Super Mario Galaxy
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Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D platformer action game for the Wii, first released in 2007. It is the third Mario 3D platformer, and the follow-up to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. However, unlike the previous two 3D adventure installments for the Mario series, this game takes place in deep space. Most of the game's levels consist of many small planets and planetoids, while others have bigger planets. Upon release, Super Mario Galaxy received some of the highest review scores and appraisals of any Wii game to date. Since its release, the game has sold over 10 million copies, making it the ninth best-selling Wii game.[1] Story Every hundred years, a comet passes over the Mushroom Kingdom and causes magical stars and stardust to fall to the planet below. Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle to join in the festivities and receive a special gift. As the citizens of the kingdom are celebrating the centennial event, Bowser suddenly attacks the Toads with his airships and freezes them in crystals. He "invites" Peach to the creation of his new galaxy and warps into space, carrying her entire castle with him. When Mario tries to save her, Kamek throws a spell at Mario sending him to a small planetoid and knocking him out.  When Mario later wakes up on the small grassy planet, he meets three Star Bunnies, who promise to tell Mario where he is if he can catch them. When he does so, they transform back into Lumas and take him to meet Rosalina, who tells Mario that the universe is in great peril after Bowser attacked her ship — the Comet Observatory — and stole the Power Stars, including seven Grand Stars. Without these, the Comet Observatory is doomed as they cannot move through space. Rosalina asks him to rescue the Grand Stars in order to defeat Bowser, who took Peach to the center of the universe. Mario then starts his journey across the galaxies, freeing Power and Grand Stars. Once five of the Grand Stars are collected, the Comet Observatory becomes a starship and takes Mario to the center of the universe. Here he defeats Bowser in his brand-new galaxy, retrieves the last Grand Star, and rescues Princess Peach as she's falling from Bowsers spinning ship. Without this Grand Star, the sun of Bowser's near-complete galaxy undergoes a supernova and becomes a supermassive black hole.Mario and Peach were seen walking together holding hands once the bridge leading to the castle breaks apart, separating them both. After this, everything in the universe begins to be pulled into it. The Lumas from the Comet Observatory, including the Luma who had faithfully accompanied Mario through his journey, throw themselves into the black hole in order to neutralize it. The Lumas attack the black hole's singularity, and it soon disintegrates in a massive explosion. Mario appears in front of Rosalina, who had somehow managed to save him from the cataclysm. She tells him that this is not the end, but a new beginning for the universe, and that the universe is an endless cycle, one that never repeats itself exactly the same way.  Mario later awakens in the Mushroom Kingdom near Peach's Castle. He sees everyone he's met throughout his adventure (friend and foe alike) celebrating the festival, while Bowser and Peach lie next to him confused. When he looks in the air, he notices the reconstructed galaxy. "Welcome! Welcome new galaxy!" Mario exclaims, as the camera zooms out into space, revealing that the universe has been reset. If Mario continues, Rosalina states to the player that if he collects all 120 Power Stars, Mario can travel to a new world. If Mario collects 120 stars, a special cut scene plays after the credits. Rosalina and a group of Lumas appear on the planet Mario started on at the beginning of the game. Rosalina says "I will watch over you from beyond the stars," and flies off to the Comet Observatory. The white Luma is shown to be alive as if nothing happened, now residing on the small Gate planet, inside a destroyed Starshroom that is covered in moss. GameplayControls  .Super Mario Galaxy has several innovations and additions to the basic 3D Mario game concept. Mario is controlled with the analog stick and can jump with the The game also uses the motion-sensors of the Wii Remote. The pointer of the Remote appears as the Star Cursor on the screen. The Star Cursor is used to perform a variety of actions, such as using Pull Stars, manipulating Sling Pods, and collecting Star Bits. Shaking the Wii Remote or Nunchuk will make Mario perform a Spin.  By pressing Featured in Super Mario Galaxy is a multiplayer mode named Co-Star Mode. By simply connecting a second Wii Remote, another player can join in and assist the first player by controlling a second Star Cursor, and in doing so can accomplish a variety of different things, some of which the first player can do, but many of which the first player cannot do. When Co-Star Mode is active, "1P" will appear below Player 1's Star Cursor, and "2P" will appear below Player 2's Star Cursor to help differentiate between them. When Co-Star Mode is not in use, these indicators will no longer appear beneath either player's Star Cursors, until such time as Co-Star Mode becomes active again. The second player can collect Star Bits and fire them at enemies to briefly stun them. When the second Star Cursor is pointed at Mario and Mario's life meter has been decreased to three total. Originally, the creators of Super Mario Galaxy thought of giving Mario a 12- or 6-part health meter, but this idea was eventually considered far too easy. There is no longer a separate health bar for underwater levels which decreases slowly. Instead, Mario has an air meter which decreases and hurts Mario's health when it hits zero. The Life Mushroom replenishes any lost health and adds a second health meter, making Mario's max health six. When Mario's health drops down to three again, the effect of the Life Mushroom is lost. Mario explores a 3D world with planets which have their own gravity. Several levels have arrows which Mario can turn around with a Spin, changing the direction of the gravity. The Launch Star allows Mario to launch off of a planet and go flying to the next. There is little or no warning that a boss might be located on the next planet, little indication that Mario may be facing something terrible or something peaceful on where he's headed next, and no loading times and screens. The game also contains side-scrolling levels reminiscent of New Super Mario Bros. with classic enemies such as Goombas and Piranha Plants. These side-scrolling levels may also contain directional gravity, allowing Mario to walk on the walls and ceiling. Collecting all 120 stars and defeating Bowser once more unlocks "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode, which replaces Mario with a playable version of Luigi. The storyline is almost the same, even with the original NPC Luigi still being present. The only main difference is that the Cosmic Luigi reaches the Star earlier than the Cosmic Mario, and Luigi receives 20 1-Ups from Peach's letter. Luigi also jumps slightly higher, but has less traction than Mario. When the player has defeated Bowser again and continues with the Luigi story, Rosalina again says if Luigi collects all 120 stars, the player can travel to a new world. When the player collects 120 stars, the player can travel to Grand Finale Galaxy, which shows the celebration of the Star Festival. The 121st star can be found here. Galaxies Power Stars make a comeback, last being seen in Super Mario 64. The main goal of the game is to collect a minimum of sixty stars and defeat Bowser. Similar to Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64 and Delfino Plaza in Super Mario Sunshine, the Comet Observatory acts as the game's hub area. There, Mario can access the galaxies from Domes. New areas in the Comet Observatory become accessible as Mario gains Power Stars and Grand Stars. A minimum number of Power Stars is required to have enough power to go to each multi-star galaxy, single non-Grand Star galaxies with a ? Block icon when locked are bonuses for finishing certain star missions. The game has a level intro for each star, as in Super Mario Sunshine.  Mario encounters Luigi in three levels (located in the Good Egg Galaxy, the Honeyhive Galaxy, and the Battlerock Galaxy). Luigi helps him reach secret stars that Mario could not get alone. Mario receives a letter from Luigi every time Luigi has found a Power Star, including a picture which helps Mario find Luigi. After the main game is finished, Mario can return and collect up to 120 stars. Super Mario Galaxy contains a few different types of stars, including red, green, and comet stars. The Green Power Stars are secret stars which are used to unlock the Trial Galaxies and one Red Power Star appears when Mario returns to the gate, which allows usage of the Red Star in the Observatory. After finishing a level, Mario's highest score of coins for the galaxy is recorded and the collected Star Bits are transferred to the Comet Observatory, where Mario can later use them to feed Hungry Lumas. The requirements for opening up each galaxy is listed below, with Star Bits if the galaxy is created by a Hungry Luma. Note, however, that some galaxies are not unlocked by simply obtaining a number of stars but by completing a specific star. This is true for all Hungry Lumas except the first, and all bonus galaxies from Buoy Base Galaxy onward. There are a total of forty-two galaxies in the game. The amount of Power Stars and Star Bits listed after a galaxy is the amount of the corresponding collectibles that is required to unlock the galaxy. The Gate
The Terrace
The Fountain
The Kitchen
The Bedroom
The Engine Room
The Garden
Hungry Luma GalaxiesAfter completing certain tasks, Hungry Lumas appear outside of each dome of the Observatory, asking to be fed a significant number of star bits. (Mario or Luigi will be able to use their total stash from all completed star missions, however.) When fully fed, they transform into an entire galaxy, each with a single Power Star. The Center of the Universe
The Trial GalaxiesThe trial galaxies are slightly more difficult than the other galaxies, and require all three Green Power Stars to open up. They also all require some form of conveyance, making them as minigames. Green Power Star Locations
The Grand Finale
Galaxies with a * are unlocked by feeding Hungry Lumas. Prankster Comets
Prankster Comets are objects which interfere with a Galaxy, giving it an extra attribute. The 30 comet stars are obtained by completing special challenges in the larger galaxies, such as speed runs of certain missions, "daredevil" runs (in which Mario's max health is one), racing cosmic clones of Mario or Luigi, and double the speed of enemies. They only appear after the corresponding regular level (e.g. Ghostly Galaxy's Bouldergeist battle) is completed, sometimes immediately and sometimes only after another galaxy's level is completed. In some cases (like the Space Junk Galaxy), the entire galaxy has to be beaten first. There are 2 prankster comets in each of the 15 multi-star galaxies: one of the types of comets just described, plus one purple prankster comet that appears after beating Bowser's Galaxy Reactor for the first time, forcing missions where the player must collect 100 Purple Coins.
CharactersMario encounters many new and old characters in his adventure. Most of these are met in one or more galaxies, though Rosalina, the Toad Brigade, and the Lumas are found on the Comet Observatory. Enemies The game has old enemies such as Goombas from Super Mario Bros. and round Goombas from Super Mario World, enemies which make their 3D platformer debut such as Magikoopas and Dry Bones, as well as new enemies, which include the Octoombas and Mandibugs.
New EnemiesReturning EnemiesBosses Fifteen bosses are in the game. Some of them are fought more than once. The numbers below include Prankster Comet encounters.
ItemsThoughtout the game, Mario can use many new and returning items that allow him to do things that he's never been able to do before.
Power-UpsMario regains his ability to attain different abilities via special mushrooms, flowers, and stars, similar to Super Mario 64, in which he could obtain the Wing Cap, the Vanish Cap, and the Metal Cap to gain new powers. In this game, Mario uses seven Power-Ups to gain new ablities.
LocationsBee Mushroom
Boo MushroomIce Flower
Fire Flower
Spring Mushroom
Rainbow Star
Red Star
Minigames All except Bob-omb Blasting can be found in the Trial Galaxies (as well as other galaxies).
Unlockable SecretsOnce the player beats the game and gains 120 stars as Mario, he or she can go back to Rosalina and ask to fight Bowser again. Once Bowser is re-defeated, the Player unlocks the option to play as Luigi. He is slightly faster and jumps a bit higher than Mario, but he has less traction, and the Cosmic Luigi stars are more difficult to obtain, due to Cosmic Luigi using shortcuts and techniques not used by Cosmic Mario. Luigi's Spin also takes slightly longer to re-charge, and he has less air capacity than his brother. Luigi also loses air for every time he uses the Spin underwater. Once the player beats the game and collects 120 stars as Luigi, the 121st star becomes available.  When playing through the game as Luigi, the stars that required Mario to meet Luigi still feature a non-playable Luigi, bringing up the issue of two Luigis in the game. When the playable Luigi first saves the non-playable one from the Ghostly Galaxy, Luigi dismisses his rescuer merely as someone in the universe who happens to look like him. When Luigi rescues himself afterwards, the lost Luigi refers to him as "me" (for example, "I knew I could rely on... me!"). Rosalina dismisses the two as twins. At first, they appear to be exactly the same. However, if one looks closely at them, one will notice the playable Luigi is wearing lighter green clothes and is slightly shorter. When the Mailtoad has mail, the letter will say it is for Mario, and the Mailtoad feels bad for Luigi. Also, some letters may contain 20 1-up Mushrooms, instead of 5. If the player collects 9999 Star Bits, all the coconuts in the game turn into watermelons. They have the same use as coconuts, but have a different color scheme.
LettersAt various points in the game, the Mailtoad will give the player a letter and it will be sent to the Wii Message Board. Whenever Luigi needs to be rescued after initially saving him from the Ghostly Galaxy, the letter will say: Dear Mario, After rescuing Luigi each of these times, the letter will say: Dear Mario, After getting the 121st and final Power Star from the Grand Finale Galaxy, the letter will say: Dear (player's name), Super Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the game has been released, called Super Mario Galaxy: Original Soundtrack. It is exclusive to Club Nintendo members in Japan and Europe. There is a one-disc edition and a two-disc Platinum edition. Both editions aren't available anymore at Club Nintendo Japan. In Club Nintendo Europe, both editions are still available, with the exception of The United Kingdom and Spain, which only have the regular edition.
DevelopmentSuper Mario Galaxy find its root in the Super Mario 128 demo [2]. Yoshiaki Koizumi, the director of the demo, wanted the part where Mario moves freely around a saucer-shaped platform to be included in an actual game, but found that implementing the concept required an high-degree of technical expertise [2]. Shigeru Miyamoto remained interested by the concept, and after Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's completion, he asked the newly formed EAD Tokyo if they wanted to make a high-profile game starring established Nintendo characters, which lead to one of the staff member suggesting that they had the skills to make a Mario game [2]. Yoshiaki Koizumi felt that the Jungle Beat team had the ability to make spherical platforms work and said he wanted to make the game for the Wii. Koizumi then gathered several other members in order to create a prototype. The outer space theme was chosen due to him finding that spherical shapes would be best interpreted as planets [2], and gravity was added. The prototype was shown to Nintendo after three months of developement, which approved it. While Miyamoto was not working full time at EAD Tokyo, he frequently visited the studio to share ideas and oversee development. One of his suggestion was to include a delay between spinning instead of having Mario spins continuously when shaking the Wii Remote, so that the game would be more challenging and interesting to play [2]. A setup was eventually created so that both the Kyoto and Tokyo offices could playtest the game. The development team made heavy use of playtesters due to the studio's experience while developing Jungle Beat [2]. One of Koizumi's main concern were the camera angles and the motion sickness they caused. He thought camera-induced motion sickness was a problem with 3D action games, and did not find either Super Mario Sunshine or Donkey Kong Jungle Beat's solutions satisfying [2]. EAD Tokyo was pressured to finish the game close to the Wii's launch, as several peoples were disappointed by Super Mario Sunshine not being a GameCube launch title and thought that it could have changed the GameCube's fortune. However, they decided that making a polished Mario game was more important [2] . ReceptionFamitsu Magazine has given Super Mario Galaxy a score of 19/20. To put that in perspective, Super Mario Sunshine was given 37/40 and Super Mario 64 39/40. The Official Nintendo Magazine UK gave the game 97%. It was called the best game of the decade and praised for having excellent graphics, sound and gameplay as well as a mixture of new features and classic features. Australia's longest-running unofficial multi-format gaming magazine - Hyper, scored the game 97 out of 100, tied for the highest score ever given in the history of the magazine, running since 1993. Also, it was voted by readers as the Game of the Year for 2007. The game placed 51st in the 200th Issue of GameInformer's "Top 200 Games of All Times".
Media
Gallery
Quotes
Beta Elements
Glitches
Staff
Trading Cards
References to Other Games
References in Later Games
Names in Other Languages
Trivia
References
External links
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