Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the upcoming sequel to Super Mario Galaxy announced for the Wii, which will be released in 2010 in North America on May 23, in Japan on May 27, in Australia on July 1, and in Europe on June 11. The sequel uses many elements from its predecessor, such as the adventure in the outer space, Launch Stars, the Bee Mushroom and the elements of gravity, but also including new elements such as Yoshi, new power-ups and the use of a guide within the game for beginner players. All releases of the game except for the American version include a beginner's DVD. For North America, help for beginners is found on the official website.

Story
Some information has been revealed about the story of Super Mario Galaxy 2 in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Princess Peach sends a letter to Mario, which translates to:

Dear Mario, Do you fancy watching the shooting stars, whilst eating cake? I'll be waiting at the castle. Peach.

On his way over, Mario spots a mysterious light. He cautiously approaches it, and finds a small, lost baby Luma. The Luma is known as Baby Luma. Baby Luma follows Mario to the castle. Screenshots show a gigantic Bowser holding Princess Peach in his hand while facing Mario. He is says that he too huge for Mushroom Kingdom and needs a place more his size. He also says about having Peach bake a galaxy sized piece of cake for him. Currently, this is all that is known about the story. As in the first game and most main series games preceding it, Princess Peach must be rescued by Mario on Starship Mario from Bowser and Bowser Jr. Airships, which were featured prominently in several levels of the first game as Bowser and his son's main mode of transportation around the galaxy, also appear, emerging from some sort of black hole warps. Bowser Jr., as of the second trailer, has personally appeared inside a giant robot's head, apparently piloting it. Mario is also seen fighting a robotic enemy resembling Bowser Jr.'s Megaleg robot from the first game.

The European site said this about the storyline of Super Mario Galaxy 2:

"The Star Festival is in full flow as falling stars shower down on the Mushroom Kingdom once again. Princess Peach invites Mario to watch the festival at her castle, but en route he comes across a Luma who takes a shine to him and dives into his hat to hide, giving him the Spin move powers. Before he reaches the castle, Mario is concerned to see that a gigantic Bowser, super-sized from harnessing the power from the stars, is attacking and capturing Peach. As Bowser escapes, Mario launches into outer space in pursuit. Cue an incredible mission in outer space – to save the Princess and bring peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Characters

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Yoshi (can become Dash Yoshi, Bulb Yoshi, or Blimp Yoshi, depending on the type of fruit eaten)
 * Princess Peach
 * Bowser
 * Toad
 * Toad Brigade
 * Bowser Jr.
 * Piantas
 * Guppy
 * Penguru
 * Queen Bee
 * Bees
 * Penguins
 * Gearmos
 * Lubba
 * Luma Shop
 * Hungry Luma
 * Luma
 * Luma (species)
 * Giant Luma
 * Bob-omb Buddies
 * Star Bunnies
 * Signposts
 * Co-Star Luma
 * Cosmic Spirit
 * The Chimp
 * Baby Luma
 * Unnamed wood characters
 * Fluzzard

Gameplay Elements
Gameplay is similar to Super Mario Galaxy, with a focus on platforming based on and around 3-D planets of varying sizes and landscapes. Power-ups, such as the Bee Mushroom, Boo Mushroom, Spring Mushroom, and Fire Flower will be making a return, along with new ones like the Rock Mushroom and the Cloud Flower, as well as various enemies and Airships. Launch Stars will also reappear for interplanetary navigation, along with a Luma and Mario's spin action. Plus, there seems to be the returning "Dark Matter" that appears as the medium for Cosmic Clones and is seen as a portal through which Airships emerge from. 2-D stages featured in Super Mario Galaxy are also included in Super Mario Galaxy 2, introducing many new features. The game will have only 3 file slots to choose.

Videos and images have shown Mario sliding down a ramp, swimming underwater, picking up and utilizing a drill, hitting switches that freeze or solidify water , hitting switches that briefly decelerate time and discolor the screen , and rolling a giant snowball. In some Purple Coin stages, Mario appears alongside many Cosmic Clones. There is also a galaxy, called Cloudy Court Galaxy, of which some planets appear the form of percussion instruments.

One of the more notable additions in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the inclusion of Yoshi. If Mario were to discover a Yoshi egg, he would merely crack it to release and use Yoshi. Yoshi will change colors when eating either a Dash Pepper, Blimp Berry or Glimmer Bulb Berry  ; an orange-colored Yoshi darts at rapid speeds, a cyan-colored Yoshi inflates and floats upwards, or a yellow-colored Yoshi that lights up and shows hidden paths for a certain amount of time, respectively. When utilizing Yoshi, the player's Wii Remote cursor turns into a red sphere that detects targets for Yoshi's tongue. Using the cursor allows Yoshi to swallow enemies and swing from special flowers.

Elements from older games are also included in the new game. These elements include a remix of Super Mario Bros.'s overworld theme (which is originally heard in Toy Time Galaxy from the predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy), a galaxy that is reminiscent to Giant Land from Super Mario Bros. 3, a remix of the second overworld theme from Super Mario World, and the checkpoint flag from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and a remix of the slide theme from Super Mario 64. Red and blue platforms from Super Mario Sunshine will also be available, though they change sides when Mario spins in mid-air.

It is noteworthy to mention that Super Mario Galaxy 2 will not feature a hub, like the original's Comet Observatory, for traveling between different galaxies, making it the first 3D Mario game to do so. Instead, Mario will travel through the universe on a planet shaped like his head, Starship Mario. Like a hub area, however, Starship Mario can still be explored, much like the Comet Observatory, although it seems to be somewhat smaller. It has also been noted that the game will have over 240 Power Stars to collect.

Multiplayer from the original Super Mario Galaxy reappears, but instead of being another star cursor, the second player is, what appears to be, the orange Luma from the game's logo.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 features ways to help players during gameplay similar to the Super Guide mode seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The player may request to the Tip Network, which it is a short demonstration of Mario taking some actions to progress on certain level. Another way the game offers is the Cosmic Guide mode. If the player finds a very difficult obstacle on his or her way, an entity, the Cosmic Spirit will ask to Mario if he needs some help. Activating this mode, Mario will pass automatically the level to find the Star. The player may stop this mode by pressing the D-pad, though once chosen this mode, the player will finish a level by getting a bronze Star instead of one gold.

In addition to that, unlike in Super Mario Galaxy, the player can now switch between playing as Mario or playing as Luigi in this game, however, he is not "unlocked" until 20 stars are collected.

Enemies

 * Amps
 * Astro Goombas
 * Banzai Bill
 * Big Boo
 * Blarggs
 * Bloopers
 * Boos
 * Boulders
 * Bullet Bills
 * Burn Bits
 * Chargin' Chucks
 * Cheep-Cheeps
 * Cosmic Clones.
 * Crabs
 * Dry Bones
 * Firebars
 * Fire Shooters
 * Flying Mandibugs
 * Fuzzies
 * Goombas
 * Grand Goombas
 * Green Octoombas
 * Grinders
 * Hammer Bros.
 * Incoming Chomps
 * Koopa Troopas (Normal and Giant)
 * Lakitu
 * Magikoopa
 * Mandibugs
 * Mines
 * Octoombas
 * Paragoombas (Normal and Giant)
 * Piranha Plants (Normal and Giant)
 * Pumpkinhead Goombas
 * Pushy Walls
 * Red Octoombas
 * Scuttle Bugs
 * Skeeters
 * Spiky Plants
 * Spindels
 * Spinies
 * Swoopin' Poinks
 * Thwomps
 * Tox Boxes
 * Water Shooters
 * Whomps
 * Wigglers (Normal and Giant)
 * Unnamed drill-like creature resembling the Drill Moles from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
 * Unnamed white bud-like creatures
 * Unnamed enemy resembling Dry Bones's skull that eats through the level, using dark matter.
 * Giant silver Chomp Head enemies with red pupils and yellow circles surrounding their eyes.
 * Hermit crab-like enemies.
 * Ghosts resembling Electrogoombas.
 * Enemies shaped like bowling pins.
 * Spinning platforms that may be a new species of Thwomp.
 * Oversized blue birds
 * Unnamed spiked blue bug-like creatures that can walk on ceilings.
 * Underwater worm-like and blue-headed creatures.
 * Pufferfishes (Possibly Spiny Cheep-Cheeps)
 * Unknown enemies manning Koopa Clown Cars.
 * Unnamed green plant-like creatures with retractable spikes
 * Unnamed flying pink enemies resembling the Poinks from Super Mario Sunshine.
 * Spindels with different faces.
 * Unnamed giant spiked Piranha Plants that attack very similar to the purple species from the first game.

Items

 * ? Blocks
 * ? Coins
 * 1-Up Mushrooms
 * Balloons
 * Bee Mushrooms
 * Berries
 * Blimp Berries
 * Boo Mushrooms
 * Brick Blocks
 * Bronze Stars
 * Cloud Flowers
 * Coins
 * Comet Medals
 * Dash Peppers
 * Spin Drills
 * Fire Flowers
 * Flying ? Blocks
 * Glimmer Bulb Berries
 * Grand Stars
 * Ground Pound Switches
 * Honey
 * Honey Walls
 * Item Crystals
 * Large Coins
 * Launch Stars
 * Life Mushrooms
 * Midway Points
 * Power Stars
 * Pull Stars
 * Purple Coins
 * Rainbow Notes
 * Rainbow Stars
 * Rock Mushrooms
 * Silver Stars
 * Sling Stars
 * Snowballs
 * Springboards
 * Spring Mushrooms
 * Star Balls
 * Star Bits
 * Star Chips
 * Starshrooms
 * Tip Network
 * Warp Pipes
 * Flower-shaped swing-like obstacles for Yoshi to get across with his tongue
 * Switches that decelerate time
 * Unnamed dice cubes
 * Warp pads that lead to secret areas.

List of Confirmed Locations

 * Starship Mario

World 1

 * Sky Station Galaxy
 * Yoshi Star Galaxy
 * Spin-Dig Galaxy
 * Fluffy Bluff Galaxy
 * Flip-Swap Galaxy
 * Rightside Down Galaxy
 * Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla

World 2

 * Puzzle Plank Galaxy
 * Hightail Falls Galaxy
 * Boulder Bowl Galaxy
 * Cosmic Cove Galaxy
 * Wild Glide Galaxy
 * Honeybloom Galaxy
 * Bowser's Lava Lair

World 3

 * Tall Trunk Galaxy
 * Cloudy Court Galaxy
 * Haunty Halls Galaxy
 * Freezy Flake Galaxy
 * Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy
 * Beat Block Galaxy
 * Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet

World 4

 * Supermassive Galaxy
 * Flipsville Galaxy
 * Starshine Beach Galaxy
 * Chompworks Galaxy
 * Sweet Mystery Galaxy
 * Honey-hop Galaxy
 * Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet

World 5

 * Space Storm Galaxy
 * Slipsand Galaxy
 * Shiverburn Galaxy
 * Boo Moon Galaxy
 * Upside Dizzy Galaxy
 * Fleet Glide Galaxy
 * Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker

World 6

 * Melty Monster Galaxy
 * Clockwork Ruins Galaxy
 * Throwback Galaxy
 * Battle Belt Galaxy
 * Flash Black Galaxy
 * Slimy Spring Galaxy
 * Bowser's Galaxy Generator

Special World

 * Mario Squared Galaxy
 * Rolling Coaster Galaxy
 * Twisty Trials Galaxy
 * Stone Cyclone Galaxy
 * Boss Blitz Galaxy
 * Flip-Out Galaxy
 * Grandmaster Galaxy

Other Locations

 * Star Check Point
 * Dimension Gate

Bosses

 * Gobblegut
 * Mallettoid
 * Digga-Leg
 * Peewee Piranha
 * Rollodillo
 * Bugaboom
 * Snow creature with a nose and crystal eyes and attacks in a similar manner to Chomp Head which seems to be a big snow-covered Tap-Tap.
 * Unnamed Lakitu boss that throws Spiny Eggs and uses lightning to attack, like Lakithunder.
 * Whomp King
 * Giant Bowser

Development
The game was revealed in 2009's Electronic Entertainment Expo along with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Although the game was worked very well along development, it was held back to 2010 due to the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii in November 2009.

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, 90% of the features in this game are new, whereas the remaining 10% were already introduced or featured in the original Super Mario Galaxy. Shigeru Miyamoto noted that "Really what we ended up with is more than 90% of what you'll see in Galaxy 2 is brand new. I'd say closer to 95, maybe even 99%. One of the new things was the inclusion of Yoshi, and also the use of the drill to open up and drill through stages."

In an interview, Miyamoto stated that he would like to go with as little story as possible for Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Reception
Currently, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has received extremely positive reviews. EDGE magazine has given the game a perfect score of 10 out of 10, being the third Mario game so far to receive such rating (the others were Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy). Official Nintendo Magazine grants a 97%, while Game Informer has given the game 9.25 out of 10.