Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy is a Wii video game initially released on November 1, 2007 in Japan, and subsequently released in North America, Canada, Europe, Australia and Korea. In this platformer, the player controls Mario with the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as he ventures across planets and soars through space to save Princess Peach. Critically it is the most exalted video game released on the Wii according to Game Rankings, and the second leading title of all time on any console, falling directly behind Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. Commercially the game did monumentally well, soaring to the top of the charts during many months and selling millions of copies.

Nintendo EAD Tokyo, the creators of Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat on the GameCube, developed the game; and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is credited for the game's concept, which he claims he came up with before the Cube was even released.

The main goal of the game is to congregate the eight Grand Stars stolen by Bowser, who has kidnapped Princess Peach and plans to rule the universe. Through the guidance of new character Rosalina and through the collection of the numerous power stars scattered throughout the game, Mario has a chance of reaching his goal. In order to complete the game, the player will have to collect at least 60 stars. In total there 120 of these luminous entities, and collecting every last one of them will coerce the dexterity of the player to emerge.

Plot
In typical Mario style, Princess Peach is kidnapped by the ill-boding Bowser, who roots the princess' castle directly from the ground by cutting it out with lasers from a flying saucer, and sends it into space by hoisting it up with grappling hooks from three of his enormous airships. Mario, who was casually enjoying a festival near Peach's castle, struggles to save her, though falls short after being attacked by Kamek the Magikoopa, who blasts the ground under the plumber away with a powerful magic attack within the orbit of their planet.

Mario strikes onto a nearby moon, where he is greeted by an odd looking star called a Luma. After following through the Luma's requirement, which involved chasing bunnies, the Luma brought Mario to a woman named Rosalina, whose ship, known as the Comet Observatory, had stopped working. The source of this outcry is the same as Peach's kidnapping - Bowser had stolen the Grand Stars and Power Stars that power the observatory and kept them as his own to use for space travel and to power many of his sinister machines. Mario agrees to retrieve the stolen objects, and in turn Rosalina would send Mario to save his beloved Toadstool.

After fighting his way through hoards of enemies and galaxies, Mario tears his way through the final castle and comes face to face with Bowser himself. After the battle is over and Mario inevitably wins as always, Bowser's Galaxy Reactor explodes into a giant black hole that threatens the destruction of the universe. When all hope seems lost, Mario's Luma - the one that grants him the ability to Star Spin - suddenly appears, and to Mario's dismay, plummets into the void along with all the rest of the Luma from the Comet Observatory. The sacrifice neutralizes the black hole, and sends it into reverse. Then, the entire universe rapidly contracts and the undergoes an event similar to the Big Bang, recreating everything. But thanks to Rosalina's magic, the universe was restored to it's original state, and everyone excluding Rosalina is sent back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they re-partake in the Star Festival, Bowser included (who was too tired to fight any longer). The game ends with the various different "galaxies" that Mario traveled to being pulled in the planet's orbit, with Mario welcoming them and presumably their citizens.

Characters
The primary characters in the game consists mainly of Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach and Rosalina. Luigi, Mario's brother, is an unlockable character and basically takes Mario's role when the player chooses to switch. He and Mario are the only playable characters, though a cast of others will assist them such as the Luma, Bees, Star Bunnies, Penguins, Robots, Guppy, the Manta Rays, and the Toad Brigade, who'll give Mario a lift. Most of the characters are new to the series, though to keep in tradition with the franchise many other characters and species from previous games make an appearance as well, such as Bowser Jr. and the aforementioned ones.

Bosses
Among the characters are the game's multiple bosses. Only two characters have a major role in the story, those two being Bowser and Bowser Jr. The others are just collateral to the story and don't serve a prominent role other than super large bad guy. One strange character is arguably a boss - the cosmic versions of Mario and Luigi (depending on which character the player is playing as). They're similar to the Koopa the Quick portions of Super Mario 64, in that you'll have to race him to the finish in order to complete the goal. The other bosses in the game are:


 * King Kaliente - An antagonistic and large octopus like creature engulfed in flames. He appears in King Kaliente's Battle Fleet in Good Egg Galaxy, and King Kaliente's Spicy Return in Bowser Jr's Lava Reactor.
 * Tarantox - A spider who can be defeated if Mario uses the sling pods to his advantage. He appears in Tarantox's Tangled Web in Space Junk Galaxy. Defeating him and collecting the star makes a Hungry Luma Appear.
 * Dino Piranha - Probably influenced by Petey Piranha from Super Mario Sunshine, this boss has a comparable head and rampages on his tiny planet. He appears in Dino Piranha, and Dino Piranha Speed Run in Good Egg Galaxy, and Fiery Dino Piranha in Melty Molten Galaxy.
 * Bugaboom - Found on the Honey Hive Galaxy, this insect creature is found crawling around a tree and must be ground pounded. He appears in Big Bad Bugaboom in Honeyhive Galaxy. Defeating him and collecting the star makes a Hungry Luma Appear.
 * Kamella - A Magikoopa who can be compared to Kamek and Kammy. She appears in Kamella's Airship Attack in Space Junk Galaxy, and The Underground Ghost Ship and Ghost Ship Daredevil Run in Deep Dark Galaxy.
 * Bouldergeist - A spectral boss who's corrupted a pile of rocks. He appears in Beware of Bouldergeist and Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run in Ghostly Galaxy.
 * Baron Brrr - An ice king who resides at the top of an icy mountain. He appears in The Frozen Peak of Baron Brrr in Freezeflame Galaxy.
 * Topmaniac - A large top with spiky, saw-like sides. He appears in Topmaniac and the Topman Tribe, and Topmaniac's Daredevil Run in Battlerock Galaxy; and The Revenge of the Topman Tribe, and Topman Tribe Speed Run in Dreadnought Galaxy.
 * Major Burrows - A colossal Monty Mole who can be found on the Gusty Garden Galaxy. He appears in The Dirty Tricks of Major Burrows and Major Burrows's Daredevil Run in Gusty Garden Galaxy.
 * Undergrunt Gunner - A blue Monty Mole that uses cannons. He is found in When It Rains, It Pours in Gold Leaf Galaxy, Bouncing Down Cake Lane in Toy Time Galaxy and Bubble Blastoff in Deep Dark Galaxy.
 * Kingfin - A secret boss and arguably one of the more challenging ones. He is found in Kingfin's Fearsome Waters in Bonefin Galaxy.
 * Megaleg - A large robot and the most sizable creature in the game. He is found in Megaleg's Moon in Bowser Jr's Robot Reactor.

Gameplay
In the beginning of the game, Mario will find himself enjoying a nice festival. Here the player will be able to learn the basics of the game, such as jumping and moving. Moving is done with the joystick on the nunchuk attachment. The harder you press on it, the faster the character will move. Jumping can be done with the A button, and a long jump can be executed with a combination of the A and Z buttons. After being sent to the Gateway Galaxy, Mario will learn how to Star Spin, a crucial attack in the game. Star Spinning will not only defeat many of the enemies, though it's also needed in order to send Mario through space. To do so, the player will have to position Mario under a Sling Star or Star Launcher;and flick the Wii Remote. Doing so will cause him to quickly shoot through the star and be sent to a nearby planetoid. Planetoids are literally small objects floating in space - you'll rarely ever be able to travel on large bodies. This makes the game interesting and fast. On some occasions, however, the stages will be larger than usual, some even being reminiscent of Super Mario 64 in terms of size.

Pointing is also needed in order to progress through the title. To do this, just simply point to where you want the cursor to be placed, and then usually press the A button. This is needed in order to do quite a few things, such as collecting star bits, pulling Mario if he's been placed on a a sling pod, and so forth.

Gravity and Planets
The multiple different planets in the game each have varying degrees of gravity that will somewhat affect the gameplay. For example, if Mario is stationed on one small planetoid with a similarly shaped one placed near it in mid space, Mario can long jump to the other one, orbit around it a few times and will then land willy-nilly on it. Sometimes while orbiting around the planetoid, the gravity of the other planet will pull him back and he'll transition from planet to planet.

Despite the gravity being very low, Mario will not be sent into space simply by jumping. This is due for gameplay purposes, as it would heavily distract the player and inescapably would end the entire game if the protagonist was unable to return back to the surface of a planet. Rather, the gravity will only come into play during the right moments, such as when long jumping off of a building and then having Mario soar to the other side of the planet that the building was at.

Each of the game's spheres can be completely traversed from top to bottom unless a miniature black hole is stationed in the middle of it. This indicates that if the player were to go over the edge, they'd be sucked in, thus resulting in a lost life. This is basically the game's equivalent to a bottomless pit that is present in most video games of this genre.

There are multiple galaxies in the game that are hosts to an abundant amount of stars. Galaxies vary heavily, though basically there is either one primary planet and a plentiful amount of other smaller planets surrounding it, or just an ample amount of small planetoids without one immense one. The following are sub-galaxies that feature one "main" planet:

Mini-game stages
Uttering that these particular stages are mini-games can be debated, though it's certain that they drift away from the main gameplay of Galaxy and offers new interesting gameplay mechanics.

If you play through these mini games in their respective order, then you'll encounter the Manta Ray Surfing mini game first. Here you'll have to point the Wii Remote towards the screen and tilt it left and right in order to turn the speeding Manta Ray in that direction. There are not fences to keep the player inside the tight spaces, and thus falling off will commonly happen, requiring the player to start over. Pressing the A button will cause the manta ray to accelerate, and jerking the Wii Remote upwards will make the ray jump slightly. Depending on who the player is, these stages may be the hardest or easiest missions in the game. Luckily, these stages are usually littered with 1-Up Mushrooms so you can take as many tries as you need without resulting in a Game Over. The second is a rolling ball game that can be compared to the Monkey Ball series by Sega. However, controlling the ball is completely different from how you controlled it in the Wii installment, known as Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. In this game you'll hold the Wii Remote upwards, and tilt it slightly down in any direction like a joystick;to accordingly make Mario go that way. The farther you tilt, the faster Mario will go. Press the A button to jump. While you're on the ball, any enemy or breakable obstacle in your way will be obliterated with ease. Interestingly, the game is designed so that when you are on this ball, the faster you go, the faster the tempo of the background music gets and the more instrumental it becomes.

The final mini game missions are the ones in which you point towards the screen and use a sort of fan to blow Mario in a bubble over a poison swamp or electrified field (depending on which one you've chosen, the latter ultimately being the most challenging and the one found later on in the game). Move the cursor around the bubble and press the A button to blow the fan, thus moving Mario in the direction the fan is pointing in.

There are certain instances where you have to participate in events that act somewhat alike to these minigames. The first is when you have to race against the Spooky Speedster, a giant Boo that wears a helmet and goggles and loves to race. The first time you race him, you have to use a series of Pull Stars to keep on the track, avoiding obstacles along the way. The second time, you must have the Boo Suit and must race him by not only avoiding obstacles, but having to use your invisibility ability with precision and accuracy, or else you risk a loss. Fans are there to aid you. Secondly is the trial that is set to you by Guppy, where you have to swim through eight consecutive rings underwater before time runs out. Both times, you are given shells to help aid your swimming ability. Third, there are swimming races where you must race against a band of penguins to claim your Power Star. Lastly, there are certain instances where you need to capture something to get your Power Star. In all but one instance, you have to capture one or three Star Bunnies, sometimes before a time limit. But on one occasion in the Freezeflame Galaxy, you have to catch a lone Penguin upon your first arrival.

Co-Star Mode
Co-Star Mode is a feature in the game that was created by the developers in order to please non-gamers or beginners; either by letting them just be involved rather than attempting to actually complete the stages, or by providing a 'helper' for them, as the second player may collect Star Bits and freeze enemies - the P2 pointer may also be used as a directional aid when in the hands of an experienced player. Essentially the primary player, or player number one, uses a Wii remote and Nunchuk, while player number 2 will use just a standard Wii remote to collect Star Bits and stun enemies as well as assist/mess with the main player. If both players press 'jump' simultaneously a 'special', higher-than-usual jump is activated. However, player number two has very limited controls compared to those of player number one.

Items
There are a multitude of items that will aid you on your quest, as well as power-ups that transform Mario and gives him greater abilities. Many of these items are related to stars in one way or another.

Star bits are the most common item you'll find in the game, and they're found literally everywhere. Besting enemies, breaking crystals, and just finding them out in the open. Star bits can be shot at enemies by aiming the pointer at the screen and pressing the B button to stun them, tossed into the mouths of hungry Luma in order to open up new galaxies, and so forth. Finding fifty of them will result in an extra life.

Star chips come in clusters of five, and finding every single one will usually reveal a star launcher or star slinger. Power stars are the items that Mario is required to find, and in all there are 120 of them. You don't have to collect every single one in order to complete the game, though doing so will reap rewards. Silver stars are similar to star chips, in that you have to find five of them. The main difference is that once you find all five of them, a power star will appear rather than a star launcher.

Koopa Troopa shells are also present and are more useful than ever before, especially when in bodies of water. While in the water, the Koopa shell will allow the character to go faster and be more fluid. When ready, they can launch the shell at an enemy, usually destroying them.

Forms
Super Mario Galaxy introduced many new forms to the Mario series and these forms arguably play the biggest role since the ones in Super Mario Bros. 3.

The first suit that Mario will don is the Bee Suit. It will give Mario an extended amount of aerial time and will send him farther than a normal jump would. Certain flowers suspended in mid air would normally vanish into thin air, though the Bee Suit evidently makes the character lighter, thus giving him access to these flowers. Honey Combs and even the Queen Bee's fur can also be tracked when the Bee Suit is being used. This costume will disappear if Mario either falls into a body of water or is attacked by an enemy.

The Boo Suit allows Mario for the first time transform into his revered ghastly opponent who first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 as Boo-Diddly. Mario will be clothed in this attire after he acquires a white, fanged mushroom, true to the spirit of a Boo. While Boo Mario, you'll be able to levitate and pass through special walls. On the contrary side of the coin, however, other Boos in the area will gravitate towards Mario, and if they happen to come in contact he'll take damage, thus losing the suit. He'll also lose the suit if he goes under a source of light.

Galaxy is the first 3D title in which the Fire Flower has been included as a power up. As Fire Mario, you'll be able to spew fireballs from your hand for a short time Solving puzzles and dispatching of enemies are the positives of this power up, though you'll only have it for approximately 20 seconds. While the Rainbow Star is new to the series, it performs a similar action that the Starman did in previous 2D titles - make the player invincible and allow him to plow through enemies. This Power-up also allows Mario to run at a higher speed given that he was running in a straight direction and uninterrupted for a certain amount of time. However, like the Fire Flower, this power up won't last long for obvious reasons and will eventually vanish after a short period of time.

The Ice Flower will cause Mario to be completely encased in ice, having a similar appearance to Metal Mario from Super Mario 64, though with the ice replacing the metal. As Ice Mario, Mario will be able to traverse potentially dangerous water (and ironically, lava as well) and wall jump up water falls, causing solid pieces of ground and solid walls made of icy hexagons as he walks or jumps on them, respectively. He'll only have this power up for a short period of time however; an equal amount of time to that of it's counterpart, the Fire Flower.

The Spring Suit resembles a twisted metal mushroom before Mario takes it as his own. When he does, a spring will surround Mario, greatly reducing his maneuverability though allowing him to jump higher than normal via special button presses. This power up will last forever unless the player is attacked by an enemy, in which it'll vanish, requiring Mario to go back and find another if needed (interestingly, however, on many occasions when you're supposed to use the Spring Suit, Mario can manage to get to the desired locations by doing special combos without it. Take, for instance, the very first time you find it). Like the Bee Suit, Mario will lose the Spring Suit if he falls into a body of water.

Finally is the power up that will allow Mario to fly. This power up, which is basically a red star, won't be used very much. After picking it up Mario's clothes will become red and black and he'll then be able to fly. The only places in which you'll be be able to do this are the Gateway Galaxy and the Comet Observatory.

Galaxies
Super Mario Galaxy features a multitude of areas that can all be found within 10 areas of the game's observatory. The following will take a look at these ten areas and of course will give an overview of each world within the galaxies.

The first area is the Gateway, and isn't exactly considered a paramount area. There are only two sub worlds in this place, neither of which are as fantastic as those in the later stages.The Missions found here are "Grand Star Rescue" and "Gateway's Purple Coins." Grand Star Rescue is the first mission you will encounter in the game, but you can not access it again until the garden is unlocked. Once it is unlocked, you will have to do Gateway's Purple Coins first, and then you can do both. Also, a hungry luma appears outside this galaxy, and once you feed it, it will transform into the "Boo's Boneyard Galaxy." Here, you will have to race against the Spooky Speedster again. (Which was first done in the Ghostly Galaxy)

The Terrace- is the first main area in the game, and includes six galaxies - The Good Egg Galaxy, a simple area with plenty of hazards. The Honeyhive Galaxy is a bee infested area that introduces the Bee Suit and the Queen Bee. In the Loopdeeloop Galaxy, you'll have to race to the finish on a manta ray. You'll have to transform all of the blue switches into yellow ones on the Flipswitch Galaxy. The Sweet Sweet Galaxy is a stage for pure-platforming fans. It must be accessed by feeding a hungry luma outside the dome when it appears. Finally, Bowser Jr.'s Robot Reactor is the first main boss fight. Here, you'll go against Bowser Jr.'s Megaleg robot.

The Fountain- is the second main area in the game, it includes the following galaxies. The Space Junk Galaxy is a futuristic area with plenty of surprises (including a cameo appearance of Yoshi). The Battlerock Galaxy is an interesting area that centers around a large boulder flying through space. The Rolling Green Galaxy includes a mission where you roll around on a ball to get to the end. In the Hurry Scurry Galaxy, you'll jump across vanishing platforms to get to the star. In the Sling-Pod Galaxy, you'll jump from sling pods and pull stars. This galaxy must also be unlocked by feeding the hungry luma outside the dome when it appears as well. Bowser's Star Reactor includes the first fight with Bowser, though beforehand will require you to go through an obstacle infested area.

The Kitchen- is the third main area, and can be found after finding Bowser's grand star. The Beach Bowl Galaxy is an area that has contradicting themes - water and sky. The Ghostly Galaxy introduces Luigi in the game, and typically Mario will have to rescue his green-clad brother. The Drip Drop Galaxy, which is the hungry luma galaxy, is large area that consists of water. The Buoy Base Galaxy is another water area, though also features a large pillar in the center that you're allowed to climb. In the Bubble Breeze Galaxy, Mario will enter a bubble, and you'll then have you use the Wii remote to blow him around the stage. In Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada you'll travel onto multiple airships until you clash with Bowser Jr. once again.

The Bedroom- is the fourth area in the game. Here you'll find the Gusty Garden Galaxy, an area that includes tons of grassy planets and an amazing composition. The FreezeFlame Galaxy includes areas that are ice and fire based. The Dusty Dunes Galaxy is, as its name implies, a desert area. The HoneyClimb Galaxy will have you once again wearing the Bee Suit where you must climb the honeycombs. Bigmouth's Galaxy, which is the hungry luma galaxy, is an area in which you go through a planet that is carved to look like a fish. In Bowser's Dark Matter Plant, you'll once again fight the behemoth known as Bowser.

The Engine Room- is found near the top of the Observatory, and can be found after beating Bowser. The Gold Leaf Galaxy is essentially just a mirror of the Honeyhive Galaxy, with some major additions as well as a fall theme to it. The Sea Slide Galaxy will require you to race in the water using the red shells you find and travel the area in search of Silver Stars. The Toy Time Galaxy introduces Spring Mario, and will take place on toy-inspired planetoids. The Bonefin Galaxy is a water area that is home to the boss known as Kingfin. The Sand Spiral Galaxy, which is the hungry luma galaxy, takes place on a large barrel and features plenty of enemies. Bowser Jr.'s Lava Reactor includes the final Bowser Jr. stage where you'll fight an enhanced version of King Kaliente.

The Garden- is the final main area,it includes the following. The Deep Dark Galaxy includes multiple different themes, and rarely does it seem dark as its name suggests. The Dreadnought Galaxy takes place on a large structure that resembles a castle of some sort in space. The Melty Molten Galaxy is an area that consists mainly of lava. The Matter Splatter level is an often time confusing area where you must go across disappearing and reappearing platforms at just the right moment. The Snow Cap Galaxy, which is the hungry luma galaxy, is covered in snow that also has an Aurora over it.

After collecting 60 stars, you'll be given access to Bowser's Galaxy Reactor, which includes the climatic boss fight with the antagonist of the game - Bowser. After doing so, you can go back through all of the levels you've missed and also find new ones including the Loopdeeswoop, Bubble Blast and Rolling Gizmo Galaxy's by collecting the respective Green Stars in three specific galaxies. Once you've fully completed the game as both Mario and Luigi (Which is done by collecting all 120 power stars, then doing "Bowser's Galaxy Reactor" again) you'll be able to go to Toad Town once more to collect 100 purple coins in the level known as the Grand Finale Galaxy, which can be accessed by a luma on the back of the "Planet of Trials".

Prankster Comets
Prankster Comets offer variations of select missions across the fifteen main galaxies. They can range from mildly challenging to extremely difficult, though upon successful completion the player will be rewarded with a star. Before entering a galaxy you'll see if a prankster comet is revolving around it, and the color of it determines what type it is. In all there are five different colors of comets. They appear regularly throughout the game, though purple comets will only appear after completing the final Bowser stage.

The types of comets include:

There are 4 of these in the game:
 *  Cosmic Comet:  Race against a doppleganger of Mario in stages either already created or made specifically for the race. The Luigi race will have the character racing against a blue version of him, and will be considerably harder.
 * Honeyhive Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race (Honeyhive Galaxy)
 * Frosty Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race (Freezeflame Galaxy)
 * Cosmic Mario/Luigi Forest Race (Gold Leaf Galaxy)
 * Underwater Cosmic Mario/Luigi Race (Sea Slide Galaxy)

There are 5 of these in the game:
 *  Daredevil Comet: The daredevil comets will require the player to complete a mission without being attacked or hitting an obstacle. These are commonly against bosses.
 * Topmaniac's Daredevil Run (Battlerock Galaxy)
 * Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run (Ghostly Galaxy)
 * Major Burrows' Daredevil Run (Gusty Garden Galaxy)
 * Ghost Ship Daredevil Run (Deep Dark Galaxy)
 * Lava Spire Daredevil Run (Melty Molten Galaxy)

There are 4 of these in the game:
 *  Speedy Comet:  The speed comets will require the player to finish a stage in a set amount of time.
 * Dino Piranha Speed Run (Good Egg Galaxy)
 * Pull Star Path Speed Run (Space Junk Galaxy)
 * Sand Blast Speed Run (Dusty Dune Galaxy)
 * Topman Tribe Speed Run (Dreadnought Galaxy)

There are 2 of these in the game:
 * Fast-Foe Comet: These will double the speed of the enemies. These types of stages usually consists of Thwomps, thus implying why they can be so challenging.
 * Fast Foes on the Cyclone Stone (Beach Bowl Galaxy)
 * Fast Foes of Toy Time (Toy Time Galaxy)

There is a purple comet in all 15 of the main galaxies (the ones with 6 (or 7 in the case of Dusty Dune Galaxy and Battlerock Galaxy) stars). The purple comets will only appear after completing "The Fate of the Universe" in "Bowser's Galaxy Reactor", which in turn can only be accessed after 60 stars, therefore, you cannot get any purple coin stars with less than 61 stars.
 *  Purple Comet:  In these missions you'll have to find a total of 100 purple coins. These are the most common comets. Some are timed and others aren't.

Development
Super Mario 128 was shown as a tech demo when the GameCube (then known as the Dolphin) was first revealed. It was set to the side when Super Mario Sunshine was released, though certain attributes such as the hundreds of characters moving on the screen at once were included in the hit GameCube title Pikmin. After this release, many people started to speculate whether or not Shigeru Miyamoto would create another Mario platformer for the GameCube, and follow up with Super Mario 128. At every E3 that followed, Nintendo confirmed that they would release Super Mario 128, but never followed through. At E3 2005, many people expected to see it, and were disappointed when it didn't show up. The only thing that was said at E3 was that Shigeru Miyamoto is making the game, but wasn't ready to show it (Reggie Fils-Aime).

After E3 2005, Nintendo stated that Super Mario 128 was moved to Wii (then known as the Revolution). By E3 2006, Nintendo revealed Super Mario 128 as Super Mario Galaxy. Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that he wanted to focus more on a next-generation Mario, and because of the Wii's immense innovation, the console was a perfect fit for what he was gearing towards.

Early Stages
After the development team finished their first project Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat for the GameCube, the designers started debating on what they should create next. The producer of the game suggested that the team create an original game, though Miyamoto then stated that he'd hoped that they create another game based off of a popular video game character. The director said that because the company had just opened, he wanted to direct something on a small scale, though Miyamoto asked if he wanted to create something much bigger, and after talking with the team, a member of the company said that he wanted to create the next Mario game, which was the starting point for Galaxy.

Before development on the title really started to boom, the director set aside a few staff-members to create a prototype of the game. The prototype included spheres (for more on the development on the spheres, see below) and, being featured in space, included gravity that would work with these spherical objects. They apparently created this prototype in order for the rest of the staff members to understand what exactly they were talking about, and what their goal was.

Spheres
One of the main aspects of the game are the spherical planetoids that Mario will traverse around throughout the entire game. The idea of this was, in a sense, shown originally in the Mario 128 tech demo, though was set on the shelves for the future. The future seemed bleak for this idea to be included in any games, as Miyamoto stated that development teams didn't exactly grasp onto this idea as he had hoped. He stated that he wished to include the idea into Doshin the Giant, a sleeper title, though by the time he requested it, the game was nearing its completion, and thus could not be added into the game.

When Miyamoto proposed the idea for Galaxy, the EAD Tokyo team were frightened of creating such a title because of the technical effort that would be required for the title. They also, like previous teams, didn't quite understand how this could be implemented into a video game, namely a Mario video game which never seems to have such dramatic changes in such a tried and true concept. Nevertheless, they agreed to do it, and thus one of Galaxy's main concepts was created.

Character Inclusion
As mentioned throughout the page, both Mario and Luigi are playable characters. To get Luigi, one must first find all 120 stars, then once again beat the last Bowser stage. According to the director, many people on the team argued that it was too challenging to get Luigi, and had hoped that the player would have to perform another task to do so. Mr. Koizumi, however, felt that the player should have a reason to get all 120 stars, and have a much larger reward than before.

In a Gamespot.com interview with the director, the topic of Yoshi was brought up, and why they didn't include him as a playable character in some form. He said that at first they were thinking of adding a ride-able Yoshi for Mario (or Luigi), though one of the species' most popular ability is being able to hover in the air for a long time, which was already included in the Bee suit, and thus didn't feel it was necessary to include him. Nevertheless, a wooden Yoshi head does appear as a planetoid in the Space Junk Galaxy.

Release
Months before the game was released, rumors swarmed the internet stating that you'd get a silver pre-order coin that featured Mario and a yellow Luma. It was later revealed that this was true, though would be exclusive for Americans only.

Prior to its release in America, Nintendo had a photo session showcasing Mario and Buzz Aldrin (the second person on the moon) hovering in the air. At the Nintendo World Store in New York, New York, Nintendo had a launch party celebrating the release of Super Mario Galaxy and included DJ's, velcro walls, bungee runs, trivia sessions, an in-store laser light show, and a photo-op with Mario himself. Also included were 250 Wii units. A few days after the game was released in America, countries all across Europe got to experience the newest addition to the Mario franchise. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario and Luigi (among others) left the Americas to celebrate the launch in London, and a classic image was released showing Mario along with a few fellow astronauts recreating the famous "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima".

After Nintendo sold Nintendo Power to Future US., they also quit making strategy guides for their multiple game titles, giving the license to Prima Guides who created two separate strategy guides with over 300 pages each (the more expensive one featured concept art and a star list, and only had 16 extra pages).

Reception
Virtually all critics have been overly excited for Super Mario Galaxy, and have rewarded the game with average scores of 9-10. It should also be noted that the big three, which include IGN, Gamespot and 1up all gave the game a 9.5 or higher. For IGN, the game is the highest scored Mario game excluding their review for Super Mario 64, which earned a 9.8 (with IGN giving Galaxy a 9.7 ). Gamespot gave the game an outstanding 9.5, compared to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess's 8.8.

Official Nintendo Magazine rated it 97%, the highest they've ever given a game.(Joint with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.) This is identical to what NGamer gave both games.

At one time, Super Mario Galaxy was the best rated game of all time on Gamerankings.com. During this time, Nintendo sent out a press release alerting everyone of this momentous occasion, only for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to go back to the number one spot a few hours later. Currently the game is number two on the list. Ocarina of Time is still the highest rated video game of all time, though had to reclaim its spot after the 360 version of GTA IV was ahead of it. A few reviews that rated below its average caused it to not only go below Ocarina, but below Galaxy and the PS3 version of the title.

Prior to the game's release, Super Mario Galaxy was the cover story for multiple magazines including Nintendo Power, GamePro, Hardcore Gaming Magazine, Revolution and NGamer. Mario and his brother Luigi (among other characters) were also on the cover of an EGM magazine proclaiming that 2007 will be the best year ever.

Super Mario Galaxy won game of the year from multiple resources, including Gamespot, Edge, Nintendo Power, IGN, GameTrailers, and Yahoo! Games. It also recieved the best adventure game of the year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and Spike TV's game awards show (where it also won Wii game of the year). The BAFTAS in Britain gave Super Mario Galaxy the game of the year award, which included both 2007 and 2008, beating out titles such as Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fable II, Mass Effect and Rock Band II.

Sales
Oddly, despite the fact that the game had a whopping 700,000 pre-orders in Japan, only about 256,000 copies were sold in Japan during its first week. The game sold many more in the Americas and Europe, and also was the number one seller for video games on Amazon for three straight weeks. In its first week of sale worldwide, it apparently sold 500,000 copies, which is to-date the best first week for any Mario title. Currently it is the fourth best selling Wii video game of all time, with 7.66 million copies sold to date. Surprisingly Mario Kart Wii has surpassed it, as have Wii Play and Wii Sports. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Fit trail close behind it.

Legacy
Rosalina appeared as a playable character in Mario Kart Wii, with a Luma accompanying her at all times. The Rainbow Road stage in the same title was based around Super Mario Galaxy. One of the tournaments required the player to knock a total of four Spikey Topmen (regular enemies of Galaxy) off of a Galaxy themed stage.

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the airship that Bowser Jr. rides in that game greatly resemble the ones that litter this game.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
A sequel to Super Mario Galaxy was unveiled in Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference, with a discussion about the sequel occurring during a round table event. In May 2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2 was released in America and Japan (It was released in June for those in Europe and Australia). The basic plot is similar to the first game: Bowser storms his way into the Star Festival and kidnaps Princess Peach again. This time, though, he has grown so huge he is about as big as Peach's castle. Mario naturally goes after Bowser and gets a ton of help from old and new friends along the way.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 contains dozens upon dozens of new galaxies and as well as notable new items. Mario could wear the Cloud Suit and make up to three clouds with each star spin. Wearing the Rock Suit can allow Mario to roll and tumble right through enemies. Mario could also grab a drill when available and dig through planetoids with soft soil.

One of the main attractions to this game is the ability to use Yoshi. Like previous games, Yoshi can latch onto food and foes with his tongue and pull them into his mouth. New food items gives Yoshi special attributes, a Dash Pepper gives Yoshi the ability to run faster than usual, a Bulb Berry creates a path for Yoshi where there once wasn't one, and a Blimp Fruit can turn him into a balloon and let him rise into the air.

Trivia

 * In multiple areas, creatures resembling Deku Shrubs appear.
 * Rolling Green Galaxy is played similarly to Super Monkey Ball
 * A large Rupee is present in one of the galaxies, and is worth 40 star bits.
 * The overworld theme from world 1-2 of Super Mario Bros. 3 is played on various galaxies such as Sweet Sweet Galaxy.
 * Some of Super Mario Galaxy is take for Mario Kart Wii. For Ex. Rosalina is unlocked by have saved data from Mario Galaxy and playing races.
 * The Airship music from Super Mario Bros. 3 returns.
 * In Ghosty Galaxy's 3rd star, Toad says that Luigi was kidnapped by Bouldergeist. This is oftenly mistaken as Luigi being kidnapped again, though it is referencing mission 1.