Stars in World 3. Afterward, at specific points in time, Mario will find him at the beginning of a galaxy. If Mario speaks to him, Luigi will offer to take Mario's place for the duration of the time spent in the galaxy. As in the original game, Luigi runs faster, jumps higher, and farther, and has slightly less traction than his brother. When the player uses Luigi to gain any star in a galaxy, that galaxy will gain a Luigi ghost they can race against. After finishing the game, the player can switch between Mario and Luigi at will on the Starship Mario.

If a player dies a certain number of times on a single level, the Cosmic Spirit appears at a certain point in a level. When the player talks to her, she asks if Mario needs help. If the player agrees, the Cosmic Spirit turns into a small blue orb and circles Mario, then gains control of Mario's body. At any time, you can press the plus button on the Wii Remote and choose to have her stop controlling Mario and you can regain control. If not, the Cosmic Spirit continues to beat the level. After she completes it—or even if she does part of it—you get a Bronze Star instead of a regular Power Star. It counts as a Regular Star and adds to your Star count, but you can only get a Power Star by completing the level by yourself. The Cosmic Spirit is a similar guide found in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Donkey Kong Country Returns (Super Kong).

Due to high rankings, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the second-highest rated game of all time behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Development[]

Miyamoto noted that the game would be less focused on the plot.

In an interview, he said the game would be more challenging than its predecessor. He stated that he hoped the game would be as successful as the original. Miyamoto also mentioned that some levels, maybe even several, may be repeated.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was initially named Super Mario Galaxy More, in fact, on the code, the name Super Mario Galaxy More is still there. This was because it was initially an expansion pack for Super Mario Galaxy, containing content cut from the original, before transforming into an original game.

Story[]

Following off from the end of Super Mario Galaxy, Rosalina's end of game speech stating that, "The cycle repeats itself, but never quite in the same way," starts becoming true.

The game starts again with the Star Festival. Continuing from the ending of the first Super Mario Galaxy, Princess Peach invites Mario to share some cake while watching the shooting stars. On his way to Peach's Castle, Mario finds a lost Baby Luma. Baby Luma seems to like Mario and jumps into his hat. At Toad Town, Mario discovers Bowser attacking the castle. Bowser explains that he used the power of the Power Stars to become a giant, and kidnaps Peach and takes her away.

Mario starts at the Sky Station Galaxy, where Mario must fight Peewee Piranha. Afterwards, Mario lands on a strange planet that is inhabited by Lumas. Lubba, the captain, turns the planet into a faceship (Starship Mario) to assist Mario and Baby Luma in their Quest for the Power Stars.

After a long journey, Mario collects enough stars to reach Bowser's main fortress. Infiltrating Bowser's fortress, Mario defeats Bowser, collects the final Grand Star, and rescues Peach. Suddenly, Rosalina and the Comet Observatory appear in front of the Starship Mario. Rosalina thanks Mario for protecting Baby Luma, and Baby Luma returns with Rosalina, taking Mario's hat as a souvenir. The Comet Observatory disappears while Mario and his companions return to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Characters[]

Playable Characters[]

Protagonists[]

Antagonists[]

Enemies[]

New Enemies[]

Transformation[]

Some of Mario's power-ups have returned from the first game, including some new ones. Yoshi also has power-ups of his own.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 includes all of the power-ups featured in Super Mario Galaxy except for Ice Mario and Flying Mario. However, the data for those suits was placed in the game, but never used. They can still be seen and used if the player hacks the game.

Mario[]

Yoshi[]

Galaxies and Missions[]

World 1
Sky Station Galaxy Yoshi Star Galaxy
Peewee Piranha's Temper Tantrum Storming the Sky Fleet Saddle Up with Yoshi Spiny Control
Peewee Piranha's Speed Run Green Star 1 Spiny Rainbow Romp Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Spin-Dig Galaxy Fluffy Bluff Galaxy
Digga-Leg's Planet Silver Stars Down Deep Search for the Toad Brigade Captain The Chimp's Stomp Challenge
Digga-Leg's Daredevil Run Green Star 1 Every Planet Has Its Price Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Flip-Swap Galaxy* Rightside Down Galaxy
Think Before You Shake Purple Coin Flip 'n' Sprint Breaking the Laws of Gravity The Great Crate Incinerator
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla
Gobblegut's Aching Belly Fiery Flotilla Speed Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World 2
Puzzle Plank Galaxy Hightail Falls Galaxy
The Puzzling Picture Block Purple Coin Shadow Vault Hot-Stepping Dash Pepper Hightail Falls Speed Run
Bugaboom's Back Green Star 1 Silver Stars in Hightail Falls Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Boulder Bowl Galaxy Cosmic Cove Galaxy
Rock and Rollodillo Rolling Crabber Romp Twin Falls Hideaway Exploring the Cosmic Cavern
C'mere, Goomba Green Star 1 Catch That Star Bunny Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Wild Glide Galaxy Honeybloom Galaxy*
Fluzzard's First Flight Jungle Fluzzard Race Bumble Beginnings The Secret Wall Jump
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser's Lava Lair
Bowser's Big Lava Power Party Lava Lair Speed Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World 3
Tall Trunk Galaxy Cloudy Court Galaxy
The Flotacious Blimp Fruit Tall Trunk's Big Slide Head in the Clouds The Shadow Lining
Tall Trunk's Purple Coin Slide Green Star 1 Silver Stars in the Purple Pond Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Haunty Halls Galaxy Freezy Flake Galaxy
A Glimmer of Bulb Berry Sneaking Down the Creepy Corridor Bowser on Ice Sorbetti's Chilly Reception
Spooky Cosmic Clone Chase Green Star 1 The Chimp's Skating Challenge Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy Beat Block Galaxy*
Silver Chomp Grudge Match Masterpiece Speed Run Step to the Beep Silver Stars in Double Time
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet
Bowser Jr.'s Mighty Megahammer Megahammer's Daredevil Bash Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World 4
Supermassive Galaxy Flipsville Galaxy
Huge Trouble with Big Wigglers Big Wigglers Speed Run Flip-Flopping in Flipsville Flipsville's New Digs
In Full Bloom Green Star 1 Purple Coin Spin Speed Run Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Starshine Beach Galaxy Chompworks Galaxy
Surf, Sand, and Silver Stars Climbing the Cloudy Tower Where the Chomps Are Made of Gold Spring into the Chompworks
Purple Coin Speed Dash Green Star 1 Cosmic Clones in the Chompworks Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Sweet Mystery Galaxy* Honeyhop Galaxy
Bulb Berry's Mysterious Glow Bulb Berry's Purple Coin Glow The Sweetest Silver Stars The Chimp's Score Challenge
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet
Breaking into Bowser's Castle Gravity Star Speed Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World 5
Space Storm Galaxy Slipsand Galaxy
Follow Me, Bob-omb To the Top of Topman's Tower Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole Sailing the Sandy Seas
C'mere, Topman Green Star 1 Squizzard's Daredevil Run Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Shiverburn Galaxy Boo Moon Galaxy
Prince Pikante's Peppery Mood Octo-Army Icy Rainbow Romp Silver Stars Pop-Up Haunting the Howling Tower
The Chimp's Ultimate Skating Challenge Green Star 1 The Star in the Sinking Swamp Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Upside Dizzy Galaxy Fleet Glide Galaxy*
A Walk on the Weird Side Burning Upside Dizzy Fluzzard's Wild Battlefield Glide Fastest Feathers in the Galaxy
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker
Bowser Jr.'s Boomsday Machine Boomsday Machine Daredevil Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World 6
Melty Monster Galaxy Clockwork Ruins Galaxy
The Magnificent Magma Sea A Stroll Down Rolling Lane Time for Adventure The Adventure of the Purple Coins
The Chimp's Bowling Challenge Green Star 1 The Ledge Hammer Trap Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Throwback Galaxy Battle Belt Galaxy
Return of the Whomp King Silver Stars in the Whomp Fortress Mini-Planet Mega-Run Mini-Planet Daredevil Run
Whomp Silver Star Speed Run Green Star 1 Snacktime for Gobblegut Green Star 1
Green Star 2 Green Star 3 Green Star 2 Green Star 3
Flash Black Galaxy* Slimy Spring Galaxy
Jumping Around in the Dark Dark Octo-Army Romp The Deep Shell Well The Chimp's Coin Challenge
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Bowser's Galaxy Generator
Bowser's Fortified Fortress Bowser's Big Bad Speed Run Green Star 1 Green Star 2
World S
Mario Squared Galaxy Rolling Coaster Galaxy
Make Mario a Star Luigi's Purple Coin Chaos The Rainbow Road Roll Purple Coins on the Rainbow Road
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Twisty Trials Galaxy Stone Cyclone Galaxy
Spinning and Spinning and Spinning Turning Turning Double Time Silver Stars on the Cyclone Tox Box Speed Run
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Boss Blitz Galaxy Flip-Out Galaxy*
Throwback Throwdown Throwback Throwdown Speed Run Wicked Wall Jumps Cosmic Clone Wall Jumpers
Green Star 1 Green Star 2 Green Star 1 Green Star 2
Grandmaster Galaxy
The Ultimate Test The Perfect Run

(*) = Unlocked by feeding a Hungry Luma.

Music[]

Much of the music in the game is reused or reorchestrated from the past Mario titles. Examples of which are:

  • The theme heard on Starship Mario is a remix of the music box theme from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, though most fans disagree.
  • In Puzzle Plank Galaxy, music from Super Mario Bros. 2 can be heard while collecting musical notes.
  • In Hightails Falls Galaxy, one of the overworld themes from Super Mario World can be heard.
  • In Haunty Halls Galaxy, music from the ghost houses in Super Mario World can be heard.
  • The music heard during the slide portion of Tall Trunk Galaxy and the music in Rolling Coaster Galaxy are from Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS's Peach's Secret Slide.
  • Throwback Galaxy includes some of the original music from the Whomp's Fortress level of Super Mario 64. The galaxy's name suggests that it is intentionally added for nostalgic purposes.
  • Themes from the original Super Mario Galaxy were reused for this game.

Reception[]

Like its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was widely acclaimed by major video game critics with numerous reviews praising the game for its creativity and technical improvements over the original. Most reviewers agreed that the game either lived up to or surpassed the original Super Mario Galaxy. It has an average critic score of 97% at GameRankings and 97/100 at Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated games on the sites alongside its predecessor.[1][2]

Tom McShea from GameSpot called it a "new standard for platformers", giving it a perfect 10, making it the seventh game in the site's history to earn that score.[3] Other perfect scores came from Edge, stating "This isn't a game that redefines the genre: this is one that rolls it up and locks it away,"[4] and IGN's Craig Harris, who felt that the game "perfectly captures that classic videogame charm, the reason why most of us got into gaming from the start".[5] IGN later placed Super Mario Galaxy 2 fourth on their "Top Modern Games" list[6] and listed it as the greatest Wii game of all time.[7] The Escapist editor Susan Arendt echoed this view by stating it "doesn't tinker with the established formula very much, but we didn't really want it to", [8] while GameTrailers commented that "there's something tremendous for just about everyone and games that we can truly recommend to almost everyone are rare".[9] Ryan Scott at GameSpy regards it a much better game than the first Super Mario Galaxy, stating, "For a series that's explored every conceivable angle of its genre, the Mario games keep coming up with ways to challenge our notions of what a platformer can and should do."[10]

Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis particularly praised the improved level designs, commenting that the designers were "bolder" and "more willing to take some weird risks with the planetoids and abstract platforming that set the tone in the original Galaxy",[11] while Chris Kohler from Wired commented that the level concepts alone "could be made into full games on their own".[12] Additionally, 1UP.com's Justin Haywald noted the expanded soundtrack as "sweeping".[13] X-Play editor Andrew Pfister awarded Super Mario Galaxy 2 a 5/5, calling it "the culmination of 20 years of Mario gaming into one fantastically-designed and creative platformer".[14]

Despite this praise, some critics raised complaints over increased difficulty and the game's similarity to the original Super Mario Galaxy. Chris Scullion from Official Nintendo Magazine called it the "new best game on Wii", but said it lacked the original's impact (though they admitted the extreme difficulty of this, due to the quality of the original).[15] Game Informer editor Matt Helgeson was concerned with some of the challenges being potentially "frustrating",[16] particularly towards the end of the game;[17] similarly, Ben PerLee from GamePro remarked that the "increased difficulty and high proficiency requirement may turn new fans off".[18] However, Worthplaying editor Chris DeAngelus praised the game's difficulty, stating that "there are very few sequences where death will feel like a result of bad design instead of player error, which helps keep the frustration down".[19]

The removal of story elements present in Super Mario Galaxy also received criticism, with Chris Kohler from Wired stating "streamlining I don't think was necessary was removing nearly all the story elements. Galaxy showed that the Mario team has some genuinely solid storytelling ability, and they implemented it in a way that didn't distract from the gameplay", mentioning that it felt like a "waste of talent".[12]

Fan Reception[]

WatchMojo ranked it as the fifth best Super Mario game in their "Top 10 Mario Games of All Time" list countdown (following behind Super Mario World (#4), Super Mario Odyssey (#3), Super Mario 64 (#2), & Super Mario Bros. 3 (#1)),[20] and they also ranked it as the tenth most hardest game in the series in their "10 HARDEST Super Mario Games" list countdown over on MojoPlays.[21]

Trivia[]

  • This was the first Mario game to be released in the 2010's.
  • This is the second 3D Super Mario game in the franchise to be "Course clear" styled, following it's predecessor.[22]
  • Bowser must be beaten twice in order to collect the Green Stars. This is done when 120 Stars are collected.
  • Though Luma collects Mario's cap at the end of the game, after the credits roll, Mario has it back.
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the first 3D Super Mario game to be a sequel.
  • It was one of the games that was skipped at the end of the Mario Direct.
  • Controversy about Super Mario 3D All-Stars came from the fact that this game was not featured in the collection.

Gallery[]

Hat mario To view Super Mario Galaxy 2's
image gallery, click here.


External links[]

  1. "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reviews". GameRankings. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  2. "Super Mario Galaxy 2". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  3. McShea, Tom (May 22, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  4. "Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2". Edge. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  5. Harris, Craig (May 20, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  6. "Super Mario Galaxy 2 – #4 Top Modern Games – IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  7. "The Top 25 Wii Games". Archived from the original on November 27, 2009.
  8. Arendt, Susan (May 20, 2010). "Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2". The Escapist. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  9. "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review". GameTrailers. May 31, 2016. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  10. Scott, Ryan (May 26, 2010). "Review Super Mario Galaxy 2". GameSpy. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  11. Davis, Ryan (May 21, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Kohler, Chris (May 21, 2010). "Review: Brilliant Super Mario Galaxy 2 Is Full of Surprises". Wired. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  13. Haywald, Justin (May 21, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review for the Wii". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  14. Pfister, Andrew (May 21, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review". G4tv.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  15. Scullion, Chris (June 9, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2 review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  16. Helgeson, Matt (May 19, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2010. Unfortunately, some other sequences that use the motion controller – some flight levels that control with "paper plane" controls and a Super Monkey Ball-style level that uses the Wii remote like a joystick – are imprecise and frustrating.
  17. Helgeson, Matt (May 19, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2: Mario Shines in Epic Sequel". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  18. PerLee, Ben (May 21, 2010). "Super Mario Galaxy 2". GamePro. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  19. DeAngelus, Chris (May 21, 2010). "Wii Review – 'Super Mario Galaxy 2'". Worthplaying. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  20. Richardson, T. (2019, May 21). Top 10 Mario Games of All Time. WatchMojo.
  21. Kline, A. (2023, Feb 5). The 10 HARDEST Super Mario Games. MojoPlays (WatchMojo).
  22. Figure created by Nintendo to convey the design philosophy behind the 3D Super Mario games (2017).
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